Shopping with the "Girls Lynsey"!

I spent the afternoon of New Year's Eve shopping with Kayleigh and her best friend, Andrea. They call themselves "The Girls Lynsey"

I have to say... I really enjoyed it! Those two girls can make me laugh so hard! At the end of the day, we hit the clearance racks at Target... Kayleigh scored this super cute coat for $10, and Andrea rocks this $12 vest! These girls can shop with the best bargainers!

So... How'd We Do?

With 2009 winding down to the end, I went back and looked at our resolutions... or "Revolutions" as described in this New Year's Eve post... to see how I did.

Last year - our "Revolutions" were:

1) I will let go of trying to control my life and let Him take the reigns. When He is in control all comes together as a part of His perfect plan.

I think I did a better job here! I have had doors open and walked through them with great blessings in the end.

2) I will let go of worry. If you know me I am bad about this! I will have faith that He will provide in times of need.

This year has been full of one trial after another, but I have intentionally stepped back and let things work themselves out, knowing that He is there to guide and provide. Guess what... He didn't let me down!

3) I will bring Him into our home on a daily basis. In our every day life, this often gets pushed aside. Coming home late from practices and work we often rush through dinner and scurry the kids off to bed... not taking the time for proper prayers of thanks and praise at mealtimes and bedtimes.

I have to admit, this is still one area we struggle in our every day life. Just this week, I had the perfect opportunity to pray with our family, and instead I choked up and didn't. I don't know if it's a fear, or just an intimidation of praying out loud, but I let Him down and I let myself down. This will continue to be an area that we work on as a family.

4) I will step out of my comfort zone and participate in a small group this year. My lack of knowledge of the Bible has always shied me away from joining a small group. I'm always afraid of sounding "stupid" for asking questions or asking for explanation. This is a huge thing for me, but what a better way to come closer to Jesus!

I did it!!! I joined a FABULOUS small group last winter and I have been richly blessed beyond imagination with what I've learned, my faith, fellowship, and more!

So, how did you do?

Christmas Morning in Photos...

Happy Birthday Jesus!!!

Merry Christmas Eve!

This was our first Christmas season staying in Winston. Last year's snow storm just did us in for a while! Irony of it is we still ended up in snow... HERE!

The grandparents sent gifts, gift cards, and money ahead of time this year. We wanted to make sure their gifts were special to the kids, so we decided to do the grandparents gifts on Christmas Eve. We are so very glad we did! The kids really enjoyed having an evening to celebrate their family back home!

My Letter...

My Favorite Christmas Picture of Mom and Dad - 1998
Devin on the left, Kayleigh on the right. Mom is holding baby Chase on the left, and baby Jake on the right. Dad holding Samantha.

Dear Mom,

It's been another year of craziness in our house. The kids have grown so much in so many ways! So hard to believe that in just a few years they'll start going off to college. You'd be so very proud of them! Devin's taking such a love of Jesus and ministry, Kayleigh's artistic talents blow us away every day, Chase's smile continues to light up a room in a heartbeat, and Paige is so full of life and love! Each of them remind me of you in their own way... that's how I know that you are right here with us!

Last night was our annual Christmas dinner with the kids, then we came home to open a few gifts. Tonight we'll be heading out to Tanglewood's Festival of Lights and then come home to read the story of Baby Jesus before heading to bed. Tomorrow morning will be full of smiles, memories, tears, and love as we enjoy this Christmas and remember Christmas's of past with you.

This year is a bit more special... I really felt it upon my heart to do something for the kids from you. Though it's something very, very small, it's something the kids will KNOW is from you and I'm sure it will make them smile! I never ever want a Christmas to go by where we all don't remember how much we enjoyed Christmas with you!

I miss you more than words can say and oh, what I wouldn't give for one more Christmas right here by your side! But, I know I have many more Christmas's by your side when we are reunited in Heaven someday.

Until then, we'll hang on to every last memory of you and continue to tell the kids how special you were and still are!

Love always,

Michelle

Kids are Loving It!

