Merry Christmas!!

I am not at all a scrooge this year, so I can't explain why I didn't want to do a Christmas letter!  I just didn't. Normally by Thanksgiving I'm already printing out my envelopes, working on my letter and deciding on the perfect picture to print.  Not this year.  Maybe I wanted to save money, maybe there are things I wish I could have included in our Christmas letter that I couldn't or maybe I am a scrooge???  I don't know.  But now I am sitting down and writing a Christmas letter and I don't even have to use any ink to share it! 

This year was ANOTHER year of change for our little family.  We got the opportunity to move home and we jumped on it.  We weren't miserable in Texas, it just wasn't home, and we didn't feel like it would ever become home.  Quite honestly, we are not warm climate people.  We like the winter!  We know we are crazy.  We are settled back in quite nicely now and enjoying being home.

Caleb started Kindergarten this year and is loving it.  It's exciting to have him come home and be reading things to us and showing us all the things he is learning.  He is a little social butterfly too.  For his 6th (!!!!) birthday I brought in cupcakes for his class and as we walked through the hall no less than 10 kids that are not in his class said hi and knew who he was.  It was all kids he'd met on the bus, at lunch & recess.  So it came as no surprise at conferences & on his report card that he's a little too chatty in class.

I am thuroughly enjoying my time with Erika while Caleb is in school.  All too soon she will be in school too, so this time that I have with her is very special!  She is my little girly girl and I love it!  We paint our nails, go shopping and play beauty shop the most!  She's a smart little 3 1/2 year old and loves to learn new things!

David and I celebrated our 7th anniversary in June!  We joined a life group through our church recently, and we finally feel like we are connected.  It's nice to have more friends!  We look forward with anticipation to what this next year holds.  Like most years I'm sure there will be change.  There always is.  And I'm starting to get used to it.

As we strive to teach our kids the true meaning of Christmas, our prayer is that you would know & celebrate the true meaning of Christmas as well.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Love,
David, Sarah, Caleb & Erika
 

5 Question FRIDAY!!!!

It's FRIDAY!  The kids are going to Grandma's.  Hubby is getting home early.  We are going out to eat ALONE.  To a place that has steakhouse in its name and not Donalds in its name! And then we are heading to MckMama's for a fabulous Christmas party.  Oh yeah AND it's payday.  I don't think today could get any better!!!!



1. Which boygroup did you like most in your teens?
NKOTB all the way!!!!


2. Do you do Christmas cards, letters, photos, nuthin', all of the above?
Normally a photocard with a letter.  This year?  Well consider yourself blessed if you get anything! (especially if you get it BEFORE Christmas!)

3. If you could meet one celebrity who would it be and why?
Hmmmm, not sure.  I'd be happy to meet any celebrity really, just because how cool would that be??

4. Favorite thing to cook with (i.e. stainless, non-stick, Dutch oven, microwave, debit card...or, perhaps, a cauldron, etc.)?
Waffle iron!  We love waffles.  In fact we love them so much that our 7 1/2 year old waffle maker must get replaced this year if we'd like to continue eating decent waffles!

5. What is the one thing you wear the most, besides your unmentionables?
Jeans!  I love jeans.  I love that someday I WILL have cute jeans and a cute pair of legs to put in those jeans too.  For now...I'll love the jeans I have!

Our Visit with Santa

The line was short.

The kids were excited.

Santa was not jolly.

The kids didn't notice.

They BOTH smiled.

I'm happy.

They're happy.

The End.

All over

Yesterday in the car Caleb said to me

"Mom, I love Jesus all over my heart"

I felt all warm and fuzzy all over my heart.

Five Question Friday!!

1. Does Santa wrap the presents he leaves at your house?
Yes.  Although our kids have yet to ask which ones are from Santa & which are from us.  And the funny thing is, we never use different wrapping paper.

2. When is your "big" Christmas celebration...Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Tell us about it...
For just our little family?  It's Christmas day.  Christmas Eve is spent with my mom's side of the family, Christmas Day is spent with just us in the morning and then in the afternoon David's family. Day after Christmas is with my dad's side of the family.  Our goal this year was to only have one event per day, simply b/c it gets to be too much otherwise and it has all worked out perfect!

