The Puddles

January is suppose to be the slow-down recuperate-from-the-holidays month.  It hasn’t quite turned out that way!  We’ve . . .

• put away the holiday decorations
• found new homes for all of the new toys
• visited doctors
• planned the next six months of Madie’s troop
• planned the next six months of Ainsley’s troop
• researched and set up violin lessons
• visited Austin to see mom get her award!!
• made the trip educational since we were missing school
• sold Girl Scout cookies
• sold more Girl Scout cookies
• dealt with other issues (not all bad) regarding Girl Scout cookies
• organized Madie’s closet
• started small group meetings back up (there is planning involved but the great outcome outweighs the work)
• organized, registered and purchased almost $1000 worth of tickets and events for two girl scout troops
• taught Sunday School
• worked (and still playing catchup from changing to a new program)
• stressed over church life (again not all bad but just a lot of sad)
• reinvigorated the children to like school again
• started gearing up for huge state tests for 4th grade
• loved on children
• supported husband
• attempted to clean office
• finally convinced husband to fix brand new car that has not worked right since we bought it!  (he even cleaned it up for me!!)
• volunteered in three different classrooms three days a week
• went shopping
• planned menus
• cleaned house
• made breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day
• convinced Ainsley that she needs to go to school
• convinced Ben that homework is not as hard as he thinks it is
• convinced Madie to go outside to play more and to read less
• signed up Ben and Ainsley for gymnastics once a week
• signed Ainsley up for art classes
• remind husband the he is truly gifted in the doing the Lord’s work (eventhough right now his ministry seems to consist more in dealing with budgets, reports, and calendars . . . which are important but probably not part of the job description that Jesus used when recruiting his disciples)
• worked some more.
• tried to set a new bed time of before midnight.
• ran errands, errands, and more errands.
• was a single mom all week while Daddy was at the Theological Conference and then spent a few extra days doing sermon prep for the next few weeks

January has not been slow enough.  Starting next week, we have afterschool activities every day after school and events almost every weekend.  And soon enough Lent will start, then Easter comes, and school will end and the children will be home for the summer.  We are already planning our beach vacation for the summer  . . . in January.  I am stressed thinking about everything.  Chris comes home today and we have survived.  He is coming home and then the kids and I are taking 30 other girls and their families to see Annie tonight.  Then tomorrow we are taking another 25 girls and family members to see the Harlem Globetrotters.  On Sunday we go to church and then I spend all day prepping ourselves and the house for a week of busyness.  My blood pressure is high and Ainsley has a mysterious rash, but I told her the rash had to wait until next week because I don’t have time to take her to the doctor.  But geez . . . my lunch break is over and I need to get back to work!  So back to the grindstone!!

Obviously they are not thrilled about being pious on Christmas, but the day of the Lord’ birth landed on a Sunday.  So off we went!!  Daddy decided at the last minute that it was ok for the kids to wear their pajamas.  So the younger two did.  The eldest decided to change he clothes.  It was nice being with our church family that morning.  The kids were anxious to get back home to open  more presents.  They only got to open their stockings before we left!

We went to Friendswood for our final Christmas party.  We hung out with the Grace side of the family.  The kids enjoyed their cousins again.  It is nice to see all of our family over a two day period.  I was tuckered after this Christmas though.  I think my Christmas joy had about run out!  But being with family through it all makes it worth it!

All he wants to do is fly!  He made his Aunt Katherine’s Day!!!

As the other kids opened their presents, we heard the back door open.  Gordon was trying to go outside so he could practice his flying!  It was great!  Uncle Chris helped him out by lifting him up so he could take off.

The kids played with the packing noodles!  They are the dissolvable kind.  Way cool!  Then Ben tried to help his cousin on the playset!  Very sweet of him!

Chris’ side of the family came over the day after Christmas.  They even brought dinner with them!  That was nice!  It was a good day.  The kids were still happy to keep playing with their Christmas toys and they enjoyed hanging out with family.  We even got to test out the snowman milk container that Ainsley made for everyone!  They really turned out cute!!!

consisted of the boys spending a large amount of time “killing zombies”.  And by boys  . . . I mean Chris and Dave.  Debra and her family came over for the rest of the afternoon after the celebrations were over.  I made a crockpot meal that turned out really good. Ainsley danced in front of the tv during a football game and I don’t think she was reprimanded once by the boys!  They were too busy killing zombies!  I like spending Christmas like that.  The kids play together for some fun and everyone just gets to relax.

Madie asked for a violin for Christmas and Santa came through for her.  She is so excited.  Plus she starts lessons on Monday.

I think she looks like a natural.

This was a wonderful Christmas.  Everyone was happy.  Everyone got what they asked for from Santa.  The day was good.

We made our goal.  We made presents for everyone.  The kids and I that is.  Madie knitted a hat for Ainsley and put all of Ben’s lego directions into a binder that she created.  Ben decorated a box for Madie’s doll clothes and he “designed” a princess apron for Ainsley’s doll.  Ainsley painted pictures for all of her family.  We made shrinky dink necklaces for the girls in the family.  We made seek and find bottles for the toddlers.  We created a book, “Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?” using our family as characters.  That turned out really cute.  We made lipgloss for everyone.  Madie decoupaged the containers for the lipgloss. Ben made butterfly houses for the grandparents. He nailed them together with Dad and painted them with Mom.  Made sewed a shoulder bag for Megan. (Really cute!).  I knitted hats for everyone.  But I really enjoyed sewing superman capes for the niece and nephew and an A&M dress and tutu outfit for Gracie.  The princess/supergirl cape for the  niece didn’t go over well.  But everything else was a success.  Plus I think I had more fun making all of it than anyone did receiving it.

Our favorite gift of all was the present for Daddy.  The kids made lists of every word they could think of that described Daddy.  Then they typed all of the words into an online program to create a beautiful picture.  Then the program puts the words together to form a picture.  In our case it was a heart . . . you have to see it to understand.  But it is cool.  Plus Daddy can hang it in his office and look at his accolades in the heart to know what is really important.