My answer to Wal-Mart's politically correct statement is the manger scene I created. I figure if you can't buy it at the store, then we'll just have to make it instead! I get so tired of the giant Wal-Mart that Americans think can answer all of their needs and wants (me included).

Micah has two weeks off! I am so excited for our family to get some time together. We really need it, and to top everything off God blessed us with a significant raise. What a special blessing! So...for now most of my family is sleeping...Blaine is watching the Christmas Star...and I am catching up with classmates on Facebook.
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I am almost done with my Christmas shopping. I just have a few things to figure out for my brother, my cousins, my nieces, and my nephew. I am super excited about the gifts we got our girls this year. We found two wonderful cookbooks for Elizabeth. One is called A Mermaid Cookbook and has recipes that look like things you would find on the beach or in the sea. It is so beautiful, and I think she will really like it. The other is a 1957 Betty Crocker Cookbook for Boys and Girls. It has lists with pictures of every utensil you need to stock your kitchen, basic recipes for cooking eggs and other common things everyone needs to know. It is fantastic, and I can't wait for her use it. For Rebecca I found an American Girl Gymnastics book! What a find. It has excerpts of famous gymnasts, what to do if you get injured, how to's on the bar etc, how to do your hair (she'll love that), posters, etc. And it was only $9! One of the most exciting things for me is that I get 20% off with my teacher's discount.
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Rebecca jumped from the low bar to the high bar in her class on Thursday. They were supposed to learn that skill in their next class, but she asked her teacher if she could try. She did it! Many of the girls were timid about trying, but all of them tried after she did it. I was so button busting proud of her!
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Another exciting thing is that both of our girls have been very excited about reading for the first time ever. Micah made this wonderful reading chart at the beginning of the fall semester, and Elizabeth filled hers in very quickly. Rebecca has been sort of dragging her feet and just getting a little done each day and only because I make her. Well, she finally got to the halfway prize of getting to pick out a $5 book. She chose a Christmas fairy book and read it in 3 days. She is now only 30 minutes away from finishing her entire chart. We bought her the second fairy book, and she stayed up last night reading and reading. Finally I told her she had to go to bed. She told me the cutest thing, "It's amazing how when you find something you like to read, you just don't want to stop." Whew. Maybe there's hope for us yet!

Wal-Mart Eat Your Heart Out!

You'll notice to the right my reply to Wal-Mart's statement to be "politically correct" this year! There is NOTHING any store can make, that God can't do better.

So there.

Be Sure to Turn Your Speakers ON....

if you want to hear some Christmas music.

Favorite Christmas Movies...(please add your own)

1. It's a Wonderful Life (oh, my nothing compares)
2. Santa Claus 1, 2, and 3
3. The Nativity
4. The Chronicles of Narnia
5. The Polar Express (awesome)

I've Had A Wonderful Two Days...

No sickness, and one of my friends just delivered her 11th child. Yes, I said 11th! Her 6th child, who happens to be 6 came and stayed two days with us (just during the day). He was such a delight as blaine and he played non-stop for two days straight. This entertainment provided me with time to bake, relax, play games with the girls, and help them with school. We have watched so many fun Christmas movies that I usually don't take time to see. But since I have been staying home, it has provided me time to enjoy these wonderful luxuries.

I feel so blessed this year with the ability to give homemade gifts to my friends. Usually it is not until I leave a friend's house that I realize I should have made them some cookies for Christmas, but for whatever reason God has given me grace this year to realize beforehand that it will only take a minute or two to whip something up. Unfortunately this has provided me with a few extra pounds, because a baker must sample her goodies for authenticity.

