join me today?

 

it was just that much harder to watch my kiddos walk out the door this morning.  my flesh wants to keep them home, worry about the what ifs, and parent out of fear.  and, to be honest, it would be so easy to give into my flesh... much easier than digging into God's word, finding HIS truths, and trusting him with all my heart.  today, i'm linking arms with mommies ALL over the world- mommies who are trying to take even the tiniest step toward faithfulness.  it isn't difficult to be faithful on the good days.  the true test of our faithfulness takes place on the darkest of days.  the days when we are helpless and confused.  on those days, more than any, it is crucial that we stand firm against the evils of this world.  

today, in our house, we will be

• wearing green and white while praying alongside so many that have lost children, parents, and friends.  
• playing music throughout the house that reminds us of the Lord's promises 
• pondering these verses as we walk by faith and not by sight:

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. - Psalm 27:14

For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. -Isaiah 41:13

we can't remove the evil, but we can be a bright light in a dark world!  we may feel helpless, but we are not hopeless.  God's word tells us how this story ends and it is a beautiful ending in which the KING rescues His people.  my heart is heavy, but my God is strong!

not your ordinary elf

we do elf on the shelf, but just a little different. 

a box shows up on our porch on Dec 1st each year. 

surprise... it's N.P. Roger Christmas (the N.P. is for North Pole)

he came with a little note tucked inside.  I love this tradition because the kids really love finding him and i love that he gets our holiday started out with the right focus.

allie read the note to the boys and the fun began!

i'll do a post of the fun places he pops up toward the end of the month!  i like all the silly ideas on pintrest, but i try to do maybe one of those a week... you know... keep it simple!

Riley Day

it was time to take riley for a special day.  no laundry. no dishes. no sweeping... just something fun for him.  i grabbed up two super cheap tickets to the trains at north park mall.

look at that smile!

i was amazed at how pretty it was

every section was a different city in the US

really cool details.  this one got a thumbs up! ;)

he loved chasing them

check out the texas state fair!

and we must admit.... he did derail a train.  could you expect anything less?

griff had fun, but "whatever" was his general thought.

this little guy, though... didn't want to leave!

double thumbs up!!  haha.  so cute!

then, it was off to the free puppet show in the mall

both boys laughed alot!

and i even got a sweet griffin love midway through the show

isn't it cute?

we had a good day of just plain FUN!!!  i should take more days like that!!

happenings of the season

 as soon as we returned from thanksgiving, it was time to deck the halls with Christmas.  i like to have it out all of December while still giving thanksgiving its due share. 

we toasted to the holiday season and decorated the tree

our dress up box got a few extra garments that make an old activity alot more fun

lance took me to the shane and shane and phil wickham concert

we've been making Christmas crafts

and attending a few Christmas parties

 this one with lance's married team was such a delight.  good people, good conversation, good view... it was so fun!

i even snuck in an evening of baking with the incredible Ashley Cating

oh, and then yesterday we had a tiny bit of snow making everyone freezing!! 

thanksgiving

we headed to b'ville for thanksgiving.  stop number one was a Dick's Sporting Goods... get all your energy out crazy kids!!

promptly after arrival our little guy fell down cement stairs and tore up his nose.  ouch!

allie and i didn't realize it but we packed matching colors

i made a little game to keep the kids busy.  every once in a while this turkey would lose all his feathers and the kids would go feather hunting.

all the grandkids on Terry and his sisters side of the fam!

all the siscos!  loved having kent and his family there to share in the fun!

karen had a pumpkin pinata for the kiddos the next day... they loved that!!

scooter riding was a constant activity

and off to woolaroc... a museum in bville.  it was all decorated for christmas

that is actually my father in law in there!  ;)  those that know him do NOT think this is strange!  haha! he and some other family members and friends helped greet the kids at the museum that night.

coolest "petting zoo" ever... a buffalo!

we had such a fun time!  cooking, eating, visiting, shopping.  thanks for such a fun trip grammie and poppy!  can't wait to do it again soon!

yay! we're blogging pics again

we're up and running again.  tip to those frustrated.  make a google+ account and upload photos through picasa.  it's free and super user friendly!  woohoo! 

thanks to Ben Cating for getting the sisco's on line again!!

Santa, Round 2

those of you that have been following me for a while remember the article that i posted about how we handle Santa a few years ago.  if not, you can check it out HERE. Recently many peeps have been discussing how to incorporate your desires for Christmas with other family members that may feel differently.  i love that this has been a question because it means that mommies are not just thinking about their kids and family but wanting to be respectful to how others may choose to approach the holiday.  i know i've said it before, but it bears repeating... we do not serve a cookie cutter God.  his designs are unique!

that being said, lance and i did have to tread lightly when we chose our route with Santa.  we both grew up in homes that celebrated Santa and we wanted to make sure that our parents were not offended by our desire to do this differently.  after all, we turned out just fine and were not negatively impacted by the Santa fun that we experienced. 

here are a few things to consider:
1.  have those conversations EARLY.  if you know that you are planning to change up traditions that are common to your family then discuss it early and be sensitive.  make sure you and your spouse are on the same page and when communicating your decision use the word "we" instead of "i" or "she" or "he."

2.  if you are just beginning your family know that it will be age four or five before the things they are experiencing are making a huge difference.  their memory cards aren't storing up just yet so don't get too wrapped up in getting it all perfect right away.  this may buy you a few years to ease into what you're hoping for the holidays.

3. many times grandparents don't mind changing things up for your kiddos, but the real situations that arise are with your siblings' families.  we had one set of cousins that did celebrate Santa and another that did not.  again, communication and respect are your greatest friends. when our families were together we made sure that one of us was within ear shot of conversations.  our kiddos were too young to understand and would say any and everything.  we had to redirect many conversations, but it wasn't stressful and usually ended up bringing lots of laughs!  now that my children are older, they know how to play along or redirect conversations themselves.  ages 3 and 4 are usually the hardest because they just say whatever they are thinking.

4.  if your parents do want to continue down the Santa path in their home even though you'd rather not... i would not sweat this one.  one day of fun, whimsical play will not overshadow the efforts that you make in pointing to Jesus this season. i would also encourage you to bring some of your traditions on the road.  read your advent scriptures before you tear into the presents under the tree.  bake the bday cake for Jesus on Christmas eve.  it doesn't have to be one way or the the other.  

5. just as the article that was linked in the previously mentioned post... we do not demonize Santa.  use those imaginations and make the holiday season FUN!  we still do stockings, elf on the shelf (post to follow), watch Christmas movies, etc.  it's all about the conversations!  why is this part of the season?  Santa is celebrated because he was a GIVER... who is the best gift-giver?  what was his best gift? lights are on our homes because we are to be a light in a dark world!  we clothe our trees in beautiful ornaments... what are we to clothe ourselves in?  you can find a spiritual parallel for everything we do during this season.

UNRELATED SIDE NOTE: still working on the picture issue.  seems as though everyone is having this problem and i find it hard to believe that we would all max out our storage in a few short months... i'm skeptical and looking into it.  ;)