Holy Friday

I really thought yesterday's post would be my last for the week. With the boys being out of school today I didn't anticipate I would have time to even sit down much less blog. However, they decided they wanted to play school. Yes, boys play school too. I, however, am not allowed to play school with them. Apparently I'm too much like a real teacher. A killjoy. If they want to write on Sissy's dry-erase board that 2+2=5 or that "kej" is a real word (in Bueller's defense, it IS a nonsense word) they can. Plus, as Grant said, "You know why we like to play school, momma? Because we always get along when we play school."

Cue the Hallelujah chorus.

So I just enjoyed a full cup of coffee while I read my daily devotional.

Repeat chorus.

Pinch me.

Plus I may have said something about dyeing Easter eggs after lunch so long as I didn't have to play referee before then. ;)

I'm always a mix of emotions Easter week. I've had the hymn He Lives stuck in my head all week with the verse that says "the hope of all who seek Him, the help of all who find..." really speaking to me.

I've never really understood why Good Friday is called "good." It's the day of Jesus' crucifixion. I personally think Holy Friday would be a better term. I read ahead a day in my devotional (Journey) this morning since I had time. It spoke of Jesus' prayer at the crucifixion saying,

Prior to being nailed to the cross, Jesus was brutally flogged so He was already physically compromised due to the loss of blood and dehydration. Isaiah 52:14 says, "His appearance was so disfigured that He did not look like a man, and His form did not resemble a human being."

After the nails were driven into His wrists and feet, the weight of His body hanging on the cross caused severe muscle spasms. His outstretched arms made it impossible for Jesus to breathe. As he was suffocating Jesus used His limited breath to pray, "Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). Jesus, the perfect, sinless Lamb of God paid our debt of sin on the cross. His last words were of forgiveness - for your sins and my sins, past, present and future.

I hope that hit you like it did me. He suffered. For you and me. He died. For you and me. I'm thankful, grateful, humbled.

I wish I kept the mindset all of my days that I have in the days leading up to Easter. I should be ashamed that I don't.

Christ's death, as awful and horrible and cruel as it was, led to His resurrection on Easter Sunday which brought new life to those who believe. When you think about it that way, "good" is quite fitting to say the least.

My children know and understand why we celebrate Easter. However, I think the boys are a bit too young to hear the gory details of the crucifixion. It's hard for me to hear. So to retell the Easter story, tomorrow evening we will be making Easter Story Cookies (I found this link through Google- you can find many recipes for these if you search; however, this one also contains the scripture that goes along with making these. I printed it all out so I can have everything handy when we're making them). We have done them the past couple of years, and I hope we continue making it a tradition. If you've never made them I encourage you to this year - whether or not you have children. It's one thing to hear the story. It's another to be able to, in a sense, show the story.

I do have a few pictures from Mac's Easter Egg Hunt at school yesterday:

Patiently waiting for Ready.Set.Go

I don't know why but pictures like this crack me up

Mr. Competitive - hunting eggs is serious business :)

With his lady friends :)

Decisions, decisions. They could choose one piece of candy to eat at school

Reid helped me hide the eggs for Mac's class. On the way back to let everyone know we were ready he saw Grant headed to lunch. He tagged along with Grant to lunch then Ms. T was so sweet to let him spend the rest of the afternoon with them. Reid loves Ms. T's centers. Grant loves having Reid in his classroom. It gives me one-on-one time with Mac. It's a win all the way around.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Valentine's Day 2012

The day without glaze.

Oh Krispy Kreme, you let me down. I never thought I would utter such profanity.

How can you present your beautiful, special Valentine's heart-shaped donuts with icing and sprinkles (both of which I personally could do without - it's all in the shape - a heart donut - with no hole - which equals one extra bite of deliciousness so who needs icing and sprinkles). But I went with the sprinkles because they're pretty and festive. And well because these weren't really technically for me anyway.

