Happy New Year

God brought our New Year's Eve to us His time and in His way.

We were all invited to Heidi and Jonathan's house, who we really enjoy, and who also love our kids. Heidi texted me in the morning, "Hi Amanda, how r u today?" I told her that I wasn't sure if we would be coming to her house for New Year's. She texted me back, "Ok Amanda! I love you" and "I will also pray that you do what God wants for you tonight!" The perfect prayer for us. And I knew she really meant it...she just wanted whatever God wanted for us.

By the time our dinner was over, we had a very cranky little Davey (he's been sick with a bad cold). Ellis took Mac aside and said, "Do you want to build your Iron Man suit?" (Mac had asked Ellis to build him an Iron Man suit...because of course Daddy could build one!)

I was sweetly surprised when I came out to the living room after getting Davey ready for bed. Corrie, Mac and Daddy had been working hard on their robot suit, and the helmet and body were ready for Mac to try them on.

I put Davey to bed, and when I came out, Ellis was fitting Mac with the Iron Man legs:

Mac was in heaven with that cardboard creation covering his body. He didn't mind at all that the helmet was a little big and wobbly and that he couldn't bend his legs when he tried to walk. In his little world, he was Iron Man. 

Seeing him trying to get out of the thing was pretty hilarious

Meanwhile, as all of the Iron Man activity continued, Corrie decided to retire to her "chair fort." It was the sweetest thing seeing her in there, trying to "sleep." She kept coming out and saying, 

"Excuse me, all of that talking is waking me up!"

We finished working on the Iron Man suit, and somehow, it just seemed like a great time to try the new game that we got for Christmas ("Suspend"). It was our first time playing a game together as a family. I thought to myself, "I think we are having our first family night." 

We finished the game, and soon all three kids were in bed. It was only 7:30pm, and it seemed God was not done with our family night yet. Ellis and I felt drawn to be alone together, so I texted Heidi and told her we would not be at her party, which started at eight. We discovered that God had still even more that he wanted to give to us!

I am looking forward to sharing with Heidi how God answered her prayer. He brought our New Year's Eve to us in His time and His way, and I am so glad that we got what He wanted for us.

As a side note, I would say that Mac had the New Year's Eve of his dreams: ringing in the New Year while he slept with a Robot Suit hanging over his head!

First Birthdays

It is nearly impossible to believe, but Little D is now a 1-year-old. Yesterday he joined his big brother and sister in the traditional first birthday cake-eating celebration. I think he liked it. :)

We were blessed with a pleasant day together as a family. Ellis was home and spent the morning making Davey a special cake while the kids and I enjoyed the beautiful weather outside. Around 11am, family members who live nearby started arriving. We were happy Travis and Laura (beloved babysitters) could come and see Davey on his special day, too!

God granted us all to have a low-key, enjoyable "cake party" together. We ate pizza in the carport, sitting on everything from kitchen chairs to coolers, while kids ran around and played. How was the weather so wonderful on December 21st? We didn't know, but we sure enjoyed it.

When it came time to sing and blow out the candles, large, gusty winds began sweeping through the carport, extinguishing the candles on the cake and blowing paper plates and cups full of sticky soda everywhere. In short, our carport looked pretty much the same as usual.

How many cousins can we fit on one slide?

Davey with his rocking chair and ball from Grandma McColligan 

Only the finest of dining here (sorry to everyone who had to eat their cake with a knife)

The "feeding trough" was a mesmerizing sight for those who had never seen it before. You would be proud, Luke Rocke ;)

And finally it was time to sing happy birthday to Davey!

My favorite part about 1st birthdays is seeing what each kid will do with his/her cake. It went pretty much as expected with Mr. D.

Davey made sure to take time and reflect upon the past year and all of its meaningfulness 

We had fun watching Davey open some presents, and then all of the kids played around a little longer before everyone headed back home. 

I am glad I didn't take time to make any games: Travis was more than enough entertainment for all of the kids. :)

Just for the fun of it: Corrie and Mac's cake-eating pictures from their first birthdays :) 

Corrie: Oct. 10, 2011

 

Mac: April 17, 2010

Thank you, God, for granting us a day together like this one. And thank you to our friends and family who love us and our special Little Dave!

Update

A little while ago I went through pictures on my phone and there were a bunch that I wanted to remember. That morning I made a (long...sorry) post with them. It's several weeks old, but it does give an update on the kids and life around here:

Christina ("Goody"), one of my close friends from college, came to spend a day with us. At one point, Goody was sitting in the living room with the kids while I got dinner together. When I looked in and saw that the lamp next to her was off, I asked, "Did someone unplug or break that lamp?" She had a surprised look on her face and said, "Seriously Grams?" (my nickname in college).  "Your first two thoughts when you see a lamp off in your house is that someone either unplugged it or broke it?...I turned it off." Oh, she turned it off. The thought hadn't even entered my mind.

We had a nice evening view of the mountains on the Skyline Drive before she and her daughter Elsa headed back up to Maryland. I love this time of the day, when the sun is starting to set.

Dave!

Mac:

As Mac grows, the boundaries of destruction widen according to his growing creativity and physical abilities. The other day I heard sounds of him throwing toys at the ceiling fan in the living room. 

"Mac! What are you doing?!" 

"I am just trying to get the alligator down!"

"Oh, the alligator...wait, what?!"

I really can't trust Mac alone with Davey. Yesterday it was just too quiet. 

"Mac, where's Little D?"

"He's playing in his nest, Momma."

"Wait, his what?"

"His TOY nest!"

