Today is Joshua's and my 11 year anniversary. Wow, can it really have been 11 years ago that we were just getting married? 14 years ago on this very day we had our first date. . . I love reminiscing! We've been good friends now for over 19 years, since we met our sophomore year of high school. Time really does fly!
Joshua, you are my best friend, my soul mate, the love of my life. Thank you for these years. The road has not been smooth, but we've made it over the broken road together. I'm blessed to have you by my side. You know just how to make me laugh and lighten up when I don't think I can, you bring a smile to my face, your an encourager and challenge me to grow into a better person. I am so blessed that God put you in my life. He knew exactly what I needed when He sent me you. Thank you for spending these years with me. Happy Anniversary!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Christmas tidings
I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas. Our house is still full and active still. . . but I'll put down a few Christmas happenings to share our week.
"Turkey is my favorite chicken! This is so good mommy." -Colten Christmas Day
"Do you know where shrimp comes from?"-Uncle Clay to Colten last night
"Yeah, from crabs. Shrimp is my favorite crab!"- Colten
The weather has been one of extremes this week. We went from subzero temperatures at the beginning of the week. To snow which cancelled Clay's flight in on tuesday and made it a relief even on Wednesday that he was able to get into Chicago at all. Thursday evening we got a freezing rain that made us house bound all day Friday as the whole area was in "a state of emergency" because of the ice and only police were allowed on the streets. The benefit of this was that Joshua got an extra day off of work, but we weren't able to get to the store to get the missing ingredients for making scones. Today it is currently at 55 degrees out and warming further, the snow is disappearing fast and now we are looking at flooded roads.
We've spent quite awhile trying out Dance Dance Revolution Disney Edition and have even managed to get Mormor out there trying to dance.
Ashtyn has been prancing around the house in her new cinderella dress and light up glass slippers, and alternating that with putting on her new rollerblades and skate walking through the living room. Her big brothers have been having fun changing the outfits on her new magnetic "paper doll" dress up thing to outfits that she deems completely unacceptable and squeals at them to leave them alone.
Colten is loving having everyone here, always someone to play a game with him. That and all the candy that Santa left in the stockings are just making his week!
Jaden is enjoying his hotwheels track and playing with his legos. He really enjoyed learning about dragons with Uncle Clay yesterday as they studiedtogether in his new book that best way to track, capture, and train dragons.
As the roads are finally good I'm off to the store to buy ingredients to make scones. Anyone want to stop by and have coffee and scones with us?
"Turkey is my favorite chicken! This is so good mommy." -Colten Christmas Day
"Do you know where shrimp comes from?"-Uncle Clay to Colten last night
"Yeah, from crabs. Shrimp is my favorite crab!"- Colten
The weather has been one of extremes this week. We went from subzero temperatures at the beginning of the week. To snow which cancelled Clay's flight in on tuesday and made it a relief even on Wednesday that he was able to get into Chicago at all. Thursday evening we got a freezing rain that made us house bound all day Friday as the whole area was in "a state of emergency" because of the ice and only police were allowed on the streets. The benefit of this was that Joshua got an extra day off of work, but we weren't able to get to the store to get the missing ingredients for making scones. Today it is currently at 55 degrees out and warming further, the snow is disappearing fast and now we are looking at flooded roads.
We've spent quite awhile trying out Dance Dance Revolution Disney Edition and have even managed to get Mormor out there trying to dance.
Ashtyn has been prancing around the house in her new cinderella dress and light up glass slippers, and alternating that with putting on her new rollerblades and skate walking through the living room. Her big brothers have been having fun changing the outfits on her new magnetic "paper doll" dress up thing to outfits that she deems completely unacceptable and squeals at them to leave them alone.Colten is loving having everyone here, always someone to play a game with him. That and all the candy that Santa left in the stockings are just making his week!
Jaden is enjoying his hotwheels track and playing with his legos. He really enjoyed learning about dragons with Uncle Clay yesterday as they studiedtogether in his new book that best way to track, capture, and train dragons.
As the roads are finally good I'm off to the store to buy ingredients to make scones. Anyone want to stop by and have coffee and scones with us?
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Jessie's Dinner and other cute Christmas stories
Yesterday as we were driving in the car, Ashtyn was asking for a particular song to be played. She kept saying, "Jessie's Dinner, mommy, you know the one." and she continued to get more upset as Colten and I couldn't figure out what song she was talking about. Finally she sang a little bit of it and we realized she was asking for Hark the Herald Angels Sing. . . you know the part "Glo-r-ia, in ex Jessie's Dinner." We finally convinced her of the correct pronunciation of the words and she practiced the song the rest of the afternoon. A good 30 minutes after I tucked her in bed last night I heard the full correct rendition of the song being sung in her bedroom. She's gotten pretty good at the "Gloria" part. Maybe she'll be a singer someday, she sure does love it.
