A Christmas Lesson

So, here we are a week before Christmas and I still have things to do in preparation for our celebration next week. My plan for this Christmas season was to have everything done early. Christmas cards would be sent out at the beginning of December, shopping done before Thanksgiving, all wrapping and baking would be done the first week of December as well. Once all of this was done, it would allow my family to just sit, relax, and enjoy our "holiday". The funny thing is when I make a plan, God usually doesn't let it happen, so that he can show me the plan that he has for me. His plan also has a lesson, and this time was no different.

First, let me tell you that around Thanksgiving I started reading "Radical" by David Platt with my Life2Life group. If you want to be challenged and kicked in the rear end about how you are serving God, then this is the book for you. If not, then stay far, far away from this book, because it will change your life in a terrible way! (I say that with a lot of sarcasm! Seriously, after the Bible this is a must read for believers today.)

Our December started off with an outreach event called LoveGave Food. Our church partnered with 2 other churches here in Charleston and in Madison, MS to raise money to feed kids over Christmas Break. We were at 2 Walmart Supercenters for 58 hours straight asking for donations. We were also online with a live feed from both locations. Our goal was to feed 400 kids. We needed to raise $40,000. Well, God had other things in mind and he allowed us to raise $58,000!! It was crazy, and exhausting! We will deliver the food personally to the families twice to the designated families as Christmas Break approached.

The week after LoveGave, I got a 6:30 am phone call that my aunt who was battling cancer had passed away. All that knew my Aunt Sharon, knew that she was actively involved in sports all her life. In fact she was still playing volleyball in the Senior Olympics and traveling all over the country when she was diagnosed. She was a coach and a fierce competitor. She was at times a second mom to me, and growing up my family's backyard backed up to hers. I spent just as much time at her house sometimes as I did my own. She was well loved and was always quick to help out those who needed it. In my last conversation with her she told me that she wanted to be more generous and thoughtful. The funny thing is that these are two words that already described her. And because of that there was a 3 1/2 hour wait to see her at the funeral home. That whole weekend was overwhelming and surreal for my whole family, but it left my thinking about just how generous and thoughtful I am in my own life.

We got back to start preparing to make deliveries to the families that were to benefit from LoveGave Food. As we started making those deliveries and hearing stories of friends and their deliveries, we realized that this was much bigger than we thought. We quickly found out that we were bringing food to families in very impoverished and sometimes bad neighborhoods. We were taking food to families, who in some cases, only had a roof over their heads. Some had no furniture, no toys, no blankets, no food. No luxuries that I take for granted everyday. These families are in dire need of physical nourishment and essentials. I have been thinking about these families, and these stories, since I have seen and heard where/what they live in. I have literally been stopped-short by their lack, and embarrassed by my overabundance of things just sitting around my house. At the request of a friend I have been cleaning out my closets and garage and finding things to pass to one family who quite literally had nothing.

So, my Christmas has not been perfect and Christmas card like. It has gone nowhere near according to plan. I have been humbled and broken by the experiences that my family has gone through in the past 3 weeks. But because of this month God has taught me some important lessons. And I think those lessons are as follows:
* Life is short, so make sure you love on others with the same kind of love that He has shown us. Whether that be your dear family, your neighbor or a family in another part of town, Jesus has asked us to simply give and show love. Not just at Christmas, but all year long.
* God has not called us to be comfortable in our own houses while ignoring the needs of those around us. He has given us things, like houses, clothes, food, furniture and extra money to be able to bless those around us for His Glory.

Its so cliche, but Christmas is not about presents, cookies, perfect family dinners or even Christmas Cards. Are those things bad? No, not at all. But when you get right down to it, Christmas is about love. The love that God showed for us by sending His one and only Son to earth as a baby. He sent his Son to save us from our sin and give us the chance to have eternal life and be with God forever. Thank you God for showing me love. I pray that I can show your love to others in a way that glorifies you!

Luke's Dedication

Me and my little man!

