Christmas is coming...

And the children are still delighted to play in cardboard boxes! This was the one that held the Christmas wreath. There was a top and bottom, so both boys played with them all day long.


We baked cookies with Aunt Melanie last Saturday and had a delightful time.



Nathan napped with his snowman yesterday while I listened to The Messiah and addressed Christmas cards. I LOVE The Messiah. The music has been a soul solace for me in the past few years. I still see my babies whenever I see the boys asleep. This was such a peaceful moment for me.


Today we visited my Grandma, and we shared candy canes with the other residents on her floor. That was a sweet time for all of us.


And Nathan and I had a flashlight conversation this morning. I was drinking coffee and reading my Bible by Christmas-tree-light, and he was with me. We have an early morning routine these days (and it sure beats the crazy midnight screaming we had before).

Anyway, he was holding his flashlight so I could read. It started to flicker.

He said to me, very calmly, "Mama, I'll just have to take my flashlight to Daddy, because he's the one who knows best about how to stop this flickering and make it shine strong again." What faith in his Daddy.

And isn't the same true for us, when our light begins to flicker? HE can restore it.

Good morning, Lord

I found Mark standing at his window with the blinds pushed to the side this morning.

He said, "I see pink, Mommy!"

He was watching the sunrise.

The next words out of his mouth were, "I have stinky diaper, Mommy," but the reminder of God's new mercy captured my attention far more than the stench in the room.

The next blessing was a Christmas wreath waiting on our doorstep .

Greg discovered it on his way out.

The boys squealed with delight as I hung it by the door.

Now they are playing with the packaging.

Thank you, Abba.

Christmas Flashlights

This is a post about choosing our Christmas tree and the boys playing in the leaves while I decorated in the house last weekend...but before I get into all of that, I have to share a story about two flashlights.

It was a dreary Monday-after-Thanksgiving. I had PMS, a cold, a sore throat and almost no voice left. Mark hadn't had a nap since before Thanksgiving. Nathan made an incessant "buzzing" sound all morning, and Mark came up with a dozen reasons why he couldn't do each and everything I asked him to do ("My nose is runny again!" "My tummy hurts again!" "I need my blue blanket!").

There was whining and much grumpiness. There was time spent in our own rooms. There was a grocery store trip squeezed into all of this. There was television time, to try and ensure some quiet moments when I wouldn't have to strain my voice to correct someone.

And then, at the end of that very long day, there was personal pizza night at Mrs. Staci's house. Let me just say that those were THE BEST little Pillsbury Grand biscuit pizzas I have ever eaten. Nathan even told everyone they were better than any pizza I make at home!

The after-dinner entertainment was what really lifted my spirits. Mr. Jason has a particular love for flashlights of all shapes and sizes. The children had already spent most of the evening running around the house shining them in all the dark corners and laughing hysterically as they went. Well, Mr. Jason took the kids outside after supper (with their flashlights) to look at Christmas lights.

The giggles and running around and overall happiness was contagious. Even in my sore-throat-worn-out state, I found myself laughing and loving every minute. Something about it took me back to my own childhood, when we'd play with the Mullis children. It was special like that.

Turns out, our friends gave us the flashlights to take home - and keep, much to the boys' delight! They have been playing with them non-stop - together - and the best part about it is, they don't fight while they're checking out the dark places in our house.

When I opened my Advent devotion book this morning to read about John the Baptist, who bore witness to the light of Jesus Christ, I knew those little flashlights have a deeper meaning for me this Christmas. They are a constant reminder of Christ shining in all my dark places. I pray the boys one day bow down and worship the Light of the World.

And now for the pictures from the tree farm and leaf pile...

Daddy's Day Off

Greg was home from work yesterday, and it was a glorious day! We spent the morning at Reedy Creek Nature Preserve. We visited the Nature Center first, and then took a walk on the Dragonfly Pond Trail.

The boys were so enthusiastic, and very good little hikers. Mark and I hung back and checked out the leaves...

while Greg and Nathan scouted out the path ahead.

The pond was a wonderful, quiet spot with beautiful hardwoods surrounding it.



The boys kept running back and forth from a gravel area to the pond, tossing their pebbles in.


After the hike, the boys played on large xylophones set up among the trees.


I think we have found our new favorite outdoor adventure, and it's only 30 minutes from home!

Birthday Boys

Happy birthday, Nathan and Mark! Gram and Gramp were our special guests for the birthday weekend. There was a lot of excitement and happy laughter and a living room full of family and gifts.

Nathan and Charlie got to sit at the big boys' table in the den.


Everybody loved the party horns!




Mark and his cake...


And Nathan with his, strawberry chocolate (by request)!


They had been practicing blowing out their candles for weeks...even that morning, they were running around holding gourds on their heads pretending the gourds were candles. Silly boys. I don't have any pictures of that, but you can use your imagination.

They liked eating the cake.



Opening gifts was big fun...and getting to spend the rest of the weekend with Gram and Gramp was truly the icing on the cake.

