Time For A Change...

of posts that is! My last post was, shall we say, a major downer. Sad, but true. We have all survived this plague of sicknesses so far, and I am truly grateful. December has been a long month, but it hasn't been without a multitude of blessings.

My most treasured earthly blessing is my family. One of the things that has kind of been nice about being sick is that we have been forced to just be us. Just our family. I have actually just gotten to hang out with my hubby and relax. You know, doctor's orders and all that...lots of rest and fluids. Dang pneumonia! My kids have been great. I just wish that they could all stay well! Needless to say, we have had lots of great family time because we've had to stay in so much.

Secondly, I have some pretty great friends. I have had friends (and family) drop (and offer to drop) everything to come to our rescue. Definitely a blessing. Rachel even drives all the way from Denton to see me. I love her. Some friendships just don't change over time. Such a comfort to me.

Christmas was such a blessing this year. Luke is old enough to actually get what Christmas is about. That's not to say that he doesn't love the gifts, but he also really gets who we are celebrating. At the beginning of this month we went to this amazing production called Journey to Bethlehem with the Blaggs. You actually walk the road to Bethlehem to be counted in the the census. There are tons of live animals, 3 magi, an angel proclaiming the coming birth of Christ, the shepherds, thieves, and finally the town of Bethlehem complete with a market, children playing in the streets, and the stable where Jesus was born. At the end of the journey when you are standing at the stable where the baby lays in a manger, one of the magi quotes the Bible and they sing "O Come Let Us Adore Him." It's amazing! Lori and I both got teary. It really helped my entire family wrap our minds around what Christmas is. It will be a family tradition from now on. Luke walked away knowing the Christmas story by heart. He really wanted to hold "Baby Jesus" too. So sweet. It really hit Faith too. When we put all our gifts under our tree about a week after JTB, Faith said (ver batim), "These shouldn't be our presents. They're Jesus's." Yet another teary moment for me. God is so good.

Well, time to go. I hope that you have all been as blessed this month as we have. Here are some pictures from the past few weeks...

Luke and Faith painting Christmas ornaments.

Faith's ornament.

Hannah crawling around while the kids paint.

Mimi and Hannah getting ready for Christmas Eve Candlelight Service.

Sweet Hannah.

Pretty Faith.

Luke. When did he get so big?

Luke and Faith in their Christmas jammies. Hannah kept crawling off when I tried to take a picture. Her jammies match Faith's.

Paw Paw tickling Faith's feet. She LOVES him.

Luke on Christmas morning. Santa brought a "big truck."

Hannah. Faith shared her candy from her stocking. This was Hannah's first taste of sugar. Do you think she liked it?

Faith playing with Hannah in Hannah's new house. They are so cute playing in it.

Worst Week EVER. Period.

This got kind of long...sorry.

It feels like I haven't blogged in a million years, but it's only been a week. I have all these fun things to blog about. We went to Journey to Bethlehem in Grapevine. It was amazing. It really brings the Christmas story to life. I highly recommend going next year...especially if you've never been. You can check it out HERE.

I also got invited to a Christmas party here in Farmersville this past Friday night. I seriously didn't know a single soul that would be attending. Anyone who knows me at all would understand that I was just about ready to vomit on my way to the party. Seriously. I was a nervous wreck. When I got there, I was welcomed with open arms. I met some really nice women and got to know a few of the other coach's wives. All in all, it was really fun until I got "the call."

My phone started ringing at about 8:15. I checked it just to make sure that it wasn't my babysitter. It was my husband. I figured that he was just calling to make sure that I didn't chicken out of the party and to give the update on the game. I called him back to tell him that I was okay and wasn't sitting in the corner of a strangers house rocking myself into a calm. When he actually answered the phone, I knew something was wrong. He was SICK. Really, really sick with a horrible stomach bug. Loving wife that I am, told the hostess of the party a quick thank you and told her that hubby was on his way home from tournament because he was sick. I needed to be with him in case he was on his death bed.

I got home at about 9:00. Got Tyron settled in and kids in bed. 10 minutes later I was also officially sick. The whole 9 yards. About an hour later Luke was throwing up, and another hour later Hannah was throwing up. Faith escaped this time because she had it earlier in the week.

I called my mom and asked her to come as soon as she could...which would not be until around 11:00 Saturday morning because she lives 5 hours away. Tyron called his sister who lives in Mesquite, who arrived promptly at our house around 12:15 am. Thank God. Seriously. She stayed up with my puking kids all night while Tyron and I begged for mercy. It was really terrifying. This is the first time Hannah has been sick with something other than an ear infection, and I couldn't even comfort her. Luke is a little panicky when he is sick to his stomach and I couldn't do anything for him either. It was horrible to have to let some one else take care of my kids; however, there is no one that I trust more with my kids than my mom or my sister in law. There aren't enough thank you's in the world for all that they did.