We still have many, many things to do to get ready for Christmas, but alas payday is not until Friday! We must wait until then to finish the job. And then we will join every other Christmas-crazed person who has waited until the last minute! Oh, well!*

S*N*O*W*F*L*A*K*E*S

I love this time of year! I cannot believe we got snow last night!!! Now for you Dallas folk, northerners, I know that is not a big deal to have 1/8" of snow. But for us southerners, any snowflake before Christmas is completely unheard of. The kids played all morning on the trampoline, scooping and sliding and giggling. It was a great time! They came in frequently to tank up on hot chocolate and to warm themselves by the fire, but it was wonderful to see their rosy cheeks all morning delighting in God's early Christmas present.

Grumpy Old Lady

The below post sounds like I'm such a grumpy old lady. I hope everyone understands that I don't have this horrible aversion to toddlers or anything. In fact, I love them! That is partly why I wanted to take on the job so badly. But there is something incredibly different about going through a pregnancy, having a baby, and enjoying it grow into a toddler rather than having one plunked on your doorstep every morning. She's incredibly cute, but if she is anything like her brother and sister she probably gives everyone a run for their money. I mean, I have to ask myself WHY they have gone through 3 nannies in her short 18 month old life. There MUST be a reason. Somehow her parents think $50 a day is more than enough to compensate for our lives being totally turned upside-down by their three children. I just don't think so. At first I was ready to jump on it, and Micah brought me down to planet Earth. But still, the thought of getting to influence their little lives and hug her little hands brings a little bit of nostalgia to my heart.

But every time I leave the house mid-day for a run around the neighborhood or take Rebecca to gymnastics or Elizabeth to dance I ask myself how in the world I was planning to get that done with THREE extra children. It just couldn't happen! I would be trapped at home. So, please don't judge me for sounding like a grumpy old lady. And just the thought of leaving home every day at 2:35 to pick them up from school. Ugh. We can't even get our own school done by then. Then, they wanted me to do school with THEIR children until they got home at 5:30. I think they're crazy! Or at least I would be.

Close One

I've come to feel better about the childcare situation. Waking up at 10 am this morning helped me to see that there was really no way I could have been ready for a toddler in the house ALL DAY. I've been coughing all morning, and my house looks like I haven't swept or vacuumed in years. I cannot imagine having to deal with another child on top of mine.

Another funny thing is that we were talking to our neighbors this weekend. The husband decided to stay home all month to care for the kids. She commented that she didn't see how he was going to get any work done with her in the house! Whew. That was a close one on my part.

I'm sick with the same congestion stuff micah had over thanksgiving. I've almost worked my way through an entire box of 160 Kleenex. I'm taking every medicine and supplement known to man. I can't wait to feel better. Why is it that every time I can start exercising again, something else happens? Please tell me this will just be a season.

I am still not feeling better about the childcare situation with my neighbor. To me, it seems we are not being a good neighbor, but honestly I really don't want to be tied down every day.

After 6 years, I am FINALLY ordering prints online. We realized the other day that blaine doesn't remember very much about his childhood because he has no pictures. We don't tell him stories of it because I don't think we remember either. Snapfish has prints for $.09 each. At that price I can afford to do this. No more excuses, and now I have two girls who can help me get them in an album. Yes, this should be a piece of cake.

Well, I did it. I told her I couldn't do it. It was so horribly hard to do. One of those times when you feel like you're really letting someone down. And even doubly hard is that we have been praying diligently for this family. I can't help but wonder if God was trying to make a way for me to have some influence on their life. Did I shut the door? But I must trust my husband's judgement. He really didn't think it was a good idea.

Amy I crazy?

Am I crazy to pass up $1000? A neighbor needs someone to watch her kids for one month. I would have the baby all day, every day and the two school aged kids after school. I'd love the money, but as Micah said, "Is it really worth it?". They are not the most well-behaved kids. They get into stuff, say things they shouldn't, and are down-right disobedient. Ugh. Why couldn't they be wonderful children? Somehow I have to tell her I can't do it. It's difficult for me b/c I could really use the money for the kids school, to purchase clothing, and to buy an ipod. I know the ipod is not really that important, but it does have to do with my health. I will be using it to run. Lord, why do you give us such difficult decisions to make?