We love you, Stan and Genie!

Several years ago, our lives crossed paths with a couple who needed the Lord. Their children were already grown, and so I never met their kids. My dad introduced them to Jesus, and they were never the same. They are passionate people, and when they met Jesus, they sold out lock, stock and barrel. Their lives and volunteerism have touched many.

My parents have since moved away, and Stan and Genie have moved several times as well. But they still all keep in touch. They called mom and dad Thanksgiving weekend to say hi, but missed each other.

The next time they spoke, the tone was much more somber. This time Genie was clinging to a photo of her daughter who had tragically died that day.

Today Stan and Genie said one of many goodbyes to Tina. They were joined by 20,000 other mourners who gave Officer Griswold and her comrades a hero's memorial.

We never know what tragedy lies around the corner for those in our lives that we love...or for ourselves for that matter. I'm so glad they have Jesus to comfort them, and I'm so glad they have the Body of Christ to be His hands and feet.

We you join me in praying for Stan and Genie DeLong today?

Stuwowpid!

One of our children (and I won't tell you who) used to have a brilliant vocabulary. Suddenly, however, it has completely dwindled down to two words: "Wow" (with much sarcasm) and "Stupid" (with no sarcasm).

Therefore, the parental units in this family have decided that we might as well save further time by combining those words as well. Thus, the new family favorite word: Stuwowpid
prounounced: stew-wow-pid
language of origin: sassy pre-teen
part of speech: interjection
definition: stupid and wow at the same time

Shopping, Celebrations, and Symphonies

'Twas the month before Christmas and all through the home,
Every creature was scurrying to get it all done.
There were events to attend and gifts to be bought,
Birthday parties to hold and baked goods to be wrought....

This is always our busiest week. Two birthdays, and a world that decides it is best to get all Christmas events out of the way the first ten days of December.

We celebrated Riley's Birthday on Saturday.


My kids have a thing these days for drawing their own pictures on their cake. Riley wanted a medieval theme, and drew the best Gifford Coat of Arms he could do with food color markers on frosting.


Again, my camera is misbehaving. You would never know that at one time, my family saw great potential in my photography skills.


Yes, that *is* a snow ball sling shot!

We celebrated Bill's birthday on Sunday.


Yes, another French Press!!


My wild-eyed man with his birthday pie - Jeff Davis, of course.


....and then there is Audrey. Sigh. She is getting so big. She is really starting to coo and smile. The cousins had great fun with her yesterday. If you can't tell, her little onesie says, "Who needs Santa? I have grandparents!" Too cute!

Saturday night, we took the kids to North Idaho College for their annual Christmas concert. They did so good at Battle of the Bands, that we decided they were ready for this. We soon found out that our oldest and youngest thought this was an experience that would cause death. They did survive, but they made sure we knew they didn't enjoy.

Hayden was a convinced that one of the songs was sung in pig Latin, and Riley was very concerned when we sang "Don we now our gay apparel"; but overall it was a great success.

We later asked the kids what their favorite part of it was.

Hayden: The part where we got to sing.
Ian: When Mrs. Price sang (one of his teachers - ahh).
Riley: The box drum! (No surprise there.)
Clayton: When we got a candy cane and got to go home.

Last night, we planned on going to Journey through Bethlehem. The kids were so looking forward to it. It is, however, an outdoor event. It is also in Spokane. We left early, so we could hit a couple of Spokane stores first. When we walked from the van to the mall, we suddenly realized something: it was COLD! Not just a little cold...not just bundle up good and you'll be fine cold - but you'll freeze your face off in a matter of seconds COLD. It was so windy, and 1/2 the kids were in tears before we got to the door.

We really wanted to go, but we decided that our skin would indeed freeze off, and there would be no joy in having the kids see frozen dead animals and frost-bitten bible characters....if it wasn't even canceled.

Two of the munchkins were very sad, but Happy Meals make almost everything better.

So today we wake up to 8 degrees. Riley left his clothes on the heat vent last night which will be good for his clothes, but bad for their room temperature....and off we zoom into the second busiest week of the year!

New Schedule

So Bill has this new job. It isn't anything fancy, but it is work - and in today's economy, we are grateful that he is working. The biggest "WOW!" is that we are both working Monday - Friday, during the day! We haven't had the same schedule for a good three years, so this is spectacular. We have weekends and evenings together - and with our kids!! Can you say, "WOW!" I will say it for you. WOW!

However, Bill's schedule is a bit early. He leaves home at 5:15. I decided that I really wanted to be on his schedule. I'd rather learn to get up early and write and exercise and have time with God in the FIRST part of my day - instead of when I'm about to drop dead at the end. I would prefer to learn to go to bed BEFORE all the great shows come on at night, so I'm not wasting time in less productive ways.

