Christmas

Well I think I shared what Santa was bringing in my last entry, but I'm soooo tired right now I can't remember what I wrote about. Well in our family Santa only brings 1 gift. Normally that is 1 gift per child, but not this year. This year Santa brought Whisker's, our new cat! She's just so sweet, social, talkative, etc!!!

My camera settings were totally off on my camera so unfortunately almost all our Christmas pictures are blurry. I tried to pick out the best ones!

 

 

 

 

God Bless and Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

 

*******You CAN turn off that stupid music that's attached to my slide show, just click on the little symbol and turn it off******************

 

I wanted to put in one last entry before Christmas. The next couple of days I don't know how much time I'll even have online, much less to write an entry and I have a feeling by the end of the night the next couple days I'm going to be simply too tired to write!

 

Today we went to a friend of ours, daughter's birthday party. She will be two tomorrow (23rd). She's such a sweetie and it's so amazing to see the difference in her from her party last year. She freaked out last year at her party. Her parents invited TONS of people last year...imo too many for a little 1 yr old. I think there was probably with kids and adults around 40 people last year, so she had EVERY reason to freak out. This year there was maybe a total of 15 all together, if that! It was much better for her (and me too personally! LOL). But she's not nearly as shy and just blooming into this cute little almost 2 yr old! She could have cared less about her presents though, which was hilliarious! Another little girl, who's almost 4 opened them for her! LOL What was really great though was her mom was totally relaxed about it! The kids played a couple games (Jacob won one of them) and it was really just relaxing! I love birthday's like that!!!

                 

              

 

So tomorrow we have church and right after church we're going to a friends house for her son's 3rd birthday! It's his birthday! I'm pretty sure it's going to be a small party. He's really into dogs right now, so we got him a little stuffed dog. Dogs are not easy to come by at our PX. He's cute though! I think he'll like him! I'm going to have the boys make him a birthday card in the morning. After the party when we come home and get changed, I'm going to make up dough for Sugar cookies. While it's in the fridge firming up, Chad and I will let the boys wrap gifts. They both love to help wrap presents. Jacob's actually pretty good at it, Jack needs help doing it though. Once they're done if there's still time...Chad and I will wrap some gifts too. Then the boys and I are going to make sugar cookies. I hope Chad will join us as well. I love making cookies for Christmas!

 

 

Today I made no bakes and choc. chip cookies. Oh tomorrow I'm also going to make my Great Grandma's Applesauce Raisin cookies! Jacob and Jack helped me with the choc. chip today. Well Jack helped pour 2 ingred. in and he was done. Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer was on tv so he wanted to watch that more, which is perfectly fine with me! I just wanted to have a fun day and we did. This evening we went to the Hospitality House and watched the movie: The Nativity Story it was really good. We all enjoyed it. I took some no bakes and choc chips cookies and a tin of Buckeyes that I'd made on Tuesday.

 

 

Monday the day should be pretty relaxed, we'll finish wrapping any presents that need to be finished. Do some cleaning. At 5 we have the Christmas Eve service that we'll go to. I love the Christmas Eve service here. We always end it with everyone holding their candles, having them lit, turning off all the lights and singing Silent Night in English and German. It's so beautiful. I always cry. Speaking of that song, on Wednesday at our PWOC Christmas special we sang Silent Night, we have English speaking ladies, German, one member who was born and raised in Korea (her husband who's also Korean is a Chaplain), and Spanish Speaking women. Well all 4 languages were sang and it was so beautiful. I was crying and my body was literally covered in goosebumps head to toe. For me listening to Christine sing in Korean was the one that really got me, just felt it in my soul. Listening to all the women sing together though was simply beautiful. Oh wow...Silent Night is not playing on AOL radio! :)

 

 

 

 

Anyways....when we come home, we'll have a light dinner and then read from the bible of Christ's birth, talk with the boys about it, let the kids open up one gift, which is and always will be new PJ's (all 3 of them will wear them to bed...then they have cute and nice pj's for the morning when opening gifts and having pictures taken! LOL ). We'll put on Polar Express and all cuddle up on the couch to watch it together, and then it'll be time to set out cookies and milk for "Santa".

 

 

As soon as the boys are asleep, I'll be calling my friend Jan...she has our Santa gift for the boys this year! They're getting a new cat (I think I may have mentioned that). Miss No name is so beautiful and very friendly (the exact opposite of our other cat here, Pounce who does NOT like people and never comes out to join us and cuddle, socialize, etc!). I can not wait to see the boys faces when they see her! She's just gorgeous! Once Jan is gone we'll be heading to bed ourselves. I need to remember to ask Jan tomorrow if she has a small kennel/cage for the cat if not we do and I can take it over to her Sunday evening or Monday to put her in, to bring her over. 

