Weekly Snapshot

January is one of my favorite time of the year.  I love planning and preparing for a new year. Setting goals.  Fasting. Praying. Reflecting. Organizing. And relaxing.  That’s what I spent most of last week doing.

Monday

I got this beautiful bunch of brussels sprouts from Trader Joe’s.  They were so simple to make and really delicious.  I used Ina Garten’s recipe.  Then I topped them with goat cheese when they came out of the oven.  So yummy!

Tuesday

Elle has just started this new thing where she tugs at her clothes saying “oww! oww! oww!”  Somedays, I can’t even keep clothes on my little girl.  Tuesday was one of those days.  But when I pulled out the jewelry, she was all about wearing that!  Couldn’t keep clothes on her but jewelry was another story.

Wednesday

Every night,  Luke gets out of bed because he needs a kiss, a drink of water, a snack, a sock, a missing ligament.  Haha!  You name it-he finds an excuse!  Wednesday night, Mike had just finished his dinner, and we were sitting on the couch talking.  Luke comes bouncing down the stairs, hops on the couch, and proclaims, “take pictures of me.”  I couldn’t help but snap a few before sending him back to bed.

Such a ham!

Thursday

One of my New Year’s goals is to spend one time hanging out with my children.  Yes, I’m with them 24 hours a day 7 days a week but I feel I spend lots of that time just managing them and not enjoying them as much as I should or want to.  So Thursday, we all 3 piled on the couch, cuddled and read lots of books.  Good for the soul!

Friday

One of my goals this year was to read 2 books per month.  The other was to spend 30 minutes a day reading besides my morning quiet time.   This was the first book, Crazy Love,  on my list to read.  And wow!!!  The rest of books have a lot to live up to!

I’m not even sure how I would describe this book.  It made me fall deeper in love with my creator.  And challenged my idea of what my life is suppose to look like.  Every Christian needs to read this book!

We spent most of the weekend at home trying to recover our bodies and pocketbooks from all the holiday partying.  Hope everyone has a blessed New Year!

We Have a 4-Year-Old

Our little boy turned 4 on Christmas Day.

As a mother, its hard to express in words just how much you love your children.  Perhaps those words don’t even exist. I sent a text to Mike last week after Luke said something incredibly profound and hilarious at the same time that said, ” How in the world and why in the world did God choose me to be His mom?  I’m so blessed!” Really, that is the way I feel about my little guy.  So incredibly blessed to be his momma!  We have our hard moments, and we’ve even had some hard seasons where disciplining and training are a constant but in even in those times I wouldn’t trade him for anything!

I haven’t written this post yet because I haven’t known how I wanted to write it.  I wrote Elle a letter on her 1st birthday.  But I’ve wondered how to express my feelings and impart some truth into Luke on his 4th birthday so I’m just getting around to it.  (It doesn’t help that the little guy’s birthday is on Christmas-the most busiest time of the year! )

I’ve decided to just post the characteristics I see in Luke and how I pray God will use them in His future.

Luke, you have such a zeal for life!  You find enjoyment in almost everything.  You look forward to “what’s next.”  You are constantly asking me, “What’s next, Mommy?”  ”What time will we do such and such?”  You love everything about life.  I love watching that in you.  Never loose that!  God has great plans for your future and that is something to be joyful about!

Luke, you are inspired and energized by people.  I have seen you shy only a handful of times. Even as a baby, you were always smiling and waving and saying, “Hi-yah,” to everyone you came in contact with.  You never buried your head in Mommy or turned away from a person. You love people! I believe God is going to use your love of people for His glory in your life.

Luke, you are so affectionate.  You are always full of hugs and kisses for your Daddy, Mommy, and your sister.  The other morning I was getting you dressed and you looked at me and said, “Mommy, you are so pretty!  I’m so glad you are my Mommy!”  And then you gave me the biggest bear hug.  For no reason.  Just because.  When Daddy is leaving in the mornings for work, you want him to hug you over and over and over just because you love his big bear hugs.  A month ago, I heard you say to Elle, again for no reason, “Elle, I will always love you and protect you.”  I pray you will always be tenderhearted and affectionate sharing the love of Jesus with everyone you come in contact with.

