Thanksgiving

Since I had a request to share about our Thanksgiving, I will acquiesce. To be completely honest, it's a bit of a blur. A busy week, with a lot of cooking and cleaning, I prepared to have a large crowd of folks from John's family over for the holiday. As it turned out, however, we had a very small crowd, with a large-crowd-amount-of-food to eat! : ) Ahhh, but all is well that ends well, right? I will admit to being slightly disappointed that more family could not be with us on this feastful occasion, but we had a very restful day with Bett (John's Mom), Marty (John's brother-in-law) and Marty's two children, Reagan (13) and Taryn (9). Our kids LOVE spending time with their cousins, and although Reagan has grown out of running around in the front yard, racing on bikes and careening downhill on the Green Machine, Taryn stuck like glue to each of our children (who all played outdoors for hours that day!). : )
I, literally, took a nap.
Thanksgiving Day came and went, leaving behind memories, crumbs and a lot of pies!
For those of you who have never seen John's beautiful Mom, here's Bett...

Bett is a godly woman, and any time with her is time well-spent.

The day after Thanksgiving, (the holidays tend to linger over here)... John's twin brother (one of our most favorite people in the world!) and his wonderful wife, Karen, came to visit for two nights along with their bouncing-smiling-sweet-little boy, Charlie. (I've written about Charlie on here before, he was adopted and has been with James and Karen for two years now.) We always love and cherish any amount of time we get to spend with their family. James and Karen drove all the way from CT (12 hours!) with a three-year-old just to see us (well, they came to see Bett too). But, still, what a blessing, right?!
So all-in-all it was a very happy Thanksgiving, and we have many things to be thankful for.
A seasonal highlight for us... here's cousin Charlie with the big kids.

(Don't ya think Charlie looks like he'd fit right in with our family?!) : )

Love is...

Sammy is Spencer's best buddy. Recently, Sammy's Mom gave me a copy of a writing assignment he had done in school. Can you decipher the phonetic spelling?

(Don't worry, it took me a minute, too.)
Here's what Sammy says about his great pal, Spence:

"Spencer is 7.
And fun.
He is also funny.
He is nice.
He is second biggest on our team.
He is very friendly.
He is my best friend."

(Now, don't you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?!)

Another game : )

My sisters sent me this one through email, but I think it's more fun to blog it. You guys do it too : ) I tag.... ALL of you! : )

Welcome to the 2007 Christmas Edition of Getting to Know Your Friends!
Don't be a Scrooge!!!

1. Jesus or Santa? Jesus

2. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? both

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? white

4.a. Do you hang mistletoe? nope
4.b. Do you have a wreath? Yes, a fake one with lights and a snowman. It's totally cute. : )
4.c. Do you hang garland? yes

5. When do you put up your decorations? John likes to start right after Thanksgiving, definitely by the first week of December. The thought of it makes me very tired...

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Stuffed fillet mignon, leg of lamb or cornish hens... any gourmet food suites me fine : )

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child: Granny and Gramps. They were a crucial part of our Christmases.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? 2nd grade, Show-n-Tell.

9. Do you open gifts Christmas Eve? One

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? white lights, silver beads, hand-blown glass ornaments (Old World or Christopher Radko are my favorites.) Each ornament is sentimental.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it. (Like Pat says "whoopee!")

12. Can you ice skate? yes

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Two years ago, when John gave me a bracelet with all of the children's names on it, and one blank space for another child's name... He was ready for baby number five!


14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you? Being with my family

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert(s)? pie, any kind... except mince meat!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? opening a gift the night before...

17. What tops your tree? An angel that John bought probably 10 years ago.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving. But I cannot deny, I LOVE opening presents!

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Drummer Boy

20.a. Candy Canes? sure, one or two
20.b. If so are they usually gone by Christmas Day? no

21. Do you feel Christmas is too commercialized? yup

Jesus Loves Me

I was reading this morning in Essential Truths of the Christian Faith by R.C. Sproul. He begins the chapter on the "Incomprehensibility of God" with this: "The Swiss theologian Karl Barth was asked by a student during a seminar in the United States, "Dr. Barth, what is the most profound thing you have ever learned in your study of theology?" Barth thought for a moment and then replied, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so." The students giggled at his simplistic answer, but their laughter was of a nervous sort as they slowly realized Barth was serious.
Barth gave a simple answer to a question of profundity. In doing so he was calling attention to at least two vitally important notions. (1) That in the simplest Christian truth there resides a profundity that can occupy the minds of the most brilliant people for a lifetime. (2) That even in learned theological sophistication, we never really rise above a child's level of understanding the mysterious depths and riches of the character of God."
So true, eh?!