I waited with eager anticipation for Valentine's Day to arrive so I could pick these lovelies up. I headed toward the light just after 8 a.m. Tuesday morning. I had five dozen (no we didn't need the full five dozen - I planned ahead for extras... duh!) in my car before 9. I had to smell the heavenly aroma all morning until it was time for Mac's party around 1. Torture. My mouth watered as I placed a donut on each child's plate. It was hard to refrain from popping a kid or two on the back of the head when they said, "No thank you. I don't want a donut."

How could you not want a donut? That's just not normal.

I decided I would have one during Mac's party and of course would have another during Grant's party which immediately followed. I didn't want to be rude. 

The moment had finally come. Everyone in Mac's class had a plate full of goodies and were pumping themselves full of sugar. It was my turn. Time to indulge. Mmmmmm. I couldn't wait. Look at these things.

Well looks are deceiving.

I took one bite and... NO GLAZE. What the??? NO glaze? I don't care if you put icing on them, dip them in chocolate, roll them in sprinkles then rinse and repeat. You gotta glaze them first. What's a donut without glaze? I'll tell you what it is, it's a big fat letdown is what it is. Which, in the grand scheme of things I guess is better than a big fat ass - B said it was a sign. :( We're both trying to exercise more and make healthier food choices. Although you wouldn't have known that had you been a fly on the wall Sunday and saw that I we dusted off almost an entire batch of Paula Deen's gorilla bread. Weekend calories don't count, right!?! Baby steps.

The stupid unglazed dumb no-glaze heart donuts with sprinkles and icing (as if those two things could take the place of glaze) were a hit with the kids, though. I forced myself to finish the one I bit into but oh what sadness filled my unglazed heart. Have I mentioned the heart-shaped donuts from Krispy Kreme weren't glazed? Because they weren't.

Thankfully my sweet Valentine made up for it.

Last week Chris surprised me with a Keurig. To be honest it's not something I thought I would ever want. Until I got one. Now I really heart my Keurig.

So does B. Especially after we discovered they make green tea K-cups in the same brand Starbucks uses to make theirs. We were on a mission this weekend to perfect her "iced green tea extra-sweet" that she is hooked on gets every.single.day in Decatur where she's a few short minutes from anything. However, we are 30 minutes from the nearest Starbucks so she goes into a bit of withdrawals when she's here. :) A stop by Bed, Bath & Beyond for the K-cups then a stop by Starbucks for their Classic Syrup (where they were so sweet to include a pump, without which B was sure our efforts would fail) and we made our way home.

I'm happy to report it was a success. After a little trial and error we figured out what size cup and which setting worked best as well as how many pumps of syrup it needs. I'm still not completely sold on the whole green tea thing but I'm beginning to acquire a taste for it. And as far as K-cups and coffee, I'm really picky about my coffee so for me the reusable K-cup which allows me to fill it with my own brand of coffee has been my favorite. The boys love it too - we've had more hot chocolate this past week than the whole winter. :) Needless to say the Keurig is a winner!

My guy didn't forget me on the actual day either although I neither anticipated nor expected to receive anything. He brought home some beautiful roses which actually smelled like roses - a hard find for some reason. And they weren't red - thank goodness. :) I love fresh flowers on the island in the kitchen.

But the best thing Chris gave me was something that can't be bought. Tuesday morning after I left the house he sent me a text that just said, "Happy valentines day. I love u." I got butterflies. I know. It sounds so silly and corny and I can't believe I just typed that but I love that he can still make me feel like a giddy school girl. So simple. So unexpected. So sweet. That alone would have been more than enough.

All the K-cups and donuts in the world can't make me feel like that.

Well... the "Hot Now" sign runs a close second. haha! I am normally the girl who rolls her eyes at the corniness that goes along with Valentine's Day, but what's to snub about a day to make your loves feel especially loved.

I'll close with a few pictures from the boys' parties.