Yesterday in the mail we got a Christmas Card from our friend Chris. In the picture on the card, he is dressed up as Santa Claus sitting with his two dogs. Ashtyn saw the picture and squealed, "Santa sent a Christmas card just to us! And look at his two cute dogs." She was just glowing with pride that Santa would send us a Christmas card. . . I never did mention it was just someone we knew dressed as Santa.
Yesterday in the mail we got a Christmas Card from our friend Chris. In the picture on the card, he is dressed up as Santa Claus sitting with his two dogs. Ashtyn saw the picture and squealed, "Santa sent a Christmas card just to us! And look at his two cute dogs." She was just glowing with pride that Santa would send us a Christmas card. . . I never did mention it was just someone we knew dressed as Santa.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Pray For The President
I was directed to this site from a blog that I follow. What a challenge to us all! (Click on the blog title Pray For the President to be taken to the site or try this: http://www.maxlucado.com/president/)
DONE!
Just wanted to report that I am done with my Christmas shopping! I am so glad to be finished and not have any more decisions to be made or lots of time price comparing on-line for what I know I want to get someone. Now hopefully anything ordered will arrive on time, but I wont worry about that. 80) Well I better start wrapping-that's the fun part.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Bethlehem Revisited
Friday evening we went to "Bethlehem Revisited" at a local church. It has been a few years since we have gone to a "live" nativity sort of event so I was looking forward to it, until I saw the weather prediction. The Weather report said it was currently 13 degrees outside as we headed out for it. But we bundled well and I really didn't get cold until the end of it.
The church did a great job of it. We were all assigned a "character" as a member of a large family traveling to Bethlehem to pay taxes. Along the way we were accosted several times by Roman soldiers on foot and horseback(I was almost sold into slavery at one point). The soldiers carefully inspected our paperwork each time we were stopped. Jaden's character was supposed to be a musician and when the soldiers discovered this they made him get up and preform for them. He joyfully did a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday filled with "cha, cha chas" and accompanying butt wiggles. We met the wise men along the road, saw their gifts and their real camels. Skirted past a begging leper, met the shepherds and their sheep and saw the angels appear in the tree tops singing. We finally reached Bethlehem and paid our taxes, then got a chance to browse the town, taste the local food, see the craftsmen, etc. before going to the inn and eventually the stable to see the new baby. The kids had a great time, and we all really enjoyed it. If anyone is in the area next December be sure to go!
Afterwards we rushed home to hot chocolate and cookies. What a fun evening.
The church did a great job of it. We were all assigned a "character" as a member of a large family traveling to Bethlehem to pay taxes. Along the way we were accosted several times by Roman soldiers on foot and horseback(I was almost sold into slavery at one point). The soldiers carefully inspected our paperwork each time we were stopped. Jaden's character was supposed to be a musician and when the soldiers discovered this they made him get up and preform for them. He joyfully did a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday filled with "cha, cha chas" and accompanying butt wiggles. We met the wise men along the road, saw their gifts and their real camels. Skirted past a begging leper, met the shepherds and their sheep and saw the angels appear in the tree tops singing. We finally reached Bethlehem and paid our taxes, then got a chance to browse the town, taste the local food, see the craftsmen, etc. before going to the inn and eventually the stable to see the new baby. The kids had a great time, and we all really enjoyed it. If anyone is in the area next December be sure to go!
Afterwards we rushed home to hot chocolate and cookies. What a fun evening.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
I never knew. . .
Monday was Colten's 5th birthday. I can't believe that he is that old. I had planned to write about him on that day, but life has been crazy this week. Then I remembered that I missed writing about Jaden on his birthday too as it was the day before we left for Washington. Hopefully one of these days I can catch up and write more about each of my wonderful boys.
I have the tradition of making the birthday cake of "their" choice for my kid's birthdays. It's just kind of my gift to them. The first couple of years I would go out and find the perfect wilton cake pan to create the cake, but then I got cheap and perhaps a little more creative and started recycling the pans into new cakes. 
Probably the cake pan that I originally thought had the least potential was a Bob the Builder pan that I got for Jaden's 3rd birthday-but I have now used it 3 times(as Bob, a mummy, and Luke Skywalker) and Joshua doesn't mind so much anymore that I purchased it years ago (although he really complained at the time). 
So I thought I'd share my cake creations from the Bob pan. Enjoy!
I have the tradition of making the birthday cake of "their" choice for my kid's birthdays. It's just kind of my gift to them. The first couple of years I would go out and find the perfect wilton cake pan to create the cake, but then I got cheap and perhaps a little more creative and started recycling the pans into new cakes. 