 

On Christmas, we'll open gifts, and then have breakfast. I'm thinking of having french toast. I was initially thinking biscuits and gravy, but well FT is much easier and less of a mess to clean up and will not take near as much time to make or eat! LOL After breakfast I'll finish up dinner. Oh Christmas eve during the day I'll make up my noodles and let them dry on the table then after all the presents are open in the morning I can get them to cooking, along with the dressing. The turkey will cook all night, so it'll be absolutely perfect when it's time to eat! My friend is making about half of the dinner and I'm making the other half! I think it'll be perfect! Definately takes off the stress from both of us. I do love making Christmas dinner though! There's just something so comforting about it! I love the smells of all the foods cooking.

 

       

 

Well I need to get to bed, I'm exhausted and tomorrow we'll be going for most of the day as you read above! I want to end this that I pray each of you know our Lord and Savior and if you don't I pray you will give your life to him. Christ's love and salvation is free to you. He died for every single one of us, but Heaven is not promised or guarenteed for those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord. His gift costs you nothing. You don't have to do "works" for your salvation, no man that walks this earth today can forgive you or give you salvation, there's simply one way and one way only to Christ and Heaven...accept his as your Savior, as God. To realize that he's The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit...the Trinity all in one. We're blessed that he loved us so much that he humbled himself to be born as a child, in a manger, to a young girl and a carpenter who loved him as his own son, who raised him, loved him, understood he was God, and worshipped him. Mary then watched her child die on a cross for doing nothing but what he was born to do. He died sinless....not a single one of us can say that. We are blessed to have such a savior. With that I pray you have a precious and beautiful Christmas.

God's Blessings and Merry Christmas

 

 

 

 

 

Tags: Christmas, Salvation, Jesus Christ, God, Savior, Gifts, Birthday

pictures & update

 

 

 

Here's some pictures. There's pictures in here from when we went to Nurnburg Christmas Market, from our local Christmas Market, only one picture of a local Nativity Showed up. I should explain that the Nativities are not living Nativities...but beautiful porclein, hand carved, some card cut outs, etc only one of the pictures I took actually turned out, since we couldn't use our flash inside the churches they didn't turn out well, there's pictures of the kids! So...Enjoy! :)

 

 

 

 

So our evening was a little eventful. Chad came home with 8 gifts from the chapel Angel tree. They fill the tree up with names from every unit on post's children I'm not sure what the rank cut off is, but that's how they do it...I'm not really sure what happened but Chad went to our Bn chaplains office and there were 8 gifts total...he got home and realized that 1 was for Emma and then 7 were for Jackson, none for Jacob. So we went into our room and opened them up. There was clothing, all too small and a few toys that I would not allow the boys to play with, so Chad took them back to the PX and exchanged them for right size and a couple toys they are allowed to play with, got things for Jacob and actually got one more thing for Emma. We felt bad yet the clothing wouldn't have fit and the toys would have been taken away. I'm really strict on certain things. So....that went ok. We do feel so blessed that the kids get extra gifts, totally unnecessary, but such a blessing. We donate gifts to the Angel Tree as well, so it's a nice circle of love! :)

 

While Chad was gone I told the boys to get the playroom picked up, and Jacob popped an attitude with me. He got into a lot of trouble. When Chad came home, he had a long talk with him, and eventually Jacob came in and apologized and truly meant it. Then after the boys were in bed, Jack got up for the umpteenth time and I  was at the end of my rope and he got in trouble too. Tomorrow's got to be a better day.

 

Oh I forgot. I took Jacob to the clinic this morning, he saw the triage nurse and she made an apt for Dec 28. He has these bumps all over his shoulders, chest, and back. Jack has in the past gotten these same bumps on the back of his legs, but of course by the time I got an apt they were gone. The nurse said to take a picture of Jacob's bumps, she said she honestly didn't know what they were. One of them looked like a white head (I know gross), I had ran my finger across it and it popped (gross again I know) but they don't look like pimples, more like blisters, but they don't hurt him at all. So hopefully we'll get an answer as to what they are and can get rid of them. So if you'd say a prayer that we can figure out what in the world it is, I'd appreciate it.

 

 

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Christmas Cards

Well I've been a terrible procrastinator this year, it doesn't help that we were short a week between Thanksgiving and Christmas and well that really messed me up. We went to get these cool Christmas Cards of places in Germany and of course the PX isn't carrying them this year, they clearanced them out last year (wished I'd seen them clearanced) they were expensive not clearanced so I'm sure that's why they didn't sell very well full priced, because they were really beautiful! Anyways...Chad's grabbing me some cards for you all today. Next year I'm going to have my friend Tiffany make me a special card for all of you and I'll have it of a scenic area here in Europe. See I'm planning ahead!!

Anyways, I'll get the cards all done tonight and will mail them out tomorrow. Sorry they will not be there before Christmas, but hopefully by next weekend, it just depends on when they get a flight out of Germany and into the states!

Next entry will have pictures! ;)

For Opinionated Kelly

So little miss I haven't blogged in weeks myself, Kelly informed me today that it's been over a week since I blogged anything, so here it is! I'm exhausted so I don't see this being long unless I get a huge 2nd wind all of a sudden (don't hold your breath). Life's been fine. Christmas shopping is complete, just have to get everything mailed and that includes cards (sorry to those who I'm sending cards to, they're going to be late and our PX does not have any Germany cards this year, so you'll have to get what ever I find!)

