'Twas Christmas Day....

Twas the day of Christmas and all through the house,
every creature was stirring - Even the tinniest mouse...
I mean, Children, of course, who were happy to see
many presents for themselves under the tree.

The morning got off to a very fast start
with no interest at all in the Christmas breakfast tart.
The paper and trimmings flew through the air
Not a single piece of paper went without tear.

Graciously opening their presents in turn,
They went one after the other - enjoying the pattern.
The excitement, the laughter, and the smiles progressed
As with each new gift they grew more and more impressed.

Moving upstairs to the next living room,
The gift giving and opening soon would resume.
Surrounded by family and lots of treasured love
We thanked God for the gift of Jesus from above.

When the giving and opening had finally ceased
I sat back and watched the joy that increased.
Untwisting and untying every single toy,
I found my heart to be so full of joy.

For God had provided again this year,
So plentiful and unsparing, so perfect and clear.
So as we move into the year 2009
May we continue on the journey of God's great design.

For today is the day we celebrate His birth,
Connecting us to the Father, when He came to earth.
Of this truth, may we never lose sight.
Merry Christmas to All, and to all a goodnight!


This is the best pic I could get of the two of them! Jonah is being anti-picture posing at times....


The Biggest Littlest Pet Shop! She is so excited! Thank you Grandma and Paw Paw!


Jonah loves trucks! Especially ones with buttons!!


Alyssa is so happy to have her very own Bible! She is so proud of this!


Jonah loves music and is very happy to have his own guitar now! :)






**Many many thanks go out to all the people that helped make this a special year for this little family. Thank you to all the grandparents, and both the named and the unnamed givers! May God bless each and everyone one of you as He has blessed us by using you! Thank you so much!**

Finally figured out the video!

okay, i found that if i post on youtube then i can put the video up. So finally, here is the video of Alyssa singing at church this past Sunday.

Yesterday I took the kids to visit their cousins, aunt and uncle, and grandparents on their dad's side. It had been awhile since we had seen them, and we had a wonderful time. The girls immediately starting playing. Jonah is usually my shadow, but he warmed up after while. We brought gingerbread men and women and the kiddos decorated them and then ate them for dessert!



Grandma and Paw Paw came for lunch and they brought Christmas presents for Alyssa and Jonah and they each opened one gift! It was great to see them and everyone had such a great time! :)



It was a fun time had by all! Thank you Grandma and Paw Paw for ALL the presents! We appreciate and love you! xoxoxo



And today, Alyssa sang a song in church! I captured it on video, but I can't seem to get this thing to upload the video. I will keep trying, but I'm giving up tonight. It is a sweet song that says "I am never separated from God's love. There is no love any greater; it's wonderful. He promised me in His word, nothing in heaven or on earth can separate me from God's love." Alyssa loves this song, and told me that she always gets tears in her eyes when she sings it because it makes her think about how great God's love is for her! She is such a treasure. Oh, how blessed to have a child that understands this truth at such a young age. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 3 John 1:4

Christmas Fun

The Christmas Season is in full swing! So far, we have enjoyed many fun Christmas activities. We went to the lighting of the tree in downtown Lawrenceville on Thanksgiving night and boy were Alyssa and Jonah tired by then!



We also made a gingerbread house! Check out our little tasty creation.






Alyssa was chose to be in a school performance. She looked so pretty in her outfit and super cute with that toothless smile of hers. This year, we are singing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!"



Okay, so I'm just getting started on this blog thing really! I have more things to post and more pictures to upload and I'm excited about sharing the things that we have all been up to! So please check back soon, (like tomorrow night) because I will work on this tomorrow afternoon and give more updates! Today was a fun day visiting with cousins, Katie and Barry, and Grandma and Paw Paw. I'll post pictures of that tomorrow as well and then I hope to get on board with this whole blogging thing full force! Thanks Katie for inspiring me to do this, and for showing me the little "tricks of this trade!"

Birthdays!!

To celebrate Alyssa and Jonah birthdays we rented the park pavilion and had a "bike party" where we played parachute games, had a cookout, did presents, and a cookie cake. The children all brought their bikes and we decorated them with streamers and balloons and they raced around the sidewalk circle. I am lucky to still be getting away with having one party for the two of them...

Some pics from Summer '08

Memorial
Day
2008
<------

Jonah likes the DAWGS!!
TRAIN 'EM YOUNG!





One of my favorite times as a kid was being able to do this. These two really enjoy a summer rain. If it is raining we usually have our windows open, and if its warm you can find us outside with umbrellas, splashing in the puddles. Afterwards, its inside for a shower, warm clothes, and a movie. This is Jonah when we visited some family up in South Carolina. We stopped and fed these goats and this 'lil pony.


Monkey See. Monkey Do. Alyssa and Jonah spend lots of time together. Sometimes they fight. And sometimes we have days like this - sheer bliss! This is at Vines Botanical Gardens, which is now a public park!