This past Sunday was a big day for Luke, even though he didn't even know! We had the chance to dedicate Luke and our family to the Lord. Our church had a baby/family dedication service where roughly 12 families dedicated a child. It was special to us because we made a verbal commitment in front of God and our church body that we would raise our little boy to be a Christ follower and that we would teach him God's ways. There was no salvation decision made, obviously Luke is not old enough to make this yet, and there was no water baptism. These will come when Luke has made this decision for himself. But still, it was an important day in Luke's life and for our family.

Its hard to see, but this is a family shot of us on the stage.

Poppy and the boys before church.

Update on the Boys

My two little boys are growing more and more everyday. They are changing so much and I am noticing that if I don't write it down, I won't remember it! So here is what is going on with my Will and Luke.


I will start with Will. The biggest thing going for him is that he has learned to ride his bike. He started a couple of weeks ago after he saw a little boy down the street riding his bike. That's all it took, and it seemed like the next day he was an expert at riding his bike. Now he looks forward to taking walks because it means that he can ride beside me instead of riding in the stroller.



Will is still my little helper and is always looking for ways to help Mike and I. He loves to go on errands with just Mike or I. I think it is because it makes him feel like a big boy, but I also think it makes him feel special. He has come to adore his little brother and loves to play with him. He is also very protective of him and will tell me, or anyone else, to be nice to "my brudder!" It makes me smile to see his love for Luke. Of course, that doesn't mean that he is always nice to him, but it lets me know that he does love him a lot!



Now for sweet little Luke. Well, maybe I should say active and always into trouble Luke. Wow! This kid keeps us hopping. We have learned that we can not turn our back on him for a second or there will be a mess to clean up. The other day I cleaned up candle wax that he scraped out of a jar candle. Tonight I cleaned vaseline out of his hair that he used as hair gel. Of course he did this after his bath! I'm pretty sure he means well and is not trying to wear his momma out!

Last week Luke had his first haircut. Mike did it, just like he cuts Will's and his own. I was not quiet ready for it, but Mike thought it was time. He didn't get a full cut, but enough of a trim to make him look like a big boy.



Let's see what else is Luke doing? Well, he has also become quite a dancer. He will start dancing anytime he hears music. Sometimes he just bobs his head up and down and sometimes he moves from foot to foot, but he loves it! We are starting to see his athletic ability come out. He is kicking a soccer ball, he has been doing it for a while, and is throwing with his left hand. And just the other night he actually shot a basketball into their little basketball goal in the playroom. For awhile he would walk up and drop the ball through the net, but not anymore. He takes an actual shot. Crazy! His independent nature is starting to show. He no longer needs mommy to do a lot of things. He wants to do everything by himself, so we let him, for the most part. What a big boy he thinks he is!


These two little boys are so special to us. Mike and I are truly thankful for both of them!

Play time

Both of our boys adore playing outside. Here recently we have had some pretty amazing weather, so what better to do than be outside in the beautiful 75 degree weather! Most days we stay at home and play in the backyard. We have a swing-set in our backyard along with several other outdoor toys. But last week we went to a cute little playground on Daniel Island called Pirate Park. It had an actual pirate ship and a lighthouse to play on. It also had treasure chests full of sand to dig in. Seriously, it was so cute and my boys had a blast! They played hard and slept hard that night!

Halloween 2011

Luke the construction builder
Will the train engineer

Hard to believe that Halloween has come and gone. This year was a lot of fun, we had a train engineer and a construction builder. Not the most creative choices, but everyone knew what the boys were dressed as! Watching Will was special. He understood the concept of trick or treating and was on a mission to make sure we hit as many houses as possible. His goal: a full bag of candy!


We didn't quite get there due to darkness, but we got quite a stash!

Luke was not very happy for most of the night. He wanted to walk, but I wouldn't let him since we were on a busy road. We also forgot his paci, so we let him eat candy out of his bag to keep him quiet. Notice the assortment of colors on his shirt in the pic below!:)But once we got home, he was happy with his stash as well!

