almost missed...

I am sitting here with Steve and Emma...

watching Deserving Design on the computer...

waiting for the strike of midnight...

to welcome in 2010.

Enjoy your New Year's Eve...

and be safe!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
See you next year:)

not quite wordless wednesday...

RANDOM THOUGHTS....

There are many things in life that I just do not spend too much time thinking about...

Among those things is where vegetables come from.

because don't they all just come from the produce section at Kroger?

One of the vegetables I have NEVER thought about the growth process is {or is it are?}brussel sprouts.

Which is strange because we love them...

and by we I mean Michaela and I...

Steve tolerates them...

and Emma.....
well we all know how Emma feels about them!

Yet, as many times as I have cooked them the question, "How do brussel sprouts grow?" has never once been asked!??!

While we were at the tree farm picking out our Christmas tree, I was enthralled by this 'thing' I saw in the family garden--no NOT the tree I was supposed to be searching for!

I am sure the farm owners were looking out the window wondering what the crazy lady was looking at in their dead garden patch!

As I got closer I realized it was a brussel sprout stalk??? tree???
and of course I had to take a picture...

because who doesn't want a picture of brussel sprouts in a stranger's garden:)

So...

they grow on stalks...

AND...

they can be grown in Kentucky!

who knew:)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
for more wordless wednesday post:
seven clown circus
wordless wedensday
5 minute for mom

we he better get busy.....

major project 1

major project 2

major project 3

major project 4major project 5major project 6more projects than time....

AHHHHHH!!

emma, emma, emma...

Today has been a lazy day...

well lazy for me because I laid around all day with a 'medicine head'...
without having taken any medicine!??!

Steve and Emma have had a great time playing, going to Home Depot, and cooking dinner.

we have lost Michaela to the Morris' ALL WEEK:(--parties, bible studies, and skiing...
I think we should just send all of her stuff down there and visit her on Sundays:)

Emma is THRILLED that her daddy is home ALL WEEK. She keeps saying things like, "I don't want Daddy to ever go back to work."I want Daddy to stay home all of the time!"...

After about the 50th time I heard her say something about her Daddy never going to work, I looked at Steve and asked him if we should be worried.

A. whose prayer is God hearing louder, hers or ours? Hopefully not hers-- 7 months of unemployment has been MORE than enough...and

B. "Is she going to grow up and marry an unemployed bum that never works? Someone who stays home and entertains her all day?"

Oi'... what are we going to do with that girl:)

friday frivolity...christmas edition...

Christmas Eve....

The morning began with Emma running upstairs, with tears streaming down her cheeks...

"The tree fell over!!!!"

Steve came in from the garage---where he was working on his Christmas project--and saved the tree...AGAIN!

The girls re-decorated...

and I was FOOLISH and headed out to Wal-Mart for stocking stuffers...

OH MY!!!!! Later, Santa dropped off the Christmas pajamas...

A beautiful gown for Emma.

...her sister got one JUST LIKE IT when she was Emma's age:)...and Elmo pajamas for the teenager...

and there is only one picture of her because she is a PAIN:)

We made cookies...

and tracked Santa's journey on the computer...

Emma was so shocked when she saw video of him in London--she was happy that her friend Kelly had presents already!!!

AND THEN OFF TO BED SO SANTA COULD COME!!!!!

***except Santa's helper..he came to bed around 5:00am!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christmas morning...

Christmas morning began at 7:55am when Emma came running into our room asking if Santa had come...

She then went down to get her stocking and ran back upstairs talking a mile a minute.

"Santa came and he brought me a stable, just like I asked him to! It is HUGE! And the letter I gave him at the mall, he left it by the cookie plate. And he ate all of the cookies except a small bite. And there are big packages. Come on Mommy. Come on".....

After much prompting we got Michaela and Steve up and we dumped stockings and opened gifts...
Emma is thrilled with her gift from Santa--the horse and stable just like she asked for!!!Of course, Cali had to be right in the middle...I was mean and had written a note to Michaela as her last gift...

It stated that we owed her a gift and as soon as we had extra money we would buy her one.

As she was standing by the tree reading the note, the cell phone that we had hidden in the bird's nest (a 'bonus' from our live tree) began 'ringing'...

The look of shock as she heard Steve's voice saying "Ho ho ho. We hope you like it!" was priceless.