My mom is still here. I found out on Monday that not only did I have a stomach virus, but I also have a bad case of pneumonia. Nice, right? The doctor pretty much told me to get in bed and stay there. I went back to the doctor today, and the doctor threatened me with hospitalization. I talked her out of it, but I have to go back to the doctor on Tuesday. If I am not much better by then, she is going to put me in the hospital. Like I have time to be in the hospital.

So, add all this to the fact that I had the flu at the beginning of last week, and Faith had the stomach bug from Tuesday - Thursday and it was pretty much the worst week ever. God willing, we will all be well and stay well. I for one, can't take much more. Talk about a train wreck!

Thank you Kara and Mom for being so extremely helpful. I am not sure we would have all walked away completely in tact if it weren't for y'all. Love you both!

PS - If I talk to you and I seem a little weird, it's all the medicine I am on. One of my inhalers makes me nervous and jittery, so I apologize for acting like a junkie that is waiting to get my next score. Seriously. Tyron thinks it's kind of funny. :-)

My Kids Christmas Portraits

I finally got around to taking my kids Christmas portraits. It was cold and a little windy, but I think I got some pretty cute pictures. If you would like to see some of my favorites, check out my other blog.

Click:

Selah Portraits

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!!!

I Am A N-E-R-D.

In the last 10 days I have read somewhere in the ball park of 2700 pages. I know, I know. Crazy. Reading is without a doubt my favorite solo hobby. I could read for days on end with time slipping past while I am completely unaware. So, without further ado, I would like to put a book series out there on recommendation:

"The Twilight Saga" by Stephenie Meyer.

These books have a lot of supernatural aspects to them, so if you are an anti-Harry Potter person, just disregard this post. Seriously. I have always enjoyed books, movies, and TV shows that have a supernatural emphasis, so I knew I would like these books. I also have no problems with reconciling these kinds of books with my belief in God like some other people do. Fiction books don't diminish the non-fictional Bible to me, but that is another rant/post altogether. So, anyways...I digress.

This saga is about vampires and werewolves and their relationships with the human world. Believe it or not, there is nothing at all frightening about the books. It's pretty much all about relationships. There are things about vampires and werewolves, but mostly it's just a characteristic trait to help you further identify with with each character. Really, it's brilliant.

So, if you are a fan of reading, I highly recommend this book series. It's awesome. Now, I just want to go see the movie. I know the movie won't be as good as the book. They never are, but I still want to see it.

**Note: No children were neglected or involved in the time I spent reading. :-)

You HAVE to be kidding...or else I might cry.

Today just happened to be "one of those days." You know the one that I'm talking about. The day where every one is in a crummy mood for no good reason and nothing totally catastrophic happens, but we all want to cry despite the lack of reason for crying. Everything in the world got on my nerves today. I swear. I think our dog came within an inch of losing her life at least 10 times today. Faith pulled all the stuffing out of a car pillow for the 3rd time today, and Luke was totally whiny about every imaginable thing. On top of that, I tried to make a simple run to the bank (in McKinney) to find that there were NO envelopes in the night drop so I could make a deposit. I visited 5 banks to try to deposit money with no success. Can't a girl catch a break? All of this combined with my crummy mood did not make for a delightful day in the Lee home. Seriously. I think I prayed about 100 times today for patience, a better mood, an end to the screaming, etc. Ugh. No nominations for the Mother of the Year Award for me. Honestly, I could have put all my kids to bed at like 6:00 just to get a break. Wow. I'm a great mom...just in case you didn't hear the sarcasm, I'll say it again: I'm a great mom.

So, what did this splendiferous day teach me? This: This is the day! This is the day that the LORD has made, that the LORD has made! I will rejoice! I will rejoice and be glad in it, and be glad in it! This is the day that the LORD has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day! This is the day that the LORD has made.

A song that I sing to my kids every day when we get up.

Thank you Holy Spirit. Really.

Something I'm Not...

So, my friend Lori inspired me to do something a little different. I painted my toenails and fingernails this really dark purple-ish color. It's so dark it looks almost black. See, on my friend Lori who is beautiful and super trendy, dark nails look sophisticated and a little unexpected; however, according to my husband, dark nails look just a little goth on me. I tend to be classic in the way that I dress...think Ann Taylor Loft, and that is my style. I mean, I just got up the nerve to start wearing hoop earrings! Last night Tyron asked me if I was going to keep my nails like that for his first game (which is tomorrow btw). I said yes. Even though they look a little goth on me, I kind of like my nails dark! So, for today and tomorrow (and maybe the next day too!), I am going to pretend that I am trendy and sophisticated and wear my nails dark. Ha! Take that Farmersville...I'm shakin' it up a little! Gotta keep all my peeps guessing! Yeah, I just said peeps...and my nails are dark. Hey, if I'm going to pretend, I am going to PRETEND!

