Crazy-ness

Not sure if crazy-ness is a word or not...if not I invented it...we got off the plane 15 days ago...in that amount of time we have bought cell phones, bought a house (closing in another 15 days), bought a van, shopped for our house, went to Church, hung out with friends, traveled to Tennessee and are currently enjoying time with my sister and new niece (new to me, she's a year old, but we just met her this week!)
I know things are not going to slow down anytime soon, but I am thankful for the busy-ness...I am blessed.
God has provided the perfect house for our family...we have been able to spend time with our families...soon we will be in our new house...and we will be settled. I am looking forward to that time. I am looking forward to getting back into our routine, or creating a new routine...
Tomorrow is the start of a New Year and I am looking forward to seeing what God has in store for us in 2012.

Reverse Culture Shock

I have heard people say that we would have Culture Shock when we moved back to the states. I'm like, "No, not me, I've visited for the past five years..."
Well, just in the day we've been back I've noticed several things...
1) The people are SO nice! Yes, I am serious.
2) The toilets in shopping centers appear to sit pretty low to the ground, and they have no backs!
3) It did not take hours to get cell phones!!!
4) I could get the cell phone I wanted, because they had it in stock!
5) The drivers on the road drive so nice...again, I am serious.
6) We drove around an entire day and didn't get into any "almost" accidents, not one!
7) The cashiers in places are again, so nice!!
8) The lady busing at Chick-fil-A was so nice and offered to refill our cups, without having to flag her down, ask for assistance, and without having to ask several times.
9) A lot of stuff is so cheap! Yes, I want candy canes for 98 cents, even though I don't need them!
10) I can change my cell phone plan anytime I want! Anytime! Without hassle, without having to go down to the store, I can just call them on the phone. I am in a 2 year contract, but the plan can change as many times as I want!
This is pretty random and I am sure there are a ton of things that I noticed...but that's what I remember at the moment...

12 Days of Christmas

Last week we learned the true meaning (or so the legend goes) of the 12 days of Christmas...which just so happens to be my kids favorite Christmas song...the Chipmunk version :)

Anyway...this is what we learned last week, apparently for several hundred years it was against the law in England to be a member of the Catholic church...so some concerned parents got together and created the "Christmas code", so the code was to teach the children about the things of God...so here is what the phrases mean:
"My true love" represents God, who gives all the gifts listed in the song.
"A partridge in a pear tree" is Jesus, who gave His life on a tree (the cross).
"Two turtle doves" symbolize the Old and New Testaments.
"Three French hens" are faith, hope, and love.
"Four calling birds" speak of the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
"Five golden rings" correspond to the first five books of the bible, also-known as the Pentateuch.
"Six geese a-laying" stand for the six days of creation.
"Seven swans a swimming" are the seven gifts of the Spirit (Romans 12:6-8).
"Eight maids a-milking" point to the eight beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-10).
"Nine ladies dancing" signify the nine fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
"Ten lords a-leaping" represent the Ten Commandments.
"Eleven pipers piping" are the eleven faithful disciples.
"Twelve drummers drumming" call to mind the twelve points of the Apostle's Creed."
Taken from the book The Adventure of Christmas by Lisa Whelchel.

Today in Geography, with our Christmas Around the World unit we were studying Australia...did you know they have their own version of the 12 Days of Christmas...let me share it with you!! Hopefully it will tickle you as much as it did Kayla and Elijah!

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
A kookaburra in a gum tree.
On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Two snakes on skis, and a kookaburra in a gum tree
Three wet galahs....
Four lyrebirds...
Five kangaroos...
Six sharks a-surfing...
Seven emus laying...
Eight dingos dancing...
Nine crocs a-snoozing...
Ten wombats washing...
Eleven lizards leaping...
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Twelve possums playing, Eleven lizards leaping,
Ten wombats washing, nine crocs a-snoozing,
Eight dingos dancing, seven emus laying,
six sharks a-surfing, five kangaroos,
four lyrebirds, three wet galahs,
two snakes on skis and a kookaburra in a gum tree!