3. Are you big on keeping tradition every year?
Yes!  Our kids always get jammies & a stuffed animal to open from us on Christmas Eve.  We always drive around to see Christmas lights!  And last year we did our first gingerbread house!  We had so much fun, the kids can't wait to do this years!

4. Do colored lights or white lights tickle your fancy?
White mostly.  Our pre-lit tree has white lights and then we add lights that have red & green on one bulb.  I don't think we even own any of the regular colored lights!

5. Do you decorate outside your house for Christmas?
We did when we had a house.  For the time being we are in an apartment, but we saved all our outside stuff and can't wait to use it again!!! 

Wordless Wednesday

Chocolate covered cherry cordials....homemade!!!!

Call me crazy, but I decided to make homemade chocolate covered cherry cordials this year!  I am always up for trying something new around Christmas time!  (well anytime, really!)

The past couple of years I have made homemade candy!  I may still make more this year too, haven't decided yet. 

Back to the cherries though.  They actually weren't all that hard. 
A little time consuming? Yes. Difficult? No.

First I soaked them in Amaretto & Cherry juice overnight.  They smelled DELICIOUS!!!!

Next they sat on a cookie sheet for a couple hours draining all the juices out.

Next I covered them in this dough/fondant type stuff. 

Then came the fun of dipping them all in chocolate!

 The final step is the one I am on.  And let me tell you it is the most difficult step yet!!!

Once the chocolate has set, place cherries in an airtight container and don't touch them for at least a WEEK!!!  They need time for the center to liquify.  It's hard let me tell you. 

It would have been much easier (& cheaper) to just go buy 60 chocolate covered cherry cordials....but where is the fun in that????

Five Question Friday....I mean Saturday!

Saturday already?  And it's almost Sunday!  Why does December seem to go so quickly???



1. Favorite gift you are GIVING this year?
Oh goodness.  Probably the one I am most excited about is for someone who reads my blog, so I can't say!  :) And really it's not all that exciting of a gift, but I know she wants it and I got it so that makes me excited!  For my kids though...nintendo ds for Caleb (with a Lionel game too!!!  the kid is going to go CRAZY!) For Erika....a babydoll that comes with a baby sling!  She'll love it!  I'm always using scarves or little blankets to tie her babies to her, so this is a perfect gift!

2. How many parties are you attending between now and Christmas?
I just wrote them all down on the calendar tonight and couldn't believe how many we have!  Not including family parties, we have 4!  Add in all the family get togethers and we have 8!  Yikes!  Thankfully they are all spread out!

3. What is your favorite Christmas song?
ANY Christmas song is my favorite Christmas song!  Haha.  I can't just pick one, there are WAY too many!  I think I need an iPod just for Christmas music!

4. Who was your favorite elementary school teacher and why?
My 5th grade teacher, Mr. Roots.  I remember him reading books in class and he was so great at helping us feel connected with the book and helped us "get it".  Also....everyone in his class was important.  There were no favorites, no teachers pet.  If you were in his class you were important. 

5. If you had a choice to live in any other period of time (other than now) what era would you choose and why?
Hmmmm.....well I always wished I lived during the Anne of Green Gables time period.  It would be nice to have such a simple life and not feel like you were missing out on anything because there really was nothing to be missing!

I don't want to forget....

I really need to "write" this down, because I do not want to forget how stinkin cute Erika is!!! 

Today I was brushing her hair and she said to me "Mommy, when my hair is long like Ariel's can you take me to the ocean so I can show her my hair?"

Yes baby, someday I will take you to the ocean so you can show Ariel your long hair.  Too Cute!!!!!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Does it get anymore precious than this???

AND they were singing Happy Birthday to him when I took this!

Not myself.

After writing my very emotional previous post, I just haven't had it in me to blog this past week! Dylan's birthday was harder for me than I ever expected it to be. I always get a little weepy around Thanksgiving simply b/c I am missing Dylan, but this year was worse. I was just not myself! I think it's b/c he's five now. Five is a big deal. I remember last year when Caleb turned five, I cried. I don't know why, but my babies turning five hits me hard! I will be back though. I am coming around.
"See" you soon!

