Merry Christmas!

I'm convinced that no matter how early I begin preparing for Christmas...I am ALWAYS rushing around last minute to get the last stocking stuffers. I am ready now...I think. Gifts wrapped. Cookies made. Cards sent. Crafts finished. And now we are all excited. I am 38 years old & still get giddy opening presents! Bring it on!!! I have another reason to feel giddy...full of joy.
Every Christmas I think about my salvation. 14 years ago...my new life in Christ began...and it gives Christmas a greater meaning to me than ever before. That day, an amzing gift was offered to me. I opened it. And it changed me inside and out. And HE continues to change me...thank you Lord...for this amazing gift...your Son...fully man and fully God...this gives us a reason to celebrate!
MERRY JOYFUL GIDDY HAPPY CHRISTMAS!
Love,
The Happy Five

Real Men Fold Laundry

Yes...real men...men who love their wives unconditionally, men who are considerate, men who are diligent, men who are patient, and men who are kind.

This photo would be me...if not for my man.

Thank you Bill...for folding laundry. Thank you that even though you work hard all day long & deserve to plop your body down on the couch and veg in front of the tv...you fold the clothes.

THIS is LOVE!

Thank you honey...I owe you...BIG TIME!!!

Searching For Christmas

This year's Christmas Play was wonderful. I feel so blessed that my 3 kids get to be a part of such a wonderful production. Many homeschoolers do not have this same opportunity! How fun to see them all on stage, dancing & singing! I hope you enjoy the slideshow...thanks to my dad for taking such great pictures!

My Dancin' 3

Thought you'd all like this video of the kids playing "The Michael Jackson Experience" on Wii.

I never thought I'd see my 3 kids dance to the song "Bad".

It's hilarious...hope you like it!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Love,

Madison, Adrienne, and Sharky

Hiding it in My Heart

As a Christian I want God to use me.
I want my life to be fruitful and to be able to love my family & friends.
I want my life to reflect God's love...His truth, His grace & His mercy.
I have learned recently that if I am not reading God's Word, the bible, regularly, how can I expect to live a fruitful life?
How can I help my children and love my husband if God's Word is not in me?
Psalm 119:11 says "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."
So I have decided to be more diligent in memorizing scripture.
Pslam 63 came to mind...so here it goes...the first part anyway:
"Oh God you are my God, earnestly I seek you.
My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you;
in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary, and beheld your power and your glory;
because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
With singing lips my mouth will praise you.
On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night."

TO BE CONTINUED...

Puppet Show

Adrienne & Matthew's Puppet Show.

A story about a lonely Lion and his journey to meet friends Hippo & Monkey.

It's always good to pray before you play :)

A Bunch of Gym Rats!

 That's what we all are...daddy, mommy, and all the kids. I loved it and so did Bill. The film of chalk dust floating through the air, the familiar smell of sweaty feet that seems to be the same in every gym you visit, mats, pits, trampolines, bars, beams, ropes hanging from the wall and ceiling. Jumping on the tramp until your head felt like it would bounce off. Landing in the foam pit with your whole body covered in foam and wriggling your way out...ignoring the fact that you left one sock behind.We always knew we would watch our kids do gymnastics...it just seemed natural that they would love the sport too...and they do...for now anyway. Yesterday they received their very first team leotard & team sweatsuit. They were so excited & we were excited for them. The girls are on the 'Devo' team or Developmental Team. They are working on the Level 5 routines and will have 3 mock meets in February & March to prepare them to hopefully compete next year. Bill is able to coach them...which makes this whole experience even better. The girls LOVE having 'coach Bill' there & they have mentioned how safe they feel with him spotting them. We do not know what this sport holds for my girls...and even my son, but for right now...we remain...Gym Rats!

"I'm FREEEEEEEEZIN!"

