New traditions for Christmas

We started these last year and enjoyed them again this year:

1. Eat at Cracker Barrel right before Christmas and let the kids pick out a new ornament. (they are 50% off) I'm getting a late start on this tradition, but when the kids leave home they will have a cute assortment of ornaments of their own to take with them.

2. Go see a movie on Christmas! : ) Fun and relaxing way to end a wonderful day!

New this year:

3. Visit the After Hours Urgent Care off on Christmas Day. -Not to be repeated! LOL

~Becky

Christmas wrap up

We had a JOYFUL Christmas as you can see here:

11 year old boys and remote control helicopters are just MADE for each other!

~And 2 year replacement warranties are MADE for mommies! (especially when they brake after 30 minutes!)

We enjoyed the Christmas Eve candle light service last night and then Carlos spent the night with us which always multiplies the fun!

After lots of present opening fun and breakfast, we worked on the new web cam. We are planning to Skype with all the California family we can 2011.

Then it was off to see Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Not as good as the book but what movies are? Still very enjoyable.

Yesterday Joy showed us a spider bite or a bug bite of some kind that looked like it might be infected. We were going to see a doctor on Monday, but then realized it couldn't wait. The area around it was hot, red, hard and spreading (softball size)and after the movie she had a high fever! : (

So, then it was off to After Hours Urgent Care where there were lots of sick, crying babies on Christmas. We had quite a wait and she fell asleep on the table watching UP. Then they stuck the bite and squeezed it!!!!! Which equaled AGONY for poor Joy, otherwise known as "taking a culture sample." We asked our brave girl what we could do her for her after having to endure this on Christmas and she said a new stuffed animal would help. : )

When it was all over, Daddy and Carlos made sure she had the biggest teddy bear that they could find.

And not just one,

but two!

She fell asleep shortly after while she and I were listening to The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, on tape. A family favorite! (boy, do those "Herdmanns" stress me out) lol

In the mean time, this sweet guy

cooked our Christmas dinner for us and saved the day! Thanks Zac! You're my Christmas hero!

We had a chocolate cheesecake for dessert which was a first for me and it turned out rather flat but yummy. Now that I own my first spring form pan, I can't wait to try making lots more recipes!

Joy is sleeping and all my guys are watching some violent xmen-wolverine thing! lol

-Not my idea of a Christmas movie! ; ) I think I'm going to call it a day.

Good night and I hope yours was merry too!

~Becky

Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

(I'm the short one!) lol : )

~Becky

Gingerbread houses yet again!

A family tradition:

enjoyed with friends.

~Becky

Honey, I'm home!

This is my favorite part of every day!

I love this guy!

~Becky

Surprise!

Nathan turned 16 on Saturday! : )

One of his best friends threw a surprise party for him at Steak and Shake.

Here is his cute, surprised face

as he walked into the restaurant

and saw 20 friends, 5 family members and two grandparents! : )

It was a great big party with a gazillion milk shakes and tons of fun!

I was a nervous wreck getting him to the restaurant and trying to act natural. lol

Glad it was a huge success!!!

~Becky

Wednesdays in the Word

Oh, if there's anything that drives our kids crazy, it is when they think someone is copying them!

I've told them this Anne of Green Gables quote many times:
"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," but to no avail.

Today, while reading my Bible, I was reminded that we are actually called to be copycats! : )

"Be imitators of God as dearly loved children." Eph. 5:1
"Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." 1 Cor. 11:1
"Beloved do not imitate what is evil but what is good." 3 John 6:11

Christ following copy cats! : )
~Becky

Tis the season for...

~Drinking Spiced Carmel hot chocolate from Sonic. It WAS the season for lemon-berry slushes from Sonic only a week ago when it was 85 degrees outside but now it is absolutely freezing here, so this is my new favorite.

~Reading and rereading classics. I've recently re-read the original In His Steps. Love that book. It brings living for Christ into focus. I read Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry and a Door in the Wall for the first time and enjoyed them.

~Egg nog and Christmas devotionals. I've put a bunch of quotes on spiritual/Advent thoughts in a stocking and each night one of the kids picks one out and tells us what they think about it and we discuss it. The kids love it.

~Visits from relatives. My father-in-law and his sweet wife are here visiting us. Unfortunately we don't have any wonderful warm Florida weather to offer them. It was actually colder here than in Denver when they arrived. How weird is that?

~Fun with friends. We went to see Megamind last weekend in 3D. What a fun movie!!! My BFF and I were about rolling with laughter in our seats. (maybe the fact that it was SO late at night contributed but it was really cute and funny) When I bought my ticket at the box office, the girl said "That will be $14.00" and I said "Oh, I just want one ticket." And she had to tell me that WAS the price for one ticket. WHOA! Guess that proves I don't get out much.

