Fall Festival

The Saturday before Halloween we had our big celebration at the church Fall Festival & Chili Cookoff.  We had invited our friends from Vietnam to join us, and we were excited to introduce them to their first American Halloween celebration.  Unfortunately, Khanh got stuck in Dallas, but we had a lot of fun with Mai.  Since my camera had died before we left home and Mai had forgotten hers, the only camera we had on hand was my phone's camera.  The quality leaves a little to be desired, but we got some great shots.

Mai loved the chili, and was amazed at the variety that we had in our competition.  She had thought she didn't like chili because of an experience with Sloppy Joe sandwiches.  Similar, but not quite.  We have some great chili chefs at church!

She was also impressed by the cupcakes for the cake walk.

She even posed with one!

She had a great time hanging out with the kids, taking them "trunk or treating", and playing the games the youth had set up.

Kelsey and Mai having fun!

But the best photo of the night was this one.

Why, you ask?  Well, let's look a little closer...

 She is such a stinker!  I think she has pretended to hang herself in the lights.  But oh, she makes me laugh...

Who's a Pretty Kitty?

My camera ran out of battery before I got everyone's picture taken, but this is what everyone was for Halloween this year:

Olivia was a witch - albeit a glamorous one.

Kelsey was her black cat.

Connor was a bat, but I didn't get a picture before the camera died.  But you may have already seen him in it. Remember this nap-time picture?

 But wait!  Who is this handsome devil?  And what could he be?

Why it's a Redneck Superhero, of course!

Feeling Blue?

Looks like someone got a new coat for Christmas, courtesy of Noni & Papa...

A Christmas Story

Once upon a time there was a family that moved to Oklahoma.

They really wanted to go back to visit their family in South Carolina for Christmas, but it was not meant to be.  They decided to make the best of it and just try to enjoy a great Christmas by themselves, but they were still a little sad.

Then, on the morning of Christmas Eve, an amazing thing started to happen.  It started to snow.

 

And snow.

And snow.

 

 

It snowed all day long and into the night.  They were entranced.

The kids played in it till their faces turned red.

The dog ate it.

 

 And they were awed and amazed that Christmas Eve when a special Christmas tree made of snow appeared on their door.

This special family had never been in this much snow before.  And when Christmas morning came, they awoke to another miracle.

The sun was shining and Christmas had come.  The storm had passed, and so had their sadness.  They were glad to be together, to be safe, and to be in Oklahoma. 

 

They had remembered that the important part of Christmas didn't have to do with presents, food, or even being with their family. 

The important part of Christmas is about being with Christ.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Christmas Sunday

 

(He's only standing on the coffee table because the dog kept wanting to be in the picture with him...)

Blessings & Bruises

It's been an eventful week or two around here.  Just after Thanksgiving our family was toying with the idea of going back to SC for a "quick and dirty" trip to visit and celebrate Christmas with family and friends.  And by "quick and dirty" I mean like taking 1 day to drive there, 4 days to visit, and an overnight at Niel's in Lousiana on the way home.  We toyed with the idea and got excited for about 4-5 days.  Since we don't have a money tree in the backyard it would mean that we'd really scale back Christmas gifts and the spend a lot of time making each others' presents.  We'd even skip having a tree this year (remember our redneck tree last year that broke?) to save money for the trip.  The kids were okay with this, if only we could go to South Carolina for Christmas.

But as sometimes happens when you're praying for something you want very much... the Lord says no.  And so we broke the news to the kids.  Although we were all disappointed, we reminded the kids that when the Lord says no he usually has a very good reason that we can't see.  And if we listen to His advice, we'll be much better off than if we went ahead and did it anyway.  And so we decided to stay in Oklahoma.

However, we still didn't have a Christmas tree.  We had put up all of our other decorations around the house, but the ornaments had been packed away back in the Christmas box and put in the shed.  Although we still planned on getting a tree, we really didn't have the money to get it right away.

What is so amazing about making the choice to live within your means is that it sometimes allows God the opportunity to touch someone's heart so they can bless your family.  And that's what happened on Saturday morning.  Our sweet neighbors , Terri and John, came by and dropped off a brand new (prelit!!) Christmas tree.  Terri knew we didn't have a tree yet and they felt inspired to get one for us.  So that afternoon we pulled out the Christmas tree ornaments, turned on the Christmas music and decorated that tree.  And it finally... finally... felt like Christmas.  What a great blessing.