We went and did a short tour of a few of the Nativities around town in the churches, I really want to go see more before they're put away for the year, so hopefully we can do that. We also went to our local Christmas market after the Nativity walk (that was on Saturday), that's where I finished my Christmas shopping). It was a fun day, but it was absolutely frigid. Little Miss Emma was all bundled up, the boys were, and of course Chad and I were. Our high on Saturday was 32 and I'm really not sure we accomplished it. There was a wind too, so it was just frigid. But it was one of those cold, but beautiful days! At times the sun would shine so brightly and then the clouds would come. I do wish we'd get some snow, my thought is if it's going to be cold give me snow! At least when it's cold and there's snow on the ground you can go out and enjoy it. If it's just cold, well....it's just cold!

 

Sunday was church and we had our Christmas program. Jacob sang in the children's choir. They sounded great, the whole program was really good. We had Awana that night and now we're on a two week Christmas and New Years break. I have to say I'm pretty exhausted so I'm happy for a break! Monday I spent my day wrapping family and friends gifts, that need to be mailed out (which hopefully will tomorrow/Thursday). Tuesday I didn't do much, just laundry which btw I'm caught up now on!! Wahoo! Today I had PWOC, which we had our Christmas Program and it went wonderfully. Then after that my friend took the boys home with her and I went to another friends house to look at the boys, Santa present. This year they're getting one combined one...a Cat! She's beautiful! She doesn't have a name so they'll get to name her. She's black with dark grey stripes, but she's not tiger striped! When we get her, I'll of course take pictures. She's so sweet and beautiful and likespeople!!!!!!! I am so looking forward to seeing the boys faces when they see her!! I do need to see if I can find some red ribbon to put on her cage! They are absolutely going to flip their lid! LOL After I went and visited her and talked to my friend (who's going to bring her over on Christmas Eve after the boys are in bed!!!).

I'll add some pictures tomorrow because aol is being stupid and wants me to upgrade and I don't feel like upgrading and no way I can do it tonight!

 

God Bless

 

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Teething, oh the joys

 

 

                  

 

Yes Miss Emma is getting teeth and oh it's not fun times in our home! Poor girl is in pain. I have some baby orajel that I put on her and that gave her temporary relief, but I'll be going and getting her some Hyland's Teething Tablets soon. She was so fussy this evening that her and I took a bath together. That definately relaxed her and she was such a happy girl while in the bath.

 

 

The teeth that are working their way through are her top ones, they are so swollen. Poor girl. I hope she's feeling better tomorrow. I need to call tomorrow or stop by the medical clinic tomorrow and see if I can get her, her 4 month well baby check up too. I keep forgetting to do that! I have some things to do for PWOC tomorrow too. I have a board meeting at 9:30 and then need to come home and make some phone calls for a Deployed Spouses Dinner I'm putting together and then email our head chaplain with info on ordering books for the gifts to the spouses. I have a couple ladies who said they'd help so I need to call them and get them on board too. Most of what I need to do though I don't need a lot of help with. Mostly it'll be setting up the evening of the dinner.

 

 

 

Well, I'm off to bed. For those of you in the midwest, you're in my thoughts with all this bad weather. I talked to my mom today and it hadn't hit them yet in Northeast Kansas, but was on it's way. Hopefully they don't lose their electricity. They have a fire place so they will stay warm, but still stinks to not have it. My brother and his wife have a wood burning stove, so they can stay warm and cook on top of it too. So...stay warm and safe!

 

 

                     

 

 

The pictures are of Emma that I tried to add to the last one. The ones of her sleeping are from last Monday when she turned 4 months old. Then her in her excersaucer for the first time, her and Jacob with St. Nikolas.(Jack refused to have his picture taken with St. Nikolas) Her swinging and her and I at the Christmas Market in Nuremburg, I was turning the Wishing Ring! :)

 

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Pictures and update over the last few days

Here's some pictures from the last few days. We got our tree up yesterday and decorated today! Thursday we went to Nurnburg to the Christmas Market. Our friends B&T and their kids went with us and had a great time! I took a few pictures of us there. AOL is being annoying so I can't get all the pictures up for some reason, so if I can I'll update you with more pictures! :) We took the train down there. Last night/Friday Jacob had his first basketball game. They don't keep score, but he had a lot of fun.

 

 

Tonight we had B&T over for dinner. We made beirocks (ground beef, cabbage, and onion mixed up and cooked of course and stuffed into a roll and baked) they're sooo good! T he loved them and we sent them home with some of them. He told us we have to teach B how to make them so she can make them once he's home! LOL I told him I'd make him some buckeyes for Christmas. I'll mail them down to him in Afganistan. They prob. won't make it until after Christmas, but that's ok. I'll freeze them in our deep freezer and then mail them to him good and frozen. They'll defrost before they get to him, but I told him to put them in his fridge and they're better cold imo, but he can eat them warm. Anyways we had dinner and then watched a movie that Chad and T have been dying for B and I to watch. Talladega Nights or something like that. The language had a lot to be desired, although I admit I laughed my butt off at spots.

