christmas lights

We like to pick a cold snowy night and grab popcorn and hot chocolate and pile in the car and drive around town to look at Christmas lights. One year we found a notevenkidding "National Lampoon's Christmas vacation" light display. Clark Griswold must have helped this family. It was on your average house on an average street in an average city. Who would have thought? We listen to Christmas music and sing along and usually the girls have on their footed pajamas. Sometimes we stop for a coffee at Starbucks. Sometimes we make our own warm yummy drink. We have been doing this one for at least 10 years now. Jeff and I started before we even had the girls and they love it now too.

little town

Ok this one isn't my idea you'll have to check out the site http://sarahbowen.typepad.com/sugarplums_and_mistletoe/ She has a cute craft called Little Town of Bethlehem. She has lots of other ideas too. Check it out you'll be glad you did. She has really creative ideas. Isn't this the cutest little village you ever did see?

christmas questions

Another blogger has this on her site http://thinkpinkalicious.blogspot.com/ and it was really fun to see her answers and the do it myself. Copy and paste to your own blog with your answers. It will be fun to see....
Christmas Question and Answer
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? gift bags
2. Real tree or Artificial? fake so i put it up earlier
3. When do you put up the tree? The day after Thanksgiving
4. When do you take the tree down? New Year’s Day
5. Do you like eggnog? yuck
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Dukes of Hazard Busting Barn Door
7. Hardest person to buy for? teachers
8. Easiest person to buy for? Jeff- he buys his own
9. Do you have a nativity scene? yup, playmobile complete with a little plastic jesus
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail usually I just don't want to this year. Is that bad?
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I don't know
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Little Women
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? summer
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? nope
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? peppermint mocha from starbucks
16. Lights on the tree? colored and lots of then
17. Favorite Christmas song? Charlie Brown
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay at home Christmas eve with my family. Christmas day at our house with the hubby's fam and ours.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? for sure
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? star
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? the I wants from my kids
23. Favorite ornament theme or theme? Halmark
24. Christmas dinner? ham, cheesy potatoes, 7 layer salad.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? for laine to stay our of the hospital this year.

Rudolph

Here is to another holiday tradition...of course snuggling the girls up on the couch and letting them stay up later and watch Rudolph. It is on this Wednesday night at 8:00 on CBS. I remember my mom letting my sister and I watch this growing up. We were absolutely so excited the night it aired. The felted animals were the coolest cartoon animation that was available then. Here is to the memories!

traditions...

over the month of december i am going to share of few things our family likes to do during this month of holidays, traditions, and celebrating our faith. One tradition is putting up the tree and making a gingerbread house the weekend of thanksgiving.
gingerbread houses are so fun to make. the girls and i worked on this one over the weekend. it has come to be a tradition with us. i told paige it is a tradition. she asked "what does tradition mean?" i gave her an explanation and she said "so we just do it because we have always done it" that is just about right don't you think? it came in a kit so it was much easier. i loved reading hansel and gretel when i was younger and making a gingerbread house always reminds me of it.

everybody has a story

Do you ever have interactions with people say maybe at work, or school, or church that leave you changed and inspired. Recently I have gotten to know a couple coworkers a little better and are amazed at their strength and determination. One friend whom I have worked with for the last 2 years, left me speechless when I learned of her past. She is the kind that always leaves you more filled up, built up and encouraged just by seeing her. I might see her in the hallways at the hospital or we might be working side by side to help someone very sick. No matter the situation she always has a smile and is so gracious. Recently we have gotten to know each other better. She is now I would say in her 50's, but when she was in her 20's and what she thought was a happy marriage her husband left her with 2 child under 3 and no job no money. She was a stay at home mother and returned to school for her nursing degree. Shortly after getting remarried her then new husband had an affair. Then her mother passed away and she helped care for her father.

Another friend has four young children whose first husband was killed in a car accident. She remarried and her husband had an affair with a coworker.

Another friend has tried for over 10 years for a baby and was pregnant this year and then when she was 9 months pregnant had lost the baby inside her.

Another friend's mother died on my friends wedding night. Then lost her dad too within a short time too.