Broken Hallelujah

Most people only dream of angels. We've held one.

Today Dylan is five. Five in heaven.
Not here with us like we had hoped and prayed he would be.
He is safe in the arms of Jesus

and there is no better place for him to be.
That doesn't make it any easier though.
Ultimately, our children are a gift from God.

It's just that giving one back so soon is painful & heartbreaking.

I am typing this entire post with blurry eyes

& tears streaming down my face.
I miss Dylan. This mommy's heart is still broken, missing him.
A piece of our family will forever be missing.
We will forever grieve the absense of Dylan in our family.
I think we will forever wonder what he would be like,

The role he would play in our family.
And I think that's normal.
The days of feeling like your heart has been ripped out

and you are at the depths of despair have passed long ago.
But we still miss Dylan.
He's a part of our family.
That is something we have always said was very important to us.
He may not be physically here for people to see,

but he is most definitely a part of our family.
The only time we saw Dylan alive was when we had our 20 week ultrasound.

I will forever cherish those pictures.

He was perfect. The placenta was perfect.

How things can change in just 10 short weeks.
Even though we didn't get to know Dylan, he knew us.

Oh, how comforting that is.
He knew my voice and probably his daddy's voice too.
And his foot knew my ribs all to well. :)
While there are so many unknowns,

why's and what could have been's,

there is one thing we are certain of.
We WILL see Dylan again.

We serve a God of hope.



(portrait was done by Portraits by Dana)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I came across a song by Mandisa recently, and I just love it.

It's one of those songs that I feel like I could have written.

The emotions portrayed by the words are just amazing to me.

Reading the words and thinking back to shortly after we had Dylan,

it describes exactly how we felt.
We knew we served a faithful God (and still do).

We never stopped praising Him,

even when we were hurting so deeply.


With my love and my sadness
I come before You Lord
My heart’s in a thousand pieces
Maybe even more

Yet I trust in this moment
You’re with me somehow
And You’ve always been faithful
So Lord even now

When all that I can sing
Is a broken hallelujah
When my only offering
Is shattered praise
Still a song of adoration
Will rise up from these ruins
I will worship You and give You thanks
Even when my only praise
Is a broken hallelujah

Oh Father, You have given
Much more than I deserve
And I have felt
Your hand of blessing

On me at every turn
How could I doubt Your goodness
Your wisdom, Your grace
So Lord hear my heart
In this painful place

Chorus

Hallelujah
I lift my voice
Your Spirit moves
I raise my hands
I reach for You

Chorus

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Although poorly edited & blurry, this is my favorite picture of Dylan.

I love his little lips and nose. He looks just like Caleb.
Happy 5th Heavenly Birthday Dylan!

Sweet baby boy, you will forever be missed.

We press on with the hope of one day getting to heaven and seeing you again.

We love you and miss you more than words can ever express!

Love you,

Mommy & Daddy

Five Question Friday!

1. Are you a Black Friday shopper?
TOTALLY!!!! Can't wait for next Friday! Me, my sister in law, her twin and now my sister, go! It's so much fun! We scout out the ads and make our lists! Always bring your ads with you b/c some stores will match prices! (Walmart for sure does....and usually they aren't sold out of the stuff that TRU or Tarjay has for cheap!) The best defense when you go....a smile & a good attitude! Seriously....people look at you like you are crazy and some even ask "how can you be in such a good mood this early in the morning?"

2. What was your favorite childhood toy?
That's a tie between my Barbies and my Cabbage Patch Kids. I had so much of both! I even saved a few of my CPK's and have handed them down to Erika.

3. Favorite Christmas movie?
Seriously...do I have to pick just one? Probably my all time favorite is Prancer. But I really love any Christmas movie....especially if it's a Disney or ABC Family one. I'm a sucker for a good cheesy Christmas movie!

4. What is the "must have" item on your Christmas list this year?
I'll be happy with anything really. I'd really LOVE to get out of the 1990's and get an iPod.