This is what I say often during Fall & Winter. It makes Bill laugh because I say it with such annoyance. I hate being cold....hate it...HATE IT! Yes I know I grew up near Buffalo...I should be used to it by now. Maybe so. When I was young I was diagnosed with Raynauds Phenomenon...which is a big word for my toes & fingers would turn completely white & cold & be lack of any blood whatsoever. It was quite fun showing this to my gymnastics coach when I was little. He would pick me up & run me to the kitchen to run warm water over my stark white toes...for fear that at any moment the little toe would fall right off into the sink. As I got older it would happen to my fingers as well...and not just when I was cold but nervous too. It is strange. My girlfriend Paula got me little warmers to put in my shoes & pockets...so as I type, my little piggies are toasty & quite happy...thanks Paula!!! So in order to be thankful to God for creating the seasons, even the cold ones...here are 10 things I like about the Fall...

1. The heating blanket on my bed turned up to level 10
2. Soft Fuzzy Jammies and Warm Fluffy Socks
3. Taking a bubble bath just to get warm again
4. My Birthday's in the fall :)
5. Fall candles lit in the house after it's all clean & picked up
6. Walking on crinkly dry leaves & the sound it makes
7. Leaf fights with the family in the backyard
8. The Huge supply of Halloween Candy that lasts until Easter
9. Family movie nights on the couch under a blanket
10. Eating soup!

Computer Crashed!

My computer crashed! We have a Dell XPS All in one...only 3 years old. It's been slow & freezing on me. A few weeks ago I realized it gets real hot on top, and then realized that I never hear the internal fan run.
Thankfully, Bill bought me a laptop for our anniversary. Thankfully it was still under warranty and thankfully the people at Dell are terrific. I chatted on my laptop with a woman named grace, who ordered me new parts. And at this time, Mr. Jim has opened up my computer and a new one and began transferring all the important memory parts onto the new one. madison took one look at ours and said "Mom, theres the fan & it's covered in dust...I bet that's why it wasn't working right!". Mr. Jim agreed. As the girls and I looked on, we noticed that a couple of the tiny parts looked like electromagnets (the science topic for the week). Mr. Jim gave us a quick talk on the use of electromagnets in computers...pretty neat. Then madison saw a little Greek symbol on one of the parts. Madison reminded me that it was the symbol for Ohm...the measurement for resistance. Isn't it just like God to take something annoying, like my computer & turn it into an interesting science lesson...I love when that happens!

Lancaster Field Trip Day

I packed the kids up Wednesday morning and met Nana & Poppy at the Herr's potato chip factory where we got see how all the chips & pretzel are made. We got to eat chips right off the conveyor belt...warm & crispy to perfection! No other chips can compare now! We also visited the Science Factory which was a huge warehouse filled with fun science exhibits, puzzles, and learning stations. The kids ran from place to place...we had the whole place to ourselves! The greatest part was that everything represented in the Science Factory was exactly what we were learning in science! Electricity, magnetism, energy and force. How much better were they learning science there than sitting in a classroom with a boring science textbook! Enjoy the pics...and KUDOS to Poppy for planning out such a great field trip day!

My Soccer Stars

Here are a few shots of the girls doing soccer. They have really enjoyed playing this year since daddy is their coach (for Madison's team) and also because they have scored goals this year. Adrienne's been doing so well. She is very fast and is able to get to the ball alot quicker than the other girls & be able to score. Madison has really improved her ball handling skills & kick. They are both really good in goal. I'm not a huge soccer fan...but I am a huge fan of my soccer stars!!!

Apple Pie

 While Bill was away for a week in Virginia, Gege came to stay with us. She was a blessing. She made soup, did laundry, did dishes, read & entertained the kids and was a very good teacher's aide. It was really nice having the time to chat and watch her enjoy the kids. It's hard not living closer, so we really cherish these special times. Here's some pictures of the apple pie we made from the apples we picked at Linvilla. Gege did most of it, while I watched so I could do it next time. I was surprised how easy it was. It tasted just as good as it looks with vanilla/caramel ice cream on the side...mmmm.
**Had to do the before & after shots**

First Field Trip

I have been reading this book for Science to the kids called Diary of an Early American Boy. The author found the diary of 15 year old Noah Blake written in 1805. It speaks of Noah & his family and how they lived back in those days. It also includes pictures & diagrams of a mill they built and the tools they made to buid the mill. It actually started off pretty boring.