Luke, you are full of knowledge.  Reading at 22 months!  Bypassing preschool basics by 2. And already grasping the concept of multiplication tables at 3.  It simply amazes me.  I’m blown away everyday by the knowledge the Lord imparted into you so early.  But Luke, I pray everyday that He would impart even greater wisdom into than He has knowledge.  Knowledge-it might get you an A, a college degree, and an easy life in school.  But those things are temporary, fleeting-they last only a blink of an eye.  Wisdom-its eternal.  It will keep you from harm and be your shield.  Luke, I pray weekly, Proverbs 2 over you.  Hide that chapter in your heart always.

Luke, you are full of energy!  You love ALL sports.  It just depends on what season it is and that is your favorite sport.   You were given soccer goal/pitchback, football, baseball and football cards, basketball goal, bases and pitcher’s mound, baseball bat, soccer ball, hockey sticks and puck, all for Christmas.  You haven’t stopped playing them.  I’ll never forget Christmas morning you walked downstairs and saw your goal and pitchback and exclaimed, “Well this is certainly sports!”  I love this about you.

Luke, God has a perfect place for you in life for all the attributes he has placed within you.  Long for him!  Earn for him. He will always be your deepest satisfaction.  Put your hope, trust, and faith in Him always!  Because He has it under control!

“Oh Lord, be gracious to Luke;

May Luke long for you.

Be his strength every morning,

his salvation in times of distress.

At the thunder of you voice, the peoples flee;

when you rise up, the nations scatter.

Your plunder, O nations, is harvested as by young locusts;

like a swarm of locusts men pounce on it.

The Lord is exalted for he dwells on high;

he will fill you, Luke, with justice and righteousness.

He will be the sure foundation for your times,

a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;

Luke, the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure!”

Isaiah 33:2-6

We took a 4th birthday interview.

Happy Birthday to my sweet boy!  You are such a blessing to our family!!!

For Unto Us a Child is Born

Christmas night, Mike and I finished up some last minute Santa preparations since Santa agreed to visit us a day late because we were traveling.  That Santa is a good man!

Afterwards, I sat down to reflect with a cup of hot tea in my favorite recliner.  I always like to take some to myself on Christmas and just mediate on what the birth of Jesus did for a wretched soul like me.  Christmas night was the first chance I had to do that.  I didn’t turn to Luke like I normally do to recount the events of His glorious birth.  I turned to Isaiah 9.

I came to verse 4, “For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of the oppressors.”  I begin meditating on that….Burdens.  The bar across their shoulders.  I thought about my own burdens.  The things I was carrying that were weighing me down.  The anxiety. Some minor health issues.

Its so true that burdens are like a bar across our shoulders.  They are extra baggage that we carry around.  Right then I pictured myself walking with Bars of weights on my shoulders typical to the ones you use in the gym for shoulder presses and chest exercises.  I saw each one of my burdens as a bar-the anxiety, the health issue, the lack of faith. With each burden my load got heavier so therefore I slumped. I walked much slower.  Running?  Yea, that wasn’t happening!

Then I read verse 6 and immediately began thanking Jesus! “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.”  Did you catch that too?  The government will be on His shoulders! Wow!  I shudder at the freedom we have because of the birth of a baby-God’s only son.  I shudder to think we don’t have to carry our burdens.  We were given the gift of someone who will do that for us-Jesus!

Its such an elementry principle but I don’t know about you, I need reminding of this so many times.  That He carries our burdens.  We just have to give them to him and trust that he is in control.