Time with Marmie

It worked out that my mom was able to come back with us when we came home from our trip. She was on Fall Break and my dad was in Myrtle Beach playing golf. We met up with him over the weekend. We enjoyed my mom being with us. She loved on our boys and us and we are very grateful to her, especially for helping us take down wallpaper, paint and redecorate our downstairs bathroom!:) Thanks for everything
mom!
Will and Miles at the aquarium. I keep Miles a couple days a week for a friend. My boys adore him!
Luke enjoying the milkshake that he was supposed to share with me.
Milkshakes on the way to Myrtle Beach!
Skeeball at a Boardwalk Arcade in Myrtle Beach.
Will was really starting to catch on to how you play when it was time to leave.
Luke's idea of skeeball.
Whatever works!

Annual Fall Trip

There is something about going home that is just so comforting. Now that neither Mike or I live close to home it is even more exciting when we get the chance to go. And getting to hear Will and Luke giggle and laugh and play with their grandparents is priceless. Last week we got the chance to go home for our annual fall trip. We went to the mountains, picked pumpkins, played with cousins, drove golf carts and basically just had a fun, relaxing time. Our boys loved it, we loved it and our family loved it and here are the pictures to prove it.


Mimi, Poppy and the grandkids
Will, Luke and Caleb. Will could not wait to play with his cousin!
Annual tractor picture with Poppy. I love family traditions!:)


Will and Jake. Will could not wait to play with Jake either. It warms my heart that he loves his cousins so much and that they play so well together!

New camera, back to blogging

I hate when I go through a blogging drought. A couple of months ago my camera broke. It was dropped by a precious 15 month old that lives in our house. I have been without a camera and it has been killing me! We have Mike's iPhone, but it goes everywhere with him, so I don't get to take any pics unless he is home. All that to say, I have neglected to share about the boys because I have not had any cute pics to share. But...thanks to a good friend, I now have a new-to-me camera.



So, let me get you caught up. Let's see, we will start with sweet little Luke. This kids is a ham and he cracks us up everyday! I hope I never forget that:
*He likes to get up early every morning between 6:45 and 7:15.
*He is trying to say words. He can say juice, mama, dada, milk. The other day he walked into the bathroom and tried his best to say brush teeth. Mike didn't believe me until he heard him say it tonight.
*He will nod his head and say something like yeah for yes and shake his head and grunt something for no.
*He loves to laugh and make others laugh.
*He loves meal time and bath time!
*Graham crackers are his favorite food, but goldfish are not far behind.
*He loves books. It has taken us awhile to get here, but he finally wants me to read to him. He will go and pull every book off his shelf and bring me one and plop down in my lap. Right now his favorite books are "Peek-a-Boo Jungle" and "Little Quacks Opposites".
*He LOVES to be outside. He will come running if you open the back door!



Now for Mr. Will. This kid is becoming so articulate and is saying so much right now. Its so cool to get to have a conversation with him everyday. I hope I never forget that:
*He loves to laugh and to make his brother laugh.
*He loves his friends dearly and asks to pray for them most every night.
*He loves to play cars, trains, basketball and football. But he also likes to play hide-and-seek. This consists of him pulling all the pillows off the beds or couch and hiding under them. He also wants me or Mike to hide with him.
*He LOVES to be outside. I think he would be content to play outside all day. He especially loves to swing and play soccer. But of course, I must be with him when he is doing these things. He says he doesn't like to play by himself.
*He loves to go to church to be in his class with his friends.
*He still loves helping me, in fact he likes to ask "How can I help you Mommy?"
*He loves to be home, but he also loves to go places. Most days he asks "Where do we go today?" when we get up.
*He is not a big eater. He prefers snacking. He loves any kind of cheese cracker, peanut butter crackers, graham crackers or fruit. And of course, apple juice is his favorite drink.
*He loves to read too. He changes favorite books like the wind. But right now we are digging car books, Gingerbread man books and Halloween books. I just read what he asks!