Now about the bruises... and no, you smart alecks - they aren't mine.  We had some music on the other day, and the girls had started trying to break dance in the living room.  Kelsey, in particular, likes to try to spin on her head.  (Connor has been watching her and tries to do it, too - hilarious!)  This quickly evolved into Olivia trying to do a tripod.  That's the thing she learned in gymnastics where she stands on her head and rests her knees on her elbows.  If you'll look at the picture, you can see Kelsey deciding to do it too.  Right.  Behind.  Olivia.

What I don't have a picture of is the moment where Olivia decided to put her feet straight up into the air like a headstand and Kelsey sat up.  Seconds later, Olivia was falling backwards and kicked Kelsey in the eye.  O-U-C-H.

Fortunately, she appears to have escaped an actual black eye.  It was puffy and swollen all day long, though.  Poor little darlin'.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It has finally come. The culmination of our month-long attitude of gratitude! It's been fun, folks, but I know we are ready to move on to Christmas lights and carols decorations and excitement now. But before we do, Thanksgiving isn't over yet, and we have one more post to do today!

Ben is grateful for... a good digestive system. I'm sure it will restore his body back to comfort by morning and he will no longer be so uncomfortably full. Gluttony, anyone?

Anita is grateful for... her husband and kids. As homesick as I have been this week for our family in South Carolina, I can't imagine how much worse it would have been if I was here alone. I love these guys, and feel so blessed that my life is so full!

Olivia is grateful that... Thanksgiving is finally over! (I assume this has something to do with the "moving onto Christmas" part of the season.)

Kelsey is grateful for... having friends over for Thanksgiving dinner today.

Connor is grateful for... buttons, gadgets, tools, etc. Give him a button and he will push it. Show him a moving panel and he will open it. Show him a hole and he will try to stick a screwdriver into it. Or a key, if that's all he can get his hands on. If all else fails, he will use his finger. I think this love of gadgets and tools must be hardwired into the "Y" chromosome. He'd definitely all boy.

Day #25

The turkey is thawing in the sink, the pumpkin pie is baked (and my house smells wonderful, by the way!), the chocolate pudding pie for the kids in the the fridge, and my sweet basil turkey rub is already made and in the fridge. I'll have a few more things to cook tomorrow, some guests are bringing other yummy foods for the Thanksgiving feast, and the house is even almost clean. I love Thanksgiving!

Ben is grateful for... a 4-day weekend.

Anita is grateful for... the wonderful imagination of her children. They were playing in the backyard for hours this afternoon, and at one point I looked out and this is what I saw:
What is it, you may ask? It's a tee-pee they made out of branches and the grill cover. They did a pretty good job, wouldn't you say? But where in the world do they get some of their ideas? I love love love their imaginations!

Olivia is grateful for... Trixie! And here's a picture of them chilling out together tonight:

Kelsey is grateful for... no school today.

Connor is grateful for... music. The little man loves to dance and groove!

Day #24

Well, we have just two more of these posts, much to the relief of my sweet and loving husband. He's trying to make it sound like he's excited to begin celebrating Christmas, but in reality he's just happy he doesn't have to think of something new to be grateful for every night. Not that he isn't a grateful, gracious sort of man. He's just... well... grateful in the nonverbal sense. But I've loved having these posts every night and I will miss them!

Ben is grateful that... it is almost Thanksgiving!

Anita is grateful that... Ben got up with Connor this morning around 2:30 and let her sleep - even though he had to get up early for work this morning and I didn't.

Olivia is grateful for... heat. When the weather turns cold and the house gets chilly, it's nice to be able to crank up the heater! Which we did when we found her in her bedroom tonight dressed like this:


Kelsey is grateful for... that she got to go to "The Islands" today at school as a reward for reading at least 8 books so far this year. She got sea shells, bananas, coconut, a tattoo and some other nifty things.

Connor is grateful for... walks. The boy loves being outside at any time - especially when we're on the move! He rides in the backpack carrier, the stroller, and sometimes even the bike trailer. It's all loads of fun for him!