I can literally count on 1 hand that times in my life that I had what I call tangible God encounters one of them was a dream I had at age 7 when my mom was sick.  Jesus came to me in my dream and said, “I will take care of you.”  I will never forget that.  Of course, in my 7-year-old mind that meant Jesus would heal my mom, and I told her that he told me that.  So after her death until just Christmas of last year, I carried the burden of that around.  That is another post entirely.

But another one of my tangible God encounters was at 18. I went down to the alter one night after Wednesday night service just to pray.  It was for nothing imparticular but I just felt led to go there.  As I was praying, a Pastor came up and started praying for me.  Towards the end of his prayer he said the words, “God is taking away the spirit of grief that is upon you.”  Immediately, I felt like a load of bricks were being lifted from my shoulders.  It felt like it was physically happening.   It was the wildest encounter I have ever had from the Lord.  I will never forget it.

I was carrying around a burden I didn’t even know existed.  Yes, I knew I had experienced much grief in my early years but I didn’t realize it was still such a burden I was carrying.  Yet, God was faithful.  He revealed to me a burden holding me back from fullness in Him!

Christmas Day, as I pondered that God encounter and the scripture and the new revelation of Isaiah 9 He had given me, I was overwhelmed that that simple birth in the manager made it possible for me to have someone else to carry my burdens.  To not be weighed down by the things of this world but to be transformed by Him.  Its such a simple principle but it is so hard for us to do. And it is available for all of us!

Have you given Him your burdens so you can live the full life he intends for you to or are you bogged by weights that make each step you take slower, make you slump a little lower, and inhibit your ability to run?  I know I’m still handing them over.  Daily.  It is a choice not worry and just trust.

 And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!!!

We celebrated the birth of the greatest gift we’ve all been given and the one who carries all our burdens at Mike’s parents house this year.   I didn’t take many pictures.  I left my good camera at home.

While we were there, We celebrated Luke’s 4th birthday.

Just hung out as a family.Ha!  I promised we put the electronic devices down some of the time.

And celebrated Christmas.

Mike got a musical tie!

We headed home Christmas afternoon.  Our car packed full! And the babies wiped out from all the fun they had!

Luke and Elle left Santa a thank you note with cookies and juice.  Luke insisted I not leave cow milk because it was his favorite I hardly buy it anymore.  (We’ve pretty much switched to organic soy and almond milk the majority of the time.) Yes, we are still working on selfishness too.

Santa left Elle kitchen accessories, and Luke got a goal/pitchback.  Luke was pretty upset about the mess Santa made.  He even went and got the broom before he would start opening his other gifts.

After opening presents, we had a relaxing Christmas/Birthday breakfast for Luke, read the Christmas story and watched a video of the Christmas story, and played with the kid’s new toys.

That afternoon Mike and I watched our favorite Christmas movie, Elf, and played scrabbled.  I’m thinking this is becoming a yearly tradition.

Then we all got dressed up and had Christmas dinner-Shrimp Cocktail, Prime Rib, Cheese grits, Asparagus, Rolls, and Ambrosia and Chocolate Cake. Yummy!

It really was a relaxing celebration as a family!

The the day after we had a 5-day visit with the Burgbachers and their superheros.

We shopped, ate out, went to the zoo and ikea, hiked Kennesaw mountain, played games, and the adults did a little New Year’s Eve Progressive Dinner.

Here are my favorite pictures from their visit:

Great start to the New Year!

 

 

 

 

Weekly Snapshot

I haven’t been blogging as much as I used to.  I don’t like that.  Writing is one of my favorite creative stress relievers–No mess made, sticky fingers, stained clothes, and best of all, it can be left without worries of little hands getting into it when a 3-year-old needs their bottom wiped or a little girl spills her drink all over the kitchen…all results of other creative projects I delved into. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to get back to blogging more faithfully, soon-I hope!  But until then I’ve committed to myself to keep up with these Weekly Snapshots.

Sunday

Last Sunday, I posted about Elle and I going to Mother/Daughter tea at a friend’s house.  She sent me this picture.  It isn’t the best but I love how Elle has her lovie, brown blanket, on her head.