I went to get Mac from his nap one day, and he was sitting on a red rocking chair that he had pulled into his room. He had his feet on the floor and both arms calmly resting on the arms of the chair. Sort of like you would see an old man on his front porch. 

"Mac! What are you doing?"

"Oh momma I am just sitting and thinking in my thinking chair."

A little while ago, I heard the bathroom door slam closed. Mac came around the corner into the kitchen and said, "Mommy, don't go in the bathroom, Okay?"

I went into the bathroom to see my potted plant overflowing with soapy water. Dirt and soapy water was all over the counter and floor. 

"I am sorry I made a mess Momma, I just wanted to make an ocean in your plant." 

One morning I drew out some numbers for Mac to trace while he waited for the other kids to finish breakfast. He was quickly discouraged because his numbers did not match my outlines exactly. He said, in an exasperated voice, 

"Mommy! I am laughing at the IDEA of writing these numbers!"

Corrie and Mac:

Corrie and Mac continue to grow in their sweet relationship. They seem be enamored with each other and repulsed by each other at the same time. 

The are both in AWANA this year. A "Cubbie and a "Puggle!" So sweet.

One day I tried to get some rest. I put the kids on my bed and read my Bible while they colored. Mac quickly left the room and came back with his tool box. While Corrie colored, he "fixed" the book (hammering and drilling characters) with his various tools.

We went to Hobby Lobby and bought some materials to make necklaces. The kids have been loving it, and I have been trying to spend time crafting together with them more.

Instead of making necklaces, Corrie prefers sorting the beads and "decorating" with them. She uses the necklace string to "tangle" things up, and then she puts beads on top.

Both kids continue to demonstrate their pension for creating and using just about anything they can find around the house to "build" things. 

Mac made a "Star Wars ship" out of door stoppers and a keychain hook:

Corrie made me a birthday cake with hairbands and hair clips.

Mac got a nasty cut on his finger last week, and he showed me later that he created his own "bandaid." It was a ball of sticky, gooey, glue (the clear kind that is used to attach things like credit cards to paper when you get them in the mail) and a long string he pulled off of the afghan in the living room.

And here is Camo Dave. He was born in Front Royal, after all.

And lastly, the view from our front porch this Fall:

Sunrise

A little while ago I was washing the dishes, and I started singing the chorus of a song I had heard earlier that day:

"I will stand and shout it, 

with everything sing praises, 

for my King has come and He's coming again." 

- The Digital Age, Symphony of Grace

And then it happened. Just as the words, "my King has come and He's coming again," came across my lips, I stopped scrubbing the melted cheese off of our sponge (hate that). I watched the water run down the drain as all at once I was in the presence of the True Coming King. 

Everything in me was filled with such a sense of joy and exhilaration...sort of like that moment just before you begin a huge descent on a roller coaster ride. After a long, slow, steady incline, you are suddenly cresting a giant peak and a completely new view opens up right before your eyes. The reality of your adventure invades all of your senses! 

Jesus, You are so REAL. 

Being with Him feels sort of like having a sunrise in my heart. 

As Christmas has come near, I have marveled at the miracle of Jesus coming to earth and making a way for us to be with Him. I love Him so much. 

The Elusive Davey Shuffle

Little D...he's got the most endearing little shuffling, sideways sort of walk right now. It's often accompanied by excited laughter, growling and/or arm flapping...which makes him lose his balance and fall.

I've been trying for a while to capture his little waddle on video, but alas! Recording more than a few small steps has still eluded me.

Corrie Cat

I went to vacuum the rug in our room this afternoon and I saw something strange...so I decided to take a closer look.

Wait. Is that a...hairball?!

We don't even have a cat! 

Corrie! 

Several months ago a friend mentioned how similar Corrie was to a cat. "Disciplining her is like trying to discipline a cat!" A little while later Corrie woke up from a nap with her dirty-blond hair all disheveled and matted...just like a ferrel cat. 

Since then, I have observed many cat-like qualities in Corrie. She takes any opportunity she can to crawl up on your lap when you are in the middle of a task, managing to squeeze her little body right in the place where you need to get your work done. If you are watching TV, she will crawl up and snuggle herself into your outstretched legs.

But I must say that today takes the cake. I put the kids down for afternoon naps with high hopes of getting a little rest myself. Twice, just as I was drifting off to sleep, a loud noise from the bedroom where Corrie was "sleeping" startled me awake. 

I decided to go in and check on her, and I was not happy to see that she was not on the bed. But I didn't see her anywhere else in the room, either. "Wait a minute, are those little feet sticking out from behind the window shade?" 

Corrie had decided to try and sleep in the window sill! 

That was always the favorite napping spot for our late cat, CT. 

It turned out Corrie was not actually asleep yet. I was still pretty tired, so I decided that I would try and lay down with her. Have you ever tried to sleep with a playful cat? I soon began drifting off to sleep again, but each time I would start to dream, I would feel a sensation like a bunch of hairs were moving  around on top of my face and and hands/arms. I ignored it pretty well for a while, hoping that it would stop eventually, but I finally got to the point where I could not stand it anymore.

I opened my eyes to see that Corrie was tickling me with something that looked a lot like...a hairball. 

"Corrie! What is that?!"

"It's my hair worm, mommy."

"Did you say...Hair Worm? Where did you get that?"

"I pulled my hair out and did this" (rubbing the ball of hair in between the palms of her hands)

It was about the grossest thing ever.   

When our cat CT died, I missed him a lot. He always wanted to crawl up and snuggle.

It is pretty sweet that Corrie has been such a snuggler from the start.

What a sweet gift you are to me, Corrie Cat!