We didn't get off to the best start. We had a late night in Spokane last night and didn't get to bed until 11:00, but I was determined to get up anyway. I had a great time in the Word, but my exercising was sabataged by a broken DVD player and a PS2 that wouldn't read my disk.

So I made chocolate chip cookies - a double batch. Now, it really isn't as bad as it sounds. They weren't for me. Today is a certain someone's 10th birthday, and he requested to bring cookies to school as his treat. Since I was so busy getting to bed early last night, I didn't get them made. Do you realize that a double batch of Betty Crocker's chocolate chip cookies takes an entire box of butter? Like I said, they aren't for me. Why a double batch? well....

This brings up the point of classroom size. Don't schools know that it would be much more convenient for moms if they gauged the classroom size by dozens? so you didn't have to buy 30 of something for a class of 22 or 36 of something for a class of 26? Just sayin'!

....and don't worry. I know how to do sit ups without a DVD. I think that I shall attempt that between switching out cookie sheets.

Food Frenzy

We have a lot going on this week: two work parties (involving potlucks), Hayden's turn to bring snacks to school, and two family birthdays. I really needed to go shopping, so I arranged my whole day with the express purpose of getting to the store before Bill got home with the boys from school. That way, I didn't have to take anyone, explain to anyone why I wasn't taking anyone, or deal with the guilt of peeling children off my body because I wasn't taking anyone.

It worked!

Howbeit, I did forget that it was the 1st of the month, and everyone else and their pet chihuahua would be at the store. My cart was completely overflowing, so the checker had to go get a different cart to load the bagged groceries in because I wasn't getting them unloaded quickly enough. I then realized that their can be one benefit to bringing strong boys with you to the store....pushing the second cart. Much to the amazement of my checker, I did get it all back into one cart.

The whole process only took THREE HOURS!! Are you kidding me? I came home exhausted and with a headache of course - which isn't the best thing to combine with four boys jumping up and down excited to see what all came home. They opened the back hatch to the van and the apple butter rolled out on the pavement, but it survived the fall and didn't brake. It did NOT, however, survive the second dropping in the kitchen. So while Bill was cleaning up apple butter and glass, I tried to clear a path in our "one butt kitchen" (as my friend Julie affectionately calls it). I directed the apple butter dropper to the table where he could carry cans down to the cold cellar. Moments later I hear another yell. Yes, the apple butter dropper has now dropped the apple juice. The lid has broken, and 1/3 of a 64 oz. bottle has spilled on the floor and splashed up the filing cabinet and under the filing cabinet and all over the post board stored beside the filing cabinet. Is this for real?

I wish I could say that I handled it all calmly like I did yesterday when a glass got broken and I simply called out "watch your feet! Go get shoes!" But this was not one of my prouder mom moments. Needless to say, I had some apologizing to do.

But the fridge is cram packed. There is no way anything else will fit, and I am officially ready to begin my "no more free nights, five holiday events in five days" week....oh, after I go take advantage of five hours of sleep. Sigh.

An Invitation

Join us at Those With Young this month!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

When we first got married, our tree was meticulous, Victorian...pristine. We carefully made perfect bows with burgundy, velvet, brocade ribbon and evenly spaced them on the tree with their ends, trailing like streamers, to the next bow. We filled in between with antique gold lace. Our ornaments were all gold and ivory - Victorian angels with harps, angels with bells, angels just flying. It was picture perfect.

But then the kids come. They start coming home from Sunday School each week with a new "ornament." - a picture they drew and drizzled glitter all over....a photo of themselves inside a paper bell....a foam manger scene all glued together or a Popsicle stick stable. They proudly march in to hang it in the middle of your pristine, picture-perfect, Victorian tree. It doesn't match. You try to move their ornaments to the back, assuring them that it is really empty back there and could use their decorations....but soon you have 56 of these precious ornaments, and the back of the tree can no longer contain them.

That was the year, I resolved to let the kids take over. We strung popcorn. We strung cranberries. We hung candy canes and all of their handcrafted ornaments...and all the ones Bill and I had collected growing up. It wasn't perfect or pristine, but it was full of love.

As the years have gone by, I can't imagine going back to "my tree." This one is so much prettier. One of my favorite memories is of Hayden sitting by the tree at 13 mos old, and chewing on the popcorn strands. (Some day I will post more old pictures. My old pictures are better anyway, since I had a better camera. However, they are all trapped in the downstairs computer without a working monitor.)

I so wish I could capture the beauty of the lights on a tree. I really believe this is by far our prettiest tree ever.