 

 

We then just hung out and talked. T leaves on Monday. Chad's going to miss having him to hang out with. It's been so nice to have a couple to hang out with that we both really like. He's a little over  half way through his deployment (15 months in all)  so it's going to be a while before we see him again.

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Holiday Edition

I got this from Amanda over at: I am Mommy     Welcome to the 2007 Holiday Edition of Getting to Know Your Friends! You know the drill. Please Cut and Paste. Don't be a Scrooge!!!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?  Hot Chocolate of course, I'm all about chocolate and you couldn't PAY me to drink egg nog!   2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?   Santa only brings one gift and it's always unwrapped, everyone elses gifts are wrapped! This year Santa's bringing the boys one gift....a Cat! :)   3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?   Colored. I am not a fan of white lights   4. Do you hang mistletoe?  No, it's poison and don't want to take the chance it falling and one of my kids/babies eating it and getting sick or worse!   5. When do you put up your decorations?  Normally the weekend after Thanksgiving, but this year we're running late. Tomorrow I'll be starting it!   6. What is your favorite holiday dish?  Oh there's so many things! LOL turkey,homemade noodles, and chocolate pie!   7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child:   Getting up really early and Opening presents    8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I just figured it out on my own and I think I was probably 9 or 10...don't we all wish we could go back to being so innocent? 9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? One...the kids open up a new pair of PJ's and yes I know they will eventually catch on!   10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? We do colored lights, and a mish mash of ornaments..no themes. I'd love one day when we move back to the states and buy a home to get another tree and have a snowman tree with the main color being soft blue!   11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? LOVE IT!    12. Can you ice skate?   Not very good, but I can or should say used to be able to!
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? As a child it was definately my Barbie Dream House, as an adult it'd be my locket that Chad and the kids got me a couple years ago!   14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Jesus, being with my family and teaching our children the REAL meaning behind Christmas!   15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?  Chocolate Pie   16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?   Putting up our tree but it's a tie with making cookies with the kids!   17. What tops your tree?   We have an angel   18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?   Giving!!!!
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?  I have two...Mary Did You Know and Silent Night   20. Candy Canes?  One a year, my kids love them though    21. Doyou feel Christmas is too commercialized? Or Is it still magical for you? It's rediculously commercialized, but having children and seeing them makes it so magical and definately reminds me of how it felt when I was a child! I love that!

Original Christmas Card

So this year I was blessed that my friend Tiffany made our Christmas card!

 

               

This is only $5.00! You send her the picture you want, let her know the colors you'd like, any special saying, verse, what you want your greeting/signature to be, and if you have any special graphics in mind and she creates it! She wants 100% satisfaction and she really means that! She emails you the completed card that's what you want and then you simply upload it to any online photo printing site...walmart.com, cosco.com, snapfish, etc...who ever you like or want to use. You upload it as a 4x6 picture and it's about 15 cents CHEAPER than if you did one of their cards!! I actually printed them off myself here, because we're limited on time and I want to get my cards out tomorrow or Wed. at the latest and I have a photo printer! Anyways...if you want go to her website which I've shared before:

www.tiffanyallemand.com  and click on "cards". It may take time to upload because she's got a variety of things on there! I'm also receiving from Chad a Wall Collage (my request) for Christmas and we're ordering ones for my mom, Chad's mom, and now possibly Chad's grandma! She has some really awesome things on her website that would be make GREAT original Christmas gifts! She's awesome to work with and if you order a card depending on what time, she will probably get it done that day/night or the very next day! She rocks!!

 

Tags: Christmas Cards, Tiffany Allemand, original Christmas gifts

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Sunday's update

 

 

                         

 

Well everyone but Emma seems to be all better. We all stayed home from church this morning, although the boys both really wanted to go. Chad and the boys will be going to Awana tonight though..Emma and I will be staying home. Emma's still throwing up a little, nothing like yesterday but still small amounts so I just want to give her a little more time to get better before putting her around more people as well as exposing others. We have aprox 100 kids that come to Awana and then about 40 or so adults who help volunteer in one way or another.

 

 

 

Right now Chad and the boys are moving things from a storage room of a neighbors that we'd been using (yes we brought way too much junk!). It's actually all the stuff that got broken that had to get an estimate on it, so now he's taking it to recycling. Tuesday I'm calling the thrift store to sell our old table, book shelf, coffee table, dvd shelves, and a play tool bench that I bought at a garage sell and it never made it farther than the storage room! LOL Hopefully when Chad and the boys get home Chad and I can move the living and dining room around and get that settled so that tomorrow we can put the tree up. I know how I want everything so it's just a matter of moving everything. Nothing will be too hard to move other than the armoir only because it's big, but if we empty it, it won't be that heavy. I've wanted to move the living room around for a while anyways. The way we have it the sun shines in and reflects on the tv so if we watch it during daylight hours we have to keep all the livingroom curtains closed if we want to see the tv which is just annoying ultimately. So once that's all rearranged I'll have room for the tree! I can bring everything up myself so I'll do that tomorrow and even try to get the tree actually put together and up before Chad comes home from work tomorrow. Then we'll decorate it as a family tomorrow evening and Chad will put lights up around the windows. I LOVE decorating for Christmas. I'll put on Christmas music, we'll sing together, and afterwards we'll drink some hot chocolate! Once the tree's up and decorated I always take pictures of the kids in front of the tree too...so I'll share! I take pictures while decorating as well! These are those special memories that I hope our children grow up remembering with fondness.

