Monday, December 17, 2012
The Christmas Tree Farm
It is a tradition. A fourteen year old tradition. I like tradition but I must say I like new things too. We no longer buy our tree here because the trees they sell don't hold the ornaments well. But we go for the experience. The tractor ride, the photo ops, hide and seek among the trees, and the goodies we must partake in. This year I wasn't quite in the mood for it. It was warm. It was drizzling. And I was in the mood for "new". But there was one member of our family who had not yet experienced Clarks Hill Tree Farm. So off we went. And it didn't take long for me to remember why we come here. The smiles below tell the story........
Friday, December 14, 2012
Busy, Busy, Busy
I realized I hadn't posted anything here since Thanksgiving! It is now Christmastime! I have been so busy. I do not wear "busy" as a badge of honor. I despise it! Somewhere our society has made busy something to strive for. You are viewed as a good parent if you have your kids doing activity after activity. After all, won't they miss out if we don't give them all these "opportunities"? What happened to kids just playing outside with neighbors. Or playing house or school? My good friend Sally commented once, "I remember being a kid and running out the back door to just play and hearing the screen door slam."Kids don't do that anymore. We shuttle them to and from one activity to another and feed them fast food along the way.We start this at the ripe old age of preschool. I even have family members who ask why I haven't signed my "Littles" up for some sport. Because they are 6! They need to play and pretend and ride their bikes and argue with one another and learn how to solve problems.
What are we (Americans) doing? I ask myself this question. With 5 kids life is going to be busy. I get that. But when you can't even get a breath? Somethings gotta give! Some of the choices we have made need to be reexamined. My kids love sports. I love sports and I love watching my kids play sports. They are good at what they do but.......at what cost? And the volunteer things I take on may be good things but.....at what cost? I find myself making dinner most days at mid morning because the rest of the day is too full. (I refuse to eat out all the time) My friend Allison lives in Germany and I am so jealous. Their way of life is so different. They linger. They slow down and have long meals. They enjoy talking with friends and neighbors. Stores are closed on Sundays. Striving for the next level doesn't seem to be the driving factor of their lives. Enjoying life and its pleasures is what life is about there. I want to live there. Actually, I want to live in Lego village. We have a Christmas Lego village and we collect and set up each year. I want to live there. I want to stroll down the street and have a pastry at the bakery and a cup of coffee. I want to walk to the shops. I want to go to the town center and watch the Christmas tree lighting. Enjoying the blessings. My prayers have actually been to live in "Lego village"....seriously!!!! I am hoping if God moves us, He places us somewhere like that.
So I am doing some soul searching and praying for God to direct my/our paths for 2013. I want to linger. I want to have a long meal and share. I want to have long talks with my children. I want to read more than one short book to my kids at night. I want to sit by the fire and watch a movie once in a while. I want to be where God wants me/us to be. I don't think He wants "busy". How can we hear Him if we are so busy? How can we find the blessings He places in our lives if we are always running, and hurrying? As we all saw today with the school shooting, life is short and it can change in a blink.
Yes, I have found the time to squeeze in the Christmas stuff as these pictures show. But I don't want to squeeze it in......I want to soak it in and slow down.
What are we (Americans) doing? I ask myself this question. With 5 kids life is going to be busy. I get that. But when you can't even get a breath? Somethings gotta give! Some of the choices we have made need to be reexamined. My kids love sports. I love sports and I love watching my kids play sports. They are good at what they do but.......at what cost? And the volunteer things I take on may be good things but.....at what cost? I find myself making dinner most days at mid morning because the rest of the day is too full. (I refuse to eat out all the time) My friend Allison lives in Germany and I am so jealous. Their way of life is so different. They linger. They slow down and have long meals. They enjoy talking with friends and neighbors. Stores are closed on Sundays. Striving for the next level doesn't seem to be the driving factor of their lives. Enjoying life and its pleasures is what life is about there. I want to live there. Actually, I want to live in Lego village. We have a Christmas Lego village and we collect and set up each year. I want to live there. I want to stroll down the street and have a pastry at the bakery and a cup of coffee. I want to walk to the shops. I want to go to the town center and watch the Christmas tree lighting. Enjoying the blessings. My prayers have actually been to live in "Lego village"....seriously!!!! I am hoping if God moves us, He places us somewhere like that.
So I am doing some soul searching and praying for God to direct my/our paths for 2013. I want to linger. I want to have a long meal and share. I want to have long talks with my children. I want to read more than one short book to my kids at night. I want to sit by the fire and watch a movie once in a while. I want to be where God wants me/us to be. I don't think He wants "busy". How can we hear Him if we are so busy? How can we find the blessings He places in our lives if we are always running, and hurrying? As we all saw today with the school shooting, life is short and it can change in a blink.
Yes, I have found the time to squeeze in the Christmas stuff as these pictures show. But I don't want to squeeze it in......I want to soak it in and slow down.
She LOVED decorating....the same branch over and over...about 40 ornaments.
She loves her big brother!
These are her handmade ornaments, all on one branch...notice the pipe cleaners she laid on top of the branches
This is Lego village....my dream residence
One of my favorites...my Dad made him!
