Psalm 23

Little Critters

After dropping Carlie off at school last week, the boys and I headed over to TJ Maxx. The boys can be a little bad when we go to stores, so I told them that if they were good we would walk next door to Petsmart and check out the animals. Well the bribe worked because they were as good as gold in the store, so when I was finished browsing I kept my word and took them to the pet store.

We saw birds, fish, frogs, lizards, cats, guinea pigs, and hamsters. The boys couldn't take their eyes off of the 'dwarf' hamsters. Those little things were so cute! They would get in their exercise wheels and run like crazy.... the boys thought they were hilarious! They just sat there and laughed at them the whole time, and it melted my heart seeing their little faces filled with such joy.

It has been a while since we have had a pet. As most of you know we lost both of our dogs before moving in our house and my dear cat Salty was put to sleep earlier this year. It wasn't going to take much for me to 'ok' the idea of a pet, but I didn't want something that would require a lot of maintenance. Clay began asking for a hamster as soon as we left the store! I told him we would have to talk to Daddy about it and see what he says. I called Josh and told him about our experience at the pet store and he said that we could talk about it when he got home. Well when 5;30 came and Daddy was knocking on the door he wasn't alone. He had 2 dwarf hamsters, a cage, some food and treats, and anything else that a little hamster would need!

Needless to say the kids were excited. Carlie picked the one with a little stripe on it and Clay claimed the solid gray one. It was so funny when they were picking out names for them. Clay started out naming his 'I want a pet', then it changed to 'Clay', then 'Putty', and he finally settled on 'Alvin'. Carlie first called hers 'Zebra' but she changed it to 'Marshmallow'.

I'm not sure how much Alvin and Marshmallow like us. They have been staying in their little house a lot, probably wondering how they ended up at our loud and crazy house! I think they'll get used to it though. It's nice having little pets again!

Christmas

Every year right before Thanksgiving we get out our Christmas decorations and put up our trees. I know to some people it may seem a tad early, but the kids always get so excited to get out the decorations and I figure it takes us so long to get everything put up, we might as well enjoy it for a while!

The pictures I have posted show some of our decorations, and there are also pictures of the gingerbread house that the kids decorated. The stable in the nativity picture was built by Josh's Dad.

As Christmas draws nearer, I am reminded of God's love for His people. Even when we make mistakes and fall short....and we all do......through it all and no matter what He loves us. It is hard to comprehend giving away your only Son, but knowing that He did that to save us, a world full of sinners, shows how much He does love us. I am so thankful for the birth of our Savior and through Him, the promise of ever-lasting life.

Carlie loses a tooth

It seems like Carlie's tooth has been loose forever! Every time I look at her she is wiggling it with her tongue or her finger, and I mean it really wiggles! Finally last night Josh gave it the last nudge it needed and it was finally ready to be pulled. She and I hopped up on the bathroom counter and began weighing our options. She was so funny.... scared, excited, and a little unsure of what was going to happen. I let her do most of the work, and when it got to the point where I could see the root of her tooth pop out when she pushed it back in her mouth I knew it was time for me to give it a yank. And that is exactly what happened! I gave it a yank and it came right out. She was a little tearful when she saw the blood, but then she just started grinning from ear to ear. I felt like I could start crying! We ran downstairs to tell Daddy and her brothers, and from that point she wanted to call everyone she knew.... Grandma and Grandpa, Mimi and Pappy, Aunt KK and Joel, Gam, Jacob and Heather, Mike and Sarah.... the list goes on! I should also note that she has never been more excited to go to bed at night. She couldn't wait to see what the Tooth Fairy was going to bring her! When she woke up she found that the Tooth Fairy had made her a card, complete with 'fairy dust' on it, and also brought her a Little pet shop animal.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my Dad's 50th birthday. Every year on my birthday my parents call me early in the morning to wish me a Happy Birthday and tell me that they love me and are proud of me. They also send a very special card that I get in the mail before or on the day my birthday falls. And every year on their birthdays I call them first thing and tell them Happy Birthday and tell them how much I love them and I always make sure I get a card in the mail from myself and the kids. One would assume that on a milestone like turning 50, I would be very prepared. Well, I wasn't and Dad I know you don't care about things like that, but I do and I'm really sorry. SO..... Happy 50th Birthday Daddy. I love you so very much and am so proud to call you my Dad. Thanks for being such a good Dad to me and a wonderful Grandpa to the kids. Thanks for always listening to me when I call you stewing and fretting over things, and thanks for the gentle advice that you give to me.... and only when I press you for it I should add! :-) I love you bushels and bushels.

