EKjourney Backup

The Holiday season is always so busy starting with Sawyer's birthday and Thanksgiving, which happened to be on the same day this year. Then, into December with shopping and making gifts, and decorating. Then, there is Evi's birthday celebration, followed by Tina's birthday celebration, followed by celebrating Christmas Eve, morning, and evening as a family. We usually have a Christmas party thrown in there somewhere with football coaches. The final celebration is an annual get together with friends on New's Years. Then the festivities end abruptly and we are thrown back into real life. I love the busyness and excitement of the holiday season. I love the decorations and feasts. I love making Christmas gifts. I love getting together with family. I love Phil's vacation time!!! I loved the unexpected and exciting 'storm of the decade'. I don't love getting back to real life! It is always a let down and a transition to start the New Year. Of cour...

We had a few last minute items to pick up before Christmas. It is always awkward to be in the aisle of your favorite "health store" picking out a stocking stuffer for your mom and have her appear at that very same moment. What are the odds.... I took my camera with me and took several pictures out the window. Who knows when we will have another storm like this one! I want to remember it. What do you do during a hard day of shopping? Eat fries of course. Yum! Ranch dressing dip anyone?

We celebrated Evi's birthday Monday instead. Snow is much easier to manage than ice! Sporting her new outfit! Cozy and ready for more snow Tired girl, suspicious of birthday cakes Still suspicious

By Monday morning, all the ice was virtually gone. It is hard to believe that overnight, the layer covering every twig and leaf had melted. There was a light powdery snow falling and it was so peaceful and beautiful. It kept on snowing throughout the morning, throughout the afternoon, throughout the evening. We couldn't believe it!! We had a good 5 inches of snow blanketing our little world!! This is the most snow we have ever had!! What a wonderful treat.

Sunday was Evi's birthday. I can't believe that a year ago, I was holding a sweet and wonderful little newborn. What a pleasure it has been to be her mother and what joy she has brought to our family! The day itself proved to be quite interesting! The power went off at 2:30 in the morning following an evening of freezing rain. We got up and stoked the fire, turned off computers and things that could have power surge issues, found candles and a flashlight with dead batteries, got out the camping stove, and prepared for a day without power. My, how much we rely on electricity. We aren't equipped for being without it - a tea candle does not light up a house!! The power came back on sometime in the late morning. We quickly started a house clean hoping that the road conditions would improve enough to host a birthday dinner with family. Luckily, my mom had asked to bring dinner so we weren't trying to cook the roast in the refridgerator or bake a cake. The power went...

We had freezing rain for several hours last night on top of a dusting of snow. It was so beautiful that I took my camera out and played around with my macro lens. Here are a few of my favorite shots.

Things to do when you wake up at 3:30 and are not able to fall back asleep..... 1. Nurse the baby that woke you up and lament that she will be 1 years old on Sunday. 2. Come to terms that you will not be going back to sleep and get up. 3. Turn on the heater and sit by it with your Bible. 4. Realize that you are too distracted to read and work it out with writing instead. 5. Make an unhealthy, sugary chai. 6. Decide that if you send another "working it out" email to your close friend, she may ban your correspondence! 7. Send husband back to bed. 8. Comfort a child who had a bad dream. 9. Answer a phone call (at 5:00), yeah, two hour school delay!! 10.Send husband back to bed. 11.Turn off husband's alarm, he doesn't have to get up yet, yeah!! 12. Send husband back to bed. 13. Decide to take a long hot hot shower and when you can't get the shower to work, decide on a bath instead. 14. Send husband back to bed. 15. Take a bath and read a chapter from Vicki Far...

One year ago this week, I started my blog! My plan is to eventually turn each year into a book of pictures and memories that I can give to my children. I decided today to concentrate my efforts on my children instead of trying to do household chores and work on some other things that I wanted to get done. I have noticed the past several days the behaviors and attitudes have been "noticeable" and that I have been very irritable (making them even more noticeable) because I have been trying to get MY things done and feeling a bit of the "holiday rush". I made a tally chart so I could observe good behaviors and the one's I wanted to see an improvement on. I have to say, this was a great way for me to zone in on my children. I was able to address each specific situation with compliments or guidance. Beings that I wasn't trying to do anything else, I was a lot more patient. The children responded well to clear boundaries, accountability, and lots of Mommy ti...

I just had to tell someone!! My children spent the night over at my parents or I would be pouncing on them. My littlest and my biggest are still asleep and I am fighting the urge to sneak into the room and shout, "IT'S SNOWING!!" but poor Phil rarely gets to sleep in and I am going to let him. So, it is just me and the quiet of morning and in a few minutes a cup of tea and my Bible (Plan A - mothers always know that everything is a Plan A or B or C....) Can you tell we very rarely get snow! If we have more than a trace once a year, it is a treat indeed! The forecast calls for freezing temperatures so the snow should stick around unfortunately driving conditions will be very bad but I may get my husband here at home with me a few days this week. School always closes when there are hazardous conditions. My absolute most happiest times are having my husband here at home and our family together!!

My heart was so burdened this morning. I had a hard time even focusing on my devotions. To make matters more challenging, all three children were struggling - Sawyer and Sissy with attitude and obedience and Evi with very unusual crankiness. I put Evi in the backpack and separated the two children. Sawyer played with legos and Jubilee had various toys to occupy her time - legos, magnets, puzzles, and trains. Then, I turned on my favorite Christian songs and sang, danced around, and worshipped the Lord while I cleaned up the kitchen and folded laundry. Why on Earth don't I do that more often!!!!! I had a wonderful hour and a half and I feel rejuvinated.

Sissy, "I want alphabetcots (apricots)". Sawyer to Mommy after running off to his room to pout, "Mommy, I am not pouting, I am dreaming." Sissy to Sawyer after he took a nasty spill when he and the cat collided, "Do you want me to amputate?" At the grocery store, much to Mommy's embarrassment, both children in loud voices, repeated several times, "Goodbye, Silly Guy." to the clerk.

One cool girl! A young raja! Doesn't he look some sort of Prince from another time and place. And yes, we let our son wear necklaces and clip on earrings...just not in public! This is what you have to do when you fill the bowl so full with chili that you can't get the lid on without making a huge mess. What a big girl drinking out of a waterbottle!

We went to a wedding Saturday evening so I set up the tripod and tried to get some family pictures. Taking "formal" pictures is such a different experience than the actual pictures show (well, you hope). Take for instance that over 50% of all pictures of Phil are with his eyes closed. Sawyer, in this particular photo session, had to be disciplined a number of times for making silly faces, fake yawning, tickling himself under the chin, and making turkey noises. Jubilee really does best at candid photos. If you tell her to smile, she gives you this hideous (ok, she could never really look hideous) grin. Evangeline doesn't know what is going on so she is looks every which way. And my word, I can't take a good picture to save my life (at least I hope I don't look this way all the time!!). So here are some of the best ones:

Here are several new posts with picture updates. Be sure to scroll down (go on to the previous page) to see the cute pictures of Sawyer. Helping Cousin Mom, "This tree is my favorite." (Look closely at the tree to appreciate how cute this is!) Climbing Daddy and Evi

than a trailer full of horse poop! Hmmm...Not Much!!!