She found the phone and began reading the text messages I had her friends send last night!

Pancakes and naps...

Fun times!!!

Lasagna for dinner!! YUMMY.

Christmas over!!!!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I LOVE MY STABLE

AND MY HORSES!!!!!

AND IF I DIDN'T THINK THAT SANTA HAD LEFT IT FOR ME
AND I REALIZED THAT THIS GREAT GUY HAD BEEN WORKING ON IT
AND HAD STAYED UP ALL NIGHT FINISHING IT...
I WOULD PROBABLY HUG AND KISS HIM ALL DAY!!!

HOURS OF FUN!!

TEXTING BRE....STILL!!!!!!

***This was definitely one of the best Christmas ever. Even though there were not as many presents as usual, the girls were content with what they did receive. Emma has been sooooo excited about Santa and her excitement has made this a fun time!!!! I just wish she could continue to believe and have the anticipation forever!!!!!

the reason for the season...

A few Christmases ago, I remember Michaela talking to Steve's parents on the phone. She hung up the phone with the most perplexed look on her face. "Mommy, Grandma just asked me the strangest thing! She asked me if I sang Happy Birthday to Jesus today. Why would she ask that?"

Steve and sat down with her and explained that many, many years ago men decided to create a celebration of Jesus' birth. We explained that we do not celebrate Christmas as Christ birth. That we only do things that are in the scriptures and that there is no mention of a memorial for his birth; that the only memorial sanctified in the scriptures is the weekly remembrance of the death, burial, and resurrection--the Lord's supper.

We explained that Santa is the reason for our holiday; Christ is the reason for our life.
And while this is a very unpopular viewpoint and there have been many appalled at our 'taking Christ out of Christmas', to us love, joy, harmony, peace, and especially Christ are not a season. Our love of others and our walk with Christ is a daily journey, not a seasonal celebration.

I just wonder how appalled God is by those that leave Him out of their lives 51 weeks out of the year?

All I do, in word or deed, should be done in the name of the Lord.


Just to think about....

• Based on the scripture that states 'the shepherds were out in the fields." historians feel Christ was more than likely born in the Spring NOT winter.
  
• Leaving Christ in the manger does nothing for our salvation. It is His death and resurrection that saves us.
• There is no scriptural authority for celebrating the birth. The early Christians--those that walked with Christ and the apostles---did not celebrate the birth.
• It was during the 4th century that 'church officials' in Rome decided to create the celebration---centering it around the time of Saturnalia (a celebration in honor of Saturn)
  
• The only memorial instituted by Christ is the WEEKLY remembrance of his sacrifice on the cross--on the first day of the week.

So while many will adorn themselves tonight and attend Christmas Eve services at religious gatherings throughout the world, celebrating the birth of a Saviour that they give no reverence to the rest of the year....

We will celebrate this jolly man tonight...

and keep Christ as the reason for our daily walk though life.

not quite wordless wednesday...

Saturday...
"Mommy, I am going to go play in the snow!"

Tuesday...
"Mommy, I am going to go play in the snow!"

let kids be kids....

We live in a society that glamorizes growing up. Our children are encouraged to act older--wear make-up, color their hair, wear trendy clothing and high heel shoes--as young as 5. The only difference in the clothing in Emma's department and Michaela's is the size of the mini skirts and low cut blouses. It seems as if society wants our children to grow up quickly; to not be children. Children are encouraged to take on choices and make adult decisions without the benefit of having experienced life or the opportunity to mature into adulthood. Yet, when they make poor choices, there is an outcry about the increase in teen sex, rampant drug abuse and alcoholism--as if the reason is unclear.

This past August, right before Michaela's 13th birthday, we received the following email from MSN regarding our rights in regards to Michaela's online activity.

Dear parent or guardian:

According to the birth date provided for your child's Microsoft online account, Miki Jr. is now 13 years old. You are therefore no longer able to manage permissions for the Miki Jr. account through Account Services, and your child may create a new account without your permission.

United States law requires websites and services to obtain parental permission to collect, use, or share personal information from children under 13. Because this child is now 13, you can no longer manage permission for this child for Microsoft online services.

