2nd Annual Murder Mystery

We had our 2nd Annual Murder Mystery Dinner with friends from our (old) small group (but they'll never be old friends!!).  It was a ball!!  Our mystery was set in the 50's, we were all 23 year olds (!!!) getting together for a 5 year HS reunion (ha!).  Everyone came dressed in character.  As someone said, how fun to be someone else for 3-4 hours!!  These pictures don't do justice to how absolutely HILARIOUS the night is!  

Oops, pictures deleted :(

Christmas Week

We had a wonderful, low key Christmas Day at our house.

Later in the day, we went down to visit Mike's grandparents.  

It was perfect!

opening sibling gifts... Peter picked out this picnic basket for Lily

 Lily picked out this "cash drawer" for Peter.  This $2 gift was their favorite one of the day!

 Lily got a diaper bag for Baby Audrey!  It was a HIT!  

You'll see it in lots of future pictures.  Thanks, Aunt Becky!

The next day, we headed down to my parents house.

I must have not taken pictures of present opening from Maw and Paw.  :(

Lily got a "Mommy Set" of a pack n play and stroller for her babies... quite the hit!

Peter got some Thomas loot!

Then NeeNee arrived with gifts!

And we saw Grace and Peter tried on her glasses!

 Mike and Peter camped one night until 4am (when P asked to come in).  Lily was quite sad to not join them.  Maybe next time!

        

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus, 
Born to set thy people free; 
From our fears and sins release us, 
Let us find our rest in thee.  
Israel's strength and consolation, 
Hope of all the earth thou art; 
Dear desire of every nation, 
Joy of every longing heart.


Born thy people to deliver, 
Born a child and yet a King, 
Born to reign in us forever, 
Now thy gracious kingdom bring. 
By thine own eternal spirit 
Rule in all our hearts alone; 
By thine all sufficient merit, 
Raise us to thy glorious throne.

Christmas Eve

 I love our Christmas Eve each year.

This year the kids got sleeping bags from Gram and Pop.

HOW FUN!  Such a fun brother-sister thing.  I am as excited as they are!

 We love spending the morning at Kathy and Ski's... so simple and relaxing.  After a busy fall, we loved being able to spend the morning with them and just be.  Kathy has spent a lot of time this fall taking care of her amazing mother so we haven't seen her as much.  How nice to reconnect and even better that's possible b/c Grandma Kain is healthy again.  Thank you, Lord.  We are so thankful.

 I love these people... my family.  I couldn't be more thankful and love my husband more than after the year we've had... highs and lows, hard times and great times, scary times, crazy times.  He is a rock and I wouldn't be sane without him.  I feel like the Lord is giving us good closure to this year and I am thankful.  Father, we want to hear from you.  We want your grace and your hand over our lives to give us perspective and endurance and purpose.

We go to our 4pm Family Service together with Mike's parents.  We love it!  One of my favorite services of the year... simple... songs and verses to hear of and sing of our Savior's birth.  As our pastor said tonight, we get to join with the angels in declaring, "Glory to God in the highest".  Without Him, it would only be pain and anxiety.

After the service, we come back here with Mike's parents for a simple dinner.  This year our Moroccan friends joined us.  It was fun and crazy too... what an honor to have them with us.

 Mike took the kids out individually last weekend to shop for each other and for me.  He helped them wrap their gifts on Friday.  Such a sweet new tradition.

 "Santa" has come!  Here are our gifts for the kids.  After hearing what one of our pastors did with his kids when they were younger, we did an "in between" and mentioned to the kids that we pretend Santa comes, the jolly ole fellow ;), and leaves gifts... it doesn't seems to occupy their mind that much, the "Santa" part, so I am thankful.  Gifts definitely occupy their mind!

 And our living room this year...

 And this man, I adore him.  

Mike and I were talking recently and I really feel like we have switched roles/personalities a little (or a lot) recently.  And in a great way for him (and hard way for me).  It makes me happy though, because it shows me God's sanctification of us (he cares for us) and the way HE controls things, even tho I really think I do.  I used to think I had it together and Mike didn't really. (truthfully, I did... he knows I thought it.)  The man totally has it going on and I am losing it 90% of the time.  He keeps me sane in the most loving and calm way.  I absolutely love it about him.  This year has been so full of things out of my control, things that wreck havoc on me and make my anxiety go thru roof (like not fun anxiety, debilitating anxiety) and it doesn't phase him, he just walks me thru it and keeps on keeping on.  He doesn't complain.  (I certainly would!)  He doesn't give me a hard time about it or give me a list of "to-do's" or rules of what could make it better.  There is so much freedom there with him for me.  I have the freedom to be honest b/c I know that he is straight.  Its not gonna rock him and I am just so thankful for that steady grace that he is in my life.  It has such a calming effect on me, exactly what I need.  I love him.

today's messes

~Clove's pee in the laundry room floor (not the first time this week. litter box issues?) right next to our dirty laundry... gross!  I don't want cat pee near any of my laundry.
~Lily shook a jar of cinnamon into a container of floral marbles...  nice.
~Peter dumped the utensil jar onto the floor looking for the can opener and climbing walls of the itty bitty kitchen.
~We made a HUGE pot of Brunswick Stew earlier this week... it burnt on the bottom and is still soaking in my sink.  NASTY black thick gunk at the bottom that gives me major weebeegeebees and makes me think of a tumor.  Mike will be cleaning that.
~Clove had a chin abscess that burst while she was laying on our bed and so got gross bloody junk on 3 blankets and the sheet.  She did the craziest meow when it happened that I was sure there was a wild animal in our house.
~Beer spilt behind a piece of furniture in the family room (who knows if it will get cleaned up).
~And there is probably still more to be discovered.


