Merry Christmas!

From our home to yours...

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas

Filled with wonder and excitement.

Praying you and yours are

Healthy and blessed

in the New Year.

Our Home for the Holidays

We are so excited to be in our new home this Christmas season. I was especially excited to decorate, although I quickly realized we have a lot more space to decorate! Time and budget ran out before I was able to do all I wanted, but we got a good start. I'm sure I will be adding to it for years to come. Here is a glimpse of our home for the holidays.

I'm so excited to have a mantle again!

I hope you are finding time in the midst of the chaos of the season to enjoy family and friends and reflect on the true meaning of the season.

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

A Week with the Cousins

A couple of weeks ago, we had the privilege of hosting my niece and nephew for the week. I say privilege, because they live 18 hours away and we don't get to see them too often. Since we won't all be together for Christmas this year, my parents drove two of the cousins, Isaac and Katelyn, 11 hours to spend some quality time with us. It's been more than a week since they left to go home, and my kids are still missing them. I think everyone had a great time!

Here are some highlights from the quality cousin time:

We love our cousins!

The girls

The boys

Little Miss working on a special project Nanee and Papa brought

Miss Katelyn working in her own creative style

Little Man goofing off...what else is new?

The boys proud of their hard work

We even managed to surprise great-grandma "G"

with a birthday party.

Happy Birthday, G!

Fun at a toy museum

Where better to visit Santa than Bass Pro Shops?

We're looking forward to doing it again sometime. Maybe we'll even make it an annual tradition!

Thoughts on Thanksgiving

Image by DK Design Studio

I have thought a lot about thanksgiving lately...not just the holiday, but the attitude of giving thanks. Yes, I realize that is the culturally-accepted thing to do this time of year. But, honestly, it has gone beyond that for me. It all began with a study on God's grace at our church. Now there's something that will get you in the spirit of thanks!

Then I started reading a book that was recommended to me. I soon discovered the author's passion for having an attitude of thanksgiving in all of our circumstances--triumph, tragedy, and all that falls in between. It is a challenging read, so I'm taking my time going through the book. However, it is a challenge I desperately need and I'm looking forward to posting about it once I'm done.

I also decided to participate in "a month of thanksgiving" on Facebook. For those who are not a part of this social media phenomenon (all three of you), this is an informal opportunity for users to post things we are thankful for. Honestly, I've never participated because I always felt it would be more lip service than a heartfelt gratitude (at least it would have been for me). But in light of all I've been pondering the last few weeks, I felt it would be a good way to daily keep me attitude in check. (I must admit, I've failed a time or two...still working on being thankful in all circumstances, like dealing with a 4-year-old's tantrums! It's a process, right?)

In addition to turkey, pumpkin pie, and thoughts of Thanksgiving, this month also reminds me of some pretty incredible reasons within my own family to give thanks. It was only a year ago that I was recovering from surgery and undergoing radiation therapy and physical therapy. And this year I was able to run two 5Ks. It was during that time last year that my baby sister was blessed with an Extreme Makeover: Home Edition from ABC. And of course, we are ever grateful for our miracle boy (and Savannah-born celebrity) Zoe!

Most of all, I'm thankful to have Someone to give thanks to. My gratitude is more than a warm and fuzzy feeling that I toss out into the universe or a passing emotion that I lavish on a friend or relative. After thirty-"ahem" years, I feel like I finally get it...."Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights" (James 1:17). Everything I have to be thankful for--from my miracle nephew to my healthy family to my morning cup of coffee--all of it is a result of the goodness of God lavished on us. Why? Simply because He is good and He loves to do good for us.  

So as you prepare your turkey and bake those pies, take a moment to truly reflect on what it is to be thankful. And to help you get started, here's a special Thanksgiving greeting from the Miracle Boy himself.. Zoe Simpson! (Spoiler alert: he's pretty stinkin' cute!)

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; 

his love endures forever

-Psalm 107:1

A Heartfelt Tribute for Veteran's Day

A Veteran's Day tribute from my Little Miss.

For all the men and women who have served our great country,

and for those who continue to serve today...THANK YOU!

And may God bless America!

