My hero!

In December Lucas and I celebrated our 14th anniversary. This last year honestly has been one of our hardest due to several factors out of our control. It's been one of those years that you're like what's next. We know God has a plan but He's not sharing it with us.

Yesterday after an appointment for one of the boys I came out and my car wouldn't start. One of the doctors in the office came out and tried to jump start it for us but it didn't work so we left it there and he gave us a ride home. We were going to try and walk but it was poring and we live clear across town. I was very thankful for the ride.

After Lucas got off work we went to get my car. Did you know that the battery in a Bonneville is under the back seat. We do now. Any ways, it took a while before we could start my car. This isn't the first time Lucas has come to my rescue when it comes to car problems. My car broke down the first time we met. I was in the middle of no where and he came and got me.

I felt bad that he had to deal with this after work but he didn't complain once. Car trouble is the last thing we need right now and not sure how we will pay for the repairs. The last 12 months or so has been rough and while I have complained plenty and had several hearts to hearts with God, Lucas has plugged away doing the best he can. Some days I forget how truly blessed I am to have him by my side.

Introducing Nate the Great's Blog Spot

This is my wonderful first born Nathanial. He is almost 11 and in the 5th grade. He does online schooling and loves minecraft. I have decided to let him write on the blog. He will introduce himself later but I wanted to share his poem. One of his assignments was to write a poem about something he likes. Who says minecraft can't be educational. Last year he wrote a paper that I hope to find and share with you. Next time you will actually hear from him yourselves.

Creepers

You come into this world.

You kill our pet cows and pigs.

You steal our valuables.

You kill our brothers and sisters.

You take our land to build your structures.

Yet, you still wonder why we get mad.

25 days of Christmas - Review and Thoughts - What I learned.

So we got to day 21 with the activities. I had another few activities for 22-25 but they didn't get done. I think we will try this again next year, it was a lot of fun but maybe do different activities and have them planned out better. Maybe put together the crafts and stuff in a zip lock bag so that it is ready to go.

The fort and gingerbread train were their favorites. We had fun and this experiment made me wonder why do this in December? Why does this have to be a one time a year. It made me realize that these activities or similar activities can be done year round. As a family we had a blast. Sure we didn't do everything that was planned and some nights we switched things around but it was fun and we all had a great time and bonded. 

This has reminded me that fun does not just happen. Some days it's just built in but we get in a rut. The kids get home from school and have a snack then do their homework. After that we go off to swim practice, scouts, or Awana, one of our many activities that we do. We do this day in and day out then wonder why we are constantly bickering at each other. Everything is fine as long as we are on the go but when we are home it's a "I'm bored" "there's nothing to do". 

I have rediscovered that it's fun to sit in the dark with my family and watch a movie that we all enjoy, instead of the kids in one room and the grown ups in another. I have enjoyed playing games with my kids and teaching them new games. I have learned that I enjoy teaching them to cook. Yes the kitchen is messier when we are done but there are a lot of laughs and giggles in the process.

So our next project - a jar full of fun, family activities. The boys are going to help with some of the ideas so I can't wait to see what they are. I want to be more intentional about being active in my family and not just being present.

Date Night

Remember when date night was dinner and a movie. Occasionally our dates are that but usually we wind up walking though the mall or we've even been known to go grocery shopping. Tonight we started out at Carino's. The service wasn't the best, it was packed so we didn't see our waitress much but the food was fantastic. It was a nice time to catch up. With Lucas working 50+ hours a week and working on his MBA we haven't had a lot of time to connect so this was something I had been looking forward to.

It was nice to touch base and talk about Christmas shopping and stuff. I have been taking advantage of Craigslist and Facebook and have gotten quite a bit of the shopping done already. Yeah me!!! After dinner we walked through the mall then ended up at Freddy's. We were able to pick up shirts for the boys for their Christmas Photos and I scored two tops of the clearance shelf at Fred's. I love their clothes but won't pay full price for them.

I know it doesn't seem romantic but I love these nights. Sometimes we skip dinner all together and just walk through the store. It reminds me of a simpler time before the kids when we were younger and just strolling through the store hand in hand.