Monday:

Luke, Elle, and I painted the ornaments/gift tags we made the Friday before.

Luke made and painted a football for his tree.

Elle painted a butterfly for her tree.

And don’t let these pretty little pictures fool you!  It might have been somewhat organized and clean at first but it quickly turned messy!

That’s what kid’s crafts are for!  I try to keep the messy, possible stress inducing crafts to once a week.  In fact, I found myself googling “non messy Christmas preschool crafts” today.  (Just keepin’ it real, friends!)

Tuesday

A couple of weeks ago, I said how Mike’s schedule was nice and wasn’t much of adjustment at all.  Well, that changed for me last week.  Last week, every ounce of me hated it!  Thankfully, it was nothing a lot of prayer and support of my husband couldn’t carry me through.  But I have to admit, I love that Luke and Elle get have their mornings with their Daddy everyday reading them their devotions.

Wednesday

It was just one those days when dark chocolate is the only thing that sounds good.  No, I didn’t eat the whole bar!  

Thursday:

Luke, Elle, and I had such a treat!  We went to the Fox Theater in downtown Atlanta to see the Nutcracker.  They both were clapping, dancing, and enjoying it.  This place is beautiful!  I felt so blessed to treat my children to such an special Christmas tradition in a fabulous setting!

Friday:

At the beginning of the season, I made a list of all the Christmas activities we wanted to do with the kids.  I typed them up, printed them out, cut them, and inserted an activity into their advent calendar for each day.  So everyday after breakfast, we see what the Christmas activity we will be doing that day. They aren’t all elaborate activities. Some are as simple as drinking hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows or making cookies for the neighbors.
Friday’s paper read “Go look at Christmas lights,” so we headed to a local college campus that decorates for Christmas.

Saturday and Sunday:

Mike and I worked on the kid’s big Christmas gift. A few months ago, I mentioned how I was overwhelmed by the Lord’s goodness to us after a Goodwill shopping trip!  Yes, I said a Goodwill shopping trip.

Since last Christmas I knew I wanted to get Elle (and Luke too, frankly) a kitchen for Christmas.  This fall when she really started wanting to imitate me and be right where I was, I knew the kitchen would still be the perfect gift for her.  So what’s the problem?

My husband gives me a hard time. I have expensive taste.  I like to call it quality taste!  I really didn’t want a plastic kitchen but the quality wooden kitchens were out of our budget. One day on Pinterest, I came across this little cute kitchen  repurposed from an old entertainment center.  Although I’m not very good at DIY projects, I knew since I still had a couple months till Christmas I could do it.  So, Mike and I headed to Goodwill one Sunday looking for an old entertainment center to convert to Elle’s play kitchen.  Guess what was there?

A $250 Melissa and Doug kitchen priced at $30!!

The Lord has really been teaching me how He cares about the little things.  See, I have no problem trusting the Lord for the big things-I’ve never doubted His love, control, protection, etc.  Its always been the little things that I have faith issues with-does the Lord really care if Elle gets a plastic kitchen or a wooden kitchen?? I think he does!  That’s why I was so ministered to after that trip.  I literally wept in the car!  And no, we aren’t having financial problems.  It is just the continued faithfulness of God that moves me!!  He is just so good!!!! I feel so undeserving of His immense love for me and the way He displays it.  My prayer is everyone would know Him and experience His daily faithfulness.

Okay, I didn’t mean to preach.  But I can’t contain the joy He has given me sometimes!

But Royal blue, cherries, and doodles aren’t really our style.  And I knew I wanted to put it in the kitchen, where I’d look at for hours a day so Mike and I gave this little kitchen a makeover this weekend.

I LOVE how it turned out!  The fridge and freezer were painted with chalkboard paint too so Elle can doodle to her little heart’s desire!  I had intentions of doing a fancy backsplash but decided for time and money’s sake to nix it.  It’s still cute!  Although, a hand painted or vinyl quaterfoil pattern on the backsplash in white or light grey is still on my mind!