Love Is...

Shocking your sister on her birthday, and whisking her away for a day at Disney World.

(L to R: Gail, me, Pat, Kath, Lori and Ellen)
This Friday, four of my sisters and I flew to Orlando to surprise my sister, Gail, on her fortieth birthday. When we arrived at Gail's house, Pat called Gail while we stood on her front porch to ask if she'd "received her birthday gift". Gail went to the front door to check... I don't think I've ever heard Gail scream that loud!

Gideon and the book of Judges

We are going through several books in the Old Testament right now in church, and I have been reading ahead of time, during my quiet times at home. The other day I read the story of Gideon and the fleece. My favorite part is when Gideon says, "Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request."... Have you ever been hesitant to ask for one-more-thing from God? Perhaps it's unbelief (as it seems it was for Gideon), or maybe you just don't feel like you deserve it. I know I'm hesitant to ask sometimes!

Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised- look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said." And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.
Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew." That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew." Judges 6:36-40

Such a beautiful reminder of the patience and mercy of God. He proves His faithfulness to us, over and over again.
"O great and powerful God, whose name is the LORD Almighty, great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds." Jere. 32:18b-19

Hope you all have a restful day today.
: ) J

Love Thursday...

Love is...
keeping eachother warm on a chilly autumn day. (Julianna and Zoe are sharing John's jacket.)


Eccl. 4:9-10 "Two are better than one...""...If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"

Wordless Wednesday

I've Been Tagged This Time...

Rules: Once tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you. Then post the rules before your list, and list 8 random things about yourself. At the end of the post, you must tag and link to 8 other people, visit their sites, and leave a comment letting them know they’ve been tagged.
Jamie tagged me, and I copied this text directly off her blog, can you tell, J?
1) I went to kindergarten twice. (No, I didn't fail...(come on, People, aren't you my friends?!) In NJ (where I was born), they start K at age 4, then we moved to Charlotte when I was 5.. which is the age they start K here.)
2) I believed in Santa Claus until second grade (in fact, I brought a show-n-tell from my grandfather (aka "Gramps") and told my entire classroom they were Rudolph's REAL bells! Yep, my Gramps had told me so. That was the day I learned Santa was a lie. *sniff
3) When I was fifteen, I said I never wanted to have kids. I said a lot of things in those days....
4) I once wanted a hundred cats. *blech*
5) I once wanted to marry Michael Jackson. (ok, I'm trying to be humble here....)
6) I drew the tattoo for one of my bosses. A "Gold's Gym" guy. (I recently was thinking about how strange that is.)
7) I pierced my own ears... five times, and I pierced my brother's ear.
8) I had my first apartment when I was a senior in highschool. Bad move.
9) I once collected spiders. ew.
10) And ants, which ate through the baggie inside my desk at school and invaded the classroom. They were red ants.... I got called to the principal's office (and they called my parents!). Kinda harsh, eh?
Ok, I tag Becky, Jess, Jeanie, Lindsay, Lisa, Michelle, Reba, Meghann and Shawnda (again). Have fun, Ladies!

Tag, You're IT!

Let's have some fun : ) Most of my friends are relatively new bloggers, but how new are you? Too new to know what to do when you've been tagged?!
Here's how you play this one: List seven or more of your favorite children's books and their authors. Afterwards tag a few of your friends and let the game go on. (And how about a favorite book-reading picture to go along with the theme???) : )