Christmas Around the World

I think I've said this before, but I will say it again. This year we are doing a lot to learn about Christmas, not just from the Bible and other books on Christmas, but in Geography we are doing a unit on "Christmas Around the World." For the past 2 weeks (and again this upcoming week) we have been studying different countries and their holiday traditions, as well as learning more about our traditions. It has been very interesting and we have made several pieces of artwork that reflect what we are learning.

I found it very fitting that this morning at IBC Church they did "Christmas Around the World" with singing and scripture readings in different languages (I am not going to list them in case I say something wrong), but it was VERY good for the kids to see. They loved seeing all the flags around the sanctuary and knowing that they have learned something about that country and then seeing and hearing people sing and speak in other languages!! What an amazing experience!

One of the projects we did this week was from Italy. Did you know that the nativity scene. one of the most beloved and enduring symbols of the holiday season originated in Italy? St. Francis of Assisi asked a man named Giovanni Vellita of the village of Greccio to create a manger scene.

Here are the kids attempts to do the nativity scenes, they mixed all the colors in their own pictures, the only thing they had help with was the cutting out of the black pieces and the star for their pictures.

 

 

 

"So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in a manger." Luke 2:16

We did learn some other things and do more artwork this week, but I have not had the time to transfer the pictures to the computer yet. I might do another post later...we'll see...you'll just have to check back later ;)

Cuddles!

Can I just say how blessed I am? I love my family, my husband, my kids! They mean the world to me. If you know anything about Elijah, then you probably know that he doesn't handle change very well. He doesn't like it, it makes him clingy, a little cranky, out of sorts, and makes him want to cuddle! That's how he is currently handling being in these temporary quarters. He comes up to me so many times a day, wanting cuddles, we have to cuddle before he goes to bed...it's usually me. But, I did catch him and Matt cuddling over the weekend! It's so cute! Elijah is still our "baby" even though he is 6 1/2 and he looks like a baby (kind of) in the pictures below!

I am happy to cuddle with him and so is Matt to help him with this transition! Who knows how much longer he will be willing to cuddle before he thinks he is too old!



Children's Choir...December

On Sunday, December 4, the kids did their final performances for children's choir, at our current church. Kayla sang in both morning services and Elijah sang in the evening, at a performance only for the families of the kids in his group.

I am so proud of both kids, they did a great job! Kayla is nervous every time she gets up to sing with the group, but she does it and she enjoys it!

 Elijah getting ready to sing his first song...

Look, he's actually singing! He knew all the words! So proud of him :)

Elijah and Abby having a quick chat between songs!

Abby:

Playing instruments while singing "Praise Parade."

Elijah and Abby getting ready to say their memory verse, they both knew it but they were so shy...it was really cute!

Elijah relaxing with Nathan after the performance was over:

IBC Church has been such a blessing to us. The kids department is phenomenal, I am very pleased with the experience we have had. The kids have grown spiritually (and physically!) in the 2 1/2 years that we've attended the church. They've enjoyed all the teachers they have had and they have LOVED the children's choir. We will certainly miss it when we leave Singapore.

"We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God." Colossians 1:9B-10



Sleep Over!

Saturday was a very busy day! We had breakfast and then walked to SKS books, which is a Christian bookstore here in Singapore. The kids rode their scooters and Matt and I tried to keep up with them. We were looking for a scripture portion, written in Chinese characters, for Matt as a keepsake for him from Singapore. He likes to get artwork from every country that he visits...that's kind of his thing. Anyway, here we were less than 2 weeks from leaving and he hadn't gotten it yet...so we HAD to go ;).

He found exactly what he was looking for and was very pleased. While he was looking at artwork the kids were reading books and I was looking at music...we ended up walking out of there with artwork, 3 new CD's, two of them for the kids, so we were all quite happy.

When we got home the housekeeper was here cleaning...so we couldn't stay....she can't work around the four of us...So, we took our last trip to the library, checking out books and videos.

When we got back we had lunch and then got ready to take the kids to Church for the Sunday School Christmas party...Elijah ran to the door and that's when he ended up falling on his face on the hard marble floor. We were praising God that he didn't split his head open!

The kids had a fabulous time at the party (which was 3 hours of fun!) and then came home, bringing Nathan and Abby with them for a sleep over.

