"House" the cat

We have a cat... kind-of.

It's actually our neighbors.
She is there when we leave.
She is there when we arrive.
She tries to follow the kids into the house every day.
My kids are in love.
What is better than a pet that you don't have to let in your house and are not responsible to feed and care for?
(As I am posting this she is staring at me thru our doorway- she knows the kids are in here and wants me to let them out)

Advent

Advent [ad-vent]:

a coming into place, view, or being; arrival
Tonight we are starting our Advent Calendar and I am so excited. I know that Isaac is at an age where he can understand the meaning of Christmas and why we take time to celebrate it, so I made an envelope for each night with a coloring page from this website, that will help us talk about the truths of Christmas.
So here's my question...
What are you doing this holiday season
to keep Jesus at the center?Here are some other cute ideas for Advent:
My Sister's Advent Countdown
Advent with Books
Advent Cones
Advent in a Box
Advent Candles
A-Door-Able Advent Calendar

Today my heart aches...

Esther Cora Puggini

December 25, 1923- November 29, 2006

Deck the Halls...

Today was our annual "Decorate-4-Christmas" day. I look forward to this day all year long... Hot Cocoa, Polar Express, Matching PJs, Christmas Music, Evergreen Tree Smells, etc. This year Isaac was a huge help in decorating the house and didn't want to be left out of any part of the process. When putting the ornaments on the tree I forced myself to continually say "Wow, great job Isaac!" instead of "Please don't put another bulb on that same branch, spread them out! Make it even!" It was very hard for me! Now the kids are tucked in bed and Chris and I are brewing another pot of coffee. Happy Christmas Season!

Now Draw!!!

Convo from lori bunk on Vimeo.

"Do you want your coffee BLACK?" Friday

Last night was incredible, and I don't use that word lightly. It started last year when my brother Tommy wanted a laptop from Best Buy and left our Thanksgiving dinner to wait out in the cold. While Chris and I were at my in-laws for dessert we got a text begging for a to drop off a hot chocolate on our way home. When we got to the line outside of the store, we had this crazy idea to do an outreach the following year where we just brought people free hot cocoa, coffee and tea to share the love of God while they waited in line. So last night we did just that. 11 of us headed over to Best Buy and Toys-R-Us (8 of us being youth) and blew people's minds with the love of Christ. I could probably write a 10 page paper on the things that went on last night in the heart's of people, as well as my own, but I just leave it at this- when you display the love of God to others you just have the feeling that you are making Him smile.

Giving Thanks...

It was such an incredible day... and props to my mom for making one of the best turkeys I have ever had! Here are some highlights of the day that made it so special:

1. Chris carved the turkey again this year. It's one of my favorite things to watch.
2. Isaac decided to give Jordan and Connor a toy out of his room that they liked. Such a wonderful moment as a mom.
3. I hid Grandma's cookies for an hour before anyone even searched for them. That's a Thanksgiving record!
4. My daughter decorated her own gingerbread house... I didn't think she would be able to do it, but she surprised me.
5. The kids kept telling each other how great the others were doing on decorating their houses. The adults weren't so kind.All in all it was a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am so blown away by the blessings that God has given me. Everywhere I look I see His handiwork. Now gearing up to bless some unexpectant people waiting in line at Best Buy... yay!
   

late nite work

Me and my mini-man drinking our hot cocoa and coffee at 11pm to stay awake to clean for our Thanksgiving celebration tomorrow! I love spending time with him... any way I can get it!

I'm such a good wife!

Here is a conversation I had with one of the
youth girls tonight before service:

Me: I've decided to dedicate some time to being a good wife.
Rachel: How are you going to do that?
Me: I am going to make some things from scratch for tomorrow's Thanksgiving dinner.
Rachel: What are you going to make?
Me: Pumpkin/Banana Meringue Pie and Cinnamon Apple Cranberry Sauce.
Rachel: Oh, does Chris like those?
Me: No, he hates pumpkin pie and he won't even try cranberry sauce.
Rachel: Then how does that make you a good wife? Why don't you make him strawberry cheesecake, isn't that his favorite?
Me: I don't know how to make that.
Rachel: So you are being a good wife by just making what you want to make?
Me: Exactly!

I'm so glad I am able to be an wonderful example to these young souls!