 

 

                 

 

Tomorrow hopefully Emma's all better and if so I have pictures scheduled for her tomorrow! She'll have pictures in her pretty Christmas dress! I am only going to order no more than 4 pictures! I promised Chad! He doesn't believe me, but I'm going to do my best to keep that promise! It's too close to Christmas to spend too much money on pictures! I'm excited to have her 4 month pics taken though. She smiles so much and in general is such a happy girl! They probably won't be back for 2 or 3 weeks so once they are, I'll share! :)

 

 

                    

 

Jack also has basketball practice. It's his first practice of the season. Chad's the coach again! Jacob had his first practice last Wed. and really liked it. Chad's not coaching Jacob. I actually need to make up a snack roster for tomorrow and we need to go buy snacks too, I totally forgot about that! Oh man. I may see if Chad will run to the commissary here in a bit to get those otherwise I'll just go to the shoppette tomorrow and get something since the commissary is closed on Monday's.

 

I hope you all have a great Sunday. Pray for health for our family, at this point Emma. Also pray that we don't get this again this flu season!

 

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Sickness all around

Well Thursday Jackson was sick. He woke up a little before 5 am, and threw up all over my freshly laundered bedding! He proceded to throw up and have diarreah all morning, took a 3 1/2 hr nap and then the vomitting at least stopped. He got sick once yesterday. I felt sick to my stomach on Thursday and Friday, then last night it hit me. The vomitting that is. Good times I tell you, good times. Then last night Emma threw up. By the time her and I got up at 10 she'd thrown up 3 times, she was still nursing and not getting sick everytime so I knew she was still hydrated. She's thrown up 2 times since 10, but since about 2 pm she's not thrown up at all and she's nursed I think 4 times. She's in her swing now, chatting it up and smiling so I think she's on the med. Jacob woke up this morning, throwing up too.

The plan for today was that the boys were going to go to a friends house for a playdate. The friend is an American, but she's married to a German man and they have 2 boys (nonmilitary). Unfortunately since Jacob's sick they obviously couldn't go. Chad, Emma, and I were going to go to Graf and get our layway (Christmas) out...instead Jacob, Emma, and I stayed home and Jack and Chad went over there. Chad called me about an hour after he left and said he was about 10 minutes from the PX and Jack had just thrown up. Ahhhhhhhhh! Oh and Chad feels sick to his stomach too! (He had to go and get the layway, it was due out). So he had to buy Jack a new outfit and when I talked to him when he was at the commissary Jack was singing and dancing all around because he got a Scooby Shirt! ROFL Chad said he thinks he's better!

 

PLEASE pray that our family will get healthy. We rarely get sick and this is the first time all of us have gotten sick at the same time. Well I need to go get my bedding out of the dryers, it had to be washed again (Emma had thrown up on it).

 

 

Twsas the month before Christmas...

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Twas the month before Christmas*

*When all through our land,*

*Not a Christian was praying*

*Nor taking a stand.*

*The "politically correct police" had taken away,*

*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*

*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*

*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*

*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would

  say*

*December 25th is just a "Holiday".*

 

*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and

  credit*

*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*

*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*

*Something was changing, something quite odd! *

*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*

*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*

*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*

*At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be

  found.*

*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*

*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch

  your ears.*

 

*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*

*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*

*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*

*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!*

*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*

*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*

*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*

; * Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*

 

*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and

  discarded*

*The reason for the season, stopped before it

  started.*

*So as you celebrate "Winter Break" under your "Dream

Tree"*

*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*

*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*

 

*Shout

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

------------Not----Happy Holiday!*

 

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A "short" little Meme

 

 

 

I got this from little Miss Kelly's Green Olives & Pickle Juice (she's private)....and saw it on myspace this morning too...

1. If your doctor told you TODAY that you were pregnant, what would you say?
Wow, it's soon after Emma but ok bring this baby on!

2. Do you trust all of your friends?
Completely not all of them, but I know I can trust all of them to an extent. I completely trust 3 people besides Christ.

3. Would you move to another state or country to be with the one you love?
Well lets see, I'm a Kansas girl, married to a soldier living in Germany....what do YOU think? LOL

4. Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?
 I can't STAND this question! I believe that everything happens with God's permission, but often they happen because of ours or others actions and we deal with the consequences and if we're SMART we turn to GOD to help us with every situation!