Chase and Paige are LOVING this snow! By 10am they were begging to go outside... so we bundled them up Casto style... cord tights, then jammie pants, then blue jeans, 2 pair of socks, t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, gloves, hats, scarves, and winter coats! No doubt they were warm!!! And... they had fun!

Yep... We Got Snow!

Woke up this morning to lots of the white fluffy stuff! The yard is still and quiet... so pretty! Have to admit... I love looking out at it all!



Final snow total...

Naughty or Nice?

OK... so I stole this from Kristen who stole this from Renee! Feel free to steel it form me!

Are you on Santa's Naughty or Nice List?

Michael: Still very much on nice list, but must continue good behavior. Should eat more vegetables instead of junk food. Was very polite last Thursday! When doing chores, needs to do them as well as possible. Often exhibits good behavior.

Michelle: Has been nice most of the year (not just near Christmas)! Makes others happy. Could share a little more, however. Politeness is sometimes very good. Can be great listener.

Devin: Overall, niceness outweighs naughtiness. Was good a lot last month! Politeness often good, but has room for improvement. Could help around house more instead of watching so much TV. Expected to move even higher up "nice" list.

Kayleigh: Overall, niceness outweighs naughtiness. Was good a lot last month! Politeness often good, but has room for improvement. Could help around house more instead of watching so much TV. Expected to move even higher up "nice" list.

Chase: Much more nice than naughty. Can be very thoughtful. Has improved cleanliness, which I like. Could take better care of toys. Says "thank you" often, but still not as much as I would like. Good mood often spreads to others. Hopefully, will keep up the good work!

Paige: Nice, but has been naughty at times. Neatness and politeness have been very good over the last two weeks. Shows proper respect for others. Shares well, but could always be better. With a little more effort could be near top of "nice" list.

Have to agree with Kristen... Santa's pretty right on!!!

Winter Wonderland!!!

We've heard many "winter storm watches" come and go since we moved to North Carolina nearly 4 years ago... usually we laugh! The city literally shuts down at a single snowflake! Remember this Winter Blast 2009 post where we got a whole inch and a half? Or, even funnier yet... this Snow Storm of 2008 post? Even the kids have gotten several chuckles out of what panics people down here!

But this time... well... this time is different! Something about the winter storm watch made us think we may really get something this go around. Just had a "feeling". I even went out last night and bought a snow shovel... something we haven't owned since we moved here!!! Have to admit, I was kind of hoping that if I bought the shovel we wouldn't even get a flake!

Well, around 11am today we saw the first snowflake and by noon it was coming down steady, but not too bad... but then...

This was at 4:30pm

This was at 5:30pm

This was at 7:30pm

This is was at 9:30pm!

9:30pm, 6 inches, and it's STILL coming down!!! Weather.com is predicting 10-15 inches by the time it's over tomorrow afternoon...

Stay tuned!!!

It's Christmas Cookie Time!!!!

Some of my favorite memories of my Mom are baking obscene quantities of Christmas cookies with her while she would sing and dance to Andy Williams and Patti Page Christmas albums. She would make dozens upon dozens of cookies and freeze them up... then we'd have cookies for months after Christmas!

I've been doing the same thing with my kids for several years, and the chaos has begun! Currently we have 8 dozen chocolate chip, 8 dozen oatmeal raisin, 6 dozen buckeyes, 6 dozen peanut butter kisses, and 8 dozen snickerdoodles all in the freezer and we've had so much fun making them!

I hope that my kids enjoy it as much as I used to - and someday they'll pass this tradition on down to their kids!

Better Late Than Never!

I'm just now getting around to going through the Thanksgiving pictures! We spent Thanksgiving with the Hobecks this year. Worked out great - we split the cooking. Jim made one of the BEST turkey's ever by dry brining then grilling it! Add that to the mashed potatoes I made and Jen's potato rosemary rolls, as well as everything else and we were STUFFED!

Devin spent most of the day on the couch sleeping off a horrible cough... but we did manage to capture a few good shots of him! The other kids were all smiles and had a blast playing all evening.