Can’t wait to see Elle play in her new kitchen on Christmas!

Praying all of you have a blessed Christmas and experience His faithfulness in everything-even those little things!

Weekly Snapshot

Monday-

We met my sister-in-law and nieces, Laura, Ashley, and Skyler, at Ikea.  They were passing through the area and had never been to Ikea.  Like usual, I gave Luke the Ipod to entertain him while shopping.  We ended up getting an early dinner at their restaurant, and I distinctly remember taking the IPod from Luke and putting it in the stroller.  After dinner and playing, Luke asked for the Ipod again.  I went to grab it and it was gone.  We scoured the store for at least 30 minutes.  I called Ikea several times last week asking about it.  I’m pretty sure someone must have grabbed it.  All I can say is I hope they enjoy it as much as my little boy misses it.  He cried for at least an hour, “My Ipod!  My Ipod from my Granddad. Granddad is going to be so sad. Daddy is going to be sad.  My Ipod!”

Tuesday

We lost power due to a down tree during the rain storm we had.

Wednesday

The power came back on at some point during the night and must have stayed on awhile but went back out just in time for alarm clocks,  breakfast, and getting dressed for the day.  So we cancelled our plans to carol at the nursing home that morning and instead joined Daddy at Starbuck’s.

Thursday

You will rarely see “snapshots” from our life at 1:30 am-we love our sleep in this house.  But early Thursday morning Mike was eating dinner!  And Luke is just like his mommy and can’t sleep well till daddy is home.  As soon as Mike walked in the door at 1 am he was running down the stairs in a zombie state saying, “Daddy, you’re home! You’re home!”

Why the late night? Mike’s new “project” at worked started Tuesday.  He ended up having to work till 12:45 Thursday morning.  No worries. A hot dinner was waiting when he got home. And so was his little buddy.

Double portion…

The kids and I made Christmas tree brownies Thursday night after dinner.

Friday

The kids and I made Christmas ornaments using this recipe. We still have to paint them but here they are mixing the dough.

Saturday

We headed to Lenox Mall for a visit with Santa.

Luke wanted a birdhouse and a replacement for his Ipod.

The sun was right in Elle’s eyes so she is squinting.  We did everything to get a smile out of that girl but nothing seemed to work.  It’s an odd tradition we have to force our children to sit in the lap of a strange man.   Most kids were screaming at the top of their lungs.  Luke was one of the only kids I saw that was excited about Santa.  Elle wasn’t sure whether to believe the other kids, that Santa is a scary man, or her brother, that he is a jolly fellow.

Sunday

We left the house at 9:30 in the morning for church, lunch, Christmas shopping, and a mother/daughter tea for Elle and I and football in the park for Daddy and Luke.  When Mike I pulled into the garage we both said, “What is that smell?”As soon as my feet hit the ground, I remembered! “Pumpkin Bread.”  I put a 2nd loaf of pumpkin bread in the oven right after breakfast, I set the timer, and knew it’d be ready to take out of the oven as we were leaving.  Even though I was up at 4:30 am, we were still rushing to get out the door, I didn’t hear the timer, and the bread stayed in the oven.  Although, I wish I had taken a picture of Elle and I dressed in our “tea party” clothes, alas this is the only Sunday picture I took.

Pumpkin bread, anyone?

**I almost hate posting some of these pictures because of the poor quality.  I took most of these on my phone.  The camera isn’t very good.  Can’t wait to get my new one for Christmas!

Thankful Tree

I was going through my pictures this afternoon and realized I had never posted our Thankful Tree.  Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays, and I wanted to do something to special to celebrate throughout November.  I came across a Thankful garland for a mantle on Pinterest.  It inspired me to do a tree.  Apparently, many other people have been inspired to make a thankful for tree, as well. I definitely wasn’t the first so I can’t take credit for this.

