Polar Express

So many fun things have happened this December and I am really behind on updating the blog about them. This post is about the Nona/Papa adventure weekend the kids took the first weekend in December. They did their traditional Gingerbread House making and then went on a fabulous trip to the Polar Express.



Here they are with Santa on the Train. Abby and Will each got a very special Santa Sleigh bell and only those who believe in Santa can hear it, it was very cute. They also got to eat hot chocolate and get their tickets punched just like the movie.



Here is Will with his Papa!


Abby with her Nona!



I think I have more picture of the kids with their grandparents then I do of all four of us. One of my goals over the next year is to get better about taking family photos of all of us together.

Mike and I are so grateful for the free time we were able to have while the kids were away. We got some much needed Christmas shopping done, slept in and had a great meal out.

More December fun to come!!!

Be the Match!!

A little over a week ago our church hosted a bone marrow donor drive. It was very powerful as 70+ people from our church signed up. I have always toyed with the idea of being a donor, I know from several blogs I follow how critical the need is but I never felt that "God Moment" telling me to pursue it or maybe I did but I chose to brush it aside. It was interesting when our pastor first mentioned it to the congregation, as he had become aware of a mother who knew someone in our congregation who was in need of a bone marrow transplant. I prayed about the choice God would have me make that day and then relaxed down to watch Extreme Home Makeover that night. Wouldn't you know that on that very episode a woman who was cured by a bone marrow transplant was featured and they brought her donor to help rebuild their house. It was truly a moving moment and a prod in the right direction.

Later when they announced the date of the actual sign up it happened to be the Sunday our kids were with the grandparents, allowing us to take the 15 minutes or so to fill out the paperwork and do the cheek swabs without two kids begging us to go. So I anxiously await to see how God uses our church to literally save a life. Thankyou God for the clear signs pointing me to your character and your desire for me to give something that isn't really mine to give. I pray that more people will pray about the decision to be a bone marrow donor. I pray for those who continue to battle bravely severe illness and those heroes who give of their time, energy to help them fight that battle. Thank you for your son Jesus Christ and the ultimate gift and sacrifice he made for all.

Greatest Gift

Today I received one of the greatest gifts a mom can get. It was presented to me in a conversation with my 5 year old son today.

Me: Will, what is the true reason for Christmas?

Will: Jesus was born

Me: Why is it important that Jesus was born?

Will: So Jesus could die on the cross

Me: What does Jesus death on the cross mean for us?

Will: That we are able to live

Yeah God, thank you for all the people placed in Will's life who have taught and modeled a life of Christ for him. There is no greater gift than the gift of Christ, and a close second is being able to witness that someone accept Christ and his message. I am truly blessed.

FYI: I asked Abby these same questions this evening and she got it as well, the comfort in knowing that the seed has been planted. In BSF we talked about God enabling people to understand his word, thank you for enabling my children to understand the most important truth of your precious word

If at first you don't succeed.......

This past friday I attemped to get a signed copy of Sarah Palin's book "Going Rogue". I started my morning by taking Abby to school, then raced like a mad woman to buy 2 of her books at the Kenny Rd Borders, because Borders website said they were out at their Dublin Location. I then dropped Will off at preschool and zoomed over to the Borders on Sawmill to wait in line for a wristband. Originally they were going to give out 1000 wristbands that would allow you to come back in the evening for the book signing.
When I showed up the line was all the way down the front and back of the shopping center. I heard from someone in line that now they were only giving away 500 wristbands as Palin's crew had requested this. I enjoyed chatting with the nice people in line with me, it was comforting to be with those who appreciated the same conservative values that I believe in. After over two hours of waiting we were told that they were out of wristbands. I was disappointed but I knew in the big scheme of life it wasn't the end of the world. I went on with my day but I just couldn't let go that I felt like I really wanted to get those two books signed.
I called Borders at 530 that night to inquire about the line for those without a wristband and the worker said not to come because I wouldn't be able to get them signed. I felt defeated, Mike came home and I told him I knew I was being a baby about this but I really wanted to see her. So Mike said just go anyways and see what happens. So I went back out and waited in line and 2 and 1/2 hours later I had two signed copies of her book. I got to shake her hand, she asked me my name and I said Thank you so much. I was super pumped after that. I got one book for me and one for my father in law for Christmas.
So in this case persistence paid off. I had prayed about this a few days before because I didn't want to spend God's time doing something that might be frivalous. I feel like God ordained my schedule so that I might go. So that I might be encouraged by others who share similar values and that I might share my faith in Christ with others. I know that 4.5 hours is a long time to wait to meet one person, but I also see it as a reminder that if I am willing to do this to meet Sarah Palin I should be able to commit that amount of time and more in serving Christ.

