Reflections...

The past couple days for me have been busy, yet somehow I've had lots of time to think about how my life has changed. When I was young, I had not a care in the world. I never had to worry about things...Mom and Dad took care of me, raised me well and taught me some pretty valuable lessons. They instilled in me some pretty wonderful Christian values that I too am teaching to my own children.

Now that I'm a little much older, I can appreciate my parents for the incredible example they were to me, and how much they invested in my life. Oh to be able to see them just one more time to let them know...

Word of advice: If your parents are still around...please take the time to let them know you love them. Tell them how much they mean to you, and tell them how thankful you are to them for all the time & money they've spent on you, and for all the sacrifices they've made for you!

Anyhow, as I've spent time with Rob and the kids getting ready for Christmas (decorating, baking, and shopping), I've reminisced about the traditions my own family had. I miss having family around. When I was growing up, I had a very large family that used to get together every holiday. We had wonderful times, and many memories were made that still make me smile today! Most of my family are now gone...so I don't see anyone on my side during the Christmas holidays. It's very hard for me and it hurts that my children have no cousins or other kids their age around to make memories with, even from Rob's side. It's been something I've struggled with for a few years now, and I think this year it's really hit home. Yup...I've got too much time to 'think' these days! That's what happens when you take a month off from homeschooling! =)

I try not to talk about it much with my own family so they don't realize the pain, but I'm sure it shows. (Not to mention the fact they they read my blog, so they'll see it here!) Fortunately though I have a wonderful family and we're making our own memories. I pray daily for my children...that they will grow up with fond memories in their hearts as I have in mine, despite the differences in the way we've grown up. Despite that they don't have much family to celebrate with as I did. God puts people in our lives at just the right time. He will never let us down like people do. He always provides what we need when we need it, so I'm trusting that He will always protect my children and give them family and friends when they need it most.

Pray that my kids have the best Christmas ever this year. It's not about the gifts, it's not about the food or the decorations (although those are all so much fun!!)...it's about Christ, being together and enjoying the gifts that we have been blessed with.

I have so many wonderful friends who live far away....you know who you are...my very dear close friends from COTW, friends from RSA , from college and those of you who are faithful readers here. I wish you all a wonderful, safe, happy and healthy Christmas. I pray that God will bless you in years to come, and that you always follow your heart as He leads you.


P.S. The candle photo above is a Woodwick candle...the company is based out of Virginia. The scent is called 'Frasier Fir' and it smells incredible. I love these candles more than Yankee Candle (Shhh! Don't tell) because they not only smell better, but they are prettier and they make a wonderful crackling noise as the wood wick burns down. They last forever too! Just my .02 cents.

Finishing Touches

We finally got our tree up and decorated!! It took quite a lot of hard work to get it up in the tree stand, but once it was there we were quite pleased. It fit in the room perfectly!

Rob put the lights on it one evening, and then we all decorated it the next day. We were going to put more ornaments on it, but the tree started to get too heavy and at one point started tipping over, so we had to stop! We didn't put many ornaments on the back of the tree since it's in the corner and no one would ever see them there, but all the weight in the front caused the tree to tip towards the living room. It was scary, but we managed to save it before it went over. Rob was laying on the floor next to it fixing the stand when it happened. 200+ lbs of sharp blue spruce needles may have caused lots of pain...I'd know...I'm the one who ran over to it to stop it from falling over. Ouch!

Anyhow, here's the finished tree. It makes the room feel so warm and cozy....especially when the lights are on and the fireplace is lit!





Lionel & Sweet-Pea beside the tree:

Notice the Lionel train set beneath the tree...it's the Polar Express!

Close up of our mantle decor...


Cody loves the tree....hopefully not enough to try anything though. =)


Well...now that things are decorated, it's time to start baking...we still have lots to do before next week. I still can't believe Christmas is only in 11 days!

It's beginning to 'feel' a lot like Christmas!

Yesterday we headed over to the local farm to cut down our Christmas tree. It was a long afternoon....but we had lots of fun!! We hiked all the way up to the top of the farm (which is VERY big) to find our tree. It's not that there weren't any good trees on the way up, but for some reason, we just love walking around and looking at them all.

This time we went further than we normally do. It was pretty, but it did pose one problem. Since it was a weekday and not a busy weekend, it was hard for the workers to know how far people were walking, so the truck (that usually goes all over picking up trees people cut down to bring down the hill) never came up to the very top. We ended up calling the place on our cell phone asking them to send a truck to come pick up our tree. It took an hour! We were so cold by the time they showed up, but waiting wasn't so bad...we posed for some silly photos and listened to pretty Christmas music.

The trees had just enough snow on them which was perfect for taking photos!


The kids loved hiking to the top of the hill! Did they take the designated paths? Of course not...but it sure was fun!


Sweet-Pea found a great walking stick to help her get up the hill.


Looking down at the farm shows how big this place really is. You can't even see the entrance where we parked...it's way down past the pond to the left. There are many directions you can walk to in order to find that 'oh-so-perfect' tree.




Finally...Lionel found this beauty! Here Edward trying to figure out if it's too tall, or if it will fit in our living room. He cut it just 1' above the ground, so it must be the right size. I believe he said it weighs approx. 200 lbs. and is about 11 1/2' high!!! We will probably have to cut another foot off the bottom in order to get our angel up on the top though...we'll see.


Sweet-Pea found this 'Charlie Brown' tree on the ground and thought it was simply the best tree around!! We brought it home, so she can decorate it herself. Too cute!


Lionel, Sweet-Pea and myself standing beside our tree (which is on the right).




