The ADVENTure of the Christmas season

The kids and I lit our first candle of the advent season this morning. (Sunday mornings are too crazy to do it then) The first purple candle stands for HOPE. It invites us to thank God for the hope we have in Jesus. I highly recommend the book "The Adventure of Christmas" for your kids. Its a great book full of ideas about how to help children find Jesus in our holiday traditions.

Happy Thanksgiving

I am thankful for a wonderful family, extended family and friends!
We had a great Thanksgiving with my Mother and Father in law and some friends from our church. The only proof of the day I have is the decorated table. God has blessed me in so many ways and I have so much to be thankful for!

The night it all began.....

I had to post 2 blogs today as I noticed the date on the calendar and realized that Will and I had our first date 17 years ago today. I am now realizing what an accomplishment it was to snag him during the hunting season. I don't think I have seen him on a November 22nd since that first date :) I love you "babe"

I am embarrased to say I had to search a long time to find a picture of the two of us to post tonight. The picture I used is at least 3 years old. I am going to try harder to get the two of us in a few pictures from now on.

From one driveway to the next....

We had a wonderful time with our dear friends the Christo's this weekend. We are so grateful for our years together on Grand Avenue in Omaha! The kids picked up right where they left off. It was neat to see Courtney and Madelyn connect so quickly. They were only 18 months when we moved away, so they never had the chance to develop the strong friendships that the twins and Lauren and Jillian did. As always its bittersweet to spend time with them now. We miss them all so much. Thank goodness for pictures and tons of memories! I dusted off a few old pictures from Omaha and I also attached a few from this weekend.

a boy and his pockets...

Owen has recently discovered his pockets. He loves to stuff things in them. Specifically, crayons, matchbox cars and puzzle pieces. I guess I will really need to check his pockets before I do laundry!

after school...

I pulled out my camera today because I noticed Owen playing BY HIMSELF in the playroom! This is a big deal as he is usually scaling tables and countertops as well as cleaning out any and all cupboards in my kitchen. You will notice Madelyn is doing a puzzle on top of our island. This is the only "safe" place in our home right now. We have removed all of the stools so Owen cannot climb up there. Jillian is attempting to do a puzzle in the dining room, but we have blocked the doorways with the stools- I told her to hurry up and finish it before Owen realizes she is in there :) I am starting to realize what they mean when they refer to the "terrible twos"!

Ear piercing

Lauren had her ears pierced this weekend in Sioux Falls. She was very brave and is doing so well at taking care of them. It was a fun day with our Grandma and cousins.

It seemed like a good day to make.....

GRANOLA!!

Thanks to my friend Steph and her friend Giada (professional food network chef) for the recipe.

Happy Birthday to.....

My Mom! She is 62 years old today. Thanks for everything mom. We love you!!!

Operation Christmas Child

Its that time of year once again. " Operation Christmas Child" The girls and I enjoy filling the shoeboxes to be sent around the world in hopes of making another child's christmas as special as ours always is. Our church had these worksheets available for the kids to fill out. That really helped them visualize a little girl recieving their box. There is a way to track your box online this year. I have always wondered where those boxes end up? We will let you know!

A typical scene from the playroom......

Don' feel too bad for the little guy-Its usually the other way around. Owen is definately in charge of the playroom most days!

leaving a legacy.....

I decided to start a blog! Why would a busy mom of 4 want a blog? Well, I mainly want it as a way to document glimpses of our days around our busy household. The kids are growing and changing so fast and I want something where I can capture bits and pieces of their lives through journaling and pictures. At some point I can print my blog and then put in their scrapbooks.
Apparently you have to name your blog- so after thoughtful consideration I decided to name our blog. The title was taken from a 2 and 1/2 year bible study I just completed today. It was titled "mom to mom" and it was a biblically based cirriculum designed to take a closer look at what God's word has to say about our mission as moms. It was awesome and I am going to miss that bible study. The title of the blog is "Beginning at the end: Legacy living from day one." It basically says in order to leave a legacy you need to live a legacy. I basically need to live from a backwards point of view- which means we look at the end goal first- my end goal is to live a life of kindness, compassion and service to God and others. Knowing that goal allows me to really think about how I want to parent, what kind of friend I want to be, and how I want to serve others etc. The way I carry out these tasks throughout my life will basically end up being my legacy. So there you have it. Check back later for more blog entries
Hilary