Probably the cake pan that I originally thought had the least potential was a Bob the Builder pan that I got for Jaden's 3rd birthday-but I have now used it 3 times(as Bob, a mummy, and Luke Skywalker) and Joshua doesn't mind so much anymore that I purchased it years ago (although he really complained at the time). 
So I thought I'd share my cake creations from the Bob pan. Enjoy!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
A Very Merry Griswold Christmas to you. . .
A few weeks back my husband laughingly said that he saw the movie "Christmas Vacation" as a sort of life goal. I laughed knowing that the light display we currently have is nothing compared to his dream of what our Christmas light display will someday be. To mention another Christmas movie-Joshua feels that being able to be seen from space at night is a worthy goal and does not know what is wrong with that. But I have tried to put some limits on it and have said he needs to start making energy before he can add more lights (does anyone know how to put in a wind generator thing-Joshua would love that!).
This weekend we took another step towards becoming the Griswolds. The past few years we have gone out to a local tree farm to cut out own Christmas tree. The kids always love it even though there is the inevitable fight over who's tree will be the actual one to be cut. This is the first year that we have done it in the snow though. So Sunday morning when I looked outside to see large mounds of snow and said I thought maybe we should delay the tree cutting, my dear husband said, "Why? The sun is shining!"
So we loaded up the two vehicles (took the truck to bring the tree back with and the van for the rest of us) and headed off. The kids were bursting with excitement, and hey we were bundled up so everything would be good. Once we got there and started to try to traipse through the snow is when I noticed our first issue. Ashtyn is only 2, and while incredibly tall for her age, was having a very difficult time making it through the 6 or so inches of fresh snow on the ground. So immediately I fell behind Joshua and the boys as I tried to drag/carry Ashtyn through the snow and keep her spirits up. We made it around the pond, over the stream and finally to the first field of trees where we caught up with the boys who were running from tree to tree trying to find the perfect one. But none were deemed appropriate so we hiked on to the next group, and the next group, and the next group. 
Here we thought that we might have the perfect tree. But wait! That group of trees over there looks like it might be even better. Joshua and Colten headed off to investigate as the rest of us tried to once again catch up. Jaden was growing tired of the search by this point and decided to make a snow angel in the fresh snow. Unfortunately he laid down to do this without his hood up, so he got snow all down his back and here his tears started. By the time I got Ashtyn put somewhere that she felt safe enough to not be crying as well, got the snow out from Jaden's jacket, I really could have cared less what tree we got. I think all of this was lost on 
Joshua and Colten though, they were having a hey day trying out trees. We finally picked the perfect tree, got it cut and I think this lifted everyone's spirits as we headed off back through the snow to get back to our vehicles. Sure I was trying to carry one end of a tree and Ashtyn at the same time, but we made it back with smiles once again on our faces.
The tree is up now, and as long as I don't forget to water it, it should still be beautiful at Christmas.
This weekend we took another step towards becoming the Griswolds. The past few years we have gone out to a local tree farm to cut out own Christmas tree. The kids always love it even though there is the inevitable fight over who's tree will be the actual one to be cut. This is the first year that we have done it in the snow though. So Sunday morning when I looked outside to see large mounds of snow and said I thought maybe we should delay the tree cutting, my dear husband said, "Why? The sun is shining!"
So we loaded up the two vehicles (took the truck to bring the tree back with and the van for the rest of us) and headed off. The kids were bursting with excitement, and hey we were bundled up so everything would be good. Once we got there and started to try to traipse through the snow is when I noticed our first issue. Ashtyn is only 2, and while incredibly tall for her age, was having a very difficult time making it through the 6 or so inches of fresh snow on the ground. So immediately I fell behind Joshua and the boys as I tried to drag/carry Ashtyn through the snow and keep her spirits up. We made it around the pond, over the stream and finally to the first field of trees where we caught up with the boys who were running from tree to tree trying to find the perfect one. But none were deemed appropriate so we hiked on to the next group, and the next group, and the next group. 
Here we thought that we might have the perfect tree. But wait! That group of trees over there looks like it might be even better. Joshua and Colten headed off to investigate as the rest of us tried to once again catch up. Jaden was growing tired of the search by this point and decided to make a snow angel in the fresh snow. Unfortunately he laid down to do this without his hood up, so he got snow all down his back and here his tears started. By the time I got Ashtyn put somewhere that she felt safe enough to not be crying as well, got the snow out from Jaden's jacket, I really could have cared less what tree we got. I think all of this was lost on 
Joshua and Colten though, they were having a hey day trying out trees. We finally picked the perfect tree, got it cut and I think this lifted everyone's spirits as we headed off back through the snow to get back to our vehicles. Sure I was trying to carry one end of a tree and Ashtyn at the same time, but we made it back with smiles once again on our faces.The tree is up now, and as long as I don't forget to water it, it should still be beautiful at Christmas.
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