What we've been up to

I'm sitting here staring at my new post, not knowing what to write. =) I guess I'll just give everyone a generic update from the past few days.

Friday was a nice, relazing day at home. After the kids' naps, we had Christmas at Vern and Lorrie's which was a fun time. They got us dinner theater tickets to this place in Ohio, and they'll keep the kids overnight for us when we go! So we're excited about that.

Saturday was crazy. We left the house a little after 9 am because Dan wanted to take us to see some Lighthouse properties in Butler. First we went to Safe Harbour. The Lighthouse bought the property in downtown Butler, renovated the first floor as office space to rent out, and the second and third floors are for 30 day transitional housing. The basement holds the furniture warehouse. The office renovations were nice, and the furniture warehouse was well-organized. We didn't get to see any of the apartments because there was someone living in all of them. Then we went to see the progress on Blanchard house, which caught on fire in October. It's coming, but it still has a long way to go. Last we went to Haun house, a duplex, which someone just donated to the Lighthouse. Dan, Vern, and everyone else at the Lighthouse definitely have their hands full with all of that (an much more) to manage!
Saturday afternoon we went down to the northside of Pittsburgh to see Dan's sister Julie and her kids for Christmas #3. We opened gifts and ate dinner together. We got home around 7 pm, which made for a long day for the boys.

Sunday was pretty normal. We did get to eat lunch with Blake after church, which was fun! I got a nice nap during the Steeler game, while both the boys were napping.

This morning I took Sam to the doctor to find out that he has an ear infection. The doctor also said that Sam's molars are about to come through and that his gums are very swollen. Poor little guy! We had a few other errands to run including stocking up on dvds from the library in preparation for our drive to CT on Wednesday. Then (this is the most amazing part!)... both boys took overlapping afternoon naps for TWO HOURS!!! What a nice break. I relaxed for about a half hour, then leisurely cooked sweet and sour pork for dinner. I actually like cooking when I can take my time and do it right, when I don't have hungry kids pulling on my legs and taking food out of cabinets. I have to say it turned out pretty good! The recipe said to dip the pork cubes in the batter and then put them in the skillet to cook. I had so many pork cubes it seemed rediculous to dip each one into the batter individually, so I just threw all the pork into the batter, mixed it up, and threw it in the skillet. Well, the batter didn't really stick to the pork and it ended up in one weird blob. That was probably the only mishap though. It still tasted pretty good and made the house smell amazing!

So this has been a pretty boring post. But for those of you who are just interested in what I've been up to, this pretty much sums it up... fortunately or unfortunately. =)

Santa came last night

This morning Dan was giving the boys their breakfast, and I was still in bed. I heard the door to the deck open and close, which I thought was weird. A few minutes later, Dan came up, and the conversation went something like this:

Dan: I think Santa came last night.

Me: You're a dork. (Rolling over, trying to go back to sleep...)

Dan: No, I really think Santa came.

Me: (laughing, rolling my eyes) You're lying.

Dan: If I'm lying, you can stay in bed all day.

Ok... now I'm listening. Someone really did leave a large garbage bag filled with wrapped gifts on our deck last night. I'm not even kidding. There were gifts in there for everyone in our family. Obviously "Santa" knew us pretty well, as each of the gifts was perfect for each person. I'm guessing that one of you all out there had something to do with it, so thank you, whoever you are. (By the way, Dan is determined to figure out who it was...)

Christmas Eve

Well, we may have started a new tradition tonight: Wendys for dinner on Christmas Eve. With everything we have to get ready for the candlelight service at church, I just never have time to think about dinner. So tonight we resorted to Wendys, as we did last year. =)

The service went well, and we got to see lots of fun people. At the end of the service, when we were lighting our candles and listening to scriptures about light, a 3-year-old standing near me started singing Silent Night quietly, getting every word right. No one else was singing, but it was the sweetest thing.

Then we came home, put the boys straight in bed, and started wrapping presents. To my dismay, we realized that we were missing one of Isaiah's gifts - an ultra Mr. Potato Head play set. We get our kids three gifts each, so to lose one of them is a big deal! We searched high and low (I've been keeping all the gifts in one place, so there really wasn't anywhere to look), and I even found the gift receipt that says I paid for it. Unfortunately I bought it on November 9 and just realized it was missing tonight! Will Target take my word for it and refund my money? We will find out. I must have left it sit at the register after we checked out. Luckily we have a back-up gift. We have my nephew's bike in the basement. He outgrew it and handed it down to Isaiah. So I guess that will be his third gift. Unfortunately we didn't buy him a helmet yet, and I know he'll want to try it out tomorrow. Hopefully he won't crack his head open on Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

I guess this brings a whole new meaning...

to the term "tree huggers." Yes, this tree outside the Children's Museum was wearing a sweater. I have never seen anything like it, so I thought I would share... =)

Fun day

I took the boys to the Pittsburgh Children's Museum today. I was a little nervous about taking them by myself, now that they can go in two different directions. It was a challenge, but I was just thinking about how much more difficult it would be with three (a few of my friends are getting ready for their 3rd child). Anyway, here are a few pictures from our fun day.