~Birthdays! As I said, we have 4 in our family this week. So, there's been lots of celebrating and EATING. Way too much eating. Today actually doesn't happen to be anyone in the family's birthday but my father-in-law is taking us out for a steak dinner anyway. -Our kids first time eating at Outback. Yummo!

~Time off! My hubby had to spend the majority of this year being concerned about being laid off. Therefore he didn't take any days off and he missed our trip to San Diego. God has been miraculously faithful to the builder he works for and it looks as though he'll be able to stay employed after all. Yippee! All that to say, my hubby has been home most of this week and able to enjoy his dad's visit and has more time off to look forward to during the holidays. Yay!

~Becky

Decorating woes

I like to decorate the outside of our house with white icicle lights, a wreath and some bows on the gate....But I guess that isn't enough for my neighbor.

Last year she gave us her lighted Santa Claus riding a bike to put in our yard and somehow it got placed in the attic and never saw the light of day.

Until today...

when she called and wanted to know where it was and why we hadn't put it up....

Uh Oh!

But, we found it.

And unfortunately it even worked.

It looks like it is at least 25 years old!

And why would Santa be riding a bike anyway?!

To makes sure that we actually put it up this year, she actually offered to come over and HELP set it up. SHE is 81!

You know you have lost the battle when an 81 year old woman is offering to help put up Christmas decorations for you. LOL

And so, guess who is RIDING in my yard now?

My hubby keeps joking that he's going to take my picture next to it and send it out as our Christmas card! Ha! I don't think so. ; )

~Becky

Happy News

My father-in-law and his wife are coming to visit us! Hooray!

They were going to visit us in March, but a few days before the trip, my brother-in-law had a stroke. (He is doing well and living with my other brother-in-law and his wife now)

They are coming for what we call 'birthday week' and we are so excited!!!

On Tuesday, they will fly in and we will celebrate my hubby's birthday and then on Thursday we will celebrate my father-in-law's and on Saturday, we will celebrate Nathan's 16th. Yay!

(wishing MY dad was going to be here too. His birthday is on Wednesday!)

Looking forward to a fun week celebrating some wonderful men!

~Becky

Our day at the mall

Do you have the Sincerely Santa program in your city?

I read about it recently and signed up Nathan and one of his friends to be apart of it since they both need community service hours. It is a great cause.

Here is how it works: Children from needy families write letters to Santa asking for whatever it is they want. Their letters are in notebooks at a Sincerely Santa booth in the mall. You can read the letters and choose a child to help this Christmas and it is pretty convenient to make their wish list come true since you are already at the mall...-But look out for the guy selling hair straighteners! LOL! Oh my stars! Before I knew what happened he had my hair in his hands and he straightened one side and my head and CURLED the other. Ugh!!! It was rather frightening!

Anyway, the letters were really sweet. I picked Morgan who is 6 and said she needs help with her spelling. She wants to be a bus driver someday. She wanted the book Diary of a Wimpy Kid and a toy school bus.

Another letter I read said "I would like a bike. I know I was bad but just this year can I have one?"

There was one that asked Santa to make them "a better person and please help my mom pay the bills." : (

Glad we had a chance to be involved.

~Becky

End of the year events

So, my brain is only half-way functioning and I'm seriously not sure what day of the week it is.

The youth group did an "All-Nighter" aka a "lock in" last night.

I swore to avoid those like the plague back when we were leading a youth group, but now I'm the one with the teens and couldn't resist the plea for more leaders to help out. It turned out to be the best one I've ever been to! Here's what I learned: make sure there is no down time and the night will fly by! : ) We played pillow fight soccer, toilet paper dodge ball, saw Tron in 3D, went to Bounce U, (an inflatables place in town) and played laser tag in the church building! Lots of crazy fun!

Got home at 7:30 AM and went to bed until 3:00 PM. Most of our kids woke up soon after, except for Andrew who got up at 5:30 PM and asked me if the clocks were all wrong. LOL! Bless his heart. One of the boys told him "No, it is your clock that's off." ; )

I have no idea what time people will head to bed tonight, but my guess is that they won't have any trouble ringing in the new year tomorrow night. We'll be having dinner and a bonfire with a bunch of friends from church.

My hubby took me out shopping to help him pick out some new dress shoes with his Christmas money and to dinner with one of our gift cards. Nice, relaxing fun!

My sweet dad is having emergency bypass surgery this very night, so he has been on our minds and in our prayers all evening. I know I'll sleep better when I hear that all went well but that won't be until about midnight or so.

~Becky