One last attempt...

So I thought I would just post one last blog for the year.  Nothing of importance, I'm just a little on the OCD side of life.  I can't stand to see every month have at least one blog post in it and then December have nothing.  So this will most likely be of no great revelations but it will make me feel better when I look at my own blog. Pathetic - I know.

The past month has been very busy for us, but then again who isn't it busy for?  We had Abraham's first birthday party, but good ol' mom (me -Jena) didn't use the camera.  So no blogging there, unless someone out there has pictures of it?!  I can say, though, that the birthday boy really wasn't up for the party - even his first cake experience didn't win him over.  He was somewhat cranky the whole time.  We found out Monday that he had an ear infection - which explained most of the crankiness.

We also did a lot of travelling for the holidays but again - no camera.  You would think that with my genes there would be a camera attached at my hip.  It sounds like a New Year's resolution - MORE PICTURES! 

With that I will wish you all a Happy New Year! Hopefully next year I will be able to fill in the gaps of my blog - Abe's party, more Proverbs and maybe some fun kid things!

Our Abbi-girl is 3!

On November 14, our Abbi turned 3. She had informed me several weeks before her party that she would like to have a pink and yellow castle cake. She chose the theme and the colors - all I had to do was put it together. The cake was easier said than done. The icing didn't cooperate. But with the help of Gramma and Pappa Judd the cake was finished by 1:00 in the morning. Next time I will use this recipe recommended by Shelly.

I was having a hard time coming up with games, but within a matter of minutes before the party started I thought of these 2 short games. One was "princess, princess, who's got your shoe?" - a spin off of "doggy, doggy, who's got your bone." And the other was a treasure hunt game where we took a box full of the princess's jewels (candy bracelets) and hid them somewhere in the house. Whoever found the jewels was to return them to the King and he would then distribute them among all the people.

I think Abbi had a wonderful time. Thank you to all who could join us. You made this day very special!

gleaning wisdom

A few weeks ago I was at my cousin's birthday party when I heard some great advice. I heard my aunt say that she and her husband "always prayed for wisdom" when their kids where growing up. OK, granted, this is nothing new. I know this and you know this. But when I heard these words this time, they hit me like a ton of bricks! Wisdom - that is exactly what I needed! Why didn't I think of this before. Now don't get me wrong, I've prayed for wisdom before, lots of times. However, this time it was different. I had a clearer understanding of what I was praying for. So the next time I sat down to pray, I didn't just pray "Lord give me wisdom .(dot).(dot).(dot)" moving on to something different but "LORD, GIVE ME WISDOM, understanding, a willing heart, a teachable spirit." Now... I know that wisdom is not going to just "pop" into my brain and I will be a wise person. It is going to take some action on my part. What better place to start than Proverbs. Again, a no-brainer. We've all read it before, several times I'm sure. This time my husband is reading it with me and commentating on it as well (I learn so much better when he reads and shares his insights with me). And this time, though I have read it plenty of times before, it is sinking in deeper. Now no, I am not all-wise and full of understanding. In fact I have a long way to go, but I am enjoying the journey ( I will tell you more about that later). Not only do I have God's Word, prayer, and a godly husband to gain wisdom from, but as I look around, God has surrounded me with quite a few wise people to glean from too.

Thank you Lord for wisdom, for your Word, for wise friends, and for a godly husband.

Snow in October

This is what we woke up to this morning.

Simeon was so excited that he went and woke up Abbi so she wouldn't miss it.

They couldn't wait to play in it.

Out they went for a small snow ball fight. 10 minutes later they were ready to sit by the heater.

A happy first snow day!

More boots

So Abbi wanted to show off her boots too! Thanks to Gina, we now have 2 happy kids with boots. 1 kid with boots just didn't seem to work.

Warm, Cozy Moments

for just a moment...

all three kids are sitting at the table

2 coloring, 1 eating

cold and rainy outside

the smell of dinner cooking

the candlelight makes eyes sparkle

Norah Jones playing quietly in the back ground

and all is calm

at least for a moment

In the middle of fall and didn't even realize it

So fall came fast for me this year. I couldn't wait for it to get here and then didn't even notice when it came. I walked out back to find that all of our beautiful leaves are already on the ground.

And that of course means lots of raking!

It also means yummy apple butter. Our neighbor has been very generous and is allowing us to have apples from her tree. They make the best apple butter.

It seems like we are taking on a new tradition with fall as well. This is the second year that we have gone to a pumpkin patch. The kids loved it this year! I think they enjoyed digging through the weeds looking for the gourds that "Mommy just had to have."

And of course Simeon can make a sword out of anything! He picked this up instead of a pumpkin to protect us from anything that could be lurking in the field.