Our manger, also handmade by a local favorite artist
The stockings hung by the chimney with care.....thats a lot of stockings!!!! (the pets each have one too)
Coco is back and quite the clever elf!
The tree hunt
May you enjoy the simple blessings of this season and slow down enough to recognize them.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Thanksgiving 2012
This year's "thankful tree"
We spent this year at my sister's house up north. What a fabulous time we had!!!!!!
A little "gaming"
A little crafting
My Jaida blessing
My Julia blessing
My Sam blessing
My Xin blesssing
And my newest and littlest blessing Lulu. So very thankful she was with us this Thanksgiving!
A little hiking......
to the top of a "hill" to see this view of Cincinnati
The crazy 8 cousins!
Trying to organize a family picture with all 16 of us.....sweating a little after this!
Xin lost his 1st tooth on Thanksgiving!
And Hamilton lost another too....a busy tooth fairy that night!
More hiking....because oh my did we/I eat ALOT!!!!
My blessings!
She had to walk too!
The Purple People Bridge goes across the Ohio River to Newport KY.
It turned bitterly cold at the end of the week and we knew we were up north!
Jungle Jim's...a HUGE Intl market.
Two dorks straddling two states!
My sister has great shoes and my "girly girl"clomped around in them constantly and even fell asleep in them!
We had such a wonderful time and thank my sister, her husband and son for allowing all of us to take over your gorgeous home for 5 days! You were the perfect hosts....and oh my... 1 more day there eating your fabulous cooking and I would have had to go to the fat farm!
So thankful for time together. Hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving!
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Orphan Sunday....do SOMETHING
Today was Orphan Sunday. It is the day we are supposed to let it sink into our minds and hearts that there are 147 million, 163 million...you get the picture ......LOTS of orphans in this world. They are all real people. Created by God. For His purpose. But it is so easy to turn the other way and do nothing. We go about are busy and very blessed lives here in America and put those little faces out of our minds because after all, there are so many what can we really do to help?
Some are called to adopt and many are not. But that is not the end of the story. There are so many ways everybody can do SOMETHING.
go on a mission trip to serve the fatherless
financially support someone who is adopting
financially support an orphan for their basic needs
send an orphan to school
supply the needs of an orphanage
pray for the orphans
support a family adopting through acts of kindness
show the love of Jesus to an orphan
help fund a medical procedure desperately needed
This is just a short list. And there are many organizations that handle all of these suggestions-Visiting Orphans, Shaohannah's Hope, Half the Sky, 147 Million Orphans, Love Without Boundaries, etc
But PLEASE do something.
As I look at my three raven haired cherubs running around our home, I so often forget they were once orphans. I see them as my children. Simply mine. Occasionally, I am reminded of their start when I catch a glimpse of a photo of them taken while living in the orphanage. It breaks my heart every time and I must look away. They are not my children here in these photos. They are pale, thin, blank- eyed, lifeless children. These are not the kids that fill our home. These 3 are loud, funny, smart, mischievous, beautiful, love-filled and FULL of life and they resemble nothing of their former selves. Thank God. But there are so many that still need us. PLEASE do something in honor of these little lives. Think about it, talk about it, pray about it as a family and do something that will change the life of an orphan... and give them hope.
Some are called to adopt and many are not. But that is not the end of the story. There are so many ways everybody can do SOMETHING.
go on a mission trip to serve the fatherless
financially support someone who is adopting
financially support an orphan for their basic needs
send an orphan to school
supply the needs of an orphanage
pray for the orphans
support a family adopting through acts of kindness
show the love of Jesus to an orphan
help fund a medical procedure desperately needed
This is just a short list. And there are many organizations that handle all of these suggestions-Visiting Orphans, Shaohannah's Hope, Half the Sky, 147 Million Orphans, Love Without Boundaries, etc
But PLEASE do something.
As I look at my three raven haired cherubs running around our home, I so often forget they were once orphans. I see them as my children. Simply mine. Occasionally, I am reminded of their start when I catch a glimpse of a photo of them taken while living in the orphanage. It breaks my heart every time and I must look away. They are not my children here in these photos. They are pale, thin, blank- eyed, lifeless children. These are not the kids that fill our home. These 3 are loud, funny, smart, mischievous, beautiful, love-filled and FULL of life and they resemble nothing of their former selves. Thank God. But there are so many that still need us. PLEASE do something in honor of these little lives. Think about it, talk about it, pray about it as a family and do something that will change the life of an orphan... and give them hope.
In honor of my three dearly loved China babies.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Halloween 2012
A teenage bear
Spiderman!
A beautiful ladybug
My crazy kids!
One cute little cow (note: Sam wore this as a 1 yr old-I added the bow for Lulu :))
Check out the tail
Chinese opera man...Sam purchased this entire costume in China this winter
The big girls
She LOVED the entire night! "More house. More candy!" "Lulu walk" "I hold"-said because NOBODY could touch her pumpkin full of candy...even when it got heavy for those 2 little fingers, she carried it all night by herself.
The neighborhood crew
Discovering....wow you really do get candy!
I love this "holiday". The kids are so excited and it is just simple fun. We always have a little "party" with our neighbors afterwards with drinks and appetizers and the kids trade candy and eat way too much of it....oh well...it is one fun night! Hope you had a Happy Halloween!!!!!!
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