Day #23

There's no place like home...

As much as I loved visiting Becky and baby Lucas, it was nice to be back home again. At least, this evening it was nice to be back home again. This morning it was stressful. There was the usual Monday morning laundry, kids, and working husband of course. Added to that was a bonus kid (Asher), unpacking, a puked in car seat that needed washing, a clingy baby with a cold, a hyperactive dog, and about 5 hours of sleep on my part. Let's just say I'm not about to win any awards for my ability to cope or a sweet and tender personality this morning. But I did survive, and - more importantly - so did the kids and the dog.

Which brings us to the end of the day, and our gratitude post.

Ben is grateful for... having a good performance review at work today.

Anita is grateful for... cheese. I love, love, love cheese! Almost all types and flavors I can imagine. With the exception of Swiss. I've never been able to really like that one.

Olivia is grateful for... being home with her family.

Kelsey is grateful for... a nice trip to the dog park with Trixie today.

Connor is grateful for... his Daddy and sisters. He missed them last week!

Day #22

Ben is grateful for... a nice Sunday at church. (Do you think that maybe it has something to do with not having to deal with a 17-month old???)

Anita is grateful for... a delayed flight out of Atlanta to Wichita. If it had left on time, it would have left without me! (Not my fault, of course... the flight from Charleston left late!)

Olivia is grateful that... books were invented. She's a huge, HUGE bookworm. What can I say? The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, and she has it from both parents!

Kelsey is grateful for... getting to watch Meet the Robinsons with Daddy and Olivia.

Connor is grateful for... a clean change of clothes. With this cold he's come down with, there's been a number of times he'll get into a coughing fit so badly he throws up. Nasty, but true. And there's nothing worse than having to sit in nasty, wet, puked in clothes. Fortunately, Mommy had extra clean clothes!

Day #21

This has really been a wonderful week for me, but a tougher one for the girls and Ben. This is completely understandable. In some ways, it's much harder to be the part of the family left at home instead of the part of the family doing the traveling. However, I think I can safely say now that we are all looking forward to the trip home tomorrow for me and Connor.

Ben is grateful that... he will have a warm bed to sleep in tomorrow night. Why he thinks I bring that much warmth to the bed I'll never know. I'm always the one freezing and snuggling close to my furnace of a husband for extra warmth. Of course, I also do it because that's where all the covers are. Yep, he steals them every single night. But to get back on topic...

Anita is grateful for... a wonderful lunch today with her mom, Gwen, and Bobbi. We had some good eats at The Mustard Seed (worth the drive, people!) and a really nice visit. And Beth, we missed you - get well soon! I was going to post some pictures, we took after, but I can't find my camera cable - I was sure I packed it, but it'll turn up eventually!

Olivia and Kelsey are grateful that... Mommy will be home in one day. (I feel so loved, sniff sniff!)

Connor is grateful for... Vicks Vaporub. I know you guys get tired of hearing me say it, but putting that stuff on his feet makes his colds bearable. And he got hit hard this morning with a doozy of a cold. He was miserable, the poor little man. So we detoured by Target on the way to lunch and got the magic ointment. Onto his feet it it went, and an hour later his nose slowed down to a trickle and the glazed, watery look calmed down in his eyes. And we are definitely trying to do some serious germ control in this house so he doesn't get baby Lucas sick!

Day #20

Ben is grateful that... Anita will be home in 2 days. (Do you think my family has missed me? I feel so loved!)

Anita is grateful for... phone calls from home every night and a family that loves and misses her. I miss you too, guys!

Olivia is grateful for... getting to visit the state capitol today with the some friends. She's been staying with their family doing her school work this week, and they do extra work Mon-Thurs so they can take Fridays off. I like this idea - a bonus trip to the state capitol. It was so thrilling to hear her excitement and enthusiasm. Apparently, our whole family has to go now. I can't wait!

Kelsey is grateful for... being able to watch the Smurfs today.