5. Do you go all out with decorations or do you keep it simple and classy?
We go all out baby!!! In fact come January when we put everything away our place will look completely bare & boring!!

The MckFamily

I was recently blessed to be given the opportunity to help out a very special family. MckMama & Stellan were in Boston for Stellan's surgery on his heart to rid him of SVT and the surgery was a complete success! Praise God! I am still in awe of the awesome God we serve and how the surgery turned out!!
Last Friday was their day to come home so Jolene, Alyssa & I headed to MckMama's house so she could come home to a spotless house and enjoy her whole family. Amanda made an amazing cake, Jolene & I made a couple signs (which I didn't take any pictures of!) and Alyssa brought a couple signs, balloons & flowers. It was fun!


All the kids played so well together! The MckKids are a fun bunch! Nuggey was most definitely fond of Allie & Erika, which was really cute! Caleb was pretty fond of Big Mac & the train room ("Mom, I can't believe they have a WHOLE room just for trains!). It was so much fun! Thanks MckFamily for allowing us the opportunity to bless you!

ABC's of ME!

A - Age: 29

B - Bed size: King

C - Chore you hate: Mopping/scrubbing floors. Can't stand doing it and I avoid it whenever I can! Thankfully I have a hubby who is more than willing to do it for me!

D - Dog's name: Shalley & Lady. Neither dog was mine and neither is alive still, but those were two of my favorite dogs of all time.

E - Essential start your day item: Alarm clock. I'd never get out of bed without it! (and then I need coffee!)

F - Favorite color: I love pink.

G - Gold or Silver: Gold or both of them together.

H - Height: Short! 5'2"

I - Instrument you play: I used to play the clarinet, and I probably could pick it right back up. I'd really love to learn how to play the piano and even guitar interests me. That should be my new hobby!

J - Job title: Mommy & apartment caretaker

K - Kid(s): Caleb, Dylan, Erika & hopefully more!

L - Living arrangements: An apartment with my hubby & kids! Couldn't ask for anything more.

M - Mom's name: Mary, Frieda (mom in law), Deb (step mom) and Sally (like a mom). All are important in my life so they deserve to be mentioned.

N - Nicknames: Mom. Exciting right? Well actually Erika calls me m0m-m0m. It's super cute the way she says it.

O - Overnight hospital: I don't know if I was ever in the hospital overnight when I was little. Otherwise only when I've delivered my babies.

P - Pet peeve(s): I have many. One that sticks out is when old people clip their fingernails in church, on the bus, in a store, etc. (sorry to older people, I've just never seen a young person do this) It's GROSS! Take care of grooming yourself at home!!!!!

Q - Quote from a movie: Unlike some people, I do not remember quotes from movies.

R- Right or left handed: Proud lefty!

S - Siblings: Are you ready? It's a long list! On my mom's side I have a brother & sister. (technically they are a half brother & sister, but I would never say "hi, I'd like you to meet my half sister" she's my sister!) On my dad's side I also have a brother & sister. (again half, but still my brother & sister none the less) Plus I have two step brothers & a step sister. And then there's all the spouses. Plus all the sister in laws & brother in laws on David's side!

T - Time you wake: Monday-Friday I am up at 4:40 and off to the gym! Saturday & Sunday it's whenever the kids wake me up, usually by 7:30.

U - Underwear: An essential part of my wardrobe!

V - Vegetable you dislike: The list would be shorter if I could list ones I like! But beans are high on the list. Any kind of beans, not a fan!!

W - Workout style: Treadmill, elyptical or bike M-F and also weights on M, W, F.

X-rays you've had: Other than teeth, I can't remember if I've had any

Y - Yesterday's best moments: Cleaning my sisters room while she was at school and watching her walk in and be completely shocked!

Z- Zoo favorite: San Diego! Got to see a baby panda and it's mama last time we were there. It was awesome!

How do they come up with these things???

Today we were driving home and Erika and I had a couple of interesting conversations.

Erika: Mom, what stinks in here?

Me: I'm not sure, what does it smell like to you?

Erika: I think its the clouds that stink.

Me: Oh really? I didn't know you could smell clouds.