Why won't these candles blow out?

Last night we celebrated my niece Alina's 2nd birthday at a pink barnyard themed party. It was adorable! I can't believe how much Alina has grown up in the last couple of months! The highlight of the night was the homemade pasta my sister made with my mom's famous sauce recipe. It smelled like Christmas in their house! Happy 2nd Birthday sweet Alina!

and in all things... session 13

Things I am thankful for on November 25, 2009...

1. Isaiah 44:6-8
2. Sharpie Markers
3. Family, family, family
   
4. My sister's cute preggo belly
   
5. My husband's laugh
   
6. Double-sided tape
7. The patience of the Lord
   
8. My family room sky-lights
   
9. My new Gravity 2 phone
   
10. THANKSGIVING!!!
    

The Countdown...

This post is definitely overdue, but I wanted to share some of the fun stuff we did as a family to get ready for our much-needed vacation. Like I said here, I want to make vacations special, just like they were for me growing up. One way we did that was have special things planned beforehand to help boost the anticipation. We started with a "Vacation Countdown." I got the mickey paint cards from Home Depot and numbered them for the month before our trip. Isaac would wake up everyday and remind me to take down another mickey.

Then the week before we left we opened presents in number order with stuff that would help remind us of what we would be seeing in Florida... that meant a lot of Mickey and princess stuff!
Then lastly we had a "Mickey Celebration" the night that Madeline and Christopher came over. We had Mickey decorations, Mickey games and Mickey chicken nuggets. Our pre-vacation activities not only got the kids excited, but me as well. I was less worried about all the laundry, packing and loose ends and more focused on getting away with my family. Plus my kids had so much new stuff they didn't care if we bought anything while we were down there!

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." (Walt Disney)

We just got back from our vacation to Florida and although I took over 300 pics, I'll just share with you some of my favorites. Thanks to everyone who blessed us with prayers and gifts for our trip. We had a wonderful time!
We were able to go to Cocoa Beach for the Atlantis Shuttle Launch. It was pretty amazing and something I am very glad I got to see in my lifetime!

Our days in Orlando were so much fun... Downtown Disney, Magic Kingdom, Millenia Mall, etc. It was so much fun to see the kid's faces when they would see a character they knew.

All in all we had a great time. I got to spend time with the people I love the most in this world, and that is always something I don't take for granted! Now to unpack...

Stay Tuned...

Please come and read my blog next week. I have compiled numerous posts from family and friends that I am excited to share with everyone. They are humorous... they are inspiring...
they are so much fun for me to post!

Stay tuned...

not one of my finer moments!

I had one of those "I-have-to-get-out-of-the-house" days, so I packed everyone up and went to McDonald's for lunch. While we were sitting there with our happy meals, I asked Isaac to pray over the food. He started saying his prayer as loud as he possibly could, and without thinking and before I even realized what I was doing, I leaned over and said "shhhhhhhhh" in his ear. Isaac abruptly stopped his prayer and loudly asked, "why you shhhhh me when I pray to Jesus?" I was mortified... not at the loudness of his question, but that he had to ask it at all. I told him to continue his prayer at the volume he wanted and we all bowed our heads.
Ohhhhhhh, will I ever learn???

a room with a view

This is the view from my daughter's bedroom window. Like I said in this post, it's one of my favorite places to hang out with the Lord. This morning I read this scripture and was, yet again, in awe of the God I serve:

Psalm 139:17, 18
"How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with You."

cheer, cheer, cheer

We had so much fun with Maddy and Christopher tonight.
I am so thankful my kids have cousins they have a blast with!

No little ladies got hurt after shooting this video...

you may be startled at the end, but I promise she landed on a pillow

and in all things... session 12

Things I am thankful for on November 10, 2009...

1. Psalm 97
2. My church family
3. Limes
4. Snuggle times with my kids
5. Kleenex
6. Slim-line Bibles
7. Leftover pumpkin muffins
8. Grace, Grace, Grace!
9. That God is a jealous God
   
10. Sunglasses (and the need for them!)
    

somewhere over the rainbow...

Today we had a wonderful afternoon celebrating my niece Madeline's 3rd birthday in the land of Oz. Matt and Nina did an incredible job decorating for their daughter's party and everyone had so much fun. This little lady has so much personality and I could watch her for hours. Chris and I were cracking up at all the incredibly cute things she was saying all day long. We love you Maddy!