Kayla immediately gave Abby a tour of the place (since they hadn't had a chance to see our temp quarters yet) and Nathan and Elijah got busy building with legos. Before they could get too involved Matt took their McDonald's order and I gathered them up and took them to the playground while Matt ran next door and got dinner (there are SO many advantages to being attached to a mall :)). We played at the playground until Matt got back with the food. Then we ate and started the process of showering 4 kids for bed. The girls took their showers first, while the boys played their DS's. Then the girls played dolls and the boys took their showers, then they all played their DS's together for a while.

Next, we took a break from the video games and did our Jesse Tree Advent Calendar, reading the Bible story that went with it. After that we watched 101 Dalmatians. I had not realized that none of the kids had seen the "real" version, they had only watched the cartoon version. I had also not realized how long the movie was! Needless to say, the kids did not get in bed until 9:30! They were all up by 7 on Sunday...

Sunday morning they got up, had breakfast, got dressed and still had time to play before we headed out to Church.

They look pretty good for not a lot of sleep, don't they??

We are so blessed with great friends!

Advent Kiss Calendar

Advent has started! We are counting down! We are so excited about this season...the changes we are going through and the celebration of Christ's birth! How blessed we are to be able to learn more and more about Jesus and how the story unfolds! We are enjoying reading the books, looking at ornaments and putting them on our Jesse Tree.

Here is Kayla getting her first kiss from the "calendar:"

Elijah snuck his before we were ready!

"Because one person disobeyed God, many people became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many people will be made right in God's sight." Romans 5:19

The Star

On Thursday we learned about the meaning behind the star. This one is pretty easy and most people would be able to figure out the star. I asked the kids why they think we put a star on the top of our Christmas tree. Kayla immediately told about the star in the sky and guiding the Magi. Then, she proceeded to tell me that we don't have a star on the top of our tree, we have an angel...and why we have an angel (the angel came to Mary)...WOW! Thanks Kayla for keeping me in line...

Here are some pictures of us making a star as we apply what we've learned:

 

Then we had a little more fun...we made stars and decorated them with glitter!

When we had finished school for the day, the kids decided to go back and do more glitter...we went through 2 bottles of glue...but the kids had an amazing time!

"Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." Matthew 2:2



Candy Canes

Did you know the first candy canes were used as a pacifier for a baby?

Seriously!!

This is one of the things we learned on Wednesday while learning about some of the symbols that represent Christmas.

It just so happens that I also had coloring books on The Legend of the Candy Cane, left over from something I had bought for my Mops Moms for Christmas several years ago :)

"Look at the candy cane-what do you see?

Stripes that are red like the blood shed for me.

White is for my Savior who's sinless and pure!

"J" is for Jesus, my Lord, that's for sure!

Turn it around and a staff you will see-

Jesus, my shepherd, was born for me!"- Author Unknown

Do you know what you are putting on your tree? And the meaning behind it?

Remember when you are putting the candy canes on your tree, the story behind it and the invitation to "taste and see that the Lord is good." Psalm 34:8

Preparing for Advent 2

We have spent this week preparing for the Advent season. We started reading the book The ADVENTure of Christmas by Lisa Whelchel on Monday. One of the really cool things that I like about this book is that it explains what each symbol represents and then gives you a craft to make, making you apply what you have learned. So, on Monday we read about Advent, what it means and then it was suggested to make an Advent Kiss Calendar...which we did  : -)

Taller than Elijah:

Hanging on his door knob...waiting for December 1:

Kayla working diligently on hers:

Taller than Kayla:

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:14

Preparing for Advent

Ever since the kids were little, Matt and I have looked for more ways to keep Christ in Christmas and not focus so much on the other stuff.
Our traditions start with us putting up the tree on Thanksgiving day...it gives the kids something to do while I am cooking (I help too, but we really let them do most of the decorating).
Then, at the beginning of December we read all the Christmas stories, some even related to Christ's birth.
On Christmas Eve we bake cookies for Santa, get carrots for the reindeer and set them out.
We also bake a cake for Jesus.
Then on Christmas day we get up, see that Santa and the reindeer have eaten their food, and we read the note from Santa...telling the kids Merry Christmas and not to forget that it's Jesus' birthday!
We open presents, read about Jesus' birth and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. Knowing there is no greater gift that we can give Him, than ourselves. I don't know if this message is taken yet...but we are certainly working on it.
But, we have never actually prepared for the Advent season before.
This year is different and I am so excited. I want the kids to know and love Jesus, I want the whole season to mean something to them! Not for it to be just about one day (even though that one day is SO important)!
 Let's take Christmas apart and learn everything we can about what leads up to that day.
We have two ways we are doing that this year.
First, we are reading  The ADVENTure of Christmas by Lisa Whelchel.
This book starts out by explaining what Advent is. In case you are wondering, Advent means "to come" and is talking about Jesus' coming to earth as a baby on Christmas day. The season of Advent is ALL about looking forward to celebrating the day when our almighty God stepped into history as a human being.
The book goes on to tell you how the Christmas tree came about and so many more traditions for the things that we do at Christmas...not going to tell you more...are you curious? Buy the book :)
I am so excited!! I get to celebrate and look forward to this amazing day and I am learning too!
Second, we are reading the book The Advent Jesse tree by Dean Meador Lambert. This book was introduced to me by some wonderful friends and I am so thankful to know about it!
If you are looking for ways to celebrate this advent season, I would highly recommend both books. The kids are excited about learning more about the advent season too! They can't wait until December 1st!
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:14

House Hunting

Matt and I have been looking at houses for what seems like forever. Whenever we are bored, or when we were looking at specific locations, we would look at the houses there.
Now we know where we are going and it's time to get serious.
So, a few weeks ago we "really" started looking, making lists, checking them twice, three times, four, five...
Then, it happened.
I fell in love with the perfect house!
So, I did what an logical person would do in my situation, I showed my husband the house I have to have...then I sent off an inquiry email to the realtor.
The next day I looked to see if the house was still there, it was so wonderful I was sure it would be snapped up...but no, it was still there.
So this began the beginning of a wonderful relationship with a fabulous realtor in South Charlotte.
She gave me all the information I could want about this house and wanted more info about us and our situation, which I quite happily gave her...which she in turn generated two separate lists of houses that she thought we would like...with over 40 homes between the two lists.
Over the past few weeks we have been in contact with this realtor almost on a daily basis. Asking more questions on the houses she has given us and her asking how things are going etc...
Last week we finally narrowed the list down to 14. Over this past weekend we narrowed it down to 7. Yesterday we labeled them #1-7, starting with our favorite.
I do have to say that my number one is not Matt's, but every time he comes up with one he seems to like better, I give him the reasons why my house is better...he always agrees. Not because he is that agreeable, but because the house is that great.
As of today, it is still there. The owners have decided to rent/sale, which ever comes first.
I am praying that in 19 days it is still there, so I can walk through it and see if it is as wonderful as the pictures portray it to be.
I am quite thankful for this wonderful realtor that God has provided us with. She is amazing and I already feel like she has gone above and beyond the norm of most Realtors. We did inquire about some other houses with other Realtors and they were not helpful at all...which is another reason why I know she is amazing!

Life is fragile, handle with care

Today I am reminded of how fragile life is and how blessed we are.

One of my friends' friends is in hospice care. She has 2 children, ages 10 and almost 12. I am heartbroken. This is one of those situations that you think life is not fair. And, it's not. But, we are not guaranteed tomorrow.  Live as if it is your last day here, because it very well could be.

I want to have no regrets, I want my children and husband to know how much I love them. I want to spend more time with them, playing, making memories and leaving no room for regrets. I want them to know that they are more important than the "other" things we tend to get busy with.

This is a reminder to live life fully, making the most of every opportunity, living with no regrets.

"Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life." Jude 1:21

"Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:15-16

Children's Choir

The kids are in Children's Choir at Church. They practice every Sunday night from 5-6:15pm. They love it! Kayla's in the oldest group and Elijah is in the youngest group. Kayla's group sings in the service once a month. Elijah's group hasn't sang yet...but will be singing on December 4th...he's a little nervous.

Anyway, Kayla's group sang last week in Church, she really enjoys it. She is usually smiling as she sings!

Here are some pictures we took last week:

"Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises." Psalm 46:6