5. Can you make a dollar in change right now?
No...lol
6. Which one of your friends do you think would make the best doctor?
Easy...Kendra
7. Are you afraid of falling in love?
uhhh no....

9. Is there someone who pops into your mind at random times?
Of course

10. Whats your most favorite scar?
My c-section scars and my gall bladder scars! I got 4 beautiful children via them and got that horrible, painful, gb out! Now I do have a cool butterfly scar on my knee from a bike wreck when I was I think 5 or 6! Seriously it looks like a butterfly (it's pretty faded now though)

11. When was the last time you flew in a plane?
July 2005 when we flew over here to Germany

12. What did the last text message you sent say?
don't text

14. Fill in the blank. I love:
Jesus and my family

17. How many kids do you want to have?
As many as God wants to give us!

18. Would you make a good parent?
I am a good parent :)

19. On your Myspace, where was your default picture taken?
In my living room

20. Whats your middle name?
Lynn

21. Honestly, whats on your mind right now?
I wish Chad would turn off the tv

22. If you could go back in time and change something, what would it be? Yes...keep Jordyn away from second hand smoke from utero on...maybe just maybe she wouldn't have ended up with cancer (yes 2nd hand smoke IS a cause for the type of leukemia Jordyn had)

 
23. Who was or will be the maid of honor/ best man in your wedding? Kendra

24. What are you wearing right now?
pj's

25. Righty or Lefty?
Righty

26. Best place to eat?
The Stables

27. Favorite jeans?
Levi's
28. Favorite animal?
horses

29. Favorite juice?
cranberry juice

30. Have you had the chicken pox?
Yes

31. Have you had a sore throat?
lol who hasn't?

32. Ever had a bar fight?
Not been in one, but had 2 guys fighting because of me! ROFL (A loooong time ago!) Good times people, good times!

33. Who knows you the best?
Chad, Tami, and Emily

34. Shoe size?
9-10 depends on the shoe 

35. Do you wear contact lenses or glasses?
both
36. Ever been in a fight with your pet?
uhhh no ....had a few standoffs...lol (ditto)
37. Been to Mexico?
nope
38. Did you buy something today?
no

39. Did you get sick today?
NOPE

40. Do you miss someone today?
every single day

41. Did you get in a fight with someone today?
No

42. When is the last time you had a massage?
before Emma was born

43. Last person to lay in your bed?
Emma...she's there now

44. Last person to see you cry?
Jacob

45. Who made you cry?
no one

46. What was the last TV show you watched?
Army Wives (I'm sooo not happy that I like that stupid show! ROFL)

47. What are your plans for the weekend?
Friday we're going to the Hospitality House, Saturday Chad, Emma, and I are going to Nurnburg to the Christmas Market, Saturday evening we're putting up the tree and decorating!! Sunday Church and Awana!

48. Who do you think will play along?
I think Kelly will...because if she doesn't I'm going to bug her! LOL

49. Who was the last person you hung out with?
My family

50. If your "significant other" asked you to marry them TODAY what would you say? ABSOLUTELY, YES!

 

 

 

 

Tags: Meme

 

 

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Updated

Ok first things first...I updated my sidebar! :) In case you didn't notice..I LOVE Snowmen! I do, I do! Also in case you missed it, I added the picture entry of our weekend, so go down one and see those pictures! Also we had a family picture taken for our Christmas card today at church! A friend of mine took it. It'll be in the pictures here along with some of Emma! :) Emma is almost 4 months old now. She's rolling over officially. She goes from her back to her tummy in about 3 seconds flat. She's made it from her tummy to her back a couple times, but that takes a lot more effort and normally she ends up fussing and we just roll her over! I'm in no hurry for her to be doing any of this, but she thinks she needs to! LOL She's just the sweetest girl and I just love her so much I can't stand it sometimes! The boys are great. I wish I could even find the words...they're just sweet boys who are also ornery little guys! LOL I wouldn't change them if I could!

Oh and it's winter here! I don't care if it's official or not...we've had quite a few snow falls, nothing of any true significance in our area although Garmisch a couple weeks ago got over 5 FEET of snow...so snow season has begun there! We woke up this morning to snow on the ground!

 

Pictures

Here's pictures from our weekend. There's one picture of Emma on Thanksgiving. It was the only one that turned out that day on my camera. Bobbie and Tim haven't had a chance to email me the pictures they took. Chad did get my camera fixed! It was relatively simple and took him about oh 5 seconds! So yeah!!!! Most of these pictures were taken on Friday and Saturday while we were in Rothenburg odT. Our room had a balcony and from it you could see one of the Towers and part of the wall that surrounds the old city! There's a couple pictures of our family and of the boys on the balcony with the wall and tower in the background! There's pictures inside the wall too..of the wall and towers (there's many towers throughout the city) and of buildings that I thought were pretty, etc! I LOVE the timbered buildings, they're my favorite here in Germany! The architecture is so amazing. To think that it was built by the hands and backs of people vs machinery of today is part of what makes it more beautiful to me! Oh we ate at a resturant before coming home yesterday and I took pictures of some of it's decor! :)

 

Also just for some good FYI...Rothenburg is pronounced Wrote-en_ burg (there is NOT a "Th" sound in the name!)

