I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! Ours was great, everyone was safe, healthy and happy (you can't ask for more than that)! The boys got a Wii, Grant got his cowboy bedding and western room decor, and Santa even brought Bakugan's! We left after opening presents for Georgia. It was a quick trip and I wish we could have stayed longer. The boys didn't want to leave, they cried! They had the time of their lives. It's such a beautiful place and even the weather was perfect, one day it was 78 degrees. Friday I went for an early run and just enjoyed the mild temps, the mist hanging in the air, and the beautiful pecan trees. I ran through rows and rows of them (I felt like Forrest Gump)!:)
We crammed alot into a short amount of time but it was all good. Plenty of quality time with family (the boys adore Grammie and Poppa), we went to the Museum of Aviation, and visited a specialty peach farm (they aren't in season but we loved the peach ice cream)! The highlight was probably visiting Uncle Greg's and riding horses. Our three little John Wayne's were in cowboy Heaven! Here are a few pictures:
Hanging out at the barn, ready to ride!
Showing the boys how to put the saddle on:
Mount up!
The only regret is that I wish we would've taken more pictures. It was such a special time for them.
I have so much more to write but I'll have to come back later and update. Vacation has been a blessing for all of us and we are loving every minute. Today is our first day with the Wii. Although, Jim and I call it "leverage". This morning the boys got up, ate, brushed teeth, made beds, got dressed, and all without me asking more than once! They knew if they did their routine they could play Wii sports. I think it was a good investment already! Lol j/k.
I hope the Light of the World shines through you and you feel Christ's presence this Christmas. God bless you.
This has been another amazing year and I don't want it to end! I just wish I could freeze this time in our lives. We have everything we need and more than we deserve and I am just so humbly grateful for every second. The boys are already having a hard time sleeping in anticipation that Santa is coming in a few days.
Because of where Christmas (and New Year's) falls on the calendar, we all get about 2 weeks off...wohoo!:) During the break we are going to Georgia to visit with Jim's family and we are excited about that, I am ready for 65+ temps!:)
Here are a few quick things I wanted to post before I forget. I ran across a website for when you travel/take a vacation that locates Catholic churches for you. I always enjoy visiting other churches and seeing different communities. This will help you find one no matter where you are: click here.
Also, I ran across a new twist on the "Night Before Christmas" poem. I posted it on the Mom Squad blog. I hope you enjoy it.
Have a happy, safe, blessed Christmas!
This has been an interesting week. On Monday I noticed a strange bubble on the floor of my mouth. No biggie, it didn't hurt, it just felt odd. I am the worst when it comes to going to the doctor (with little ones at home, my priority is them, not sitting in a waiting room). I know it's not the right mindset to have, and I think I learned my lesson. I went to our family friend/dentist Dr. Julie Thomas and she took one look and immediately sent me to the "Jaw and Facial Surgery Institute". I wasn't expecting that at all. Well, it turns out I have a blocked salivary gland and they have to remove it. It's a pretty significant procedure. I'm fine with all that but what scared me a little was signing the "biopsy consent form". The doc. said he may send it off if it looks suspicious upon removal. My aunt died of mouth cancer so hearing that was a little unnerving. Although she was a lifelong smoker and I've never smoked anything. I'm not worried or anything, it just makes you think. Our bodies are so amazing, it's pretty incredible they way everything works together and how we can sometimes take our health for granted. The doctor said nothing more causes this other than "bad luck". Nice.:)
On another note, if you are still scrambling to finish your Christmas shopping, this might help! Over 200+ merchants are offering free shipping and guaranteeing before-Christmas delivery. It's TODAY ONLY. Check it out at: www.Freeshippingday.com
Oh, and one more thing. I ended up almost running late this morning because I was so involved in a website I found. You may have heard the story of Anne Rice (author of Interview with a Vampire) and her conversion back to Christianity. We've talked about it before but I never actually visited her website, until today. It is so great. What a story, what a journey! It's really interesting (and inspiring). You can check it out at: www.AnneRice.com
I ran across a neat piece from Faithandfamilylive.com about the nativity story. This video recounts some misconceptions about the birth of Jesus. This is cute and very well done! Many of the points I never knew. Still, I am not that concerned that every single detail is correct because it's the sentiment and the truth that our Savior was born! Click here to view video
On a different note, I found the neatest new search engine! Actually, Len Howser discovered it and now I am hooked. I especially love the music searches. You just type in something, for instance "Coat of Many Colors" and the song will automatically start playing and you can link to the site immediately. Hard to explain but cool to check out! It's www.searchme.com
We just got back from our annual trek to Great Wolf Lodge! It was another magical visit. We go every year before Christmas and it's been a wonderful memory. The lobby has a giant Christmas tree, a roaring fireplace, a clock tower with characters and it even snows in the lobby! We also like the live sing Christmas music. On the weekend nights they have different schools (our groups) come in and perform. Oh yeah, and the swimming! I almost forgot that part.:) Here is a quick recap of the trip!
