Friday, January 22, 2010

A Flying Trip Home

We recently made a flying trip back home. We actually drove, but it was a quick trip. Hubby had to speak at a conference in our hometown, so the kids and I tagged along with him. We knew we didn't have time to see very many people, so we focused on my family and just a few favorite friends.

Our trip started out bright and early and both the youngest two started out this way.

Next to throwing balls, Yoda's favorite thing is drawing. We worked hard to keep him entertained for the 9 hour trip.
Our hotel had a pool and the kids did some swimming with cousins one night and friends the next. I got a new camera and am getting used to it. Needless to say, I didn't get very good pictures at the pool. Here is one of Padme enjoying the kiddie pool.

The two oldest boys with their friends in the hot tub.


Three very dear friends I was able to see and spend time with.

Leia with Yoda and his little buddy.
The kids with their favorite friends. They had so much fun and wanted to stay for longer!

At my sister's house, Yoda had fun playing ball with her big dog.

We got to spend time with my mom and dad.

Yoda making friends with Papa.
We played some Rummy, which is a card game I grew up playing, and now my kids like playing it, too.

All the cousins on the stairs, minus Padme. She was sick and stayed at the hotel with Hubby for this get together.
And before we knew it, our trip was over and we were back in our Suburban headed home. And the kids were conked out for at least part of the ride.

The Ride Home

This picture was supposed to be at the end of the post above, but I accidently deleted it, and Blogger won't let me move pictures around anymore! So frustrating. So, here is the end of our trip.

Monday, January 11, 2010

90 Day Challenge Check In

I am really enjoying reading the Bible quickly like we are for the Challenge. I have a few things that really jumped out at me this time. These are from the past 10 days of readings.

Lot- really his only good quality is that Abraham loved him and prayed for him. He may have been a righteous man, but he didn't have any kind of influence in his community, or his family. His wife died leaving the city, and his girls both got him drunk in order to have children by him.
Also, I think it was good that he offered to protect the three visitors from his neighbors, but he offered his daughters instead. I realize it was a different time, but still..... I can't get over that one.

In Leviticus 18 where it lists all the people not to have sexual relations, it mentions both your sister, and your daughter-in-law. I thought this was interesting because in Jesus' lineage, both of these later forbidden relationships are represented. Abraham and Sarah were brother and sister, and Judah had a child by his daughter-in-law.

In Exodus 24:9-10,Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu see God with Moses and Aaron and 70 leaders of the people, and in Leviticus 10 they are struck dead with fire for disobeying God. And they are killed shortly after being ordained as priests!

The priests must have had cheat sheets to get all the particulars right for the different sacrifices!

The priestly garments sound beautiful and very fancy, but they are sprinkled with blood to ordain them, and then with all the sacrificing they do, they must have gotten quite bloody. I never thought of them as covered in blood. Really between the sacrificing, the inspecting of skin eruptions, and inspecting fungus in people's houses, I wonder how they had time to do anything else.

My two oldest boys are reading along with me and we are having interesting discussions. It is great that we are all reading the same chapters at the same time. My hubby is not a reader, and it was too much, too fast for his taste. He is reading, but will probably take a year to finish. And Luke is reading the Bible in a year, which is a much better pace for him.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Christmas 2009

I am still working on Christmas pictures, so here is our Christmas, in a few pictures.

Christmas Eve, trying to get a good picture.


Yoda was NOT co-operating!
We open our stockings Christmas Eve, and our presents Christmas morning. Each year the kids get an ornament in their stocking. I try to find ornaments that are particular to them that year, something that is special to them. Han starting driving this year, so he got a car ornament.

Obi has become a crazy basketball player, so he got a basketball and hoop.

Padme got a little dancing girl for her starting worship dancing this fall.

I had a hard time for Luke, but found a snow globe with his name on it. He loved it, thankfully!

Leia's ornament is hard to see, but it is a pretty pink dress. She loves pink, dresses, and girly things.
The younger kids started this tradition of sleeping in the living room by the tree. The older ones joined in. They were all so excited they could hardly sleep!


Christmas morning we have Cinnamon rolls and read the Christmas Story from Luke 2 before we open presents. I tried the Pioneer Woman's recipe for Cinnamon Rolls and they were an instant hit with the entire family. So much so that we have had them twice more, plus we are planning on our next "Important" event which would require them. Truly delicious!
A few pictures of the kids with a gift or two.

Yoda really couldn't figure out what was going on, but he loved these bathtub balls he got.

Leia was thrilled to receive an American Girl doll. I was thrilled by the good deal I got on her!

Obi and Han have been making Zombie movies with a friend. Obi loved this book and has many funny lines he quotes from it.

Padme is a hardcore Play Dough lover. She was so happy to get some that was all hers. She can mix the colors and no one can complain about it!

And she wasted no time in getting to work!

Yoda loves balls, so he liked the ball on the picture of his box.

And he loves the hoop and can even make baskets, even when he isn't getting help from one of the brothers.

Luke loves Lego's, and wasted no time in setting up his castle. He has a hard time keeping Yoda out of them!
The Cinnamon rolls were so good that people kept snacking, and we didn't feel like making Christmas dinner. So, the table was full of Lego's and play dough, we hung out, took naps, and played all day. A very nice, relaxing, and enjoyable Christmas was had by all!

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

20 years

Twenty years ago tonight I married my hubby. We started dating at the beginning of my senior year of high school when I was 17 years old and my hubby-to-be was 20. Four years later we got married. I was in college and the plan was that I would finish, and then he would go. Our plans were interrupted by the arrival of our first baby. We hadn't planned on having children for at least 10 years, if at all. So the life we now live is nothing like the life we planned 20 years ago tonight. But God's plans were much better than ours. I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I compiled a few statistics of our lives the past 20 years. Here are some of what we have been up to.

we have 6 children
we have owned 3 cats, 5 dogs, 2 hamsters, 1 hedgehog and 100's of fish
we received 4 college degrees between the two of us
our family has undergone 7 surgeries
we have lived in three states
we have lived in 5 cities
we have moved 10 times
we have regularly attended 6 churches
we have had 15 different jobs between the 2 of us
we have been to 14 states
we have owned 17 vehicles and an ATV

Some things you can't count like laughter and tears, sorrow and joy, friends and family, good times and hard times. We could have never pictured our life the way it has turned out, and can't wait to see what the next 20 years will bring.

Happy Anniversary, honey!

Friday, January 1, 2010

Read the Bible in 90 Days Challenge

Just wanted to get a quick post up with this info in it. I am accepting the challenge to read the Bible in 90 days! I have read the Bible through once before, but it took my almost 2 years to do it. Reading it in 90 days will be fast and furious, but good for me as well. My hubby and two oldest sons are also in for the challenge. Here is hoping and praying that we all are blessed by our readings, and that we finish!