Gingerbread Houses

 Gingerbread Houses

Have I mentioned my mom is pretty great?  She's undergone A LOT of changes this past year but she's always finding a reason to be thankful, always making the best of things, always finding a way to pour into others, always finding a creative way to adapt.  One of the major changes this year was moving out of the main house on the dairy and over to the modular home across the way.  This is a big change as we are all use to crashing Grammys house and now it is much much smaller but Grammy always has a plan.  A favorite Christmas tradition for many many years now has been making gingerbread houses and rather than giving it up, which honestly sometimes we thing she should because it is such a HUGE amount of work, she made a plan.  She set up tables in the garage with houses and candy prepped and hosted 20!!! YES 20 grandchildren all at the same time!!!  I don't know how she does it.  Kids are truly her gift and ours are the luckiest to get to call her Grammy!

Cousins

Adelina and Sadie

Ollie, Cooper, and Lily

Evie and Autumn

Tommy and Andy

Carter and Ollie

Aubrey and Hadley

Harper and Evie

Ellie-Jo

I know you don't get to have favorites and mine change all the time anyway but Ellie-Jo is so stinkin' cute right now.

Sadie

Wyatt

Cooper

Hazel

Evie

Aubrey

Maddie

A Christmas Village

December 1st

December 1st

December 1st marks the beginning of season of remembering the birth of Christ.  It's the beginning of a great celebration of hope as we remember how God sent His only son Jesus to be born among us so that he could live perfectly, die sacrificially, and bring us peace here on earth and for eternity to come.  We usher in this seasons with cozy new Christmas jammies, a hot chocolate party, laughter together, and beginning an Advent devotional which helps us to slow down and soak in this season of remembering.

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

I do my best to live right in the moment but honestly that doesn't come naturally to me AT ALL.  As the kids grow it's hard not to let my mind wander forward or back remembering how it was when they were small or wondering how many more times I'll see them all doing "little kid" things like this together.  These thoughts makes me sad initially.  I've lost some people.  In fact on this day 24 years ago I was in a car accident that took the lives of 2 of my college roommates.  So I know how quick life can change and how fleeting the things we take for granted can be, but I've also learned some things.  One thing I've learned from watching my Mom walk through hard things is that gratitude is life giving and it is 100% a choice, though often a really hard choice.  It is a choice to look up and to remember what God has done and to take notice of what He's still doing and the fact that He hasn't left us.  I remember back when my Dad was sick and we knew we were going to loose him apart from a miracle people would say how sorry they were to my mom and she'd say I have much to be grateful for.  Back then I thought that's the right answer but that CANNOT be how you really feel.  I mean yes but mostly your mad and sad and all the things, and she was those things too, but she returns again and again and again almost stubbornly to gratitude.  There's literally ALWAYS something to be grateful for if you're willing to take your eyes off of yourself and look up.  This wasn't meant to be a reflection on that but these are the things that run through my head as I look at this silly picture of the kids looking like a giant star passing the soccer ball between their legs.  The thoughts creep in, the what ifs, and how sad would it be if, because loss teaches us we aren't guaranteed anything.  I learned these truths young.  YET He has given us THIS moment, THIS day, and on THIS particular day my 7 kids ages 16 to 6 are sitting on the ground together in new Christmas pajamas playing and laughing while I sip hot chocolate and that's pretty stinkin' great!!  So I'll fight every day to live filled with gratitude and even as I look back on this photo I'll be reminded to live and be grateful for each moment I'm given because every one of them is a gift.  

Cooper's 13th Birthday

Happy 13th Birthday Cooper!

Seriously can't believe this one is 13 already.  He was just 6 months old when we moved to Oregon.  He's chill and hilarious and has a quiet way of leading and observing that draws people to him and sets him apart in so many ways.  He's rarely in a hurry but typically patiently waits and observes and then owns whatever the situation it is that he finds himself in.  We hear again and again from his teachers how impressed they are by his maturity.  He can seem quiet but his mind is always working and when it's his turn to contribute he has great things to say.  Mrs. House, his high school principle, told me recently that when they picked house leaders she was kind of on the fence with Cooper just because he can seem so quiet but she's been blown away at how he's stepped into the role so naturally and has lots to contribute.  With Cooper it's just that he doesn't seem to "need" to be seen and heard ALL the time the way many do at his age.  He carries a quiet confidence that is a blessing to this family.  Cooper you continually impress us and we're grateful for you.  We love the things you have to say, the way you make us laugh, and special way you connect with each of your siblings.  You seem to know how to be quiet and let them do and say whatever crazy things they need to and also how to draw out the quieter ones.  We love you so much!!

Livin' Their Best Life

Christmas Tree

I look forward to this day every year.  It feels like it marks the beginning of the Christmas season.  I use to wait a week or so after Thanksgiving so that I didn't have the tree up on Cooper's birthday but I just love it so much and want to enjoy it as long as possible.  So now the day after Thanksgiving it's tradition to cut down our tree.

Notice Dog Dog peaking around Evie's arm.  May Maddie never tire of Dog Dog and may we never loose her.

This is Brandon's new thing :)  Hillarious!  Also, leaves a lot of photos where we are minus one and where kids are NOT looking at the camera.

Minus one + totally distracted Evie :)

One nice one for Mommy

Hazel and Maddie

It was Cooper's turn to cut down the tree.

Evie and Aubrey

Bringing the tree home means the pumpkins must go.  We do our best to make this fun as the kids never want to part with them.

But eventually even the most resistant ones give in to the fun of Pumpkin Chucking.  Not sure the goats think this is a fun tradition but they enjoy the aftermath.

A Christmas Baazar

A Christmas Baazar

This year we participated in our first Christmas Baazar as a fundraiser for our upcoming mission trip to Mexico.  It was a lot of work preparing all the treats and spending 2 days selling, but the kids made some money which we're grateful for and we had the opportunity to see and chat with lots of friends as well as watch the Crosshill theater group perform It's a Wonderful Life, which was so fun.  I've missed watching theater.

Grammy made and donated these amazing cookies for the kids to sell.

Uncle Robert donated Blue Silo Chocolate Milk.

And I made so many dipped oreos, buckeye balls, mint brownies, and speedy little devils.