Squirrels

Nathan's inner squirrel has come out to play. Beatrix Potter's Timmy Tiptoes has spawned much of this activity. Last week, we took some leftover walnuts outside and both boys hid them for the squirrels.

Yesterday I was pulling out some of my fall decorations and we found a bag of nuts. I happily folded clothes while Nathan sorted them. Mark played along for a little bit, but he really liked snuggling under Daddy's cuddly blanket and lying on Daddy's pillow on the couch.




I love it when we discover the fun in something so simple.

Helpers

This is what happens when two boys help with the laundry. Nathan came up with this idea all on his own.





Next thing I know: like big brother, like little brother.





Now who says staying at home with children is boring?

Rainy Monday

It looked like rain yesterday. With this in mind, we did our grocery shopping early. After we unloaded the cold things, I released the boys to play in the rain. They had worn their rain jackets and boots to the store, so they were ready. You have never seen two little people so delighted to explore wet weather!


We had a mid-morning snack on the front porch.



Nathan wanted to push The Yellow Truck all over the yard. When the rain came down hard, he pushed even faster. He got a kick out of watching the water from the rain spout pour into an old flower pot.


Mark took hold of the spade and did some digging in the mud. I think he gave Nathan some to eat (which seemed to go over well at first, but in the end was not well-received.)


On a side note, Mark sang "Jesus Loves Me" at the breakfast table this morning. What a sweet blessing to hear these words come out of his mouth.

Early morning

It's Friday and we're taking it easy this morning. Mark woke up asking to wear his Thomas Train shirt. We have been building train tracks this morning.


It has been a week of sleep recovery for all of us. Afternoon naps and Zyrtec before bed seem to be helping Nathan make it through the night. Praise God for the gift of restful sleep.


I was hoping to propel myself out of bed to run this morning, but I gave in to sleep instead. I am hoping that running with Dad tomorrow morning will help me get back into my running rhythm.

We've been memorizing Philippians 4:6 this week: Don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything. Don't worry about sleep issues. Don't worry about difficult phases with the children. Don't worry about whether or not I do everything perfectly as a mother. Don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything.

Mark was watching the steam from the dryer this morning. Nathan said he wanted to go outside and run through it, so maybe we'll do that in a few minutes.

Growing up is hard to do (a.k.a. the cow train adventure)

We are having some growing pains in our family these days. Nathan has entered the realm of bad dreams, and I have entered "round two" of sleepless nights.

His recurrent nightmares are about bumblebees and alligators, although last night his mind took a different turn, and he dreamed about a sticker that wouldn't stick - I guess that was some frustration working its way out in his sleep!

I think it just comes with the territory of growing up a little bit.

Nathan has been trying new things lately - putting the finishing touches on potty training, learning to laugh off the countless little falls that happen during the day, and figuring out how to relate to a now-very-talkative-and-opinionated little brother Mark...not to mention taking a big risk and hopping on board a cow train at the corn maze we visited this weekend with Aunt Melanie and Uncle Rick.

Let me just say that this whole adventure began with me calling the Country Days Corn Maze and asking a very convoluted question about whether or not we could purchase a pumpkin at this "facility." I was trying to figure out what we could do for free there. We were trying to be frugal and didn't feel like getting lost in a cornfield that night. I will admit that I wasn't exactly at my best before going out on this little adventure.

Mark had been scoping out the cow train since we arrived. Nathan had shown very little interest, as he was still recovering from the excitement/terror of the hayride in from the parking lot. Aunt Melanie kept him company and provided snacks for a hungry and tired and rather ornery little boy (who hadn't slept well the night before.)


We visited the farm animals, checked out the bonfire, played a little bit on the playground, and looked at the pumpkins (all for free!) And then, all of a sudden, as we were gathering out things and waiting for the hayride out, both boys climbed right into the cow cars. Nathan chose the last car, and Mark sat in my lap in the car right in front of him. We buckled up and held on tight.


Things were fine for the first 30 seconds. Then came the tears and fearful cries from the car behind me as the cow train picked up speed and raced between a corn field and a dusty cotton patch. The driver kindly turned around, assessed the situation and smiled very gently. She slowed that cow train down to a more pleasant pace for an almost-four-year-old's first ride of this sort. And I said a thankful prayer.

As we turned the corner and finished the ride, I had this moment where I thought, "What am I doing with these two boys? How did I get here, with two little people riding around in a dusty corn field with me? And how is it that they are growing up in the blink of an eye, surprising me with the risks they are willing to take when the day before, they wouldn't have thought of doing such a thing?"

A photo recap of the rest of the experience...

We checked out the cotton patch and remains of a cornfield while we waited for the hayride in.


Nathan found a corn cob.


Mark found his new favorite sport, thanks to Uncle Rick.



Mark with the pumpkins - he tried to pick up a few. He also took off running into a corn maze, but I caught his quick little bottom before he could get too far.


Nathan checking out the pumpkins (this is all right before the cow ride.) These two pumpkin photos are especially for you, Aunt Kate! We do wish you and Aunt Amy (and the uncles) could have been here to experience the moment with us.