Tags: Rothenburg odT, Germany

Thanksgiving and Day after

 

 

                           

 

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We are truly blessed by God. He's given us a precious family and precious friends and for that I'm so thankful for. Being in the military you come across so many people...some you adore some you don't. Bobbie is one I do like! She's my best friend here in Germany and I am so glad God brought her here! They lived in Italy for 3 yrs and then got stationed here and I'm so glad they did! Her husband and Chad get along great. The problem is so often when you do find a couple/family you really like where everyone gets along well (including the kids) it seems one spouse has to go and be deployed and right now it's Tim's turn. By the time he returns, it'll be Chad's turn. It's honestly quite frustrating...but it's our life!

 

 

                           

 

We had a wonderful dinner. Tim and Bobbie made a wonderful, delicious, and beautiful turkey. I made my mom's stuffing, homemade noodles, homemade bread, greenbean casserole, and 2 choc. pies. I also made gravy over at Bobbie's. Bobbie also made Mashed Potatoes, corn, 2 pumpkin pies, and sweet potatoe casserole. I didn't eat the last thing...but can say everything else was GREAT!!!! We were all stuffed to the max when it was done and over with. The kids went and played for a while, then I put Jack down for a nap which was not all that easy, but extremely necessary. Then we started playing Spade's. We did it guys vs girls. They won but it was just so much fun no one really cared! After that we played Sequence...which is my favorite game! That one we did couples vs couples...Chad and I won 3 out of 4 games, again no one cared we just had a great time! We left about 9 pm after helping clean up everything.

 

 

                  

 

Friday we headed over to Rothenburg odT. The chapel paid for us to stay in a nice hotel, dinner, and breakfast. Chad and I lucked out. I seriously think we had the nicest room, and definately the best view! You could see the Wall and one of the towers that surrounds the old city. We were literally just outside of the old city. Our room was absolutely huge and after downloading all my pictures I realize I didn't take a picture of our room! Go figure! We got all checked in and then our family and Bobbie and Tim's headed out to go tour, a little shopping, and a lot of window shopping/browsing! We had such a great time. For me Friday was more about getting idea's than buying, since we'd decided we'd come back on Saturday and do more shopping and browsing. We had dinner as a group (everyone who came from the chapel) Dinner was great. The kids had schnitzel and pomme fritz (fries) and us adults had chicken cordon blue, fries, and steamed veggies....we all had ice cream for dessert. It tasted so good! We all shared lots of laughter, and just a nice evening. After that B & T's son came back to our room and after an hour or so they came in and joined us and we just hung out and talked. Chad tried to find cards (we didn't think to bring any) he went to the basement where there was a bar and they had some...come to find out German cards are different than Americans! So we couldn't do anything with them, but the kids played with them and had a lot of fun! LOL Saturday we got up about 8, met up at 8:45 and off to breakfast we all went. I think most of  everyone in our group thought aprox 9 am was a good time to eat! After that we checked out of our room and our group again went shopping (B&T's family and ours). We shopped until about 1:30 then went and had lunch. I have to say I made a poor choice got brats and saur kraut which is normally good...the sausages were gross. I don't know if it was the types or the way they were cooked, but really nasty. Chad shared his chicken and salad with me though, which was sweet and Jack gave me a few of his fries! I was good!

 

 

                               

 

On the way home Jacob road with B&T...Jack and Emma fell asleep quickly and Chad and I just talked! It was honestly a wonderful drive home. Aprox an hour drive and it was nice to just have uninterrupted conversation with my husband. That doesn't happen very often! When we got back on post, we came home quickly and then off to a bon fire we went. That was great! We roasted hot dogs and brats (good ones!), had hot choc., apple cider, and smores! We sang praise Songs and a few Christmas songs, and just hung out and enjoyed the company of wonderful friends!

                      

 

 

 

I do have quite a few pictures. My camera is acting up...it doesn't want to focus half the time. Not sure what's going on with it. Going to call Canon and see if they can walk me through trying to fix it and if not probably will have to send it in. It needs to be fixed asap..Christmas is right around the corner and I want good pictures! I have all the pictures downloaded. I will resize them tomorrow and add some up tomorrow!

 

 

I'm off to bed!