Cutting it down was a job, but the boys did it. Daddy started the job and Lionel finished it. Unfortunately Daddy forgot the rope with the tarp, so they had to pull the tarp itself...not an easy task with hardly any snow on the ground for maneuvering. They only had to drag it a few hundred feet to the pick-up spot, so it wasn't too bad.


When the tree is up and decorated, I'll take more photos. We waited until today to put it in the stand, but found that half of our lights weren't working, so we will have to finish it tomorrow. More to come another day...in the mean time, check out this surprise....

When we woke up around 6:00 this morning to take Cody out, this is what we found. Almost 6" of snow on the ground!! The forecast called for rain...lots of rain. They didn't even mention snow! It was a nice surprise though, but boy was it a surprise. Edward was so glad it was his day off!


The snow looks so pretty on our little 'fake' outdoor Christmas trees. I love taking photos of them when they're covered like this!


After the snow surprise, the rain finally started to fall. It rained pretty much all day. Most towns around us had enough rain to melt the snow, but we are on a hill top, so it's colder and the snow tends to hang around. Lionel was outside shoveling today but it wasn't fun since there was a lot of water mixed with the snow....slushy anyone??

Fortunately the rain stopped. Now we can enjoy the beautiful snow that was left behind...til it turns to ice!!! Ha!

We are having such a great time this December....decorating, Christmas parties, shopping and more. We will start baking soon, and then we'll really feel like the holidays are in full swing! This month seems to be flying by, so I'm trying to take it all in and enjoy every minute of it....all while taking a million photos with my new camera to share with you here. =)

"...at the Camel Lot"

Sweet-Pea had her Christmas musical at church last night. As always the kids did a fantastic job!! This year the musical was entitled "Camel Lot"...it was very cute. The sets were adorable and as always, we were among a crowd of very proud parents!



Sweet-Pea is in the 2nd row towards the right...you can see her legs between the 2nd and 3rd boys from the right in the front row.


Sweet-Pea singing her heart out...(She's right in the middle - only girl with bangs.)


Closing prayer...glad to see she closes her eyes. =) I always love taking photos like this...it shows the true innocence of our children. I was so proud of her for showing her love for the Lord in this simple way.


Great job Sweet-Pea...I am so very proud of you. You worked hard and sung your heart out!!!


Grandma and Grandpa (Edwards parents) were able to come see her sing, so she was very happy.


It's sad to think that these years are almost over. She's only got 2 more years of being a part of the kid's choir, and Lionel has only 2 more years of high school left. Hmmm....maybe I better prepare myself for some major changes in 2 years. Whoever said that kids grow up so fast was absolutely correct. Don't blink...they'll be gone before you know it!!! I try to savor each and every moment with them these days....they are a big part of why I get up every morning!! I am truly blessed!!!!!

Scenic Sunday - #8

(Click on the photo to enlarge for a much better view!)

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

This morning it was raining, but by mid afternoon the snow started to fall. It's so pretty outside and it's still coming down! We're definitely getting more than the inch they predicted.

The snow plow already went by our house twice which totally surprised us!! In our old home, we'd have had to wait several hours before the plow came by. Usually it would pass by just after we shoveled the driveway, blocking us back in. It was always so frustrating...just one more reason we're so glad we moved!!



The back deck...it looks so pretty out there with the lights.


We don't have that much right now, but hopefully there will still be some snow on the ground for Tuesday...when we head to the farm to cut down our Christmas tree!

Lights...Camera...Decorate!

Today we spent most of the afternoon putting up our outside decorations for Christmas. We purchased 10 Christmas wreaths at the local nursery (ooh, they smell so wonderful) and I added pretty bows to them to give some color.



Edward, hanging up the wreaths...while trying not to fall!! He was a bit nervous way up on the ladder, but he did a great job!


View of the house at night. It's hard to see the wreaths, but they're there. Since we live in a Saltbox style home, I thought about how perfect it would be with candles in the windows, but honestly...walking around to every room each night to turn them on and off was not something we wanted to do. Maybe next year.


Front view with flash photography...so you can see the wreaths.


Hopefully we'll be getting our tree next week...I'm hoping it snows, but I highly doubt we'll get any. It's always more fun to cut down a tree when traipsing through the snow!! Here are a few photos from previous years:

As you can see, we have a great farm nearby with beautiful scenery and tons of trees to choose from! We're at the top of the hill...the farm extends beyond the water and pretty far in each direction as well.


2005:




2006:




2007:




2008:




Can't wait to see what tree we get this year!! When I look back at previous years, our trees have all been so different except for one thing...they're all TALL! This year will probably be no different. As long as we can get that angel on the top it's all good. =)

Concentration

Every week I look forward to watching Sweet-Pea out on the ice during her skating lesson. I either sit in the bleachers with Lionel (while he reads or does school work), or I stand by the side of the rink...usually always with camera in hand.

Today I didn't get very many good shots...but I managed to get a couple decent ones. It's not easy taking clear photos of a moving object! Anyhow...I love the concentration on her face in this photo:



She's been working on a couple new moves which have been very challenging for her. Remember, she's only been taking lessons for 1 year, so she's not an advanced skater, but she's overcome many obstacles already. Just today, her coach told me that she's progressing far better than others who started lessons before age 7 like she did. We are very proud of her and all her hard work. Lord willing, one day she'll be able to get out there and do some really cool jumps and spins. For now...these simple photos of her working hard at what she can do, are proof as to how far she's come already.

Can't wait 'til next Tuesday when we go back to the rink!