Caden's 8th Birthday!

This is the 4th year of Caden taking a hunting trip with Dad on his birthday. They took off on a long hike today to look for animals to shoot. No shots, not even any rabbit tracks... which was a bummer because Caden got his own gun for Christmas to rabbit and squirrel hunt. He is pretty anxious to shoot something that I can put into the crockpot! He says he is taking his whole class rabbit or squirrel to eat on Monday if he shoots something. This is a big privilege to start gun hunting with Dad!

Last night we had a family party. We had a houseful! REALLY a house FULL-- 30 people.
This cake was made by Grandma Karla--it tasted so yummy and looks awesome!

We are so proud of our little guy! It is hard to believe how fast the last 8 years have gone. He is so much fun and good with his sisters and even still gives his mom kisses in public! He loves to hunt, wrestle, kick a football around, watch Star Wars, wear his Davis County sweatshirt, take things apart and put things together, watch the Packers play or the Panthers, EAT...he loves to EAT!! We look forward to watching him grow in 2010!

3 in a Row

The Joy of Christmas Morning.....

Josh and I on Christmas Eve!

A Different Picture of Christmas than What this World Offers....

The birth of Christ was not a time of sentiment with warm fuzzy feelings, hot cocoa, a nice orchestra, and lots of food. Joseph and Mary were under the King’s orders to travel to Bethlehem and it was a grueling journey. For three to five days Mary – who was about to have a baby – walked, rode, and stumbled along a path.

There were no Super 8 motels along the way, no paved road, no rest areas with toilets. They must’ve stopped often looking for a tree or rock Mary could lean against to urinate. Most likely they looked in vain for clean, fresh water using only what they carried in old, stinky skins or moldy jars. The risk of thieves, storms, and cold only added to the discomfort of the impending labor and birth of Mary’s first child.

Was her mother there? A sister maybe? Probably not since Mary got pregnant out of wedlock and brought shame on her whole family, they most likely stayed away as if she’d had leprosy. We know there wasn’t a hospital; instead they found themselves in a stable. No running water, no electricity, no space heater to chase away the chilly night air. There were “meadow muffins” and “cow pies” on the ground and some of them were fresh enough to throw off steam – the smell must’ve been overwhelming.

The whole situation was untenable. None of us would’ve stuck it out. We can’t even begin to imagine the pain and disappointment and loneliness. Mary and Joseph must certainly have wondered where God was in all this. Why now? Why here? We could go on to describe the poverty, hardship and rejection that Joseph and Mary and Jesus endured in those first few days but nothing we can imagine comes close.



A close friend and pastor emailed this to me, and I wanted to share it with you as we celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas in the comfort of our homes and with our families. It is very thought provoking, as many of us have spent the month of December baking, shopping, wrapping, and sitting in front of our beautiful Christmas trees. I have personally experienced Satan in my heart this week in his subtle ways trying to steal the peace of Gods Love from me. It wasn't until a friend recommended that I hit my knees and have my kids pray for me that the "nastiness" was lifted from my heart. Caden prayed that "Satan get out of our house, because Christmas is a time for happiness and not sadness". And Julia prayed that "Mommy feel better. And thank you for the presents." Macy simply sat and rubbed my back.

We all need Jesus! He looks upon my ugliness and sets me free...time and time again! Me and my family will be worshiping that precious baby Jesus this Christmas. I pray you will be captivated by his Love.

The God of peace be with all of you. Romans 15:33
Merry Christmas!

Boxing Match

We got out the Superman and Batman boxing gloves!




Noelle was sitting so quietly....

then she jumps into the action!

Christmas Program

Our kids dressed up in costumes and participated in the telling of the Christmas story at church last Sunday. It was SO, SO, SO Precious!!
They are all 4 in this bunch...can you find them?

Caden was a proud shephard.

Macy was a pretty angel.


Julia was a sassy sheep.

Noelle was also a little sheep. Bless this big girl's heart--she held her the entire time!

Grandma Joy joined us to watch the program, give out hugs and eat cookies afterwards!

Luke 2
Merry Christmas!

6:30 AM

I was a nice mom at 6:30 AM yesterday when the kids asked to go outside sledding. They were jumping up and down when I said Yes. It was the first No School snow day of the Winter! Today is a blizzard so noone even asked to go out -- until 8:00 and I had to say No. My kids love it. It is hard to keep them inside!

Our Jesse Tree Tradition

This is our fourth year of starting the Jesse Tree on December 1st. It has been amazing to see the changes in my kids as the years go by. This year Caden or Macy can read the devotional and it will be a race between 3 kids to hang the ornament on the tree-probably 4 once Noelle catches on. I am extremely thankful for Sally Baker at Orchard Hill Church in Cedar Falls for developing this project! I know many of you reading my blog are also "Jesse Tree" users during the Christmas season--WOOHOO!

There are 25 ornaments each resenting a different story/person of the Bible. Each day in December you hang an emblem and read about the story...such as yesterday was Adam with an apple to hang and today was Noah with a little rainbow made of beads. December 25th before we open our gifts we will hang a Butterfly and talk about Gods greatest gift ever-Jesus! My kids eat this up! It is a fantastic tool in our household to remind us of the one and only reason for Christmas!

Whether this or something else, I pray you have a tool in your household to use this month to keep your hearts and minds away from all the fluff the world gives to the Christmas season.

Julia wants glasses!

Julia wore these to the store the other day, and Caden hunkers behind me and says, "Mom, I am so embarrassed of Julia. Those glasses are on upside down!!" Of course, she wants to be like Macy!

Girls, Girls, Girls

Yep, just a post about the girls!