 So one morning last week it was unusually warm. I thought we should get out & do something fun. So I googled Pennsylvania Mills and found the Newlin Grist Mill was only 15 minutes away and the next tour was at 2pm. I packed a lunch and when we arrived, the woman had also read the same book we were reading. We had some time to waste so the kids LOVED playing in the creek. They didn't want to leave! On the tour we saw the mill run and watched it grind corn into flour. We also visited the original house which was so neat to see how they lived 200 years ago!

This is why I love homeschooling. It was a spur of the moment trip but will most likely be one of the highlites of our school year! The trip took this once boring book & made it come to life!
Enjoy the pics...
Oh & I almost forgot. Madison found a very old rusty nail near the mill & they kept it to show to the archeologist. A little piece of history...Madison was happy. Just that day we read how when they built things they never used nails because they would rust & rot the wood...pretty cool.

13 and 20

Happy Anniversary to my biggest blog fan & follower!
Together for 20 years!!! Holy COW! That is more than half of my entire life!
And married for 13.
I'll never forget that day.
I never smiled more than on that day.
And I never felt more beautiful than on that day.
The weather was perfect.
The church was small...but perfect too.
Pastor Weed read from Ecclesiastes 4:12 "a threefold cord is not quickly broken".
It is true.
Thank you Lord...
You took our relationship which was tattered & torn
And you made it new.

I love you Bill...for the man you are & the man God is making you.

Back to School!

School for us started Friday. The morning started off with a scavenger hunt with a few little treats at the end. Bill then took all 3 to TJ's for the Blue Ribbon Special while I dressed in my best teacher dress (this will most likely be the last time they will see teacher all dressed up :). I then had some extended time to pray. Teaching all 3 this year brings with it some worry and trepidation...and excitement as well. So when they all arrived home I greeted them outside and introduced myself. They laughed & Matthew said...."mooooommmmmm...I know it's you!" My goal for this year is to 1. really focus on Math & reading with Adrienne. 2. Begin math & writing with Matthew as well as encourage him to keep reading his little books. and 3. Encourage more independence in Madison...doing her work without asking mom for help. 4. Enjoy school  and most importantly 5. encourage godly character as they interact with each other & with Bill & I. It is a huge task I know. But after watching a great movie last night called Facing the Giants, I am reminded that NOTHING is impossible with God on my side!

What About Glenn Beck, Politics & Christianity?

I haven't posted anything political lately...but that doesn't mean I stopped watching Fox & listening to Beck and Hannity. Mostly I listen to figure out why people hate them so much :) And come on...have I really the right to judge them? Or do I?  But I often find myself wondering "what stance should I have? What should my opinion be on all of this left vs right thinking?"  I am a Christian so my perspective should be biblical. I found this blog by Russell Moore that has a good post on the recent rally in Washington. Here's a little bit of what he said:

"The answer to this scandal isn’t a retreat, as some would have it, to an allegedly apolitical isolation. Such attempts lead us right back here, in spades, to a hyper-political wasteland. If the churches are not forming consciences, consciences will be formed by the status quo, including whatever demagogues can yell the loudest or cry the hardest. The answer isn’t a narrowing sectarianism, retreating further and further into our enclaves. The answer includes local churches that preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and disciple their congregations to know the difference between the kingdom of God and the latest political whim.