Lance-n-Jeni

My baby sister had her bridal shower yesterday and I have to say that I did a lot better than I thought I would. (I thought I would be an emotional wreck, but I was actually too distracted by my excitement.) The best part was seeing all of the people in Jeni's life that were eager to bless her and Lance and show their support!

What would your T-Shirt say?

I want to get black t-shirts made that say in neon pink "Just because my daughter is screaming at the top of her lungs doesn't mean I'm a bad mom!" As I was checking out of Target today, Zoey decided to have one of her not-so-amusing shrieking sessions. Out of the corner of my eye I can see all types of different reactions: there was a group of 20-something cashier girls looking over in disgust while twirling their recently styled hair, there was a couple in their 50s buying Christmas ornatments glancing over with looks of sympathy, and the girls at the customer service counter were laughing hysterically. I wanted to get everyone's attention around me and say "I know I am giving the impression that I am a mother that doesn't have control of anything, but I promise if you got to know me I could possibly change your mind about that!" Instead I just put on my best grin and pushed the cart out the door.

and in all things... session 11

Things I am thankful for on November 5, 2009...

1. John 14:27
2. Coffee sleeves
3. My daughter's chunky cheeks
   
4. My son's random hugs
   
5. Orange juice
   
6. Thermostats
   
7. Bobby pins
   
8. God's faithfulness
   
9. Fresh parmesan cheese
   
10. The shield of faith
    

What about the thumb?

Sunday is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church and I have been studying the underground church around the world for days now. I want to share with you one excerpt from the book "Tortured for Christ" by Richard Wurmbrand that has managed to really grab my attention this morning.

I met a Russian couple, both sculptors. When I spoke to them about God, they answered, "No, God does not exist. We are bezboshniki- godless. But we will tell you something interesting that happened to us. Once we worked on a statue of Stalin. During the work, my wife asked me, 'How about the thumb? If we did not have an opposing thumb- if our fingers were like our toes- we could not hold a hammer, mallet, tool, book or piece of bread. Human life would be impossible without this little thumb. Now who made the thumb? We both learned Marxism in school and know that heaven and earth exist by themselves. They are not created by God. So I have learned and so I believe. But if God did not create heaven and earth, if He created only the thumb, He would be praiseworthy for this little thing. We praise Edison and Bell and Stephenson who have invented the electric bulb, telephone, railway and other things. But why should we not praise the One who has invented the thumb? If Edison had not a thumb, he would have invented nothing. It is only right to worship God who made the thumb.'"

If you are interested in learning more please go to:
Voice of the Martyrs
Open Door Ministry

To receive your FREE personal copy of "Tortured for Christ" please go to THIS WEBSITE.

it's the little things...

This is what I heard:

"Don't touch the car, Zo, we are reading the Bible!"
And this is what I saw:

will i ever learn?

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Today I had a total brain malfunction and decided to quickly run into Michaels for some left over spider Halloween stuff for a spider-man day we are going to have in the near future. After 20 minutes of binkies, bottles, suckers and nap-threats, we finally found what we needed and got into the loooooooooooooong check out line. There was a little old lady in line right behind us that gave me much needed sympathy and even rubbed my back when Zoey let out her 3rd piercing scream. FINALLY we were next in line when I hear the dreaded words.... "Mama, I have to potty NOW!" After asking him numerous times if he could wait, he started to cry and hold himself. I gave a defeated look to my new elderly friend and quietly stepped out of line. Needless to say, we left bladder free and without making any purchases. Will I ever learn?

a professional tree hugger

Today was such a wonderful day at our annual Legacy IMPACT Retreat. At the very end of the day, I joined the students in a high ropes course way up in the trees. I haven't done one of these since college! I spent half the time hugging the platform tree before I slowly made my way onto the next course. Should a 30 year old mom of 2 really be walking on a balance beam stretched between 2 trees 30 feet in the air? What was I thinking? I am definitely not posting the extremely unflattering pictures that were taken of me up in the air with a harness on, but I will say that I had a blast challenging myself to do the things that I thought might be impossible. Thanks to all the students that talked me through the course... I might possibly have the best job in the world!

More pictures at the LEGACY Blog