one of my favorite moments...

our church had a service new year's eve this year and it was probably one of my favorite ways i have ever prepared to the beginning of a new year.  the service was not all night long or even close to the ringing in of the new year; it was a 5:30 or so service and it only lasted an hour.  but it was a precious time for me. 
we sent oliver jack and finley to their classroom and harper and calvary decided to stay with kyle and i in the service. 
calvary wanted me to hold him while we stood to sing and i obliged...the moments where he wants to be held are growing fewer and fewer and i take what i can get...as i sang the lines, "and i'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross" calvary pressed his ear up against my cheek.  he held his ear there for the duration of worship.  harper had her arms wrapped around my waist with her face nestled perfectly at my hip.  she is at the perfect height where her head seems to be the missing puzzle piece for my slightly curvier figure. 
i am so thankful for the consciousness i had of how perfect this moment was.  i stood their drinking in the gifts that God has so graciously blessed me with and all of the stresses of finances and futures unknown seemed so unimportant. 
it was a small moment where i was able to truly experience the cliche of living in the moment. 
my sensory sensitive boy not covering his ears at the sound of loud not so wonderful singing but instead pulling my face closer and closer to his ear in order to feel the vibrations of my worship.
my oldest child, my gift, my reminder of God's grace, resting lovingly in my arms.
my green-eyed boy standing beside me;he is always supportive and strong enough to make most loads feel light.
it was truly one of my most favorite moments in my life.  so simple.  so perfect. 

my iphone has taken over my computer...i have enjoyed not having to sit at an actual computer to check email or take a picture or 200.  the only pitfall is that i have not written here. i have so many things that i need to catch up on like christmas...i would like to get that recorded before february.  right now i have coffee to drink, a menu to plan, a grocery list to write, and pajamas to get out of...all before the kids' show goes off.

christmas cookies...

 i had actually forgotten that we decorated sugar cookies last year until i got out my camera to take pictures of the kids this year...suddenly my mind was flooded with memories of the children sitting around the table at our old house piling on red and green icing.  somehow, they were much cleaner last year.  by the time it was all said and done, the boys were half naked and finley was so disgustingly sticky that even i was daunted by the task of cleaning her up.  but, we had fun.  honestly, i think the cookies are disgusting and we never end up eating them.  well, kyle does.  he doesn't like them either, but we hate to see things go to waste and he is not as mindful of his figure :). 

this year:

last year:



let's get crafty...

this year pinterest made decorating for christmas fun and economically responsible...i found so many great ideas that other people have used and was so blown away by how talented and creative people are.  while i am not super talented, i was able to find some pinspiration that was feasible for someone with my abilites and time.    

i found several wreaths i loved on pinterest and combined my favorites to make this wreath for our front door...i just love its simplicity and bright colors...

i saw some ball fringe used for garland on pinterest and remembered that i had bought these felt snowflakes at the dollar store 3 years ago to use for christmas decorations...i usually tie them from the light fixture over the table but this year i tied them together and made garland for the fireplace...again...i love color!

i love getting christmas cards every year but i always struggle with how to display them.  this year i saw this idea on pinterest and thought how perfect it would be for me.  after all, we have acres of neglected forestry for a backyard :)

the kids and i searched for perfect branches and then i used a pitcher and tissue paper to secure them.  i topped them with rocks to make it look a litte nicer.  then each card we received was punched with a hole and tied with twine to our tree!  i love this one so much that it is still up.  i love seeing the faces of so many people we love each day.

i was perusing the target circular one day and i noticed a tree made out of pine cones selling for 25.00.  my first thought was how much i liked them and my second thought was how i would never spend that much money for one.  i also thought that this would be a great way to once again make use of our backyard.  it was so much fun searching for pine cones with the kids.  i like how they turned out but i definitely will refine my technique next year.  make them bigger and straighter...

harper wanted a nightgown this year for christmas so i wanted to oblige.  anna had given us some curtains from ikea with a perfect little print.  we hung one in her room and then, in a very maria moment, i used the rest to make nightgowns for finley, harper and merriwether. i used several things i saw online and combined them to make it easy for me.  finely's was a bit tight so on christmas day i added some button ribbon from anthropologie so we could get her in and out without dislocating her arms...

i made harper some ruffle pants to go under her nightgown and i also made some for finley...she busted out of hers because i made them too small though...maybe that is why people use patterns and measuring :)  i made calvary and oliver jack some solid black pants and then i sewed their names down the side by cutting out letters in solid white and appliquing them down the side.  i really like how they turned out.




our home was modestly decorated but i was so proud of how much of it i actually made with some new but mostly found materials.  i love pinterest for collecting so many great ideas and for inspiring me to get creative and come up with some of my own!

