Christmas 2009

We had a great time at Mom and Dad's for Christmas - hard but good. We had to take the kids back on Christmas Day so we had a lot of our Christmas on Christmas Eve. The kids had so much fun! We took them iceskating at Light Up UCF and Nathan absolutely loved it! I thought he would last for 5 minutes - I sure was wrong about that.   I also got to spend a lot of time with my high school BFF, Les.  Love her so much.  We always pick up right where we left off.  This time our kids got to play together and that was so great to watch!   Nathan enjoyed riding the four-wheeler with Les's middle child, Canyon.  Natalie had a good time playing with Skyler.  They are into the same girlie things! 

For my birthday and Christmas from Mom and Dad and Bekah and Rachel, I got Guitar Hero with drums and everything! I've never loved video games, but I had asked for this because I thought it was something we all could do together and it has been so much fun!  One of the games I got with it was Beatles RockBand and Dad loved singing along with those songs.  He knows pretty much every word of every song!  Natalie also loves singing - with the microphone basically in her mouth!  So funny...

Nathan's absolute favorite Christmas gift was a little guitar that I gave him (it was actually a hand-me-down from my cousin).  He loves it and it's the perfect size for him.  There's no way to tune it really but he doesn't mind and he plays it all the time.  He also keeps track of his guitar pick with great care!  Natalie's favorite gift was a High School Musical barbie schoolhouse.  It was all she wanted and she does love playing barbies.  The kids also both got scooters which they have had great fun with since we got home.  When it's not been too cold outside!

They like to go "scooterin" down the driveway as fast as they can go and into the grass in front of the mailbox. Nathan says that this scooter does not have "training wheels" like the other one we had that had three wheels!  They are so cute with them!  All in all, a very blessed Christmas!

Sweet Seasons Corn Maze

We had a great time at the Sweet Seasons Corn Maze in Allentown on Saturday morning! Natalie had two friends, Haley and Katherine, with her. We had a blast finding our way through the corn maze, using our handy map. We took a hayride, which was fun, but cold! We also tried the corn cannon, blasting pieces of corn out of a pipe towards a target. I think Nathan did the best at this! The kids also rode on the corn train, which was too cute!

Three more days....

So, only 3 more days until my kids are home with me. They've been spending some time with their dad, and I miss them so, so much!!! I love those kiddos. So I've been spending some time trying to clean up around the house before they get home (translation - getting it ready to be wrecked again :)) I've also been working King's Kids at church this week. I'm working with 4th and 5th grade for the first time. I usually teach 1st and 2nd grade. What a big difference! I'm really enjoying it. At King's Kids we teach them a musical over the course of a week and they perform it on Sunday night. It's amazing to see how quickly kids can learn. It's a lot of fun.

I was at choir practice last night when we sang the song "Jesus What a Savior You Are." The words touched my heart so, and I couldn't even finish the song. Here's the lyrics:

You are my strength when all my strength has ended
You are my hope when all my hope is gone
You are my joy when my world is full of sorrow
You're the peace in my tomorrow
For I know that you'll be there

You are my song when my melody has ended
A light in the storm when I can't find my way
You are the one who gives my life a reason
Someone to believe in, you help me carry on

Jesus, what a Savior you are
Savior you are
Jesus, what a Savior you are
You are

You are my rock when I need a place of refuge
A hand reaching out when I stumble and I fall
You are my all in every time and season
You are all I've ever needed
Every time I call

You heard my cry, you answered my plea
You gave up your life, gave me everything
Now forevermore I'm devoted to you
And that's why I sing my praises to you

Pretty much sums up how I feel right now... He's there, I know He's there, even when I don't recognize his hand at work in my life, reaching out to catch me when I stumble. And I'm so thankful that He is there and that He is such a great Savior.

Missing my Squirt...

Yesterday was a hard day. My little dog, Squirt, a boston terrier, has been my bud for 11 years. Thursday night, he started yelping for no apparent reason and then seemed to be unable to lay down. I woke up in the middle of the night and he seemed to be much worse and I could tell he was in pain. I sat there in the floor with him, crying because I couldn't do anything for him. He finally got himself laid down and seemed to settle down, but by the morning he was standing up again and his legs weren't working right. I took him to the vet first thing and they told me he had something wrong with his back, maybe a herniated disc. But there was something else going on, something neurological. I had to leave for a field trip and so I left him there for bloodwork and tests. When they called me several hours later, the news wasn't good. He had started having seizures and they were having to give him Valium to keep them stopped. They thought he had a brain tumor. I had to make the incredibly tough decision to put him to sleep rather than see him suffer anymore. We all got to see him, even the kids. Natalie brought his favorite toy and he even went after it. I think both kids did really well. It was just a tough afternoon. I held Squirt the whole time. I think he knew that we loved him. It's amazing how much he means to me. He has truly been a part of the family and I already miss him so much. I've never seen a dog with more personality than he had. In fact, I'm pretty sure he thought of himself as a person, not a dog. He's been with me through some really rough times, and somehow he always knew when I was upset. He would come over and sit right next to me. There's something special about the way a dog loves - they love unconditionally. They don't care what you look like or what anyone else thinks about you - you feed them and give them some attention and they would do anything for you. I loved that little dog and I sure am going to miss him.

Holy Week

We had Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services at church, not something we usually do, and they were so good. I am glad that they prompted me to think... about what Christ went through on the way to and while He was on the cross. He knew exactly what was coming, and He did it anyway. And the worst part was... He did it alone. That struck me this year and bowled me over. He knows what it's like to be completely alone. Even the Father turned away when Jesus took the sin of the world on Him. I know it's because of my situation this Easter, but I'm comforted to know that Jesus knows that pain, too, and He cares and He loves me.

Procrastinating...

Thursday night - my kids are with their dad for a couple of hours and I should be doing something productive... instead I am on the computer? I need to be studying for the GMAT (going back to school for my master's), but I have already studied a good bit today, so, that can wait. I was supposed to be at the t-ball park today for Natalie's game and Nathan's practice. But it has rained for almost a week and a half, so everything was canceled. This was opening week - so we've had no games yet. I am interested to see how these games work - especially Nathan's. Three and four year olds are not so into a structured game. They like to hit the ball, but fielding? Not so much. Nathan can sometimes be found roaming the infield with his glove on top of his head. It should be fun to see how the games work out.