This is neat. You can get (or give) a Christmas greeting from the Pope, and the President! I imagine if you find out the details, you could get one from other places too (your favorite Football team, music artist, etc). More than anything, I think it would be fun for the kids to get a card from their sports team or the President.
Click here to send a Christmas e-mail to the Pope.
Click here to request a greeting from President Bush.
It's time to send out the annual Christmas cards. We wanted to get Molly in there too so we took them at home this year. Really, we should just pick one of the outtakes to send because that's more of a reality than the "perfect" picture anyway!:) Here are some of the outtakes...
It's tough to find time to sit down and read, but I really love the moments when I can dig in to a great book. The neat thing is, with my job we are always getting new books have a great pool to choose from. So just for fun, I decided to compile a little list of some of my recent and all-time favorites. If you are stumped for a good gift ideas, maybe one of these will work!:) I'll break it down by categories:
Parenting:
Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson. A great insight into the minds of boys, and the importance of raising strong men in our society today. This had such a big impact on me, it's a classic.
10 Conversations You Need to Have With your Children by Rabbi Shmuley. I will continue to appreciate this book for years to come. Full of wisdom and a great way to partner what we learn in the Bible, with today's challenges.
For the Person who Loves a Good Novel:
The Shack. I have not read this yet but I can't wait to check it out. I've heard amazing, rave reviews about this book. The website is very intriguing, it looks like a very powerful piece of work.
For the Guy in Your Life:
Abraham Lincoln: A Man of Faith and Courage by Joe Wheeler. Few things have inspired my husband like this book has (aside from the Bible). A quick read but a deep and honest look at the heroic virtues of Lincoln.
John Adams (the HBO miniseries on DVD). I cannot say enough about this. I still say every American needs to watch this! It is long, it is not always easy to understand (we turned on the subtitles) but it is INCREDIBLE. An especially great gift for anyone who loves history.
For Girls
All Things Girl
by Teresa Tomeo. The truths presented are poignant, easy to read and wholly inspiring- helping every girl understand that her real identity begins as God's beloved daughter.
For Boys
The Dangerous Book for Boys. I've raved about this one before. It's the ultimate book that every young man should have in his library. It teaches everything from Morse code and disappearing ink, to history, faith, how to talk to girls, and much more. We love it.
Health
Eat this, Not that. This is such a handy little guide! If you are looking to eat healthy, lose weight (or both) it's very helpful. It has pictures and suggestions as to what to order at fast food restaurants. I have found this really helpful. Now they have a book for the grocery store too.
I know I am missing several but those are the ones I can recall right now. If you have any good ones, feel free to leave a comment. I am turning that feature back on, I welcome your feedback.:)
Thanks so much to Debbie for passing along a great suggestion:
Hi Brooke -
I was reading your blog about your advent tradition and wanted to share one that I started with my two sons who are now 15 and 11. When my oldest son was about 2 or 3 he used to like to play with the figures from my very old nativity set. Not wanting my set to get broken, I bought him his own set. The tradition that's evolved goes like this -
We take Mary and Joseph out on the first Sunday of advent and place them somewhere in the house. Then every day my sons have to move Mary and Joseph to a new location in the house - you see Mary and Joseph are on their journey to Bethlehem! As advent progresses and Mary and Joseph are moved from coffee tables to shelves in the kitchen to bookcases in the office, we talk about what Mary and Joseph must be feeling - travelling so far from home, what weather conditions they might be encountering, are they scared by themselves, is Mary scared or happy that God has chosen her, etc. We've even looked at some of the maps in the Bible and talked a little about the geography of the region. It really helps to keep the boys centered on the true meaning of Christmas and the true meaning of advent as a time of waiting and reflection. Of course every now and then they forget to move Mary and Joseph along in their journey - their typical explanation - "they were really tired so they stayed there an extra day!" I feel truly blessed that God led me to develop a new tradition of my own that hopefully my boys will pass on in their own families one day.