I was stupefied. Lawmakers feel that a CHILD at the age of 13 is capable of making intelligent decisions about the internet and the things that go on??? With sexual predators and pedophiles targeting youth on the internet, we as parents have no legal authority to monitor our child's account??? Microsoft I have to disagree. BECAUSE my daughter is 13 I will be monitoring her online activity. I will continue to manage her passwords. I will continue to control when she can get on, how long she stays on, and the sites she goes to. I am the adult. She is a mere child Microsoft; a child learning the necessary knowledge to keep herself safe.

And then last week at the eye doctor, after asking me general medical history, Dr. Hamilton stated that because Michaela is over 12 by law he has to ask her some questions.

"Do you drink or take drugs?" "Are you sexually active?" "Do you have or have you ever had an STD?"

WHAT???? At the age of 12 the law requires these questions to be asked? 12!

We are in such a hurry to have our children grow up. We allow our 5 year olds to dress as if they are 16. We allow our 13 year olds unlimited, unmonitored access to the internet, movies, music, and books. Our children are given privileges and put into situations that they are not mature enough to handle, and then we as parents are appalled when they make poor decisions and our 12 year olds have to be asked about STDs.

While Michaela gets aggravated that she cannot get onto her accounts without me, that she can only be on the computer when her Daddy and I are home, and that the computer is on only in a common area, along with the grumbling and eye rolls, I am creating an atmosphere of security and accountability for her. And by checking her Facebook page and emails, I know that I am doing the best thing for her--not because I do not trust her, but because I want her to be a child and not worry about adult things.

And one day she will thank me... I hope:)

nothing wrong with her hearing...

At the beginning of Michaela's eye exam, Dr. Hamilton sat down and began taking medical history, Michaela's eye history, history of family illnesses. The usual.

After he got all of the information he needed from me, he looked up and said "Because Michaela is over 12 I have to ask her some questions. It is required by law."

He then proceeds to ask the questions...

which is a post for tomorrow

During this time Emma is in her own world. She is looking around the room, reading the information as it comes up on the tv screen, whispering questions to me about things in the room; generally not paying any attention to the doctor or what he is saying.

Or so I thought!!!

As the questions end and the eye exam begins, Emma looks over at me and says...

"What's an STD?"

Okay, so I guess she was paying alittle bit more attention than I thought!

the first snow....

friday frivolity...

We just dropped Michaela off at the dance studio for her Dance Team lock-in...

Steve and Emma are playing Chutes and Ladder...

I am watching NCIS on the laptop, enjoying the roaring fire in the fireplace...

Life is good!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The girls are out of school for Winter break...

They may start the school break with some snow...

20% chance of snow...

The bread, milk, and toilet paper are flying off the shelves at Kroger...

because you know the 1 to 2 inches they are calling for may shut the city down!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I unfortunately still have classes next week...

My Interpersonal Communication class was canceled for Tuesday...

and I have no work for my A&P class next week...

but I will be driving to CS on Monday and Wednesday for Physics...

and then I will be done until the 4th!

unless I skip my Physic class and go ahead and begin my break now!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Steve was off today and will be home for the weekend...

he has been busy helping Santa with a Christmas project...

taking some furniture to Goodwill...

and fixing the extension cord for the lights that Cali chewed up outside.

at least he hasn't had to go up on the roof to rehang the lights this trip home!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is weird having Steve home for several days in a row...

The girls and I get into our own routine...

and then he comes and messes it up...

I don't know what we are going to do when he is home for almost 2 weeks for his Christmas break...

All I know is that tomorrow morning when Mac needs picked up at 8:00am, I will be thrilled to have him home:)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Christmas shopping is almost complete...

Emma was easy...online mainly

Michaela reads the blog....so 'no comment' :)

Stocking stuffers still needed...

but thankfully the end is in sight!

and even better, we will not have to contact Dave Ramsey!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emma got her glasses Thursday...

She was so excited...

One of her eyes is not focusing with the other one, which is normal...

but she has been complaining of 'her brain hurting'...

so Dr. H prescribed them for reading.

of course she wants to wear them ALL OF THE TIME!

I am sure that will change if she has to wear them for a few years.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I cannot believe I had to get glasses for my 6 year old...

I found an adorable pair of Vera Bradley glasses...

but Emma found a pair that was pink with butterflies...

and no other pair would do...

but I figured she is 6 and has to wear glasses:(...

so she should have a pair that she loves!

even if the VB did fit her face better:)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I cannot believe how early in life peer pressure begins...