Someone else I know lost her mother when she was a young mother herself with twins and she could have certainly used her help and encouragement.

Someone else I know watched her husband become ill, and then cared for him until he passed. She did it while raising 2 young boys.

I have learned that there are just so many people who have heavy hearts from past struggles and pain but pick themselves up and make the best. Many of them believe in a big God. Some trust in Jesus. They all used their past situations to make their current lives more full. They have compassion and empathy for those who hurting.

My question to you. Who in your life could you encourage? Who could use a phone call, a letter of hope and encouragement, a little time, a little money? It just might make all the difference. I am reading a book called "Wide Awake" by Erwin Mcmanus. This is such a good book and I highly recommend it. This is an excerpt from his book.

"I want you to consider the possibility that God has designed a role for you in the creating of the future. It's somewhat ironic how we are far more comfortable changing history or even making history than we are with creating the future. Everyday, whether you recognize it or not, you are affecting the future. Every choice you make has momentum long past the action. Good choices create a better world and a better future." Erwin Mcmanus book Wide Awake

Reach out this holiday season and celebrate what Christmas is all about.

happy thanksgiving

"I'm glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess—happy that you're again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don't mean that your help didn't mean a lot to me—it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles"
Philippians 4:10 - 13 (The Message)

Ok...so call me a little slow, but i joined facebook yesterday and it is so addicting! It is a blast from the past where you can find old high school and college friends and keep in touch with current ones too. Try it you might just like!

strawberry hemangioma

Many people have asked us about Laine's Strawberry Hemangioma. I would welcome any questions by families whose child has been born with one of these tumors. She had nothing more than very slight redness at birth. Even at one week old we were told it was a stork bite and would go away in a few weeks or months. Each day it got bigger, redder and the next morning I would see a change over night.

Laine at one month It grew fast the first months and we were referred to a Pediatric Dermatologist, Ophthalmologist and Hematologist. Laines tumor was considered Cavernous because it also invaded her eye cavity and was pushing on her eye changing its shape. We were seen every 2-3 months by the Ophthalmologist to make sure she didn't loss eye function. The Dermatologist wanted us to wait as most of these will go away on their own. It was hard to see her like that and not demand something be done but we trusted our doctors.

Laine at 2 months

We got many stares but that didn't stop us from going places. At story time every week I would end up feeling bad for the mommies whose child pointed at Laine and would ask if she had play dough or a pepperoni on her eye. Other mommies felt terrible about what their child was saying. My older daughter who was 4 years old would tell. me "mom people are staring at my sister" I think she has a gift of compassion because of it now. The comments from little ones didn't bother me. I would just tell them it was a birthmark. The rude comments from adults were the worst. I actually had adults say "what is wrong with your baby" Almost like they were disgusted from looking at her.

Laine at 8 months it keep growing

Laine at 9 months it peaked in the growth and stayed the same for a couple months

Laine at 1 year We saw signs of it getting smaller and less red. We were so excited.

Laine now at 3 years old. As the Hemangioma has healed her eye shape is back closer to normal. She will not need glasses at this time. She has a little bit of skin puckering that maybe someday we could have laser surgery. Her doctors are very happy with all the progress. She looks at pictures of when she was a baby and asks about the boo boo on her eye. When we ask her what happened she says "Jesus healed it". For that we are so thankful.

i can't believe i haven't posted a blog in 3 weeks!!!

We have been so busy around here. So many things to do and so little time. We had fun this weekend enjoying the first snow fall. The girls tried catching snowflakes on their tongues and eating snow. oh the simple things!!!!

We have piano and swimming lessons and I am learning to play the violin. Paige also has girl scouts and they have done some really fun things so far this year. Maybe even winter camping...I'm not sure about that one. We are looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. We put evergreen wreaths outside and snowflake Christmas lights around the front door Sunday. In laine's mind it should already be Christmas for goodness sakes. She asks about everyday when will we put our tree up and when is Santa coming? She is so precious though when I ask her about the most important thing about Christmas she says "Jesus momma". Yup your right little laine.