Macy got glasses!!!! One of the first things she said was, "Mom, you aren't fuzzy anymore!" I asked, "Why was I fuzzy before?" She says, "Yes!" The second thing she says is, "Mom, you're skinny!" I asked, "Was I not skinny before?" She shakes her head NO!!!! Today was her first day at school and she says it was nice to see the board better. I am glad for her and hope she doesn't have any problems with them.


This is the girls' new bunkbed. They are soooo excited about it! We decided eventhough our house is very small it was time to seperate boys and girls. Caden and Macy have ALWAYS shared a room. It has been a nice change as Macy is developing more of a "girly" soft spot for Julia. The house seems a little lopsided with 3 in one room and 1 in the other, but I think it will be OK and worth it. Caden is REALLY happy to have his own space! This bunkbed is so cute, I wish we would have gotton it sooner!

These two are a hoot! An absolute hoot! They have been playing "mom (Noelle) and sister (Julia)" in their swimsuits and hats.

Thanksgiving and such.....

We celebrated Josh's 32nd birthday before Thanksgiving. I hired a sitter for an entire afternoon and evening in order to sit in camo in the woods and deer hunt with him. I took a nap on the cold, muddy ground and awoke to the sound of a squirrel running and a bird chirping. I'd do it again in a heartbeat! The kids got him a Davis County Mustangs sweatshirt. We were so proud to give him a Mustangs sweatshirt since he is "home"!
It's always a party on daddy's lap!!

We spent this weekend at FunCity in Burlington. It was a ball for the kids...arcade games, go-karts, a water park, cartoons while lounging around on hotel beds. Here you see that Noelle spent most of her time on the phone to her friend "Ella".

The kids were little fish in the water park. Julia and Noelle went down a duck slide 500,000 times!

And Josh climbed to the top of the climbing wall. The 13 year old behind him did not make it.


We have so much to be thankful for! We hope that your Thanksgiving has been joyous and full of gratefulness.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Operation Christmas Child

I highly, highly recommend this project for kids! See the website www.samaritanspurse.org for details. The deadline is Nov. 23rd. Our kids had so much fun loading up boxes for another child! Macy wrote a note for her box that said, "Jesus is the answer to anything!" Julia does not understand why we can't "play at the girls house for a little while" when we take the box. She named for friend "Abby", so Julia's box is going to a girl named "Abby". AND Julia doesn't understand why she can't eat the candy in the box! This has been a great way to start out the Christmas season at our house! They re-packed and organized the stuff in these boxes several times!

I LOVE Whirlybirds!

Whirlybirds is an after school Bible program at Josh's parents church. Caden and Macy Love it! They are so excited when it is Wednesday! Caden got up this morning, put on his Whirlybird gear and said, "Mom, I LOVE Whirlybirds!". Grandpa & Grandma are teachers in the program, so it is a fantastic opportunity for our kids to learn from their grandparents and see them in service. I am so, so grateful for this!!

Macy's School Projects

Macy brought home "the letter bag" this weekend. She is the "Mm" letter expert this week at school. There were a number of projects in the letter bag for her to complete that related to the letter Mm. She glued Macaroni, M&M's, and a Monkey onto this page, and she colored the Mouse Marroon. She is so excited to teach her class about the letter Mm.

This turkey decorating project was assigned to be a FAMILY project, but Macy did not want anyone in the family except Mom to put their paws on her turkey. I think it will win the award for the turkey with the most beads!

Breakfast of a Champion

No School today! I love it when Caden and Macy get an extra day to relax. This is what Caden chose for breakfast, a bowl of oatmeal AND a bowl of cheerios. He is a growing boy. I can't believe how much he eats, I'm pretty sure as much as or more than his mom!

Beth Moore Conference

I traveled to Springfield, IL this weekend with a group of 15 other gals to see Beth Moore live. 8,800 people gathered to worship God and study Gods Word together on Friday night and Saturday morning. It was an absolute amazing time! I made a few new friends, ate yummy food without sharing, sang my heart out and my voice raw, and studied in-depth the life of John the Baptist. WOW! It was a fantasic weekend of restoration and regaining Joy for my work at home. These are just a few of the girls with the group. Two in the back row are my very dear friends, Janai and Molly.

Recess Wound

Caden got kicked in the eye on the jungle gym at recess today. He says he didn't cry and kept on playing. The nurse called to warn me that he may have a black eye by the time he gets home. I had just applied fresh Carmex when I kissed the wound after school. He said, "MOM, do you have lip stuff on? It BURNS!!!" OPPS!

WAKE UP, MACY!!

Macy-a typical little woman already-is hard to roll out of bed in the morning. Julia and Noelle thought they'd help me out this morning at 6:30 AM.

Cousin Time

The girls and I had lunch with my sister, her kids, and my mom one day this week. I caught 13 year old cousin Gretchen and Julia having a little conversation...who knows what they are talking about...clothes, hair, Hannah Montana...you never know with Julia! Gretchen wanted to keep her for the rest of the day!

Josh and I are in a Sunday night couples study. My sister and her kids came to our house to babysit while we were gone this last Sunday. This is a pile of kids and dogs on the haybales. Looks like fun while we were away....I just found this picture on my camera.

Big Sister Reading

Macy is so excited about reading lately. She does a great job! It seems like overnight she is able to read independently. After breakfast this morning, she offered to read Noelle a story. Noelle loved it and so did I! I got the dishes done while my youngest child was being entertained--Hooray!!

Halloween Costumes

The kids had a good time trick or treating last night. It was a little hectic at first and by the second house noone was fully costumed and everyone was on a sugar high. Luckily, our kids are easy to please. We only stopped at 5 houses...all family members who unloaded their candy onto us because we would be one of their few trick or treaters.

Caden the Darth Vader

Macy the NICE Witch

Julia the Pink Fairy

Noelle the Pumpkin...who insisted that book stay in her sack and she get it out to read in the car.

What fun!