Playing Catch-up

Fall is in full swing here, and for us that means busy, busy, busy! (You've probably already guessed that by my lack of consistent blogging these days!) Since today is cold and rainy it's a perfect time to catch up on some Fall baking (will post some new favorite recipes soon!) and some long-neglected computer time.

Here's a quick snapshot of what we've been up to:

We ended the summer with a visit to our local zoo.

Little Miss loved the petting zoo.

Little Man did not.

The playground was a big hit.

 And so were the treats!

 Hubby's aunt and uncle were in town last month when they entered their newest hot rod in Street Machine Nationals. It was my first car show (as well as a first for Little Miss and Little Man). We all had a great time, but I'd have to say Hubby and Little Man enjoyed it a bit more! (What is it about boys--of any age--and their hot rods!?)

Hubby and his uncle talking hot rods

Hubby and Little Man getting a ride (the engine was too loud for Little Miss)

Then of course there was the big event itself...Halloween. The kiddos get excited about any reason to dress up so when Daddy's work, both schools, and our church all provided opportunities, they spent most of the week as their alter-egos, Spidey Kids.

What have you been up to this Fall?

Happy Halloween!

Your friendly, neighborhood Spidey Kids
wish you a safe and

Happy Halloween
filled with fun...and LOTS of candy!

Best Choice I Ever Made!

Nine years ago today I married my best friend.

He keeps me grounded while helping me soar.

He dreams with me while helping me face reality.

He is the rational side to my emotional ramblings.

He is the order to my chaos.

He held my hand and walked with me through one

of the darkest moments of our lives.

He has given me two amazing children and is as

committed to them as he is to me.

He is still, by far, the best choice I've ever made!

Happy Anniversary, Babe! I love you!

A Lightning McQueen Birthday...Ka-Chow!

As you know, Little Man turned 4 a couple of weeks ago. I'm finally getting around to posting some pics.

We are all about the Disney movie Cars around here. Mater, Sally, Luigi, Guido, Doc, Sheriff, Ramone...we can name them all. Especially the star, Lightning McQueen...Ka-chow Pa-pow! (You can't say his name around here without adding his signature catch phase). So, it was pretty obvious what theme we would go with for this birthday party. And lucky for me, Lightning McQueen party supplies are everywhere these days!

I found this scene setter at Party City. At over 6-feet tall it served as the main decoration and doubled as a fantastic backdrop for pictures. (Bonus: the kids loved standing next to their favorite characters from the movie.) It may actually find its way into Little Man's room to serve as decoration until we are ready to paint and decorate in there.



A Cars table cloth and some Lightning McQueen balloons set the stage for the main attraction...cupcakes! We even had a remote-controlled Lightning McQueen doing laps around the cupcakes thanks to a Geo Traxx track we already owned (a big hit with the 4-year-old crowd!).



Hubby built a custom race track through the middle of the living room for the kids to play with as they arrived. We also had a racetrack carpet with a basket of cars and a Lightning McQueen and Mater puzzle to keep them occupied (all compliments of our own playroom!).

We hung a few race flags (also from Party City), and we were good to go!

The presents

The cupcakes (egg-, soy-, and peanut-free for the birthday boy)
with Lightning McQueen and Mater cupcake toppers

The birthday boy

Finally...time to open presents
(he had been asking since he woke up that morning)

Thank you grandma & grandpa!


Most of the presents fell in line with the theme, too!
(No complaints from Little Man about that!)


Helping Daddy build his new bike.

Ready to ride! (Of course it's a Lightning McQueen bike...
did you expect something else?)

Happy Birthday Little Man!

XOXO --Mommy

A Birthday Dr. Suess Story

As if on cue, Little Miss brought home this Dr. Suess book from the school library last Friday...which happened to be my birthday. Not just any birthday, mind you. But my last birthday of this decade. (I will not reveal which decade for those of you who think I may be younger than I am; I'm told a lady never tells her true age.)

I consider myself a Dr. Suess fan and would say I'm rather knowledgeable on his works. However, I had never seen this book or even heard anything about it.

As with most books library books that find their way into our home, we had to sit down immediately and read this new find. I don't know if I've ever laughed so much at a children's book before. From the subtitle one can gather that this wasn't written primarily for a juvenile audience. This is an ode to aging and the ails that come with it. It was so fitting that I read it on my last-year-of-this-decade birthday. I was thoroughly entertained, and honestly needed the humor to lift my spirits a little.