Christmas party

Today was Isaiah's preschool party. It was so fun to see him in the school environment. They iced cookies... or at least they were supposed to. They actually took the spoons and ate the icing straight. They decorated wooden Christmas trees, and played "Scoop the Snow." Anyway, here are some pictures.

Decorating the tree

Here are some photos of the craziness that was our family tonight, decorating the tree...

Highs and Lows

Sometimes emotions stink. This morning I was riding high from the band's great concert last night. In fact I didn't really sleep that well because, all night long in my head, I kept dissecting every moment of the concert. It really was leaps and bounds better than any other band concert that I've ever directed. I have a great group of talented kids who have been a blast to work with. But I'm just the kind of person who is always trying to improve, so I was trying to think of what could have been better. But I am still thrilled with how the concert turned out.

Then something happened today at school that took all the wind out of our sails, so to speak. I'm frustrated, and my band's morale has plummetted to probably the lowest this year.

Sometimes I wonder how many times I can get knocked down before I hang up my hat.

I get knocked down, but I get up again. You're never gonna keep me down.

Whew!

The last few days have been a flurry of activity. My mom's been getting ready to go to KY for my sister's home birth, and I've been getting details ironed out for my band Christmas concert.

Well, tonight, both of those things are over! My Christmas concert went so well. I just have the greatest group of kids to work with this year, and they honestly sounded better than any other band I've ever worked with.

And.... my sister had her baby! Karis Rhea-Noel Riley was born at 10:37 tonight. They haven't weighed her or anything yet, because she was just born. I just love her smooshy cheeks! But apparently everything went smoothly with their home birth! Way to go Katherine!

Why I love Starbucks

The other day I bought a Starbucks peppermint mocha twist but didn't have time to drink very much of it. I was on the road. So I brought it inside and put it in the fridge. (After all I paid $4 for it! What's up with the prices! Luckily I had a gift card this time...) The next morning I poured it into a mug to reheat it. In the Starbucks cup was this delicious chocolate syrupy stuff that had settled to the bottom. Yum. So I reheated it an mixed it all together. So that's why I love Starbucks.

Everything wrong

Tonight while we were getting dinner ready, I was venting to Dan about my crazy day (school-related issues). Isaiah said, "Mommy, why are you mad? Did Daddy do everything wrong?" Dan and I both lost it. Kids.

I figured out a way to make my life easier...

Sam is always on the move and always hungry. So I decided I could make my life easier by getting one of those kitty self-feeders and filling it with Kix, Sam's favorite food. Maybe then he would have a chance of satisfying his appetite.

Another one...

Last night I had both boys in Isaiah's room, getting them ready for bed. Sam was dressed in his pj's and playing around the room. While I got Isaiah's pj's on, he was watching Sam and saying in a somewhat annoyed voice, "Sam's always taking crayons off my weasel!" Of course he meant 'easel.' I laughed and asked Isaiah if he knows what a weasel is. He didn't. I was tired from watching them all day, and just said, "It's like a squirrel." Isaiah laughed because he realized he said the wrong thing. Life with a three-year-old...

Three-year-old chatter

Isaiah woke up bouncing and hyper this morning, which isn't a bad thing. It just means all is right in his little world. He started chattering about something that made me laugh. It went something like this: "Mommy, have you seen a movie about Goya? He's a talking frog. It's a mommy and daddy movie. Have you seen it? I saw it online." Online? That's the first time I've heard him use that word. And there were no pauses for me to answer his questions. It had me laughing... =) And his non-stop talking continued all day long.

Kids are different

Tonight during the last few minutes of the Steeler game, Dan and I were making some noise, and that's putting it mildly. Two touchdowns in 24 seconds is enough to excite even the most marginal Steeler fan. Anyway, Sam was screaming excitedly right along with us, while Isaiah was covering his ears, scowling, and saying, "Daddy, that hurts my ears!" Dan raising his voice pretty much never happens except during exciting sporting events (Nascar included, ugh!), so Isaiah really didn't know what to do!

Quotes of the day...

Isaiah: "Daddy, are they any cookies in this house? Because there were some last night!"

***

Isaiah: "Mommy, Sam climbed on the crouton!" (He meant futon.)