Today was pajama day at the elementary school...

Emma had planned to wear her Dora thermals...

but this morning when I told her to take off her pajama--and put on her pajamas:)

she became very somber...

she said some kids did not like Dora...

and they would make fun of her for wearing them...

so she wore her crazy stripped pajamas instead.

Wow, first graders can be brutal!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well Steve and Emma have moved on to an alphabet game...

the fire needs some more wood...

and I am getting sleepy...

Good night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

cohabitating again....

Wish me luck...

Stephen is home for the next 3 days...

hard to get used to another adult in the house when you have been on your own for the last month and a half!!!

What am I going to do when he is off from December 24th until January 4th????

Maybe Steve is the one who needs luck!!!

not quite wordless wednesday...

Dear Santa,

You will find my name at the top of the naughty list, but if you bring me some itunes cards or a new cell phone I will try REALLY hard to be good this next year!

love,
michaela


Dear Santa,

This year I would like either my very own laptop or a stable, horses and all the stuff that goes with the horses. I have tried very hard to be good this year. I listen to my mommy and daddy...well I do some of the time. I am nice to my sister...mmm, well when she is nice to me anyway! I keep my room picked up...scratch that! I brush my teeth and take a bath without whinging....errr,maybe not! I brush my hair without drama...okay, not really! You know what Santa, never mind that nice list, add me to the 'I am cute and funny' list!!

love,
emma shea

she's got groove....

I'm talking pedicure on my toes, toes
Trying all our clothes, clothes

Tic Tok on the clock
but the party dont stop...

Who knew she could be so ghetto???

11....

eleven days until Christmas...1 gift purchased...motivation is lacking...
time is running out...HO HO HO BAH HUMBUG!!!

road warriors....

3:00pm---Steve left Louisville to make the drive home....

4:40pm--- he walks through the door

he is working overtime this weekend, but he drove home to take care of the mess the wind made this past week.

5:10pm---Michaela and I leave to make the drive to La Grange...

6:05pm---arrive at the Allison's

it was the Christmas party for the teenagers tonight...

I had planned to drop Mac off, say hello to Camilla and Bill and then head home...

I ended up staying...

10:55pm---I pull into my garage!

NOW----bed!

Tomorrow....Emma's party after church!!!

it really isn't...

It is said that it is the thought that counts...

I disagree!

Because, if it was the thought that counted...

than when I walked out Wednesday morning and I saw the trash all over the street and the Christmas lights hanging off of the roof...

and I heard that stronger winds were on the way...

the thought, "I should probably take the umbrella out of the patio table so that it doesn't blow over!" would have been enough.

If it is the thought that counts...

I would not have come home to....


...of course engaging some common sense may have helped the situation :)

not quite wordless wednesday...

Emma has a new trick!!!!

~~~
For more wordless wednesday go to:
OmniCouple
Wordless Wednesday
Seven Clowns

cue taps...

23 years ago, the military life of Stephen M was born.

It was a life filled with many adventures; many trials; many unforgettable experiences.

In the course of this life, many acquaintances were made, many friendships were formed.

It was a life that lasted longer than anyone expected; a survival not without it's struggles.

But, after 23 years, we are here to celebrate the passing of that life.

And we bid you a final farewell.

Farewell weekend drills. Farewell camouflage and combat boots. Farewell useless forms in triplecate.

Farewell monthly paycheck, YOU will be missed most of all.

OH WAIT....

the paperwork for retirement was not processed in time? the life has to be extended for 4 more months?

If only you could see the look of pure (un)surprise on my face.

in search of the perfect tree...

Our trip to the tree farm....

pictures of two very cold girls...
hoping I hurry up and get a good shot...
so they can put their coats back on!!!Steve arrives...
the search begins...

nope,
not this one...
'Hey, I am taller than this one'...
'This one is too small!'...
THIS ONE IS PERFECT!!!
time to cut it down...
a new tradition...
Steve usually carries the tree over his head,
he said he couldn't because the tree was so big...
we say it is because he is getting old:)
everyone doing their part...memories...
with each ornament they pulled out of the box...

lights on..time to decorate...

while adding ornaments, the tree falls over...
engineering to stabilize the tree...
30 minutes later...
decorating resumes!
Christmas Beauty....