Connor is grateful for... slides! For a long time he has been afraid of them, probably due to his foolish Mommy taking him down a really big, really fast one this summer. Prior to that trip, he had tolerated slides, though he didn't enjoy them. After that trip, he was terrified of them. In my defense, I didn't realize just what a cool slide it was. For older kids and adults, anyway. Terrifying for someone like Connor, apparently. However, in the past couple of weeks he has started showing an interest in them. First it was just the little toddler slides, but today he actually went down one that was almost as tall as I am. And then he kept asking for more!

Day #19

Ben is grateful for... the Children Read to Dogs program at the local library. Again, it gives him something to do with the girls! But even better, it's a great program where 4 or 5 certified therapy dogs come into the children's section at the library and the kids get to come in and take turns reading a book to the dogs. The girls love it, too!

Anita is grateful for... showers. They are one thing that can help us feel human again no matter how tired or how dirty we are.

Olivia and Kelsey are grateful that... there are only three more days till Mommy comes home. (See? I told you I'm the life of the party!)

Connor is grateful for... beds with sides. Last night I tried to share the bed in the spare room with him, and he fell off twice. The first time in the 6 inches between the bed and wall, and the second time on the other side (because Mommy had switched sides with him). So for his nap today I moved the pack & play into the guest room for Connor. He woke up about 30 minutes after I laid him down, so I had to put him back to sleep. He kept crying all over again when I'd put him back in the pack and play, so I laid down on the bed with him. I assumed that since he had the bed to himself that it would be safe. I forgot that all my children and crazy maniacs when they sleep that much touch every single inch of the bed at least ONCE in the course of their slumber. Fortunately he had already napped for almost 3 hours before he fell off this time. Tonight, he's safe and sound in the pack and play - no matter what!

Day #18

Even though these posts for the month are not being posted on time this week due to my being out of town (no matter what the date stamp says) we are still taking the time as a family to decide what we are grateful for each day. I have to say that for me, this has helped make one of the best Thanksgiving seasons we have had in a long time. Which is great, considering it's the first year I have to learn how to cook a turkey. Since Ben and I were married we have had Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma Gin's house with the rest of the clan on his mom's side. Last year we had moved to Oklahoma and shared Thanksgiving dinner with our neighbors and they made the turkey. This year I'm considering whether it might be worth it to get Ben an early Christmas present of a turkey fryer. Assuming they even sell them in Oklahoma, that is.

Ben is grateful for... Achievement Nights. This is a bi-monthly activity they have at church for girls 8-11 years old. He apparently likes having something to do with the girls at night while Connor and I are gone. Apparently, we are the party.

Anita is grateful for... baggage carts at the airport. Specifically, the wonderful, kind soul who left one sitting in the middle of the long-term parking lot at the Wichita airport. I was wondering how in the world I was going to get a baby, a suitcase, and a car seat to the terminal, and praying that it would work out somehow - and quickly since I was cutting closer than intended. And lo and behold, there I was browsing the aisles looking for a parking space and I saw it. Next to the only vacant spot I had seen in the course of 3 or 4 aisles, no less. What were the chances of that actually happening? It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: "A coincidence is simply a small miracle where God prefers to remain anonymous." I don't know who said it, but I wholeheartedly agree!

Olivia is grateful for... being able to play at Zandi's house today.

Kelsey is grateful for... her first LOOSE TOOTH. Can you believe it?! The day I leave, and she gets a loose tooth. I NEVER go anywhere without the family! It better not fall out before I get home, that's all I have to say.

Connor is grateful for... flight 1500 from Atlanta to Charleston. It wasn't full at all, so he actually got a seat of his own and got to be buckled up a like a big boy! At least until he fell asleep on Mommy's lap during takeoff...

Day #17

It's been a busy few days, and this is the last thing I get to do before collapsing into bed tonight, so we're going to get right to the point.

Ben is grateful for... fall. The leaves changing... getting a little colder... everyone's getting a little sick... (oh wait, drop the last one).

Anita is grateful for... the opportunity to travel this week. Yes, it's true. I have to wake up in less than 5 hours to drive the two hours to Wichita so I can fly into (drum roll, please)... Charleston, SC! I'll be back here late Sunday, so if there's a delay in getting our gratitude posts up every day, now you know why. I get to go help my oldest friend in the world (time-wise, people, not age-wise) with her new baby. What a sacrifice, right? I'm thrilled to see her and the new baby - especially since I wasn't expecting the opportunity for about this time next year. Connor will be going with me (since he can travel for free and is still a baby himself) and Ben will hold down the fort here with the girls and the dog. I don't anticipate getting much sleep between now and Sunday, but how grateful I am for this great, great blessing. She and I haven't had the chance to spend this much time together all at once since our school days, and I'm not even sure we did it then.

