A Christmas Blessing

Some dear friends of ours in Missouri blessed us with a few night stay at Big Cedar Lodge just south of Branson. Though we had to balance this with work and school, we made it work! Ben took Sam and Asher for a night stay while Elijah and I stayed home and baked for the holidays. The next 30 hours, Ben spent time alone reading and studying and enjoying walks out in nature. On Wednesday, he took me down as we celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary. It was fun to recall how we had celebrated anniversaries in the past and fun memories in between.
The following day we came back for the boys and were excited to show them around the resort. We spent some time building cabins with Lincoln Logs, chatting with Santa, playing on the playground, and celebrating Asher's birthday.
Our favorite treat was having Blitz, a 98 year old elf, come tuck the boys in! I'm not kidding! She brought the boys stockings filled with goodies and read a few books before tickling them and giving them Christmas hugs goodnight. Elijah was full of questions about her occupation at the North Pole, while Sam and Asher sat enamored.
Definitely a blessing!

Happy Birthday, Asher!

Asher turned two just one week before Christmas. Though this is only our second try at it, we want to do our best not to get his birthday caught up in Christmas. I have a friend that celebrates hers on July 19th for that very reason!

We took the boys to Silver Dollar City's Christmas Lights Parade where the boys sat bundled up. Asher opened presents of books and his very own backpack! He thinks he can now go to Elijah's school! We celebrated again with the Pilgreens in Louisiana as we were there for Christmas on his birthday. The cookie cake was enjoyed by all even though the Cookie Cake Company didn't have it grammatically correct: "Your'e #2 Woo Hoo Happy Birthday Asher!"

Tis' the season

Though we've been married for 9 years this month, we don't have much we do in the way of Christmas traditions. Mostly because travel looks different every year with extended family, two kids have been born over the holidays, and we have moved often. This year is no exception!

However, some Pilgreen favorites are baking goodies like Reindeer cookies and Pecan Salty Chocolate Bark.



Decorating the tree together is a favorite as we remember where we got the ornaments or who gave them to us. This year, since we are preparing for our move to San Francisco, we let the boys decorate a small tree in Elijah's room that is covered with homemade ornaments and children's keepsake ornaments. In the living room, we decorated another small tree that if we were to put our presents around it, you wouldn't see the tree! Though the tree is quaint, I look forward to getting a tree next year, so we can pull out all the ornaments and relive lots more memories.



We'd much rather give experiences to our boys than tangible gifts, so we took them, along with another family, to the Dixie Stampede Christmas in Branson. We ate throughout the program and saw toys come to life and the live nativity. Ben and I even got to participate in one of the games down on the center field!



In this year's Kindergarten Christmas program, Elijah was given a speaking part. He was the first one to welcome everyone to the night of singing and dancing. We are so proud of him. He takes it seriously and falls in line with him wanting to be a pastor one day!



Traditions definitely allow us to relive memories and somehow captures our past in a magical way, yet we discover that new things and new places keep us fresh and in a constant state of wide-eyed wonder! Why? Because it's all brand-new! So, tis' the season to be jolly!

Papa knows everything...

If the boys ever get into a discussion on who knows more than them, the clear answer they give is, "Papa knows everything!" Papa is Shauna's dad's father. He lives in Monroe, Georgia where he enjoys his church. He travels when he can and still enjoys his hobby of working on small outdoor appliances. Though we don't get to see Papa that often, he is the oldest relative they have and they think he is the smartest and wisest man of all.
However, we received a blessing as Papa's church group made a trip to Branson, Missouri for the holidays to see the shows and eat good food. We met up with he and Lois for a few hours and considered it a rich time together! We loved on him and enjoyed some ice cream on a freezing cold day!

More Louisiana Thanksgiving

I know that I have already posted much about our time with the Pilgreen family, but I have more pics that deserve a post! It's often that the kids and guys are captured on photo, but seldom the girls, since we are the ones taking the pics!





So here is Lindsey and I getting our hair done by our hairstylist, Emma Grace Allen.





The girls pose quickly before guests arrive at Emily's baby shower. Doesn't Emily look great? Baby Eva due January 8.

Make-Believe: A Cousin's Tale

"Okay, I'm not sure what we're up against today, but make sure we're all ready to fight for our land!" Jonah rallied the cousins together.
"Yeah!" they all shouted.
"And know that we're all in this together," Jonah added.
"Yeah!" they all shouted.
"What are we doing, Jonah?" Emma questioned.
"We tan't know that right now, Emma," Sam commented.
"Let's be ready to attack and fight!" Elijah shouted.




"And one more thing. Asher has a back-up car ready if we need it and Miles is ready on the tire swing if we need that plan of escape." They all noticed.
"Let's do this," Jonah concluded his rally talk.



"Charge!" Elijah yelled, not really knowing what invisible person he was after. Yet he charged anyway.



"I've got my stick gun ready to fire!" Sam thought. "Wait a second, what can a stick really do?"



"It doesn't matter, Sam," Jonah said on the other side of the fort. "Just act like you know what you're doing. Our looks can show we're not going down without a fight."