finley talks!

finley has started talking more and more lately.  after lunch the other day i decided to video her saying all our names.  her decision to call calvary "bubba" makes me laugh every time....

oliver jack is 3!

last month oliver jack turned 3 years old and i still am not quite sure how i feel about it.  i miss baby oliver jack.  he is the kind of kid that goes so fast all of the time and is always finding mischief that it seems like he has never changed...but then i see a picture of his little baby face or a video of his chubby little legs walking around at our old house and i am struck with the reality of just how different he is.  he is still mischievous, a charmer, funny, and my most quintessential kid kid.

he has a vocabulary that is quite impressive and, at times, disturbing. 

he is a boy's boy...he loves to have swords and guns and pretend that he is in a fight with a bad guy or some animal.  he often goes to sleep holding his "best fighting stick" and there is never a day that passes that i am not asked to put a sword down the back of his shirt that he can pull i out just in case a bad guy comes.  his pockets are filled with cars and trucks.  his belt loops are heavy laden with daggers and guns.  he wants to race all the time and ride his bike as fast as he can down the hill. 

he also loves to snuggle.  he wants to be held and sit on a lap.  i love to hold him because he always melts into my arms.  he shrugs his shoulders up and buries his hands between me and him and lays his head on my shoulder.  life doesn't get better than those moments. 

he loves his brother and sisters.  calvary is the victim of most of his aggravation--stealing his toys, coloring on his pictures, breaking his "fighting stick"--but at the same time he is also his greatest source of inspiration.  he thrives on calvary's approval and the moments when calvary is accepting of him oliver jack's happiness is heart warming.  harper is his mother hen...often times a suitable replacement for me and other times a preferred replacement.  i love when he sneaks into my room and climbs into bed with harper and kyle and i find them later snuggled up sleeping.  finley is just as she always has been...the adored little baby.  he treats her as if she is made of glass.  he brings her babies and blankets and tries his best to lay them out for her.  they sit snuggled up on the couch and play so sweetly together.  i cannot even explain how cute i think it is when he pushes her around on his bike and the bends over and says, "was that fun finley? did you like that finley?" 

he is trouble.  he is sneaky.  he needs constant supervision.  but he is joy.  and the time is passing by so quickly.  i love him so. 

for this year...

oh, how cute it is to make a resolution...

1. only eat pizza one time a month --  we eat pizza so often because it is the quickest and cheapest way to feed a large family...but i rarely enjoy the stuff anymore.  i resolve to make pizza more enjoyable by limiting the number of times we partake of it.
2. be more accessible to friends and family-- i have worked harder this year at being present with family and friends but i want to continue to strive to be a presence in the lives of the people in our life.  my granny was always there for everything and i would like for people to know that they can count on me like i knew that i could count on her.  i may have to say no sometimes and i may come with four children in tow but i want my children to know that it is important to be invest in the lives dearest to them.
3. be financially disciplined-- kyle and i have always been disciplined when we have had to be disciplined when it comes to finances.  however, in the moments that we had more room to wiggle we rarely show the same amount of financial fortitude.  my goal this year is to strive to live on 70%, save 20%, and tithe 10%.  it makes me nervous to even type such a goal because we have always just done what needed to be done and never really had a long term financial plan...so this is a first...and i am not sure what type of success rate i expect, but i feel like this is a step in a positive direction.
4. establish a home school for my children--  in august i plan to start homeschooling my children full force, but before that can happen there is so much to be done.  i need to get legal, gather and develop a curriculum, get kyle to finish the home school room, prep the kids for what our days will look like, and purchase and stock a liquor cabinet (for me, not the kids).  with all that it will take to make this goal a reality i feel that it merits its on spot on the resolution list.
5. sew more for my home and children--  i have gained so much experience over the past year and i am excited to take that experience and develop more projects for the new year.  some goals for 2012 include making curtains for my kitchen and dining room, making cushions for seating, and make countless dresses for my girls. 

this year has been a wonderful one.  i am thankful for our new home and for the memories that we have made here.  i have already marked four heights on the door of the bonus room and painted their hand prints on the wall.  i have cleaned many, many, many hand prints from less desirable locations and washed hundreds of loads of laundry.  we have snuggled in every room.  we have shared countless meals over the tables in this house and some on a blanket on the floor.  we have lived half of the year in plenty and half of the year in not so plenty.  we have thanked God for our family and His provision.  we have learned more what it means to be a family.  this year has been a gift...and through all that we have learned and gained and struggled with and laughed about i am excited to see what this new year has in store for our little family.