Olivia is grateful for... her first chance to babysit. We had a women's activity at the church tonight, and there was a possibility of a couple older young kids needing to come with their moms, so we wanted to have a nursery available. Since I was over the activity and the nursery was a last-minute plan, I drafted the easiest candidate I knew: my daughter. She had one other girl there and they had a blast together.

Kelsey is grateful for... the glow-in-the-dark stars that Olivia put up in their bedroom today. I had been promising Kelsey they'd go up ever since we moved in, but I never could find them in the major stores, like Target and Walmart, and I eventually forgot to keep looking. Today we were checking out at Hobby Lobby, and what do you think we saw?? Stars! So we brought them home and Olivia put them up. Why does she love them? They help remind her that God is watching her from heaven and makes her feel more safe.

Connor is grateful for... his daddy. It is so cute watching those two boys bond together every night. When Connor was a baby, he was very much a momma's boy. Often when I left, Connor would cry on Ben's shoulder for about 45 minutes until he fell asleep exhausted. And Ben would let him do it without getting frustrated or angry. The man has nerves of steel. I couldn't have done it. And now he's reaping the rewards. Now Connor cries when Ben leaves, too. Every night they have a bedtime routine which usually involves Connor falling asleep on Ben. Come to think of it, I'm really grateful for Connor's daddy, too.

Day #16

Are you tired of reading these yet? I'm not tired of writing them, so if you are, you're out of luck! Today was a crazy busy day, and tomorrow won't be much better. However, here is what we are grateful for:

Ben is grateful that... he was able to go to work today. He likes his job, likes the people he works with, and is grateful to have a job while there are others that don't. We could always use more money, but really - who couldn't?

Anita is grateful that... Olivia does not have the flu. She complained of soreness behind her jaw yesterday, aching all over last night and this morning, and general ill feeling. Since I'm going to be out of town Wednesday through Sunday (What?! You didn't know?! Yes, yes, I haven't officially broken the news yet. Come back and read tomorrow.) I wanted to be very sure this wasn't the onset of the flu. It would seriously cramp our style - or rather, our plans. But the test came back negative, and the doc said she's dealing with a slight throat infection. How this happened, I have no idea. Let's not forget she's already been on an antibiotic for a week for an ear infection. So we're adding azithromycin to her nightly routine - in addition to the augmentin we still have to finish up, of course. At least this one tastes like bubble gum.

Olivia is grateful for... a great Family Home Evening tonight. Every Monday we have a family night and assign everyone a responsibility. Tonight Daddy was in charge of the music and assigning opening and closing prayers, Mommy had the lesson (on the family budget - using Monopoly money, no less!), Olivia had game, and Kelsey had treat.

Kelsey is grateful for... the game Olivia chose for FHE. We played Hide and Go Seek. It's a regular around here, and we get more creative every time thinking of hiding places. It's funny watching the girls cram themselves into all sorts of crazy places. Connor doesn't hide yet, so he and Trixie will often give Mommy's and Daddy's hiding places away by following them.

Connor is grateful for... his best friend, Asher. (And if you can believe it from the picture, Asher is only three months older than Connor. I kid you not!)


I've been watching Asher a couple of days every week this semester while his mom is in class - she's in her last semester of nursing school. Because I'm going out of town this week I switched my normal days and I have him while she's doing her clinicals today and tomorrow. That means he came around 7:00 this morning, and Connor was asleep when he got here. When I went in to get Connor out of his crib and he saw Asher in the doorway behind me, his face lit up like the Fourth of July. These two are partners in crime. If one of them is doing something he shouldn't, the other is right behind him. Such as shutting each other up in the dog pen, for example.

They really are the best of buds.

Day #15

We are now just halfway through the month. It's funny to see the patterns developing in our family. Tonight at dinner, the conversation was typical:

Me: So, what are you guys grateful for today?