I was not the only one entertained by this book, however. In true Dr. Suess fashion, the colorful artwork, zany contraptions and situations in which the silly characters found themselves had my kids glued to every page as well. In fact, Little Miss chose it to read again before bed the other night. This time Hubby had the pleasure of reading. I think he laughed more than I did. :)

If you find yourself with more creaks and groans than you did a few short years ago, or if you've undergone major health issues recently (and have your own staff of doctors to prove it), give this a read. It may not cure your aches and pains, but it might just make them more bearable.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine" (Proverbs 17:22)

Happy Birthday Little Man!

I Did It: My First 5K!!

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was going to be running a 5K in celebration of my health journey this last year. Well, today was that day!

I must admit, I was pretty nervous. I am not what you'd call athletic. I never have been. I workout regularly...in the privacy of my own home, but rarely do I attempt anything that requires any amount of athletic skill or coordination in front of others. It's one thing to run 3.1 miles on my treadmill in the comfort of my own basement. It's quite another to do it on the back country roads of southwest Missouri with 1,000 of my closest friends.

That's why I was so glad to have my running buddy, Sheila. I'm not typically one who likes to run with someone else (and neither is Sheila), but she offered to run with me and I accepted. After all, she's kind of the one who inspired me...another stay-at-home mom with little athletic background, Sheila has begun running 5Ks, 10Ks, and even half-marathons. I figured if she can do it with three kids, I can do it with two! So I did. (Thanks, Sheila!)

Me and my running buddy, Sheila.

Getting ready to run

Originally my goal was to finish, but secretly I wanted to finish in 45 minutes. I set out to do a 3 min/2 min jog/walk interval for the whole race. (That's what I'd been doing in my training.) I started strong. I must admit there's something amazing about trekking down the road with hundreds of other people with the same goal in sight. It was especially inspiring to me to do a run at my church where so many knew my story and were cheering me on. It felt great every time I heard someone say, "Way to go, Nancy. You're doing great!"

The course was down-and-back, and there was a huge, long hill leading up to the turn-around. That did me in...Ms. Trained-on-my-Treadmill-Instead-of-Actual-Hills. I was pretty wiped out on the way back, and ended up walking more than I would have liked. My leg held up OK, but I could definitely tell a difference the last mile. The "bad" leg felt like it was twice as heavy as the other one.

I beat my best training time by a whole minute, so I was pretty happy with that. Hubby keeps reminding me that a year ago I was hobbling around on crutches with my leg completely wrapped from toe to thigh. Today I finished a 5K in 44 minutes and 16 seconds. I'd say I did alright! :)

My Parents: 40 Years of Love

Once upon a time, a long, long, looong time ago…

there was a little boy named Randy.

Randy loved reading books, watching TV, and playing baseball.

But his favorite thing to do was to visit his friend Danny’s house.

Danny’s house was always fun. There were yummy cookies to eat,

lots of games to play, and best of all…

Danny’s little sister, Diana.

Diana was kind of shy and quiet, but Randy thought she was pretty cute.

When they were older, Randy decided he liked Diana

even more than he liked Danny.

So they got married.

They had three perfect daughters ;)

Who found three wonderful husbands.

And now they are known as Nanee and Papa to their five amazing grandkids!

Oh, and they lived happily ever after of course!

Happy 40th Anniversary, Mom & Dad! I love you!

Off to First Grade!

It's that time of year again: This morning I handed over my first-born to a woman I've only met once, trusting her to impart knowledge, wisdom, and character into my child for seven hours every day. While this year was not nearly as emotional as last year's drop-off, I was surprised by the sadness I felt again when I walked out of the school.

We did a great job of soaking up every moment of the summer. We went swimming, visited family, had numerous outings, worked on craft projects, and spent plenty of time just playing and being lazy. But I still felt a twinge of regret when I walked her to her class this morning. I couldn't help but think, Did I do enough? Could I have done more? For the next 9 months, she'll spend more time with teachers and friends, and therefore be more open to their influence. Have I done enough to prepare her?