Yesterday Was The Best Day EVER!!

My best friend from high school came to see me yesterday! It's crazy that she is still one of my best friends today! We have known each other for 20 years! She has two little girls (Anna - 4 and Grace - 2), and we all had such a GREAT time. Our kids got along so well. It was amazing. We started off the visit with great burgers from Charlie's. Then we came back to our house and played in the back yard. Our kids never sat still! They ran, jumped, and played nonstop. At about 6:00 one of my other best friends came over with her family. There were 5 adults and 7 kids in our 1250 square foot house last night! It was crazy fun. Needless to say, every one's kids were pooped by bedtime. Wish I would have taken a picture of all the kids together, but here is a picture of Anna, Faith, Luke, and Grace. Yesterday was the best day EVER!!!

10 Things I am Thankful For...

1. I am thankful for Jesus. He saved me...in every sense of the word.
2. I am thankful for Tyron. He is the love of my life. He loves Jesus, and he loves me. He is self-sacrificial and shows me Jesus every single day.
3. I am thankful for our three kids. They add so much joy, laughter, and love to my life.
4. I am thankful for my parents. They are always there when I need them. I love you both!
5. I am thankful for my sisters in Christ...especially Betsy R., Lori, Rachel, Amanda, Megan, Betsey S., Rebecca, Breanne, and Lacey. You each show me Christ in different yet amazing ways! I love you madly.
6. I am thankful that I have eyes to see the world around me...especially my children's beautiful faces and my husband's hotness!
7. I am thankful that my house sold, and we live in "The Ville."
8. I am thankful for my photography passion. It makes others smile, and that is all I want to do!
9. I am thankful for my cell phone. Without it, I would be lost. Really.
10. I am thankful for my DVR. Without it, I am afraid that my children would have a mother that was a little less sane and a lot more spastic! (So, I let me kids watch T.V. If I didn't let them watch T.V. the dishes wouldn't get done, and Hannah would starve to death...sad but true!)

Some of my "things" are sort of silly and some are serious. ALL of them are TRUE! I am tagging the following people: Megan, Amanda, and Rachel. See the post below to see directions. After post your 10 things, make sure you tag a couple of people too!

I LOVE Thanksgiving!

So you may have noticed that I changed my blog theme to be a little more "Thanksgivingish." I LOVE Thanksgiving! Partly because of all the amazing food, but mostly because of it's meaning. I love Thanksgiving as much as I love Christmas. I know, I know. Christ was born; therefore, we have Christmas. I am most definitely not trying to make little of that. I just think that it's equally important to be reminded of ALL the things that we should be thankful for. I wish I could say that I am as thankful on a daily basis as I am on Thanksgiving, but I'm not. Simple as that.

In an effort to be a little more thankful this year, I am going to post 10 things I am thankful for. I will be tagging 3 of you to do the same. So make sure you check your comments to see if I tag you!

Luke's 4 Year Stats...

Okay, so we knew that Luke was big for his age, but this is ridiculous!!

Disclaimer:

Beware, this is not bragging or a competition. Grandparents read this blog and want to know what the babies are up to.

Height: 46 inches (110%)

Weight: 43 lbs. (90%)

• It really is crazy how fast they get big! Luke is only 15 inches shorter than I am, and he just turned 4!!! Better get my bluff in now!

Luke is not only getting big, but he is pretty bright. Here's a little of what Luke can do right now:

• Count to pretty much whatever number you give him (within reason...not 4,500, 018)
• He is starting to do simple addition and subtraction.
• He knows the alphabet (upper case and lower case) and knows the sounds of each letter.
• He is starting to work on reading (sounding out words like cat, hat, mom, dad, etc) and sight words (a, an, the, etc.).
• He can write his name (not perfectly).

Scare On The Square and Trick or Treating

Hannah. Cute? I know...

Mr. Incredible...look at those muscles!!!

Ballerina Hannah...she was supposed to be a butterfly, but her wings were wwwaaayyy too big.


Luke and Faith getting in on the action.

Princess Faith walking the streets of downtown Farmersville.

Luke looking for the loot!

Yyyyuuummmmm!

Look at my muscles!

She is so pretty.

So proud of her costume.

Wishing I would just leave them alone!

We had a good time tonight! The kids had a great time. Hope you guys had a Happy Halloween!!!

