December Updates....

We had Morgan's dance team over for dinner one night before class.....it was really fun but REALLY loud! Teenage girls are loud. It was a good loud though and these are good kids so one day I know I will miss the loud.

The girls decided to get Dan's old Engineer and Captain helmets out and try them on the other night.....

The goggles are as big as their entire heads! So cute.

I couldn't resist buying all these cute boxes on sale at Joannes a few weeks back. Gonna make my peppermint bark and deliver it to the neighbors in these.....

I made these cute little meringues for the first time.....

Not nearly as hard as I imagined it would be.....

Took a few minutes to catch my breath and enjoy the Fall sunsets we get every year.....

We had our Married Life Christmas dinner the first weekend of December. Almost 200 couples so it was all hands on deck to set up all day that Friday. The girls and some friends helped put the 23 center pieces together......it took hours and hours!!

So worth it though...so beautiful...Thanks for the idea Pinterest. Ha!

I had the idea for a cookie bar this year and it turned out lovely...thanks to my mom who came over and helped me. It was more stressful this year hosting it at our church because we had to hire a caterer etc.....but it all came together with many people pulling together and getting it all done.

The decorations were so beautiful, the food amazing and the speaker and worship blessed every couple that took the time out to nurture their marriage.

Now we take a breath and get ready to plan next years Married Life events. :)

We went to the Christmas tree farm to pick out our tree and Ryanne met some friends....

The girls fell in love with this particular tree so there was no changing their mind....it was love at first sight.....

Angry goat at the Christmas tree farm....

My kids hate these things so like any good mom I make them do it....

Our dog is literally so big she just backs up and sits on the couch with the girls....crazy dog.

Placing the final touch on the tree....

Morgan had her big Christmas dance recital last weekend...she danced 9 times. Here are Morgan and two of her ballet friends getting ready to run through their first performance of Benjamin Briton Young Person's guide to the Orchestra....It was so good!! She then had classes all last week....exhausted is putting it lightly. Ha! Now we are in Christmas break recovery mode. Two weeks to rest. :)

Every year for the past 9 years we have taken the girls to the Mission Inn for dinner and a carriage ride to see the festival of the lights....we went last night and it did not disappoint.

The food rocks, I can't beat the company and....

who doesn't love a horse drawn carriage ride to see lights right? It was freezing cold which always makes it more fun.

Have a most Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!!!

Cheerful Heart......

 

Something that has been on my heart for a while and probably just magnified due to the holidays, is the desire to be Gods hands and feet more. Like physically looking for ways to express Gods love to others through acts of kindness. I'm as guilty as the next person for thinking great thoughts and not following through. But I want to have more than good intentions. I realize that sometimes that might cost me some money, some time or some comfort and that's OK. I really feel like this is the best way to show my kids how to live out their faith. We were fortunate enough to kick off the holidays by serving at a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving. I'll admit, I was nervous. I had no idea what to expect or if people were going to receive us there. Then it occurred to me that it's not about me. The girls did great. Above and beyond what I expected of them. Over and over God keeps stirring the desire in me to give more than I receive. Being that I am a daughter of the king I know I can't ever do that in regards to what he has given me. But in church we are working through the book of 2 Corinthians and last week we were in chapter 9. Verse 6 says,"The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." I want to do that;  let go of things that are temporary and invest in those things that are eternal....like souls. For everyone giving looks different but it's for ALL believers. Verse 7 goes on to say,"Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." I love looking for ways to give. In turn I see my girls also looking for ways to give, to bless others and honor the Lord. Sometimes giving is going to cost us a Sunday afternoon on the couch as we help a neighbor move. Other times it might be that giving takes us out of our comfort zone as we invite someone to our home for a holiday meal because they have no family. Whatever the cost to us, it will never amount to the cost God paid as he gave his son. Giving also stirs up prayer in us right? I mean I pray about serving at the soup kitchen, I pray for God to use my family. I pray for the friend or family member God has laid on my heart to give to. I pray for the person God has pressed upon my heart to serve. Being willing to give without expecting anything in return; that is my hearts desire. To give because HE first gave it all. Blessings my friends!

First Date......

Dan; "Ryanne what are you doing up? I tucked you into bed over an hour ago."

Ryanne: "Don't worry dad I'm going to sleep now. I was just out on my first date."

Dan: "You were out on your first date?"

Ryanne: "Yes daddy. But don't worry it was just with my imaginary boyfriend."

*sigh* Parenting Ryanne is never boring.

Passport to Purity....

I'm not sure if you have heard of this series by Denise & Barbara Rainy but it is AMAZING! My friend Heather was telling me about it this summer and God really laid it on my heart to pursue a time away with Morgan to work through it. Back when my girls were very little a good friend of mine shared with me how she took each one of her kiddos out of town when they turned 13 and had "the talk" with them. Now to some this may seem old fashioned but I can promise you, teaching our kids Gods desire for sex, intimacy and marriage is never old fashioned. Morgan won't turn 13 until Feb. but with the holidays, dance competitions etc. I didn't want to miss my chance to spend some time with her. Last week we escaped for 2 nights and 3 days down to Laguna beach. Just the two of us and the Passport to Purity series.

 

To start off the trip we got foot reflexology....ahhhhhh heaven!

