the unexpected

As we get ready for the big celebration day I can't help but remember that the people of Israel were waiting for a King - the Messiah - a Savior - one that would rush in and save the day. And He came. God kept His promise. He sent a Rescuer. And He was not what they expected. Which simply reminds me to take hold of that unexpected excitement & enthusiasm that I see in my children & place it everyday in my walk with the Lord. To remember that when I learned the truth of who Jesus is - He was not the condemning, mocking God that I had expected him to be. He is not to be figured out. He was expected, though unexpected. He was a baby. He was poor. He was a servant. And He is the King. I pray you will hold dearly to the celebration of this Christmas. Merry Merry Christmas!

"Ooh!" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.""That you will, dearie, and make no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver, "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly.""Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.

"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver. "Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about being safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

MERRY Christmas!

my baby

Lots going on & am too sleepy to write anything, but these pictures made me smile. She's getting too big too fast.

a great gift

At the beginning of this year I sat with my daughter's teacher to tell her some useful information about her personality & to learn some specifics of what they would be learning. One thing she told us was about the particular Bible they would be studying. The Jesus Storybook Bible - where every story whispers His name. I wanted to know a little more. So she got up & got it & just said something to the effect of "it shows all through the Old Testament the picture of Jesus" and went on to say, "just like with the story of Jonah - so many people use that story to show God punishing Jonah for disobeying (eh-hem, guilty) and it was actually God rescuing Jonah." Well, there was a perspective shift for me.....I ordered it immediately. I realized in that moment that I have read so much of the Bible with ME as the main character. Learning about what God has to say about ME ME ME ME ME! And it was all about Him. Every story was a whisper pointing us to Jesus. I was amazed.

Even with the story of Abraham & Isaac..it concludes with...."...many years later another Son would climb another hill, carrying wood on his back. Like Isaac, he would trust his Father to do what his Father asked." I felt like scales had dropped from my eyes once more. How I have gotten so hung up on the scary-ness of that story for...well, for as long as I've known it.....because i feared God would ask me to do something that unthinkable.

I see God's mercy differently now.

I see, once again, that I have been shown so much that I don't know.....that there must be so much more that I don't know.

So, if you need an AMAZING Christmas present for your child....that will end up being an amazing Christmas gift for your whole family...this is it.

not the Christmas card

I actually almost put together a collage of these pictures plus others to truly be our Christmas card because it really is the picture of Christmas. Not because we've got it all together did God come to save us but even at our very worst He still calls each of us to Himself. Someone said once something to the effect of God never said "don't sin and then I'll love you" - He always knew we would never get that part right. He never asks us to be perfect on our own. But rather He loves us like the good Father He is - always helping to put us on the best path. Loving us through our stuff - begging us to just lean on Him so that His grace will fill us up - that grace that we simply don't deserve. When that part fills up my heart I am free to give it away - to love others out of that knowing that I am so fallen short & will never get it right. Knowing that I can love others that also will never get it right. It's when we think we actually can get it right that we miss the true grace that came with Christmas.

he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy...Titus 3:5

So......here we are. Me with my bra peeking out, my baby checking out something intriguing & my boy.....pitching a fit.

who knows....

Big sister with the baby in a choker hold. This one is my favorite. That angelic look on her face & the baby screaming. Like a messed up Norman Rockwell image.

So here's to getting that heavy burden of trying to be perfect off your back so that you can actually be free to love others. Jesus took that one on for us.

Merry Christmas!

Poor Old McDonald

my precious boy singing tonight...
"Old McFarmer had a cow. E-My-E-My-O. With an oink oink here & an oink oink there...."

it really is the most wonderful time of the year....

And this ranks up there with my top 5 favorite things about Christmas....does that make me a nerd? Maybe. But I take this over the Santa visit anyday.
This gets me thinking - what are my top 5 things about Christmas....
1. Of course, the truly actively remembering that we could never ever get it right on our own & that God sent a rescuer in His Son.
2. Christmas music
3. Food, hot chocolate, gingerbread lattes, sugar cookies, brownies, peppermint ice cream,....
4. Christmas shopping
5. Elf Yourself
Such a fun time of year!!!!! Enjoy the magnificent dance moves of the Mitchell fam. I can't get over Lee's moves.....stellar stuff.
and now, for whatever reason I cannot get this thing embedded on my blog...it was there...now, not so much. so let's try this.... CLICK HERE