My favorites are (not listed in any particular order):
1) It Could Always Be Worse by Margot Zemach (humorous tale about not complaining).
2)Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop
3)The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes (I love Eleanor Estes in general, but this is a particularly good one for little ones!)
4)The Biggest Bear by Lynd Ward (I love animal stories!)
5) Blueberries for Sal (Classic! Love reading it to each of my kids... Kurplink, kurplunk, kurplank)
6)Night Noises by Mem Fox (Reminds me of something my family would have done for our sweet granny and gramps.)
7) Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox (sweet story about an old woman remembering things from her childhood).
8)Dear Juno by Soyung Pak (another good one about a little boy's grandma and their relationship through writing letters).
9) Stelluna by Janell Cannon (about a little bat who gets befriended by a bird family after being separated from his mommy).
10) A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza (a heart-warming tale about adoption).
Um. I know I'm leaving some out. (Best-Loved Doll by Rebecca Caudill, and Curious George (the old ones) by HA Rey, and Mike Mulligan et al by Virginia Lee Burton... all so good!)
But now I have to list my favorites for older children:
1)Milly Molly Mandy by Joyce Lankester Brisley(all mommies with little girls need to read this! The second one is great too, More Milly Molly Mandy)
2) Betsy Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace (a favorite series, wonderfully sweet stories)
3)Kildee House by Rutherford Montgomery (another animal book, so fun to read with my Noah)
4)Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat (more animals)
5)Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan (very adventurous and historical WWII story)
6)All of a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor (so innocent and wholesome)
7)The Borrowers by Mary Norton (creative story about tiny people, loved the whole series!)
8)Secret of the Andes (totally cried at the end when the little boy figures out who his family is...)
9)A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck(another tear-jerker about two children and their hilarious grandmother and their wonderful summers together)
10)My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett (imaginative, one of Spencer's all-time faves!)
OK, I might have to do this once a year. I know I am leaving out tons, like all of the DeJong books (Along Came a Dog, Shadrack, Hurry Home Candy...) and of course Beverly Cleary's Henry Huggins series, and Ralph S. Mouse, (my boys LOVED them!), The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare (I cried on that one, too)....what about Charlotte's Web by EB White... so classic!) OK, so what books did you love reading to your kids?
I tag:
Becky at Madeira Madness
Lindsay at the gibson crew
Jamie at bringingbeautyfrommypain
Meghann at thehasty4
Reba at nickandrebeccaswan
Shawnda at spiritofadoption
Lisa at 3orange1blonde
and Jess at muchmooregrace
Have fun!

NaBloPoMo

OH WELL! So much for National Blog Posting Month ; )
Have any of you ever felt like two days were actually one very long day? Since I had posted that slideshow Friday after working on it much in the afternoon, I forgot to post something on Saturday! (I kept thinking I had just posted the video!). OH WELL! So, Becky, I'm the first to crack (sure didn't take long now, did it?) HA!
Maybe I'll make up for it by posting two today ; )

The BaaMoo Farm...

...or as Julianna calls it the "MooBoo Farm". ; )
As previously mentioned, the kids and I had a wonderful visit yesterday with Lauren's birthmother, Jamie. About a month ago, Jamie had suggested visiting the BaaMoo Farm together, recalling her own memories from her older daughter's childhood.
The farm was well-run and clean, with many activities for the children... and a very helpful staff, (they even suggested for us to come early to beat the schoolgroups! I am so glad we did!).
Honestly, I was surprised at the opportunities this small farm afforded the children: feeding bottles to calves and meal to chickens; collecting eggs from the hens; gathering pumpkins from a field; taking a "hayride" (although we didn't sit on hay!); and we all (that's right, "all") even got to milk a cow! : )
Now, I know that makes you want to go... Doesn't it?!
I took so many pictures, I decided to make a little slideshow so I wouldn't have to leave any out! Enjoy. : )

Love Thursday

Well, I have a lot of things on my mind today that I could blog about. But no time to do it! However, since I am taking the National Blog Posting Month challenge, I thought I'd copy a few other ideas from blogs I frequent... like "Wordless Wednesdays" (pictures only to be featured) and "Love Thursday" (highlighting some warm fuzzy in my life). So here's my first attempt:


"Love is not self-seeking." (1 Cor. 13)
One of the things that I love about visiting with Jamie, is her consistent care and attention to all of my children when we are together. No one would blame her if she spent all of her time soaking up hugs and kisses from Bidgie alone. But she doesn't. Jamie always goes above and beyond what any adoptive mother would expect her daughter's birthmother to do. She frequently brings treats or presents for each of the children; but even beyond the material, Jamie hugs, talks, chases, encourages, listens to, and laughs with each of my children... and that is one of the most beautiful expressions of love I have yet to see.
She has a love that delights in making others happy, even above herself.
Thank you for loving us, Jamie. : ) It was so good to see you today!