Welcome Fall

One of our future Georgia Bulldogs.

Today is the first day of Fall...my favorite season. In honor of my friend Carrie, I have made a list of why I love fall in bullet form. Your welcome Carrie!

*cooler weather
*leaves
*pumpkins
*cinnamon apple candles
*fried apple pies
*chili
*jeans and sweaters
*Halloween candy
*my birthday:)
*apple cider
*college football

Living in Charleston we get a very abbreviated version of autumn, if one at all.
Even though it was 80 something degrees today, we celebrated with a big pot of vegetable soup and corn muffins. So, welcome fall. We are glad you are here!

Our other future Georgia Bulldog.
Ready to cheer on the Dawgs tomorrow!

Always into something

Luke on the table...a daily occurrence.

If I could sum up life with two little boys it would be this: Always into something. Wow! I can't even turn my back for a little while without something going wrong. The crazy thing is, I was not quite prepared for this. You see, I used to have only one child who was into something and would make a small mess. It was easy with just one. I could shoo him away to play with something else while I got everything cleaned up. But as of a few weeks ago, I started to notice that we have made the transition into having two that are constantly into things. Yep, sweet little Lukie is growing up and has decided it is fun to make trouble with his brother! Oh boy!

Just to fill you in on a typical day around here, here are some fun things that happened in the past 24 hours:
1. my phone was used as a toy in the bathtub (water was in the tub!)
2. Will walked into my room this morning covered in ink pen and asked if he was pretty. As I started to tell him that we don't write on ourselves with pen Luke walks in and is covered in ink pen also. Evidently Will made them both pretty.
3. Both boys were quiet after lunch. I had let them go out onto the back porch while I cleaned up the kitchen only to find them 5 minutes later covered in potting soil that they had dug out of the planter on the back porch. This has happened at least once for the past 5 days.
4. At least two drinks were pulled down from the kitchen table onto the floor.
5. Will decided to pull a kitchen chair over to the counter beside the refrigerator so that he could climb up and reach the m&m's that I had put on top of the refrigerator.
6. Balls went whizzing past my head at least 14 times or I fussed at someone for swinging a plastic golf club inside the house.
7. I picked up decorative pumpkins and gourds that I have around the house for fall I don't know how many times. The pumpkins were used as soccer balls and and the gourds instruments for Will's marching band.
8. When I went to vacuum up one of the messes I had to fight two little boys just to be able to clean up. They love the vacuum! They just want to sit in front of it and let the wind blow in their faces. They will do everything in their power to prevent me from vacuuming so they can sit and enjoy. (see the pictures below)
9. I'm pulled a 14 month off the table, because he climbed up without me looking. I do my best to get the chairs pushed in as soon as we get up from eating, but that kid is fast! He always seems to beat me!

No wonder I go to bed tired every night! I love those two, but they keep me hopping all day. I guess this is what my life will be like for the next 20ish years. Well, at least I know it will never be boring around here!

Luke playing with the vacuum cleaner.
Will playing with the vacuum cleaner.
Will at 1 year playing with the vacuum. Evidently he hasn't outgrown this stage!

Random Pictures

Family Picture from a wedding at Magnolia Plantation in August

We have taken a ton of pictures over the past couple of months that have yet to make it in a blog post. Most of these are from Mike's phone, which is now our camera since Luke decided to break mine! Hopefully this will give you a little insight into what we have been doing over the past couple of months.

Luke looking cute!
Luke and Mommy at Waterfront Park in July
Both of our boys love these quarter rides at the mall!
Brushing Luke's teeth. He loves to do it, but he would rather you let him suck on the toothbrush instead of actually brushing his little teeth!
At the Children's Museum for Will's birthday. Its kind of our new favorite place!
Playing at Publix at the Museum
Shopping at Publix at the Museum. This guy is dangerous with a cart!
Will's birthday ice cream from Ye Old Fashioned...Superman flavor, of course!
Luke and Mommy's ice cream...chocolate, of course!