I realize this may make me sound a little paranoid. Trust me, I am not wanting to wrap my child in bubble wrap or lock her away in a tower somewhere. We love our community and our school. Her teacher last year was a God-send, and the Principal is amazing. I've heard great things about her teacher this year, and I'm sure she'll have a fantastic year.

Part of it is simply my personality; I tend to get a little sentimental and misty-eyed over any change in our lives. But aside from that, it's also the fact that we take this parenting thing pretty seriously. Yes, we have other interests and responsibilities (work, church, friendships, etc.), but they all take a backseat to investing in our family and raising our children. We made a conscious decision six years ago for me to stay home to raise our children, because we feel it is our primary responsibility to train them and teach them. While we are thankful for a church, a community, and a school that support our goals in educating and training our children, the primary responsibility falls to Hubby and myself.

So that's why it's hard for me to walk away and leave my Little Miss in the more-than-capable hands of her first-grade teacher. I'm sure in a few days the emotion of it all will fade and the stress of the morning rush take over. But for now, thank you for letting me bask in the emotion of it all again.

[Parents] do not provoke your children to anger,(C) but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4, ESV)

Surgery to 5K

Last year at this time, Little Miss was getting ready to head off to Kindergarten, and I was getting ready to have a 6-inch tumor removed from my leg. We had no idea what to expect on both counts. Little Miss did great. She took to school like a fish to water and was a little lost the first few days of summer without her friends, teacher, books, and art class. (Don't worry, she adapted to the lazy days of summer quite nicely!) My journey was a little more involved. If you don't know it, you can read the full story here.

Before the possibility of surgery last year, I had considered doing a 5K. Our church does a 5K Run/Walk as a fundraiser for our adoption and foster care program, Cherish Kids. I have several friends who have been blessed through the adoption/foster care process and a dear friend who is on the leadership team, so the cause is near and dear to my heart. However, I am not what you would call an athlete, so the thought of a 5K was a bit intimidating. Alas, it ended up being the week of my surgery, so it didn't happen.

After my surgery and physical therapy was finished, I knew I wanted to remain active. I quickly learned that the more I move my leg, the better it feels and the less likely it is to stiffen up on me (or give out on me as it's been known to do on occasion!). So at the first of the year, I set a goal: to do the Cherish Kids 5K River Run/Walk.. I am happy (and a little scared to death) to announce that in 12 days I will do my first 5K--exactly 1 year after my surgery.

My original goal was to run the entire distance. However, common sense (and my Hubby) have prevailed, and my goal is now (1) to finish, and to (2) do a jog/walk combo for the entire distance. I've had a very loose training regimen so far, but I have managed to do the entire 3.1 miles once on my treadmill and have consistently been doing 2-2.5 miles on the treadmill about 3 times a week.

I'm still not convinced this was the best idea...a 5K in August in Missouri! At least the temps have cooled off a bit lately. I pray they stay that way for a couple more weeks. I'll keep you posted as the day gets closer. And if I manage to make it the whole 3 miles without passing out, I might even post a pic or two!

Fun in the Sun

We are smack in the middle of summer heat around here with heat indexes of 100+. You would think that would make us stay in and take it easy, but for some reason it hasn't. We have been shopping, gardening, having playdates, reading (see previous post), picking berries (OK, we did that before it got too hot), and of course swimming, swimming, swimming! Thus, the reason for the bloggy silence lately. We've just been too busy to sit down at the computer.

We have a relatively quiet morning today, and while the kids are playing nicely together (for the moment at least), I thought I'd jump on here and share some pics of our summertime adventures. Here's what we've been up to...

Earlier in the summer, before the mercury jumped too high,
we went blueberry picking. This was our first time to pick fresh berries, and we loved it!

We went with friends which made it even more fun!

Of course, the best part was the yummy blueberries we are still enjoying!

We spent 4th of July weekend at Grandma & Grandpa's.
Despite the heat, the kids had so much fun climbing trees....

Driving the "tractor"...

And just being in the country.

What's summer without a trip to the county fair?
Little Miss and Little Man loved it all...the petting zoo,

The rides

And the food!
It's not the fair without sno cones and cotton candy, right?

Now that the heat has settled in, we've spent a lot of time in the water.

There is an awesome park nearby with a huge fountain for the kids to play in.
As you can see, it's a favorite water spot for us!

So, what have you been up to this summer?