Notice he couldn't wear red without making sure he wore his
Auburn sports necklace with it. His PE coaches would have
given him a hard time had he not. :)

Mrs. Schweers & Bueller
We sure hope the tradition continues next year with Reid

Sweet brothers

I hope your day was as sweet as ours.

Happy 2012

We spent the last day of 2011 cheering our Auburn Tigers on to victory. What a way to end the year. :)

I looked through my blog thinking I would do a "best of" post. There were so many bests for 2011 I wasn't able to narrow it down. I should say 2011 was good to us.

My hope and prayer for 2012 is that all good things from 2011 will carry on into the new year and all things not be left behind.

So thankful for all the many blessings God has so graciously given us.

*Many thanks to my friend, Kelli, at Kelli Alfreds Images, LLC for the picture. We did a fun little mini session before Christmas. More to come.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He shall direct your paths. 

Proverbs 3:5-6

Our Christmas 2011

We had a blissfully happy Christmas. I am blessed beyond measure. I don't deserve any of it. I'm thankful for all of it.

This will go down in the books as one of the best Christmases yet. And not just because Santa was good to me. Although he was. Too good. It was just a really great Christmas spent with all of our families. 

As usual we laughed, ate, laughed, ate, laughed until we cried and ate until we wanted to cry. And of course there was a plethora of presents.

I'll mostly let the pictures speak for themselves. Consider yourself warned - there are lots of them.

We started Christmas off with going to my mom and dad's house a few days before Christmas. It was just mom, dad, my two sisters and me and our kiddos. It's always a fun, relaxing, easy day enjoying time together. The cousins play while the adults (and now B) sit around eating, catching up and reminiscing. And of course we cut up and laugh and poke fun. All in the name of sisterly love of course.

Uncle Keith sent the boys a surprise box ;)
It got Reid but his reaction was a bit delayed.

Mac wasn't in the room when Reid opened
his box but knew something was up

Granddaddy helped things along

It still got him haha When you open the box
a giant spider comes out and touches your hand.
It still gets me every time and I know what to expect.

You had to be there for this one.
That and, "Dawn, you in the cake..." baaahahaha

B smelling her Tyler pearberry candle -
a favorite of hers because it smells like her momma ;)

All Claire asked for from her AA and Aint Dawnie was a pair of cowboy boots. I had her convinced she wasn't getting them.

So when she did she was a happy little girl! SO fun!

Somehow I got away without a picture of Mary Lou. :(

Turbo opening his gifts in his boxers - he may live in a nudist colony one day

Like Grace, my sisters were not very cooperative with pictures this year  :( Boo

I think it's safe to say he liked his gift

RaRa gave the boys AUsome tooth fairy pillows. :)

LOVE B's smile in this picture (and such a cute gift card)

Mimi was there too although she somehow escaped my paparazzi ways.
Well almost.
As you can see from her expression the newness of Toby has worn off a
bit. hehee Which is hilarious considering he LOVES her. Seriously.

We managed to fill the next couple of days with last-minute trips to Montgomery because apparently Procrastination Polly is glutton for the punishment that is the mall, the Wal-Mart and the Winn Dixie two days before Christmas.

Finally it was Christmas Eve.

Sissy and the boys donned their Christmas Eve pj's
then headed outside to throw out the reindeer food.
Nothing says Christmas like Monster Jam jammies, right?

We are certain we saw Rudolph while we were outside

Earlier in the day Sissy took it upon herself to make these cookies with the boys so Santa would have some yummy, fun cookies to go with his milk. Mimi was sweet to let them use her kitchen while I wrapped up my last-minute Christmas to-do list.

I think they did a superb job! Thanks, Sissy. You rock.