...add to that the usual crazy daily amts of laundry, dishes, toys, and messes that occur constantly. Sounds like a fun Thurs evening.  So this is our world that Jesus left the splendor of Heaven to come into... what was He thinking?

Awards

Peter and Lily do weekly gymnastics classes.

They got "awards" at the end of the term in December.

When Peter was younger, I thought it was just a frivolous thing but I enrolled him after we started realizing some of his low tone struggles. Now I SO wish I had done it with him earlier.

They both love it... its a highlight of their week!

 After watching him all summer, I had to let her in on the action.  She LOVES it!

being next to them

is close to perfect.

My Hot Date

There he stands....

We went to Mike's work Christmas party last night.  I always feel anxious about it (ah, the challenges of what to wear... shoes, leg attire, accessories, make up, etc!) but then enjoy it once we are there.  There are about 4 other couples from church whose husbands work for CapTech.  So that makes it more appealing for me.  Its fun to have a chance to get to know them more at work functions.  Mike's parents agreed to watch the kids for us.  I suggested that they could sleep over ;) and they agreed.  Poor them... Peter didn't settle down til really late and then got up at 3:15am... yes, 3:15AM.  But WE thoroughly enjoyed the time to ourselves and sleeping in!  Thanks, Kathy & Ski!!

before the party 

I'd taken too long to get ready so Mike only agreed to this one picture ;)

 I had to be sure that we got some full body pictures.  Holly and Emily helped me find this outfit at Old Navy on Black Friday (my arm is blocking a cute black belt).  It included 3-4 inch heels. (Notice Mike is no longer wearing shoes!)  I've rarely worn heels this tall.  It is anything BUT natural for me.  I am sure it was quite obvious that I couldn't walk right.  BUT I did feel stylish.  Everyone had on super high heels.  Mike liked how tall I was.  It was a REALLY fun night... just giving myself a hard time.  ;) 

 My foot/ankle is sorta funny & twisty in the second pic b/c I couldn't finagle my achy foot fast enough before the timer took the pic.

*and my favorite pic with my most favorite person*

Preschool Party

Peter had a Christmas Party this week for his Thursday class.  (This is the optional enrichment day for 3 or 4 year olds.  We opted for it since his 3 year old class is only 2 days a week.)  He has a different teacher for this class (we love all of his teachers) and their theme is a "A Year around the World'.  You can see their map on the back wall.  :)

They sang and did hand motions for "Away in a Manger".  I hoped to get a video but couldn't get the camera right soon enough.  So then I just snapped this quick pic.  Peter is wearing his "Personality" shirt.  :)

 Lily got to join in for the little feast.  

 and show off a little.

It was fun to go in and see his class!

Long Winter Naps

 

 

We are at Target today.  
Peter says to me, "I need to do a BIG poo poo, Mommy."
Man in the next aisle says, "Me and you both, buddy!"

The Perz Produce Company

We took an evening trip to the Children's Museum earlier this month.  The kids had a BALL in the toddler area playing in the farm and produce area!  They played together so well!

Collecting eggs from the hen.

 Then they delivered produce.  Peter was the driver and Lily was the helper or co-worker.  She was fine with that. Peter was so sweet about including her and making sure she scooted over to her seat in the truck to ride before he did.

 They were in a hurry!  Lots to deliver?  They would jump out of the truck and run back to the produce...

Grab a hand full!

 Then run it over to the water pump... 

 Rinse it! And pile it by the pump.

 And do that over and over til all the produce was emptied.

Then they'd jump back into the truck. Peter would say "Get in, Lily!  Let's go!" and she'd RUN over!

 Then they'd drive for a while...

 And do it all over again!

 Lily enjoyed swinging from this bar too... !

Overheard at our house

a friend in Richmond does "Overheard" posts on her blog.  She has 3 kids 3 and under....

so in light of that, overheard at our house today:

me:  "Peter, your breathing realllly frustrates me!" 

How ridiculous that I would say that to him.  His breathing!  But I just did and realized it as soon as it came out. And, I hate to say, its not the first time I've said it, or second.  My child has to live under my frustrations with the way he breathes... great.  He struggles to breathe the right way, in my opinion... mouth closed, quiet breaths thru the nose; instead, its noisy "puffs" that he has to force thru his mouth that is obstructed by his tongue protruding past his teeth.  It is part of the reason we got his tonsils and adenoids out.  He had difficulty breathing thru his nose so has had open mouth posture and drooling his whole life, plus sleep apnea.  Low muscle tone also contributes.  It has been better since we had his T&As out, but in the last week or so, I feel like we are back to square one.   He can correct it if you ask him to by pulling his tongue back and breathing thru his nose.  Yes, his nose is a little stuffy now but he can breath thru it.  That stuffiness could be a contributing factor or it could just be a bad life long habit that has to be broken... but how?  Time?  24 hr speech therapy?  Yet another issue that is so characteristic of him AND of my ugly impatience.  I've been testy lately with them and that is frustrating too.

onto less heavy things...

Less than a minute later, Peter is talking to Holly the baby doll.  She had one eye closed and one eye open.

Peter:  "Arrrrr, 'can you close one eye' said the pirate!" 

What a random assortment of conversation that goes on at our house!

have you ever seen a cuter face?!

I am working on finishing Lily's first year frame... found this picture from Jan '10...

seriously.... look at that face!