Olivia: Pizza for dinner! (Homemade of course.)

Kelsey: Chocolate pie for dessert!

Me: No more being grateful for food! You guys pick food EVERY DAY.

And they really DO pick food most days until I make them think hard about it. Maybe it has something to do with having this conversation at dinner. Maybe it would be a good idea to start having the conversation at a different time...

After some gentle nudging and making them think, they come up with some interesting things. I try very hard not to give them suggestions - I want their ideas to be original and from their own hearts. However, I will ask them things like, "Were you grateful for something at church today?" or "What happened today that you really liked?" These questions actually work equally well for Ben who informed me a week ago that he had run out of ideas. Ironically, that's one of the things I like about doing these gratitude posts this month. It really makes us think outside our little boxes that we live in and consider the blessings in our lives that we don't often stop and feel grateful for.

Today, we are grateful for the following:

Ben is grateful for... quiet Sundays with the family.

Anita is grateful for... my neighbor, Terri. The Lord must know that I need to have a friend next door. First he gave me Amber, now he's given me Terri. She's a wonderful, Christian woman who shares many of the same values that I do, and she's also a 4th grade teacher. She's helped give me confidence in my abilities to homeschool Olivia, as well as many ideas for how to teach and activities to do. Her daughter is also a great playmate for Kelsey and Olivia. And as an added bonus, they're selling us a truck!

Olivia is grateful for... a nice day at church.

Kelsey is grateful for... singing "Scripture Power" in her church primary class.

Connor is grateful for... zippers.


He discovered how to undo his jammies this morning.











And then he proceeded to try to take them off. He's hitting that "I'd rather be naked" stage in his life. For some reason, the girls never really hit it, so this is all pretty new for me. Doesn't he know it's cold outside?

Day #14

Tonight we had a family movie night. I had to run to Wally World today (fun-fun on a Saturday, don't you think?) and there it was, staring me in the face: The Red Box. So I stopped by the see what they had. I have been wanting to see Disney's "Earth" movie, and the girls had seen part of it at our friends' house, so I rented it and brought it home.

If you have no idea what movie I'm talking about and want to watch a trailer of the movie, click here.

Considering how much some of the people in this family love the "boob tube", you'd think it'd always be a big hit. Normally, it would be. Apparently, we have different expectations of movie-watching in this home. Ben likes to sit and enjoy without the chatter. This is usually Anita's take as well, unless it is a documentary movie like this one. Then she likes to "ooh" and "ahh" over the cool-looking things she sees. Olivia is pretty quiet, but occasionally likes to laugh and talk about something she's seen - like that mean old cheetah going after the baby whatever-it-was. Didn't he know it was just a kid? Kelsey likes to recreate the movie in the middle of the room, generally between Anita and the TV. Connor? Well, he doesn't even really notice there's a movie on. He just likes to redecorate the den. He may as well since he can't escape, right??

Since we were watching this movie tonight, we decided to do a gratitude post about the amazing things we saw and are grateful for on this planet Earth on which we live.

Ben is grateful for... the beautiful waterfalls.


Anita is grateful for... the Earth's 23.5 degree tilt. It is what gives us our seasons every year, and a wonderful variety of life all over this planet. And to me, yet another proof that life here is not accidental but by Divine design.


Olivia and Kelsey are both thankful for... the birds of paradise that live in the rain forests.

This is one of their favorites - the one is front is the female that the male is trying to impress. The male bird is facing the camera right now. That's right! Those are not tail feathers you see before you... the little blue dots are where his head is. This mating drama he does is one of the funniest things I've seen in a while,

Connor is grateful for ... Balmex. And no, it was not in the movie anywhere. But apparently he had a non-odorous stinky diaper during the movie and we didn't catch it because we were so engrossed in the antics of the evening. By the time we went to change him, his little bottom was raw and red. So tonight, Connor is grateful for Balmex.

Day #13

Ben is grateful for... homemade bread with dinner.

Anita is grateful for... being able to serve others.

Olivia & Connor are grateful for... their bike ride with Mommy this morning.

Kelsey is grateful for... getting to play in the hot tub at Morgan's house and "accidentally" getting wet.