As I'm writing this I have the FISH playing on my computer and the song that's playing now is "Breath of Heaven" by Sarah Groves - how appropriate! (In addition to the classic hymns, I just love the Christmas songs sung from Mary and Joseph's point of view - and there's also a wonderful song from the wise men's point of view called "God With Us" sung by Todd Agnew.)
Debbie Brady-Thank you Debbie!
While we are also on the topic of Christmas songs we like, I have to share this video with you. A few weeks ago I was listening to my Casting Crowns Christmas album. My mind was kind of wandering but I happen to catch the lyrics "While we're sound asleep by philosophies of save the trees and kill the children"... I was jolted back into focus and wondered "what in the world is that doing in a Christmas song?!" So I went back and listened to the entire song. WOW! The message was so powerful. It's very deep so you really have to absorb the words and catch what they are saying. It's illustrated well in this video. It's long but good, if you get a few minutes it's really worth checking out.
You can see it here.
As a parent, almost all of us want our kids to understand the true meaning of Christmas. Something we did during Lent (to prepare for Easter) I have brought back for Christmas. The craft project is easy; we just cut out a paper cross and made tissue-paper presents. The way it works is, when the boys do something kind for one another or help around the house, they are giving a little gift to Jesus. They get to put a present on the cross and see it fill up! The best part is, it almost becomes a competition for them and they become more aware of how they are treating each other, and ways they can be helpful. It's a special thing because I know if we tried this year-round it would probably wear off! Ha. So thankfully Advent provides the perfect time to do this, and show them that the Christmas spirit isn't necessarily about buying and getting, but doing for others, and giving to the Lord.
Oh, and speaking of birthday gifts....happy birthday to my husband!! Jim's birthday is today! His present is Rome next year (remember that is our gift from now until 2010)! We are going out to dinner, Italian of course.:)
Well...sort of. We ordered this ant farm for the boys as a Christmas gift. I never really thought I would be the keeper of an ant farm that's for sure. During the summer, Gabriel poked holes in about a dozen of my food, storage containers to create a little habitat for various bugs they would find...so they will love this (and it saves my Tupperware)! The ant farm world is new to me but it's actually pretty fascinating. This is neat because it's not sand, it's blue gel that nourishes the ants, and makes it easier to observe them. It was technology developed by NASA and after reading up on it, I gained a new respect for ants! It's pretty affordable too (only 14.99), we ordered the "illuminated" version which is a little more, but still not bad. You can check out the ant farm and all of the great items at the Discovery store by clicking here.
Also, if you are bored and want to see a cool video of how it works, click here!:)
This year, in addition to our Christmas tree the lights and decorations, we've added an outdoor nativity. When we went shopping for yard decorations last year, I saw just about everything. Inflatable Santa's, Mickey Mouse, penguins, and even frogs (because when you think of Christmas, you think of....frogs)? I was miffed at first, and then I started getting annoyed. Not only were odd items being marketed for Christmas decorations, but nowhere could I find what SHOULD be in our yards...outdoor nativities! The birth of JESUS is why we celebrate Christmas....not Santa, not blow up snow-globe carousels...but our Lord! I started looking online and found one extreme or the other. Either the sets were elaborate, big and very expensive, or they were plastic and somewhat cheap. I wanted to honor Jesus with a nice one, but not go into debt doing it.:) Leave it to Hartville to come through. We saw this set at Hartville Hardware (on sale) and bought it about a month ago. Jim needs to build a stable but after finishing our basement, he might take a breather before building anything else.:) We have it tucked up against our house but I'm waiting to move it to the middle of our yard. I know that "things" shouldn't make us remember Jesus for Christmas, but I would much rather have the birthday boy out front, than an amphibian.:)
Also, for my Catholic friends. I found a neat page with "10 Prayers Every Catholic Child Should Learn". Click here for the link!