***

Isaiah washed his hands, then went to dry them. Noticing that the towel was folded differently than normal, he said, "What the... Oh my mother!"

***

If Sam ever starts talking, we'll quote him too!

Today I felt a little like...

Nicholas Cage in National Treasure.

Apparently a historical society is putting together an exhibit on the nuclear power plant at Shippingport. My dad used to work there back in the 70's and early 80's, and had a bunch of old 8x10 photos and an old manual to donate. Not wanting to risk losing them in the mail, he gave the package to me when we got together for Thanksgiving. Destination? Homestead. No problem. Only about 45 minutes from here.

So I've had the package on my counter, keeping a close eye on it for a few weeks. Earlier this week, I made arrangements to meet the recipient. This morning I loaded the boys in the car, plugged in the dvd player, almost forgot the package, then remembered it!

Following the google directions I printed out (just for reassurance) I made a wrong turn into Squirrel Hill. I knew that wasn't the right way, but oh well. I got back on course, but it did make me want to go to Squirrel Hill soon! Crossed the bridge to the Waterfront, drove around by the theater for a few minutes, just to see if anything was different since I haven't been down there in a few years. Nothing was that different. (Also want to go to PF Chang's soon!). I found the office building, handed over the goods to the woman who identified herself by the right name (it really wasn't that dramatic...) and headed home.

Not as exciting as National Treasure, and the package wasn't quite as special as the declaration of independence, but it was still fun.

Preschool Crayon Project

I stole this idea from my friend Brooke's blog who is an amazing mom of a four-year-old little girl and twin baby girls. Somehow she still finds time to do this fun stuff.

Preschool Melted Crayon Project

This is a fun and easy way to recycle all those broken crayon pieces.

1. Remove wrappers from all the crayon pieces. Isaiah knows he's not usually allowed to do this, so he loved it!

2. Line muffin tins with foil liners. You can also use the paper liners, but use four so the crayons don't seep through.

3. We sorted the crayon pieces into similar colors, filling the liners about 2/3 full.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

5. Let the new round crayons cool for a few hours before using them.

Disclaimers:

1. This is a stinky project! Do this at a time when you can open the windows to get rid of the stink, and make sure you don't have company coming!

2. We noticed that crayola wrappers were the hardest to remove - another good reason to buy them!

Peace out

Do you pray for peace? I desire peace, and I have prayed for peace. But I wonder if it's worth praying for. I'm not talking about the peace within your heart. God has promised that. I'm talking about the peace where people stop storming into luxury hotels to kill hundreds of people, where people stop strapping explosives to themselves, walking onto a crowded bus to blow themselves up.

God hasn't promised that there would be peace on earth at this time. He has almost promised the opposite. As he told his disciples about what life would be like for them if they spent their lives telling people about him, he said, "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Matt. 10:21-22) What does Jesus mean by 'the end?' The end of the disciples' lives? The end of the world? If He means the end of the world, it kind of implies that hatred among people will continue until that time.

So I will keep praying for peace, because that's what I want. Will I pray expecting God to answer with a 'yes'? I don't know.

Thanksgiving eve gathering

Brace yourself people... this post actually contains some of my innermost thoughts... I'm letting you all in...


This is a little late, but I wanted to write something about our Thanksgiving eve gathering. I volunteered to organize the gathering because I felt that God had something special for us, as a church, on Thanksgiving eve. Turns out He had something special for me...

I tend to go through life at a fairly fast pace and sometimes have a hard time slowing down. As I went through the different interactive stations, I forced myself to go slow and take full advantage of the quiet time.

I really benefited from all the stations, but the one I couldn't leave was "Taste and See." This was set up at the front of the church, under the cross which hangs on the wall. It was based on the scripture from Psalm 34:8, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." I had baked gingersnap bread and put a floor pillow, some chairs, and a blanket on the floor. It was designed for people to relax and spend time with God, eating (an intimitate act), and thinking about how good He is. As I sat there for quite a while, eating the bread, tasting how good it was and realizing how much better Jesus is, I had a strong sense of Jesus's presence and a strong love toward him and a longing within myself to be with Him. It was supernatural and something I haven't felt that strongly many times before.

The mirror station also impacted me. As someone sat and looked in the mirror, they could fill out a sheet of paper with a chart comparing what they see when they look in the mirror with what God sees when He looks at you. I won't bother telling you what I saw when I looked in the mirror (it wasn't very positive and mostly had to do with getting older!), but I will tell you what I think God sees when He looks at me. 1) someone He has entrusted to raise two boys 2) someone He wants to spend more time with 3) someone He loves, and there were a few more, but those are the ones I remember.

Sometimes I think God gives us a job because we're the one who will benefit from it the most.