I found a great Santa tracker app on my phone that we had a lot of fun with Christmas Eve night. It was a radar which showed where Santa was and how long it would be until he made his way to our house. The last we checked he was in Canada so we knew we had better hit the sheets because it wouldn't be long. Chris and I were wide awake at 2 a.m. and checked the Santa tracker again. It said, "Santa will see you next year" so we knew he had already come. ;)

Everyone was up around 6 a.m. to see what Santa brought. It's fun to see if Santa ate his cookies and drank his milk. He usually leaves a little note thanking us for the cookies and milk and reminding us that Jesus is the reason for the season. It's always a fun, crazy time and one when I prefer to not be behind the camera. Maybe I should set up a video camera next year because I really want to remember their faces. There's nothing like seeing Christmas through your children's eyes.

My parents always like to see Bethany and the boys on Christmas morning. After we had our family time mom, dad, Snuggie and Nana came by for a quick visit and a breakfast of conecuh casserole, Sister Schubert's blueberry rolls, and cheese grits. Then they headed on their way to spend the rest of the afternoon with The Colleys.

Sissy has so many people who love her that we have to share her on Christmas. We snapped a few pictures before she headed to Selma. 

Obviously from the angle one of the littles took this one :)

Not long after that it was time for Christmas with all The Nortons. We should be ashamed that the only time we all get together is during the holidays. We don't live far from each other, we have a ton of fun and enjoy each other's company so much. I informed them all when they got there they weren't allowed to be cameraphobes.

The boys love cousin Grey.
I don't think Grey loves my camera.

Haylie too - they're the cool, older cousins

Giving Big Daddy some love

Uncle Donnie and Aunt Rae
Rae hooked us up with all kind of yummies for the day

Grandmama Norton giving the boys a good squeeze :)

Grandmama with the grands
Haylie, Mac, Reid, Grant and Grey Nort

Me with my guys. I am so outnumbered when B's not here

The two lovebirds ;)

I thought I would go sit on the lovebirds' lap for a pic with my in-laws
It didn't quite turn out like I imagined... in more ways than one.
Big Daddy, you're a mess. This Big Mama loves you.

Grandmama loves her wine in the evenings. Since one of their dogs broke
her wine glass the other day we decided to get her a new one. By this time
of the day she's probably thinking, "Wish this glass came filled with wine."

Thank goodness Uncle Donnie is a pro at putting toys and games together.

Louise with her daughers-in-law
Louise, you have two lucky sons, right Rae!?! haha

Mother and son
Boy did my man get an equal dose of McHugh and Norton ;)

And lastly,

The four reasons that make our Christmas extra special

Hope your Christmas was as wonderful as ours.

Happy New Year!

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name

that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess 

that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:9-11

All Things Christmas

So much to do and blog about this time of year yet so little time in which to get it all done.

A few pictures with captions so I won't forget...

Our elf, Jasper appeared a few days after Thanksgiving.
The boys loved the TP on the tree

And that Jasper confirmed he's an Auburn fan
However, Jasper says he's ready to go back to
the NP because he's running out of ideas

Talking with Santa and Mrs. Claus at school

Polar Express Day - so fun to wear jammies to school

Field trip to see some locals in a Christmas play
They thought it was really fun seeing some of their friends perform

Lots of fun Christmas festivities at school
Grant's teacher commented at the class party,
"If only the world were filled with Grants..." :)
He's one kind-hearted, special little man.

The MacDaddy haha
In Kindergarten you can never party enough -
one more to round out 2011

A visit with Santa at the mall - the boys decided
he's the REAL Santa, not just a helper dressed in a suit

We've enjoyed lots of quality time with daddy lately

Even "helping" him while he goes over a set of plans

And building a very homemade Nativity

As soon as we figure out how to make Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus
out of sticks we'll be done. :) 

Enjoying our tree which is overflowing with homemade
ornaments - the best kind!

So thankful my real-live little elf made it safely home :)

It was a long trip with Granddaddy's present...

TOBY!!!!

And maybe the most amazing part of all of this (aside from the fact that she actually okay'd the whole Toby thing)

is that I think my mom (who, if you only knew, is so NOT a dog person) may just like him a wee little bit. Maybe. Just a lil' bit. But shhh. Don't tell her I said that.

Christmas Countdown says...

Merry Christmas Eve!