Will's Fifth Birthday!!

Wow, Have I been taking a major blogging hiatus. I meant to post more on our Disney trip but life has been very busy at our house. Will was very lucky to get to spend his fifth birthday at Disney World. He wore a special shirt, got a button, got into the park for free and of course got a birthday dinner. We were at Hollywood Studios on Will's birthday and had a wonderful time there.



Will got to see the Power rangers, which was way cool. He dressed up as the Blue Power Ranger for Halloween so it was great to get a picture with him and his autograph.



Will got to wear a special Birthday Chef hat at dinner. We ate at Mama Melrose's and it was very good. Will got a special birthday sundae and he loved it. They also gave Abby a chef hat since her birthday was only two weeks past.

I can't believe my baby is 5 years old, he is such a big boy in so many ways, yet very tender still. He is super excited that now he is five he can do the climbing wall at the workout place now. I am so grateful for this silly little boy who keeps me laughing all the time. He is great at soccer, wrestling with his daddy and has become quite good at is Batman leapster game. I feel so blessed to call this little boy my son. Thank you Lord for the blessing of being a mother, or as Will calls me, Mama.

Magic Kingdom

We spent most of our time at Disney World at the Magic Kingdom. We spent all day Monday at the Kingdom, including a special Princess Lunch for Abby. It was really a special event. Abby got her picture with almost all the Disney princesses, a special meal and a magic wishing star complete with wand. She was over the moon.


Abby was the first girl that each princess visited which made her feel super special. It was fun to eat lunch with my precious daughter, my mom and my sister-in-law. The boys had a character lunch at the Crystal palace and got to meet Pooh and friends.



The first ride we rode was the Dumbo ride. Will rode with his mama and it was fun to get to ride this classic ride with my little boy. The funny thing about this ride is I think we waited longer for this ride than any other ride in the park that day. Will still loves the movie Dumbo so it was neat that this was our first ride of the day

On Tuesday evening we headed back to Magic Kingdom for a special Halloween Party and Parade. The kids dressed up and got to go trick or treating at the Park. They also had fireworks, a parade and a little dance party. I got to try out the fireworks setting on my camera, I still need to learn how to use my camera more but the portability of it was awesome.







More pictures from our big Disney adventure soon. Including Will's birthday.

Disney World

Pictured above are my lovely parents and the reason we were able to go to Disney World last week. My mom and dad took my family, my older brother, my younger brother,his wife and son all to WDW last week. It was amazing!! It was the first time for my kids and their cousin Colin. We had great weather, although a bit on the hot side and everyone was healthy. I prayed before and during our trip that we would remain healthy. With the swine flu, strep throat and colds making the rounds I feel so blessed that our family was protected for this past week.

We had a 6am flight on Sunday morning so we left for the airport at 4am!! We arrived at our hotel around 1pm and ate some lunch and walked around before we could check in. That night we went to Downtown Disney and ate at a great restaurant called Rainforest Cafe. They have simulated thunder storms every 20 minutes and we celebrated all three kids October birthdays with an awesome brownie dessert.



Also in Downtown Disney they have a design-a-tee store by Hanes. Abby and Will each designed a tee on the computer and then an hour later we went back to pick it up. Abby chose a purple tee with all the princesses on it. Will chose blue shirt with the Incredibles on it and we wrote "I was at Disney World on my birthday" on it. My brother Brian bought Abby and Will the famous mickey and minnie mouse ears with their names embroidered on the back. We had a great first day to our trip. Despite the long travel it was so nice to relax and have a meal together. We all went to bed early so we could be up and ready to go for the Magic Kingdom the next day.

I'll update on that tommorrow.