We stayed right on the beach at la Casa del Camino. Walking distance to all the good food and cute shops. The weather was crystal clear and warm....just beautiful!

This was the bench right outside of our hotel. We walked and talked A LOT!

We drank fru-fru drinks while talking about Gods desire for Morgans life as a daughter of the king. How he values her and desires the very best for her life.

We ate delicious food and talked about how when our focus is first and foremost on honoring the Lord in everything we do (especially dating/marriage) that God will honor that in us. How saving your body and your energy for the right man will please the Lord.......that learning to wait on God is an essential part of learning obedience in all things.

We got our toes painted and then ran them through the sand......

We were tired the first night so we ordered pizza from this place that I LOVE! They do gluten free and dairy free pizza down there. Each night as a family we always ask each other,"What was the best part and the worst part of your day?" It was so funny because Morgan said,"I know this is going to sound silly for my best part of the day; but I loved having pizza come to the door in a box like that! I have never seen a pizza guy bring dinner before." Ha! Poor sheltered children.

As we were talking about Gods design for sex, physical intimacy and marriage I was torn because one minute it would be this deep conversation and the next she was sprinting down the beach like a care free kid.......

"God, how can it be I have a child old enough to be discussing these things? Sighhhhhh....am I that old? What's happening?"

I love that she's stuck in that in between being a little kid and being a teenager phase. It's fun to sit back and watch her battle with running and playing and being free and being grown.........usually the running care free wins out. I'm glad about that. The fellowship was so sweet. I was sitting there watching her jump and twirl down the beach thinking to myself, "I will remember this time alone with her always. Nobody can take this from us. It's ours. It's going to go along way in our relationship down the road. I just know it."

The series gives you directions and ideas on how the time away should flow. It's very intentional about teaching girls and boys to respect themselves and others. To wait. To fall in love with someone who wants them to wait as well. Since our girls were little we have told them our hearts desire is for them to only date with the purpose of marriage. This series reinforces that. Not to mess with other peoples lives and give pieces of yourself away. Focus on church,  school, work, hobbies, family etc. and allow God the opportunity to bring forth a Godly man or women for you when you are old enough to pursue it....as appose to playing house in Jr. high and High school.

The series suggest a special gift at the end, like a ring or bracelet. Something that reminds them of you and your husbands commitment to them to help them make wise choices and choose to wait until their wedding for any intimacy.

We bought Morgan a beautiful opal and diamond ring. She was super excited. I would encourage you to check this series out if you have kids ages 12 and up. Anything younger would not have worked with my kids. Not ready yet. This was a time that made me nervous if I'm being honest but as usual God honored my prayers and the time we set apart for our talk. Good things came from it and I am thanking God ahead of time for what more will come from it. I think I will wait until Ryanne is like 21 to tell her anything though HA!

Halloween Hangover.....

Last week Ryanne won first place (in her age division) in a coloring contest with our local newspaper. She was so excited to wake up and see her name and picture in the paper...

She got to go to the newspaper office and pick up a prize. Really fun! Good job my little artist!

Did you notice our new family photo above? Our friend Jess is responsible for that good lookin' family. Ha! Jessica's link is over to the right if you want to check out her photography site. We used to be her youth group leaders and now she's all grown up raising a family of her own and blessing us with her gift of taking great family pictures. This is how she delivered our prints. So cute! We have her do close ups for the girls for their school pictures and then a family one because as you can see, our girls are changing sooo fast! I don't want to miss a minute of it. Thanks Jess!

I'm a little hungover this morning....I should clarify that probably. From Candy. Halloween candy. I don't usually eat Starbursts and gobstoppers etc. but last night I couldn't help myself. Ugh! Ryanne went as a blushing bride. She looked so sweet.

Morgan went as a fairy.......so pretty.

This was the first year I didn't throw a party with their friends and get all dressed up. Halloween just snuck up on me this year. With all the new dance commitments etc. I never saw it coming. Ha! I told the girls to find some pieces of dress up they already have and we would finish it off. Ryanne had this white dress my mom mended. I bought a tiara and we added a veil and white gloves. My mom picked flowers from her garden and made a bouquet. Ta-da! Morgan recycled a dress from an old performance and we just added wings and a mask.

I love playing with black n white.....

First we headed to The Gourmet Pizza Shoope and had a YUM dinner!! *Poof* You're a frog!

On the way back towards the house we hit up the corn maze we have been waiting to do. There was hardly anyone around and as you can see by the look on Dans face we were up for the challenge it was going to pose.

You had to race through this HUGE corn maze looking for these characters tucked back in dark corners.....then write the number down in the right order on a card they gave you.....

Then after you found all the numbers you had to race around looking for a secret door......

After finding the door you had to punch in the code that you found.....

Praying that the door opened or you had to go back and fix your numbers....

It was super fun in the dark because they had flashing lights and music etc. After the corn maze we headed back to our neighborhood which is really fun to trick or treat in because people sit in their driveways with fire pits and chairs and just visit and hang out. So its more of a social event as you run into friends and end up standing around visiting and having some good ol' fashioned fellowship. By 9pm I was beat, Ryanne was just getting warmed up and Morgan was frozen. My mom who is still acclimating from her move from the river was frozen since the corn maze. Ha! But a good time was had by all. Just being together made it the best Halloween ever!