Returning from the long absence!!!

Well, it's been a few weeks since I've blogged... Those last few weeks before Christmas were just a mad house with shopping, cleaning for the company, school activities and such. It felt truly mad there for a while! We were Soooo happy to have all our family here for a week over Christmas though. They all stayed from Saturday to Saturday and although it was slightly crazy at moments, it was soooo much fun. We played tons of games, made cookies, made a ton of great food, went to the Georgia Aquarium and to the wildlife reserve... and all in all, just had a wonderful time.

Having said all that, it's also nice today to have our house sooooo quiet! :) Philip is blessed to have this week off work also, so we are enjoying a week of Daddy time. I even got to go see a movie this weekend with a girlfriend and her daughter!!! (BTW, Marley and Me is a GREAT one). We are trying to fit in a date night for mom and dad, but we still have to work hard to find a sitter for all four kids (anyone free one night this week, or afternoon this week - we'll take what we can get! ha!).

We've had some mysterious illnesses... Michael had to go to the Minute Clinic last weekend for a sinus infection, and the PN said she heard a heart murmur. I, of course, came home and googled it... and was prepared for it to be something or nothing. We took him to the dr today, and lo and behold - she couldn't find it! :) Ethan has also popped up with a mysterious lump in his neck, measuring 3 cm x 2 cm.... they decided it was a swollen lymph node - maybe cat scratch fever... anyhow, we're getting him on antibiotics. Trinity is on antibiotics for yet AnOTHER ear infection (I hope to get to the ENT in January) and the CAT is on antibiotics for some mysterious illness too.... Good grief!

I'm also quite sad because my laptop seems to have finally decided to "bite the dust". I'm currently using Philip's laptop... which I will probably have to inherit, as mine was the only computer we had with internet at home.. The joys of technology. :)

Please continue to pray with us about Dad's job. It was so hard to have him leave here after Christmas and go back to Missouri. We have such a deep desire in our heart for him to live here, and one we believe he shares... Philip and I both feel we have kind of 'slid off the saddle' in our prayer life lately, so we have renewed our ferver in that area and will be lifting this up daily. Please join us... We truly and finally feel settled here in GA. We feel like it's home, despite missing our family and friends so much.

Catching up...

Well, as life has gotten busier, I've gotten less and less frequent at blogging.. which I said I wasn't going to do!!! But, I fall into old habits easily.. so anyways, trying to catch up here.

Well, much to my chagrin, we are still waiting on Dad to find a job here. I keep on "PUSH"ing (Pray Until Something Happens), but everytime I pray about it, God's gentle (and sometimes not so gentle) voice reminds me "MY timing isn't your timing." :( I know He has it in his hands, and his will, but if it were in my hands, He would be here already! Obviously, it's not. Despite the 30+ resumes we send out a week! He has been getting phone calls on a weekly basis, phone interviews, and even has at least one or two interviews during the week of Christmas when he's here. I suppose I need to 'let go' a little, but we have room for him, He wants to come, We want him to come... HELLO, what are we waiting on?

On a happier note, we are just grateful... we are grateful for Philip's job, for what God is doing for him and through him... and for our home, our family, where GOd has led us. We are happy here, despite missing our friends and family. We are happy to be wherever God has led us!

Tis the Season... to pass it around

At least in our house it seems.. Pass it, catch it... Any kind of illness, that is! Poor Trinity was really sick last week! After 2 dr visits, and 2 days of 103 fever, poor girl had another ear infection and possibly strep. She's on day 4 of antibiotics and seems to be finally feeling better. Good to see my happy girl again!! Then last night, after we have a great afternoon of some Christmas shopping (complete with a sitter for the boys), we look at Michael and realize he is getting pink eye. :( Thank goodness we have drops left from last spring, so we started dosing him up. Christian was up coughing all night, which warranted him to stay home today from school... so I've been home with the four kids, trying to sanitize and isolate all those nasty germs. Fun. Winter season with four kids always is interesting here!!

We did finally get a tree up this weekend, and are having fun getting them in the Christmas spirit. Mostly though, we are just counting down the days til December 20th, when all the family comes to visit! YA!!! I wish it were this weekend already!!!

Christmas gifts

Well, Christmas has snuck up on me yet again. I'm all psyched for thanksgiving, and then bam-I have 24 shopping days til Christmas!
I've tried to start some on-line shopping, as it doesn't require me to take ANY kids to a store where I hear , "Can I have this, can I have that..." or the "I want" . (Commonly referred to as the "Green eyed monster" in our house!) My dilemma this year is what to get my kids this year for Christmas that A) Wont be laying around the house in 2 weeks B) Can't be used as a weapon of mass destruction against a brother, sister or parent C) Won't cost me an arm and a leg but D) Make my little green eye monster happy. :) Really truly I want to not 'overdue' it this year, and teach my kids more and more about the spirit of Christmas as they get older. YET, I want them to have wonderful memories of Christmas' spent as a family. I *Think* we are getting one big present that will be for them all, and then one small one for them to open. But then you have stockings too... you see how it so easily gets out of hand. I think for stockings, I want to stick to stickers, temporary tattoos... you know, little items... Our family is coming to visit this year for Christmas, and to us, that means more than anything we can open, but when you're 3, 4 and 6.. you still want something to rip the paper off of. :)

Got any great suggestions on how to remind my kids of the "reason for the season"?