It’s sad to see so many Christians confusing Mormon politics or American nationalism with the gospel of Jesus Christ. But, don’t get me wrong, I’m not pessimistic. Jesus will build his church, and he will build it on the gospel. He doesn’t need American Christianity to do it. Vibrant, loving, orthodox Christianity will flourish, perhaps among the poor of Haiti or the persecuted of Sudan or the outlawed of China, but it will flourish.

And there will be a new generation, in America and elsewhere, who will be ready for a gospel that is more than just Fox News at prayer."

Vacation 2010

Vacation came & went...I still am amazed by how fast summer flys! We drove to Hilton Head on Saturday morning and stayed at a Holiday Inn that took time share points. It was tough all being in one small hotel room...especially since Madison was coughing all night. The good part about this was we spent alot of time together which was nice. Also the Hotel had a great pool and it was right on the beach! So after swimming in the ocean you could just jump right into the pool. I especially liked the pool...I have never been an ocean girl ever since watching Jaws...and the jellyfish stinging me and Adrienne didn't help out either. Those suckers really hurt! It burned for like 2 hours and then left this swollen red brush burn mark...yikes. Anyhow...on Wednesday we drove to Orlando to go to Aquatica (Sea World's waterpark) on Thursday and drove back to SC on Friday. Aquatica  was fun...especially Roa's Rapids. You put a life vest on & it's like floating in a really fast river...a total blast! We stayed at Nana & Poppy's time share at Orange Lake. This was a nice break from the beach at HHI. On Saturday we moved into our townhome. Here we rode bikes all around the Island searching out alligators, spent time on the beach fishing & flying kites. At night when the kids were pooped, we enjoyed playing "Spite & Malice" a fun card game with Nana & Poppy...of course it was more fun when Bill & I won :) We also did pony rides at the local horse stable where we met Harley. He was the sweetest horse I ever met!!! He came right up to us & ate grass out of our hands, let us pet him & he especially loved Matthew. He nuzzled him on his back & head, he almost knocked him off the fence he was standing on! I also read 2 big books from Francine Rivers' series The Mark of the Lion...great books...I cried through them!
Such wonderful memories we have...I am so grateful!
I feel refreshed & ready to take on the new schoolyear!

Happy 40th Bill!

Here's a little slide show of Bill's surprise Party...thanks for the picture CD dad & for taking all those great pictures!
Happy 40th to my honey. I know it isn't official till the 21st but since we'll be soaking in the South Carolina sun and far away from this computer...I thought I would tell you now.
I love you babe! And though 40 may bring a few more greys...you are more handsome now than you were at 20!
Thanks for being an amazing husband and father...and the best best friend any girl could have.
I love you...SHMILY!

No More Surprises!!!

Well...Bill's 40th surprise was a huge success. 80 people (40 kids), lots of silly string, 8 boxes of pizza, a ton of fruit, and 2 cakes!!! Yes 2 cakes. The first one toppled due to the shear weight of Hip-Hop sitting on top (fondant Hip-Hop that is). I felt like I was in an episode of Cake Boss! All the planning went pretty smooth but the whole thing was stressful! I actually lost 4 pounds in the process...woohooo! (but probably gained it all back eating cake :) Could not have done it without the help of my parents who brought food and worked like crazy helping me set it all up...I was grateful they came!!! Bill was so blessed by all his friends, the cards & gifts...and just being with all the people he loves so much. That was my goal...so it was a success. I don't think I will put myself through it again...but who knows...when Bill turns 50, I may have forgotten about the 40th by then :)

Thank You...

Thank you Jesus for saving me...

Fun at the Pool 2010

Follow Me!