Erika: Oh never mind, it's my water. It smells good.

HUH??? She was totally serious too! :)

A few minutes later I hear what sounds like Erika trying to blow her nose so I ask what she's doing.

Erika: I can make my nose whistle, listen.

Me: Hmmm, that's interesting.

Erika: Mama, please don't take the boogies out of my nose. I want it to whistle for a long time.

Oh the things she comes up with! She makes me laugh. :)

Caleb's 6th Birthday!

I'm VERY late in posting pictures from Caleb's birthday! However since I was SO late I decided to just be 7 weeks late. Huh? You see six years and 7 weeks ago, I was pregnant with a little boy who was not due to arrive until November 7th. Little did we know that on November 7th he would be 7 weeks old!! We are very blessed to have Caleb in our lives! He made me a mommy and I couldn't be happier!

Caleb's birthday was on a Saturday so we made it into a whole weekend of celebrating! Caleb came home from school with a crown! He was SO proud to have gotten to wear that all day! Everyone knew it was his birthday!

Here are the cupcakes he brought to school! Doesn't look like cupcakes, but underneath it is! How cool!!

After school we had a few friends over for pizza and cupcakes! Thanks for celebrating with us Charlie, Allie & Jonathan!
This picture is posted here purely for payback. ;)

On Caleb's actual birthday we spent the day at the Mall of America! It was a blast! We signed up to get a coupon for a free wristband that day! (visit their website to find out how!)

Of course one of the rides he went on was the train ride! His day wouldn't be complete without a train involved in one way or another! This day was also the day he went on his very first "adult" roller coaster with Daddy!!!

While we were waiting for Daddy to get lunch we had to take a picture with all the cool lego stuff behind Caleb!

We also went to the Underwater Adventures. Caleb got in free there too! :)

Our little treasure!

Touching a starfish! How cool!!



Here's Caleb's cake from the day we celebrated with family! He wanted a racecar cake and this is what I did! I thought it turned out pretty cute! Caleb was happy and it was edible....guess I can't ask for much more!

We love you Caleb!!!!

5 Question Friday!

Here we go! It's been a weird day for me and my hubby isn't home so I might as well take some time to blog!

1. What is your dream job? To own a resort in a cute little beach town! That will probably never happen, but hopefully someday I will become a NICU nurse.

2. What song could you play over and over? Can't think of just one! Lately the one I've been listening to a lot is Broken Hallelujah by Mandisa.

3. Do you prefer to talk on the phone or text (or email)? Depends on the person really. Some people I can talk to forever and others I'd rather text or email. It's weird I know.

4. What is your must have beauty product? Almay oil free eye makeup remover pads. LOVE them!

5. What is your favorite Michael Jackson song? Not really an MJ fan so I don't have a favorite.

Pink Chalk....gone bad!

These are from August, but I had forgotten to post them!

I love it when...

I just absolutely love it when we can make a dream come true for one of our kids! (or for anyone really)
Caleb has been obsessed with trains for quite some time now. One of his favorite movies to watch is the I Love Toy Trains series. If you have a train lover and have never heard of this series you should really check it out. Well there is an I Love Toy Trains STORE in Michigan! A few weeks ago we took a long weekend trip to Michigan to see David's family. We really had no intention of stopping at this store. We had forgotten about it. Then we saw the sign for the store and decided we should stop. Caleb didn't see the sign so he had NO IDEA where we were going! It was actually really fun for us! His eyes were big as saucers when he saw the store. (although you can't tell in the pic because they are closed and I didn't realize it till it was too late!) He couldn't believe we were actually there.
It was a really neat store. Caleb kept pointing out things that they show in the movie. It was fun! He picked out a little train to buy and that is currently his most prized possession. He's been saving his money to buy a Lionel Train for a while, but we didn't get one this time for two reasons. 1. He doesn't quite have enough saved up yet (and I'm hoping we can find one at a garage sale or on craigsl!st for cheaper!) and 2. We just plain don't have room for anymore trains right now! It'll be perfect when we have a house again with a basement!
That day was a dream come true for Caleb! And ultimately it was a dream come true for David & I to be able to take him to this store!