Fall Festival at FBC Farmersville

On Wednesday night, the kids and I ventured out to the Fall Festival at the Baptist Church here in Farmersville. It was incredible! There were probably 200 kids that were Luke and Faith's ages running around everywhere. The kids played all kinds of carnival games like the bean bag toss, ring toss, soccer, cake walk, fishing for treasure, and hole in one. It really took me back to when I was a kid! It was so fun! They had carnival games, bounce houses, train rides, and face painting. We loved every minute of it! They got a TON of candy too! Make sure you check out the blog entry below. We had a Halloween Party yesterday!!

Luke and Faith waiting patiently in line.

Luke playing the "hole in one" game.

Faith playing the "hole in one" game.

Faith's lady bug tattoo.

Luke went for the sports themed tattoo.

Luke playing the football throw game. They let him scoot up because he was "little," but they had him scoot back when they saw what kind of arm he had. Needless to say they were shocked to see a 4 year old throwing a football like a middle school kid. He even made it in the hole the first time! What a stud!!!

Faith "fishing for treasure."

Hannah. Luke and Faith's biggest fan. Next to Mom and Dad, of course!

Happy Halloween!!!

Yesterday we had a little Halloween Party! We had such a good time. The kids painted pumpkins, had pizza for lunch, made pumpkin cupcakes, and decorated cookies. Not to even mention all the playing and goodie bags! The kids had so much fun, and Betsey and I had a great time watching them appreciate Halloween! Enjoy the pictures!

Pumpkin Cupcakes - pretzels are supposed to be the stem on the pumpkins.

Faith painting her pumpkin.

Luke showing off his pumpkin.

Coburn painting his pumpkin.

I think Faith and Coburn are in love.

Can you believe it? All 3 kids smiling and looking at the camera! So proud of the cupcakes we made!!!

T - 24 Hours and Counting...

Tomorrow afternoon is the official start to the 2008-2009 basketball season. Life is going to get even crazier at the Lee's! I am so excited to see how this year goes. For those of you who don't know Tyron all that well, he is an amazing coach. He actually got an email from one of his former players yesterday telling Tyron thank you for not only teaching him basketball but for also teaching him what it means to be a man. That is Tyron's true goal in life...turning boys into mature adult men. What a mission!

This year will be extra special because this is the beginning of Tyron's head coaching career. I know he isn't perfect, but I know that he is going to do a great job with these kids. Tyron is so passionate that it just rubs off on people. I can't wait for their first game. I got to see their new uniforms and travel suits last night. They are going to not only be a good team but they will look pretty spiffy also!

More than anything, I am just so stinking proud of my husband. He has been given this mission by God. There is nothing clearer in this world to me than that. I can't wait to see him on the sidelines! I also can't wait to meet the boys. Little do they know, but they are going to have some pretty big fans that aren't even old enough to go to school! Luke's all-time-favorite player has already been named (that would be you Scottie), but there will be plenty of room in his little heart for some pretty close runners up.

All that to say: GO FARMERS!!!

10 Things I LOVE About Our New House...

10. It's 2 blocks away from the best burger place we have ever been to...Charlie's is the best!

9. It has a big backyard for a suburban neighborhood.

8. We don't have neighbors behind us.

7. We don't have to worry about foundation problems...after all, it's just a rent house.

6. It's in a little bitty town that is friendly and peaceful.

5. I love all the rust colored light fixtures.

4. My kids are totally comfortable here.

3. It only takes me 1.5 hours to do a major clean job on the entire house.

2. It made us realize that we don't need everything that we think we need.

1. It literally takes Tyron 1 minute to get from his school to our house.

It's not perfect, but it'll do!

These Are For You Paw Paw!

Luke and Faith looking at "Black Beauty."

"Look! A horse! Like Joe!!!"

"Can I feed him? I know how!!"

Pumpkin Patch Pictures

Seriously, this was like 1/10 of the pumpkins at this place. There were some that were huge and some that were the size of a small apple. Talk about variety!!

No, I am not holding the girls down. Hannah just wouldn't stop eating the nasty hay, and Faith wanted to feed her the hay because she thought it was funny. Especially when Hannah gagged. Luke was the only one who didn't care about the hay, and he wanted to go run so he tolerated yet another picture. :-) Not the best picture of me. I look tired. Oh wait! That's probably because I am tired! ;-)

Hannah loved the pumpkins!

Look at her sweet smile!

Hannah loved all the activity going on around her.

No smiles, but at least they are all looking at the camera!

Up close...

I don't know how accurate this thing is, but I thought it was a cute idea!

He just wants me to put up the camera so he can go through the hay maze.

Cutie. He looks like such a big kid!

Luke and Faith smiling...Hannah eating hay. Nice.

We went to the pumpkin patch last week with some really great friends of ours. We had a great time! The kids got to go on their very first hay ride, look at animals, climb all over creation, bounce in the bounce houses, go through 2 different hay mazes, and run like wild animals. I love the fall!