Everyday of November, each person in the family would write on a leaf what they were thankful for.  Luke and Elle’s responses were always entertaining.  Luke was thankful for God, IPODs, Daddy, His Bible, Wii, Baseball, etc., but my favorite response was My Mommy’s cooking. Elle each day would say Mommy or Daddy but one day she said Kitty-Kat.  This little girl love animals!

As as I was packing up the Thankful tree making room for Christmas decor, I couldn’t help but chuckle at Mike’s response vs. my responses.  Mike’s leaves had things like “God,” “Erin,” “Luke,” “Elle,” “Salvation,” “A job”….you get the point.  My responses were barely legible on some leaves because I got so descriptive-”breakfast with my sweet children,” “a date night at home with my husband,” “Underserved Grace,” “Pumpkin Coffee and Pumpkin Scones,” “Green Smoothies,” “Salvation at an early age,” “Creation and All its Beauty,” “Growth in Wisdom of things of the Lord.” I’m not sure if this is a difference between Mike and Erin or Men and Women.  I’d be willing to guarantee it is Men and Women.  God is a unique designer!

The thankful tree will become a tradition in the Denny house.

Last Week’s Highlights

Sunday-Tree Trimming Party:

3 years ago, we started the tradition to make and eat finger foods while we trim the tree.

Pre-dinner Prayers.

Almost finished product. Still need to add a topper, snow, and a string of lights.

We always read the Christmas story after we decorate the tree.

Monday-Kitchen Helpers

Elle is such a Momma’s girl.  She wants to be where I am.  Now she insists on cooking with me. She pushes a chair from the kitchen table and cozies up right next me.

Luke wanted to make his and Elle’s lunch.

Tuesday: Kangazoom

I took the kids to an indoor Jump place using a great deal I got off Groupon. Elle was HI-larious!  She would climb  to the top of the slide and go down all by herself.  Then repeat it.  Over and over and over and over and over…..well, you get the point.

Wednesday:  Chick-Fil-A

Luke had play practice that morning then I had a meeting a church Wednesday evening.  Since we had such a busy day with  A LOT of time spent in the car, I decided to do a little Christmas shopping then take the kids to the mall food court for dinner.  Per usual, Luke wanted to trade his toy in for Chick-Fil-A icecream.  He went up to the counter and did it all by himself while I watched from a distance.  I even heard him say Please and Thank you!

Thursday: New Schedule

Mike started his new schedule on Monday.  It definitely has its pros and cons.

Pros:

• I have help in the morning to knock something off my to do list right away.
• My days seems longer so I am accomplishing much more.
• We get a quiet dinner alone almost every night.

Definitely, not as bad as I was expecting.

Cons:

• I’ve already had to turn down invites out since I have noone to watch the kids in the evening.  Including, Kari Jobe coming to Chapelhill on Thursday night.  I LOVE Kari Jobe!  I’m so disappointed to miss her!
• Our nights are super short-working on OmniPrint is pressed for time so there is very little or no time most evening for any relaxing.

But that is ok!  Luke LOVES it because Daddy plays football with him every morning.  I couldn’t help but snap pictures of them “stretching” before their game.

Friday: Luke’s Christmas Play

Luke was the “Wise Looking Child” in his Christmas Play for our homeschool co-op, “A Christmas Gift.”

It was nothing short of fidgeting, some nose picking, and not standing exactly where he should but he was cute-that’s all that matters to this momma!  This was my favorite: He would stand to watch the scene on the other side of the stage instead of sitting like he was suppose to.

They sang 6 songs.

Luke’s one line….wait for it! “Wise Men”

Elle wasn’t very interested and at one point she bolted towards the stage saying, “Brudder! Brudder!”

Fun week!  And the best part was a very relaxing weekend followed. Mike and I even got to see a movie-our first one together in nearly 2 years!  We were making fun of ourselves because we felt like kids in a candy store from the sights, smells, and sounds of a real movie theater!