make it stop

he just keeps growing up and I can't make it stop!

He's loving basketball! He wears his lucky socks EVERY GAME!!

latest cookies

I had a great valentine sale this month!

 Thanks to everyone that purchased cookies!  it was fun to meet your sugar addictions.

one of my favorite new items was bags of 4 mini cookies.  the perfect gift!

so much LOVE in that room! 

 and we ended the week with a five year-old birthday party.  I'm sure you can guess the theme!  R's party is next week and I wanted him to choose these, but he wants cake pops!  So stay tuned for those.

melt my heart

We had an afternoon of snow and it brought out some pretty big smiles.

such cutenss

Day by Day

Confession time.

I've been in a rut.

I'll be honest.  Four kids has revealed the cracks in my heart.  

My kids didn't create them... They existed before, but now they are evident to others.  Mostly those I live with and myself!  

The pride and self sufficiency that festered deep beneath the surface has come full force to the top!  I have found myself on my knees everyday asking for help, but everyday feeling like a failure.  Then I had this conversation...

A few ladies were sharing their hearts around a table last week and the subject came up of change.  So many things change after you have kids.

your body changes

your schedule changes

your time for yourself looks different

where your money goes changes

interruptions are more frequent

quietness is hard to find

The list could be a mile long and the list looks different depending on who you are. 

But you know what else changes?  

YOUR HEART!!!

It's getting a makeover!  it's being reconstructed! Outwardly I may not look so put together, but that is because inwardly He's making me more like HIM!  I may not be able to finish a conversation with a friend.  I may have the loudest house on the block.  I may not be able to find time to work out any more.  But I also have God that loves me desperately enough to use the frustrations and disappointments of this season of life to grow me deeper and closer to Him!

2 Corinthians 4:16 says, "Therefore, don't lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eteranal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.   For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal!"

I've allowed myself to focus too long on the list of things above. 

No more.

I'm going to keep my eyes on the unseen... the work that He is doing through even my momentary troubles.  what about you?  whether we are talking about parenting or not - do you find yourself frustrated by your current circumstances or grateful that our Savior is at work within you?

Because i'm not as eliquent as others, I'd like to share a quote that is in reference to the woman in Luke 7.  My sins may be different, but no less sinful.  This is from the book Passion Pursuit (which I HIGHLY recommend):
"She was eager, desperate, and probably terrified.  But the shackles of her sin and shame drove her to extreme measures- she risked all, brought her most treasured possession, and threw herself on the mercy of the Redeemer.  You are this woman.  The mask of your independence, accomplishments, and polished presentations can hide the fact that deep in your heart you are no less desperate to be redeemed.  This woman left that house a new creation.  Forgiveness and intimacy with Jesus was her new reality.  Her abandoned pursuit of Jesus was the stake in the ground that marked her life as forever changed."

Happy New YEAR friends! 
Let's go into 2014 the new creations that we are!

Welcome 2014!

We spent the day thinking about the coming year and reflecting on the past.  we decided to toast the new year with milk and cookies like last year. 

however, this year, i slipped their question papers into their stockings.  when we get our stockings out next year, they can read what they wrote and be thinking during the month of december about what they will write at the end of the month. 

i'm going to keep these.  i think it will be fun to look back and see what each of them liked and didn't like.  what their hopes and dreams are, etc.

isn't His word so good!  I'm thankful that He makes all things new... no matter how bad or sinful... he can restore it!!

that evening, we had our community group (minus one couple... missed you whites!!) to celebrate fondue style.

the night went so quickly that we almost missed midnight!  love these peeps!!

A Sisco Family Day of Play

The week after Christmas lance and i were pounding out projects!  we got the garage cleaned out, put up some shelves (below), and swapped two of the kids rooms.  

Sounds pretty productive, right?  it was.  however, we found ourselves telling our kids that we couldn't play with them... "not right now" and "maybe later?" were common phrases and we didn't like it.  So we decided to have the first annual Sisco Family Day of Play!

Here is how it worked- We put everyone's name in a bowl.  When your name was drawn, you got to decided what all six of us would do for the next 20 minutes.  We had a blast!!

Caleb chose flag football

allie helped everyone make rainbow loom bracelets

griffin wanted to play trouble

and riley decided we should have a nerf war... which, i must add, is the most laughing i've had in a long time.  imagine me curled up in a ball on the floor trying to reload my tiny three-shot gun while lance unloaded that beast of a gun on me!  The whole time i'm shouting, "cover me griff!!"  HA!! fat chance!!

my choice was to test out our new fondue pot.  we had an extra special surprise when we had family coming through town that day... they got to join in on the fun!

and we ended our day of play with lance pick... a bike ride!

so, it wasn't perfect... there were tears, there was complaining, there were alot of conversations about how we all had to participate and no, you can't quit... but, truly, GOOD fun!  we will be doing this again.  maybe once in the summer and again at christmas break!  

Things HAVE to get done.  laundry must be washed, dishes can't stay in the sink forever, the floor needs to be swept.  i get that.  but if you go several days putting off the playing, then i encourage you to have a day of play!  you won't regret it!

Christmas Eve, etc

Lance has the privileged of working Christmas Eve services at church.  It really is exciting to see so many people coming to church on that day and he is happy to be one of the hundreds of staff that welcome them.

Lance's mom joined us again this year (which we absolutely LOVE, but miss his dad coming too) and she came in time for the service.  It's a candle light service with fabulous music and a great message.  I really enjoy being there and the kids do too!  

The next morning was typical for our family.  three wrapped gifts under the tree per kiddo, but one for each kid that is unwrapped and ready to play with.

allie got all new clothes and accessories for her dolls

caleb got a THREE loop race track... that THREE was really important!

Riley got a marble run that could have gone for any of our kids... it was a family favorite!!

Griff got a car mat to drive all his cars on

While they played with their new toys, i got busy making our cinnamon rolls

time to dig in!

 stockings were opened after breakfast

and i must remember that this was the year of the legos!!  hours and hours of building legos!

that evening we all loaded up in the van (in our pjs), grabbed hot chocolate, and enjoyed the christmas lights! 

We usually find pintrest's newest Christmas light scavenger hunt printable to give us plenty of fun on our drive.

i have to admit.... i enjoy this tradition most because they usually fall asleep in the car on the way home.  we simply scoop them up and lay them in their beds.  EASY bedtime.  AND, i can usually squeeze in one more Christmas hallmark show.  i know, so cheesy!

this was a random moment of Christmas, but a picture that can not be excluded.  this kid is pretty funny and keep us laughing all the time!

grammie got to stay for several days and even let us go on a date night!  we enjoyed having her here and didn't want to say good bye!!  love you gram!!  thanks for making Christmas special!!