SHE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow! It was a big day for us. If you've read this blog for anytime now - and chances are real good that all former readers have simply abandoned any hope that I would ever update again....and I'll admit that I wondered myself from time to time...it's been a little wild around here & I won't bore you with the details.....and I'll move on.
OK, where was I? Oh - right. If you've followed our little family for anytime then you will remember Santa visit here & Santa visit here. That big girl of mine has been talking about seeing Santa since around July. She does a great job of talking herself into things but you never really know how it'll pan out until the rubber meets the road, or in this case when my almost 5 year old actually catches a glimpse of the man in the big red suit.
She was a champ!!! I wore a shirt with Santa on it to help get things going & they told him that :) - they said, "YOU are on my mom's shirt!"

I was so proud. My boy has never had a problem & the baby was fine last year when she wasn't old enough to know that the whole thing is just a little weird. All of that was quite clear to her this year & she screamed her apparent displeasure for all to hear.....and for all to ignore. Poor thing. She recovered nicely & I hope to have those pictures back soon to post....but for now, this is all I got.

Look at that baby...she still looks a little undone, doesn't she? Well, it's not Christmas without a little terrifying trip to see Santa Claus - then man who is supposed to make all of your Christmas wishes come true......

have you seen them???

Be on the lookout!

THIS SATURDAY!!!!

Do come by the Market this saturday - it's another great group of talented people! And in my opinion, it's the best way to shop! Remember the playground is just next door so it's a perfect outing with the whole family!

click on the postcard for more info...

look at her go!

that face

how i love that face & that sweet boy behind that face! A sweet thing he said to us last night in the car was, "We are driving faster than the moon!"

pinkalicious

She wanted to be Laura Ingalls - you know, from Little House on the Prarie & I thought it was a PERFECT idea.....then i found out that it's expensive to be Laura Ingalls.......but I got into it. I was online & I thought I had it all figured out & it was going to cost like $85 & I hadn't even gone searching for those lace up boots yet! Well, while I was zeroed in on the internet trying to find all of the pieces to make this costume perfect....she had gone upstairs and found a pink dress up dress, paired it with a polka dot skirt & some pink shoes, found a wand & said "I just wanna be this"
And "this" was free.
Free won.

She called it "pink-a-purplicious" up unti the day of halloween, when she said she was simply "pinkalicious"
And I think she looks adorable.......she had a blast & I think it was more fun for her to have come up with it all on her own.
Halloween is over but the candy is still lingering around here & I'm considering just leaving town next year for halloween.....I guess that wouldn't make much sense.....people celebrate halloween other places, don't they?
Well, I can't do this again...the no sleeping, temper tantrum throwing, not to mention all the weight I've gained in the process of trying to minimize the amount of sugar going into their little bodies.
I looked in the backseat yesterday & my boy was sucking a milky way with the wrapper still on. he couldn't figure out how to open it so instead of asking for help or simply waiting until we got home, he just thought he would suck it out of there. Disgusting.
REAL glad it's over.
Let's get ready for THANKSGIVING!

Doesn't it look like she has on makeup!!? Well, she doesn't.....but doesn't it look like she does?!

happy halloween!

Trader Joe's Part 2

OK, my very favorite thing to buy at Trader Joe's is a simple thing....but I'm hooked. It's their organic reduced sugar strawberry preserves.....it's AWESOME. There are rivals out there at your local grocery store, but this one is a bargain.

So add that to your list next time you're heading to TJs, or if you are my cousin Nancy and are interested in any of these things, make sure my dad brings it home with him next time he visits OR you can add it to your shopping agenda when YOU come to see me. I can't wait, by the way!!

soccer

We're at soccer practice this afternoon and after some dribbling practice & goal shooting practice, the girls ran all the way to the other side of the field to kick balls against the wall. My girl comes running back & says "I don't have a ball"... so, we point her way across the other direction of the field to a cart with several soccer balls in there & I believe there were one or two on the ground nearby. And we noticed a man that we thought we knew standing near the cart....we thought he could surely help her. Well, he doesn't know her & she doesn't know him & there was no eye contact so the moms are watching from afar with other, smaller, non-soccer playing siblings and we're all wondering how this will turn out. First of all, she doesn't notce the ball on the ground. She only spots the many balls in the cart. She realizes that she can't easily get to the balls all by herself so she glances at this man, who just doesn't see her...she had gotten into some trouble at home for interrupting me countless times while on a phone call just this afternoon, so I knew she wouldn't dare try to get his attention. She starts her climb into the ball cart. I realize she might need a hand, though I really am curious to see if she can work this out on her own. I start over that way, snap a picture real quick, and lo and behold, she gets that ball out of there all on her own. I'm so glad I took this picture.