"Pow. Pow. Pow. Pow. I got 'em, Emma!" Joe shouted.
"Got what, Joe?"
"You know....those things out there in the woods," Joe added.
"There's nothing in those woods. You boys and your make-believe. I'm going inside the house and play school!" Emma said.



The cousins did play all day, mostly outside on the trampoline or tire swing, with the dogs and with sticks. Our boys aren't used to playing in such wide-opened spaces. They LOVED every minute of it and can't wait to go back in a few weeks. One thing we did before we ate our Thanksgiving meal was to write on a rock what we are thankful for....the pictures taken that day spoke just as loud as the word on the rock!

Louisiana Thanksgiving

As I tweeted earlier this week, we left Louisiana with our tummies full because of the delicious cooking and baking by Emily and Erin, and left with our hearts full of rest and gratefulness from such a delightful time, just the sixteen of us (make that seventeen if we count Eva who I think will arrive in 2009!)

Highlights:
seeing GJ (that's Ben's dad)
the guys playing the Jack Hayes Memorial Bowl game (I think Ben and Lee beat Walter and Zach again!)
the BEST Thanksgiving meal (and I am certain that Ben would say the same, though he gives the holiday meal a hard time!)
baking and cooking in the kitchen
the guys going to see how crazy the Toys R Us line was at midnight
cousins playing from sun up to sun down
beautiful-not-a-cloud-in-the-sky-upper-sixty-degree weather
eating soup and ooey gooey cookies at Erin and Zach's house
baby shower for Emily and baby Eva (due January 8)
seeing family from Shreveport

Sam is four!

Though it can be frowned upon to have a birthday near a holiday, it is working well right now as Sam gets to celebrate his birthday several times with different groups of people.
We took Sam as a family of five to his pick restaurant: Red Robin, on Sunday where he opened presents from his brothers and mom and dad. On Monday night we celebrated with a few close friends, Toy Story style. Sam helped get the party started by decorating the kitchen as the Pizza Planet, the play room as Andy's Room, and the garage as the Star Command Center. We enjoyed pizza, then off to Andy's Room for a memory game with the characters of Toy Story, then to hunt for glow sticks hidden in a dark garage a.k.a. Star Command Center. Then the kids drew their own planets and rocket ships before returning to the Pizza Planet to decorate their own car cakes.
Wednesday, his actual birthday, we skyped with family in Georgia and later arrived in Louisiana for Thanksgiving holidays where Aunt Emily made cupcakes and Sam opened up presents from family.
As mom scratched his back that night in bed, it is hard to believe how fast these 4 years have gone. Full of memories and laughs. We love our Sam!

Boys and push-ups

Ben challenges the boys to push-ups. Notice how Asher sways!

EPIC: First Branson

In the cold rain, all 5 of us traveled south to join Neil and Kendra Franks and their church for their Missions and Me Annual Banquet. This was very much a celebratory night as they rejoiced together with their partnerships in their community of Branson, in the state of Missouri, in partnerships in North America, in mission trips they take, and with their missionaries who serve internationally. This was also a night of challenge as Neil and some of the partners shared how God was at work and how FBC Branson could get involved.
It was clear to us that this church is reaching the world and enjoys seeing and hearing and experiencing all that God is doing. They took a moment and honored Tom Fish, a layperson in the church who had a heart for missions. As a part of his legacy that he leaves behind, they will share Tom’s heart each time they speak of missions and are setting up a scholarship in his name. Though we never knew him, his heart for missions lives on even in the mission God has for us in San Francisco. We are thrilled and honored to have FBC Branson join us in seeing the Gospel take root in San Francisco.
This fellowship of believers prayed a blessing over us and encouraged us with their words and support. We left with our hearts full, reminded once again that we are not just a few going into the city, but with us an army of prayer warriors and supporters. May God richly bless the work and the people of FBC Branson.

Hallow-whata-day?

Our boys just aren't quite sure what to make of Hallow-whata-day! It's about wearing a costume, getting candy, attending a church event, and that's about the extent of it." It's not about Jesus," they would say. But it's more than pumpkins and falling leaves to them.
They certainly enjoy every moment of it. Our boys joined forces with their close friends and represented the Rebel Force well. They love seeing other kids dressed up as different characters. This year, they were drawn to other Star Wars characters, almost as if the Force drew them together and they gave this head nod to these stranger kids as a way of identifying with them. It was pretty humorous to watch. Asher didn't understand why everyone wanted to put candy in his pumpkin, but he certainly was liking it! We saw a Peter Pan show with an amazing Gospel presentation of Jesus as our Rescuer and played festival games to earn prizes. After a full day of fun and while the boys were getting ready for bed, we sorted through the candy and gave the Tootsie Roll the "most popular candy" prize in our home!







And to be honest, I'm not sure how to go about it. As parents, we enjoy taking advantage of the family day, yet don't feel any attachment or fondness to the holiday. So, as I write my thoughts out, I think I have coined October 31st as Hallow-whata-day as far as the 5 of us are concerned!