We had a great time with good friends and are very thankful for all we've been given and for the opportunity to have such good friends so close to us!

We Must Have Crazy Genes!!!

Devin's been having trouble with his hands and wrists for several years. Over the last year it's gotten worse causing his hands to "lock up" and sometimes dislocate in an odd fashion. He finally had enough and asked us if he could see a doctor. Took him a few weeks ago and they x-ray'd both hands... next thing we knew we had 2 doctors reviewing the x-rays, then they called in a special radiologist! We knew something was up - then the orthopedic doctor said he wanted to consult with a pediatric hand doc because it appeared his Hamate and Capitate bones in his wrist were fused in both hands, and his ulna is longer than the radius in both hands, jamming it up even more.

Well - got a phone call today - seems the 2 doctors we saw a few weeks ago met with the pediatric hand doctor as well as a hand surgeon. They decided it is best for Devin to see the hand surgeon before Christmas and worked him in next Wednesday. Not sure what to expect... but he's a bit nervous.

The x-ray above is NOT Devin's, but it is what Devin's x-rays look like. I have circled the area on each that is supposed to be TWO bones, but you can see how they are fused as one. They explained that this is a congenital deformity... hmmm.... his brother Chase has his first and second ribs fused together too! The concern is that the way his ulna is jamming up into the wrist - the wrist bones don't have much room to move around properly - therefore "jamming" and causing pain. This could potentially lead to more serious damage in the hand, forearm, upper arm, or even shoulder. With him only being 16... now is the time to fix it!

Ughh!

Anyhow... again... never a dull moment around here!

My Turn to "Give More"

One of the steps in the Advent Conspiracy that I posted about yesterday is to "Give More", and I've taken the first step... a big one for me of you know how terrified of needles I am! LOL!

We have too many friends affected by cancer. 2 close friends and 1 "web" friend from a prayer blog are affected by Leukemia to be specific.

First - Baby Dylan received a bone marrow transplant at just a few months old! Could you imagine having a brand new baby and being told he has Leukemia? Wow! This family has remained faithful to God and prayer, and they are taking their baby HOME this week after a successful transplant! Praise God! We will continue our prayers for ongoing health of Dylan, and healing of the hearts for his parents!

Second - My dear friend Kristen's little boy Ethan has been dealt quite a hand. Ethan has Down Syndrome, Autism, is unable to verbally communicate, AND had Leukemia! He also cancer free and so full of life! I absolutely loves spending time with Ethan and his smile lights up my day when it's been a rough one!

Third - A friend of ours from church (one of our pastor's wives) is on her way to California tonight to be with her Dad, who had a bone marrow transplant the day before Thanksgiving. We are all praying for 100% donor cells over the coming weeks and praying for strength for their family during these very difficult days as his body adjusts to the new cells.

These things could not have happened without someone who took the time to donate bone marrow, and it couldn't be any simpler!!! The National Bone Marrow Donor Program has an online registry that takes less than 5 minutes. Then, they will send you a kit of 4 swabs to swab your mouth with. You send it back and they'll register you to save a life!

Please, join me in registering! What a better gift to give... Life!

After All.... It's all about HIM!

I came across something called Advent Conspiracy on another blog. After reading it and thinking about it... I'm committing to it!

The ideas of the Advent Conspiracy are simple:

1. Worship Fully - enter the season with the passion to worship and celebrate the birth of Jesus!

2. Spend Less -be committed to buy just one less gift this season... just one.

3. Give More - give more time to your loved ones as a gift... write a letter to a loved one far away, spend a night baking with the kids or doing holiday crafts, talk about holiday memories with your family.

4. Love All - Love like never before. After all, isn't that what He did for us! Reach out to those in need with resources, prayer, and love.

Join us this season by worshiping and celebrating the REASON for the season... the birth of Jesus! Spend one less gift, therefore giving yourself more time to spend with loved ones one-on-one and more time to love and reach out to all those in need!

In the end... it will be a blessing to all those around you!

Merry Christmas!