Proud momma of a problem solver.

trader joe's take 1

OK, I love Trader Joe's. I cannot think of one thing that I do not love about Trader Joe's. And I've considered posting something like this for a while, because I think TJ recommendations are delightful! There are so many things that catch my eye & I cannot buy them all, so it's nice to rely on the experience of others.....so, on that note, I would like to feature my latest favorite item from TJs.

I bought these Arancini Bites yesterday on a complete starvation shopping experience. I popped a couple of these babies in the oven while the kids were napping just to see how they were ... & my goodness gracious. They were awesome.

"Fontina-filled rice ball – ah, Arancini [ahron-chee-nee]. Yum. Trader Joe’s Arancini are crafted from the finest, natural ingredients and then frozen for your convenience. Ready to enjoy after a mere 10 minutes in the oven, they’re great with a side of marinara for dipping or drizzling. They make a delicious snack, a hearty appetizer or pair them with a green salad and you have a memorable meal"

Not the cheapest things, but still very yummy.

I have a LOT of favorites....so stay tuned.

bulldogs

I will never be one to claim that I know so much about the details of how to play football, but my 41/2 years at Mississippi State sure did burn a love for the game (actually it's mostly only when State is playing but nonetheless) into my heart. And Saturday was a fun game to watch. There was lots of chatter surrounding the upcoming game, not because State was supposed to give the Gators a real run for their money - i think FL was favored by like 22 points or something. No, it was because our coach is the former offensive coach for Florida & good friends with Tim Tebow.
And we didn't pull out a win (though a bad call by the officiating crew may have changed this game dramatically), but we sure gave them our best & I couldn't be more proud ... and it was this play that sent me into that weird laughter that comes when something so unbelieveably awesome happens you think you might actually cry.....not you? Well, I'm emotional.....I cried. Check it out if you didn't get to see it for yourselves.

just me & my boy

Big sister wanted to try her hand at the camera & i would say she did a pretty good job. They both wanted a turn & this is her shot....

and this was his shot.....

a boy & a frog part 2 or 3?

Well, if you've kept up with our incredibly exciting lives here, you would know that my boy has a true affection for the frogs. We ventured out to the gardens today to meet some friends & check out the scarecrow exhibit, which is so fun as a side note. And this was my boys reaction to seeing his pal waiting on that same bench for his return. I pray they never move him.

how sweet is that???

spunky girl

We spent this past weekend at the beach with some friends. Lee's best friends from high school actually. I don't think i have ever been around all 4 of them at the same time & i must say it's not difficult to imagine being in middle school with them. Friendships like that are fun. We had a blast as you can probably tell from the little jig she appears to be dancing on the beach.
It has been interesting to watch their personalities develop (my children, that is). And there are parts of who they are that I see more clearly simply because of the presence of the other 2. Each brings to light something from the others that I may not have gotten to see without the others. I have heard that said about married couples......there's another part of your spouse that you "meet" & get to know when children are brought into the fold. I would say that's very true. I know & love Lee differently & deeper because of the parts of who he is coming out with the birth of & growing up of each child. And each child reflects back something unique. We each have a relationship with each child that is unique. Anyway, that big girl....she's spunky. And she's quick. Her thinking amazes me & scares me. She easily can be several steps ahead of me. She deeply desires to please....that makes me nervous. I don't ever want her growing up believing that our love, or more importantly, that the love of God is conditional....and it's so hard to communicate that when there are certainly consequences for things like knocking her brother to the ground. She apparently doesn't have the desire to "please" her brother :).
There's one thing for sure - I am being refined in this process of motherhood. Patience, understanding......everyday those are my biggest prayers. And am able to remind myself as I remind my kids daily- we have a God who longs for us to call for help. We will never ever get it right......so thank goodness for Jesus.

cute, right?

favorite part of the picture.....that ear caught under her hat. my little elfin child.