Birthday Cake

A couple of months ago my friend Holly asked me about making a cake for her little girl, Sable. Well, I love Holly so much that I couldn't refuse! I made a 4 layer, 8 inch round cake and some matching cupcakes. The cake was a yellow cake filled with buttercream frosting and strawberry filling. The cupcakes were strawberry, yellow, and chocolate flavored. I went round and round with that pink fondant..... might have even called it a few names...... and after strategically placing some of the decorations, it didn't look too bad! Here are some pictures of the cakes. Happy first birthday Sable!

Pumpkins

Here are a few of the pumpkins we have carved so far. The kids picked some of the spookiest ones out of the book... and the hardest ones to carve! We even roasted some of the pumpkin seeds when we were done. I'm pretty sure we're going to skip any 'halloween' activities this year because of the H1N1 virus that is going around. I don't want to take any chances of the kids getting sick, especially since Carlie has mild asthma symptoms. I've really been trying to pump them up for getting dressed up and just passing out the candy from our porch..... we'll see how it goes!!!

My little Soccer Stars!

Carlie and Clay are playing in a little soccer league through our church. It is for kids between the ages of 4-6 so I thought it would be good to sign them up and see if they have any interest, and it also works out well because they're on the same team! They practice once a week and have games on Saturday mornings...... playing a total of 6 games.

Clay was so funny during the first practice.... he would stand out there in the field and wave to Josh and I. Sometimes he would yell for us.... "Mom! I have to go to the bathroom!", or "Mom! I'm thirsty!". He is getting better at paying attention to the coach and I'm not sure if it's his age or not, but he doesn't quite share the passion for the game the way his sister seems too. Josh and I are pretty certain that the only reason he gets on the field is because 'sissy' is out there with him.

Carlie on the other hand, loves it! She loves to score goals and scores every game at least twice.... she's the biggest player on the team and quite a strong little girl. One of the players on the team has started to call her 'Rocket foot'..... they get quite a kick out of that.

I feel like I should also mention Josh. Oh my goodness! What an excited Daddy! After the first game I had pretty much decided that at the next game I was either going to have to bring duct tape, a taser, or just leave him in the car. :-) I had to keep reminding him that they're just little kids, as long as they're having fun that's all that matters, etc..... But I have to admit, it was really hard not to scream and I know I hollered a few times too! He brought it down a couple of notches for game 2..... the kids told him he was making them nervous when they were on the field, bless their little hearts. It is so exciting to see them play and Daddy will always be their biggest cheerleader!

Kings Island

After church on Sunday we came back to the house, had an early lunch and headed towards Kings Island. The kids have been wanting to go all summer and we have been so busy that we haven't had a chance to go. The weather was beautiful, very nice and cool..... the kids and I actually wore long sleeves and stayed comfortable!

I was a little concerned because I wasn't too sure how Casey would do....(he wants to walk everywhere now!) but he did great and he loved the rides. Even though he just turned 2 he still met the 36 inch height requirement for most of the rides in the Nickelodeon zone. After spending a lot of time on the 'little kid' rides Carlie was ready for something more adventurous so she and I headed out to the bigger rides. The first one I put her on was the racers and I don't think she was expecting it to be so much BIGGER than the little coasters she was used to! It's been a long time since I've been on a roller coaster and it scared me too!! We met back up with Josh and the boys and rode some more 'little' rides and she started talking about getting on a big roller coaster again. I suggested the Vortex (I know, I know..) and she said that as long as I was beside her she would ride it.... so we did! She did awesome.... I could tell that she was scared during the ride but as soon as it stopped she said 'Can we go again?'. I was so proud of her.... she was a real trooper..... walked everywhere with me the whole day and didn't complain once.

We ended up walking out of the park sometime after 8 with our bellies full of blueberry ice cream, our feet sore from walking, our clothes wet from the water ride, the kids clutching their stuffed animals they won, and a fun day had by all!