My girlfriends asked if they could follow me...my blog.
So if you click on the "Follow" Icon to the left and enter your google or yahoo account, I believe you will be notified when I do a new post. Seeing as I don't update my poor blog every day...I thought this would be fun to try. So follow me if you like...and thanks for coming back to read about our crazy family, and read all my misspellings, poor grammer, and scattered thoughts :)

Why I Read & Thoughts on Marriage

I was never a reader. My mom would tell you. I would rather be doing something else. I always wished I could love it like my sister & my mom. Just sit with a good book in my lap and devour it happily. The reason for this is probably that my comprehension of what I read is pretty poor, so I have to slow down and really focus. Otherwise I end up reading the same paragraph over & over again. As I grew older I learned how to cope. In PA school I learned how to skim my medical books and highlite the important info I would need to learn for the test & actually was very successful doing this.
After I became a Christian and began reading the bible I realized that I had been missing out on alot of wisdom. The bible was full of it. Other books too. So now when I read I really want it to count. A good fictional book that has a great life lesson in it or one that makes me cry in the end...I love those. But mostly I read books that I can use to encourage me along as a Christian. To help me be a better wife to Bill and a mom to Mad, A, and Matthew. I want to grow & learn. I hate feeling complacent and stuck...so I read.
My girlfriend Barb gave me a wonderful book on marriage called Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. The title says this, "What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than happy?" Interesting concept huh?
In Ch. 2 the author says this: "Strong Christian marriages will still be struck by lightning- sexual temptation, communication problems, frustrations, unrealized expectations- but if marriages are heavily watered with an unwavering commitment to please God above everything else, the conditions won't be ripe for a devastating fire to follow the lightning strike. If I'm married only for happiness, and my happiness wanes for whatever reason, one little spark will burn the entire forest of my relationship. But if my aim is to proclaim and model God's ministry of reconciliation, my endurance will be fireproof."
Some really important pieces of wisdom right there. I'm grateful for the little reminders God gives me when I read. And here's the amazing thing. As I strive to become more holy as God calls me to...in His strength & grace...He gives me JOY!!! WOW...pretty amazing!

Swimming and the Benefits of Sports

This year we have the joy of cheering on both of our girls on the swim team. Let me start with Madison. We debated whether to have her swim over the winter but with school, church & gymnastics, it was hard to fit it all in. We definitely see a talent there with her. She has always been a fish and with her loosey goosey body & flexible shoulders she has really done well this year. He best stroke is butterfly which any swimmer will tell you is the hardest stroke to do. Her dolphin kick is almost faster that her flutter kick (this I think is from pretending to be a mermaid in the water since she was 4). So far she has won 2 varsity swimming meets & we think this qualifies her to Championships. Her next best stroke is Breaststroke. She has a very clean stroke and I believe she won a race and placed second in another & hopefully she will swim breast at Championships as well...we'll see.

Now Adrienne is a completely different swimmer. She was very hesitant to swim on the team but after she realized she could make it all the way across doing freestyle and actually do a better dive than some of the older girls, she was excited to swim. She started out only swimming freestyle, (since that is the only stroke she learned). But last night she swam butterfly & breaststroke! Just by watching others and a couple pointers from Madison , daddy & me...she did so well! She made it all the way across and swam beautifully...like she had been doing it all along!
Words cannot express how amazing this experience has been for not just the girls but for Bill & I. To be able to cheer them on, encourage them & celebrate with them...the talents that God has given them...what an amazing blessing!!

I really believe that kids who participate in sports are better equipped to take on the challenges that life throws them. It helps you learn how to overcome fear, how to deal with failure & how to be humble when you win and do well. It strengthens your body & your mind and teaches you how to be disciplined. Now I have no idea if the girls will continue swimming as they grow, but Bill and I feel strongly that they eventually pick one sport that they LOVE to do and pursue it...whether that is swimming, gymnastics, softball, soccer...whatever (although I am hoping for swimming or gymnastics...and Bill, well you know what sport he's leaning towards :) Sports have also provided so many good opportunities to teach our kids important lessons. Humility is a big one. I am excited to see how God is going to use sports in our kid's lives to grow them and challenge them. But for now....SWIM FAST MY GIRLS....I LOVE YOU!!

Trip to Grand Island

Here are some pics my dad sent of my trip home...

Thanks for sending the CD Dad.