 

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Thanksgiving

 

                         

Well Chad's home!! Major blessing, because I know that he won't be home for every holiday. We've had a Thanksgiving with him in Iraq and well it stinks to not be together so I am counting my blessings this year that he's home safe and sound and not in a war torn country, eating at a chow hall (if he's lucky enough to not be out on a mission). I'm also thankful that our friends husband gets home tomorrow morning for R&R and we'll  be joining them for Thanksgiving, per his request! What a blessing to have such wonderful friends. She's my best friend here in Germany and to know that our husband's get along and enjoy each other's company is so awesome. You really don't understand what a blessing that is! So often and I know this extends beyond the military...but so often one is friends with someone and the spouse doesn't like that one's spouse. Chad actually has a friend and I really just don't care much for his friends spouse. I guess I know enough to know when some people are not good for us to be around. I don't enjoy being around people who fight all the time, who scream and cuss at each other. Hey an argument here and there, being annoyed with your spouse here and there is one thing. When you're constantly parnoid that your spouse is doing something he shouldn't be doing constantly...well I simply don't want that kind of drama in my life! So I do distance myself and I know...I should be showing her the love of Christ and I do try when I see her. I try to always smile and make polite conversation....but going to her home isn't something I'm comfortable with and really don't want my children exposed to that. So anyways...I'm so thankful that we DO have a couple who love each other, who are fun, joyful, precious people/friends.

                      

Bobbie and I will be splitting up the menu. She's making the big turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoe casserole (amusingly none of us like sweet potatoes, but agreed to step out of our box and try it! LOL), corn, 2 pumpkin pies. I'm making a small 5 lb turkey so I can have the broth to make my bread stuffing and home made noodles. I'm making homemade bread, greenbean casserole, and 2 choc. pies.

                             

We're planning on eating by 1 and then we'll have left overs for dinner if we're hungry! I'm going to bring cards over so we can play cards and my game sequence too. I'm sure Bobbie has some games as well. The kids all love each other so that will work out perfectly. Their son and Jacob are best friends.

                                   

Friday we're going to Rothenburg OdT. The Chapel is hosting a special thank you for us who volunteer so much (you know the 20% who does oh everything!!) The Chapel is paying for our hotel, dinner, and breakfast. Rothenburg is one of our favorite cities here in Germany! The old city is surrounded by the old protective wall, so it's just stunning! They asked that we be there by 2 to check into our rooms, then we are free to shop, explore, etc then have dinner together as a group at 6. After dinner our chaplain thought it'd be nice for us all to hang out together and play games, talk, etc. We'll get up in the morning and have breakfast together and then check out and do our own thing. Saturday evening we then will probably all pretty well plus more get together and have a bon fire! It's on post, but another section of post. They have a fire pit there already so we'll roast hot dogs, marshmellows (have smores!!!), sing songs, and just fellowship! I'm really looking forward to these days!

   

 

                      

 

I ask that each of you pray for the soldiers who are downrange seperated from their families this year. Who will at best be eating in a chow hall with other soldiers. Who will get turkey, but it won't be the same. Who will most likely not get something that is traditional to his/her family dinner and will probably feel full from the meal, but feel that it's just not complete.

 

                        

 

I ask that you pray for the families who are left behind. The wives who miss their husband's, the husband's who miss their wives. The children who miss their Daddy or Mommy. The parents who miss their child. Remember to light a candle for all who has a place missing at their table this year. Count your blessings for the fact that most of you don't have a loved one that you have to worry about, because for most of you, you don't have a loved one off in the desert of Iraq or the mountains of Afganistan, etc. For even those of you who are seperated from someone most if not all of you can simply pick up the phone and talk to them. So remember our soldiers and their families.

 

 

I ask that you remember the parents who've had a child die. Remember in your prayers this year my precious Emily. Who had a hard enough time with Halloween and now is looking Thanksgiving square in the eye. As she praises Jesu through this storm, her heart and arms still ache for Miller Grace. So for each of you whose never lost a child, thank GOD for the blessing of being spared this heartache. I speak only for myself when I say it's the WORST pain imaginable...actually it's unimaginable. Even when your child is driving you crazy...be blessed that they're alive to do so. Remember that tomorrow is simply not promised for a single one of us and that DOES include our children.

 

Count your blessings that you ARE an American. We may have issue's in our country, but we're a FREE country. We can express our feelings, our thoughts. We can say stupid things if we want, we can say horrible, even disgusting things about our President and no fear being thrown into prison. Be thankful that even if you don't like him...we have a Prayerful President who loves and knows Jesus Christ (he HAS professed this and since none of us can know another's heart we simply have to believe he's speaking the truth and I do believe he is a Christian). Be thankful that you have the CHOICE to join the military or not. You're not forced to join and your children are not when they turn 18. So many countries all these blessings that most of us don't think twice about are not a choice.

 

 

Tonight I'm thankful for the blessings I have in my life. My God first and foremost. If it were not for Christ I would not have a tomorrow, here or in Heaven! I'm thankful for Chad next. If it were not for him I wouldn't know what true love is supposed to feel like. I am thankful for Jordyn, Jacob, Jackson, and Emma. My children have made me who I am today in so many ways. I'm thankful that I can stay at home and raise them the way I and Chad see proper vs a stranger. I'm thankful that as an American Citizen I can homeschool my children without the fear that the government will come and take my children away and place them in a school that I may not see fit to teach my children (in Germany...German citizens can not homeschool their children..many other European countries are like this as well..but because we're American's and are in the military we can!Truly hear my hearts cry when I say...PRAISE JESUS!!!).

 

 

                          

Tags: Thanksgiving, Thankful, Military, Homeschool, Mom's, Wife

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