)
Our first experience building a ginger bread house went pretty well. We learned to wait for the sides of the house to dry before placing the roof on. I learned that next time I need to make sure I keep a closer eye on Keena as she decorates so candy does not go missing. I told Keena, "quit putting the candy in your mouth." She says, "mom, I'm just making sure it's all cleaned off." We did have to take a short intermission. Keena for some reason thought maybe if I hide the candy UP my nose mom won't detect the scent from my breath. Ya, you heard me right. She put a piece of candy up her nose and it got stuck. I did not panic even after we did everything to my thinking to get it out. As she blew her nose over and over all we could see was purple running down her nose. Ok, so it's up there...and good. Finally I told her that it will disolve, melt was my word for her and you'll be fine. It was not hurting her or blocking her air passage. Then Ham walks through the door and I tell him the story. He's a bit surprised. I told him we can't get it out and he says, did you have her close one nastral and then blow. Duh!! I didn't even think of that. What would I do without you Ham. We proceeded with Hams suggestion and out came the candy in little pieces. We then got back to work and learned a lesson that candy does not belong up your nose. 
The finished masterpiece! However, with stolen candy off the tree in front...see that? Great job Keena. What a delicious looking house. Great for our table decor for Christmas, right?....or not..
Hurricaine KEENA, BRAYA, MILES, AND ADELLA hit. :) Well, we can't plan for natural disasters. They just sneak up on you and BAM, it's gone. I give this damage a 10 rating. I kid, I kid- we were happy to send Braya, Miles, and Adella home with sugar highs. It's all good! It's also made a funny story.
Ginger Bread House with a Twist
Wah Chang Christmas party
Standing in line for...o, 45 min maybe.. to get this. Pretty good look'in cat.
Quin says, nap time.
At the Wah Chang Christmas party (where Hams parents work), they had these huge blow up toys for sliding and jumping in. Keena LOVES these toys...what kid doesn't? Quin even went down. I laughed hysterically. Fun day.
Candy Canes
Keena, what do you want for Christmas? One of those...pointing to a candy cane. Kids really don't need much to be thrilled or feel blessed.
As I was shopping for the kids this Christmas I really had to be careful. I had so much fun walking through the toy isles and spotting out what I know would be fun for my kids. When you really know what your kids would love to play with or picture their expressions if they were to get a certain toy, it's hard to put things in perspective. I love to see them light up, to see their big brown eyes with the wow expression. As I was shopping and really trying to be realistic about my purchases. I realized I was on the verge of shopping selfishly. Yes, the toys were for them, but who is this toy really for, them or me. It does not mean I want to play with the toys. It's really about what I'm going to get out of it. Maybe an emotional high every time they open a new gift, I know they'd love.
Yes, that would make me smile and I might get a lot of hugs that day, but what am I really giving them? I am sure not in all cases but I think I could be stealing from them the simple joys/appreciation of life. Maybe in the future, getting a simple candy cane won't feel like a blessing because within them a sense of "more fulfills" has been ingrained in them. The last thing I want is my kids to ever feel the need for more "stuff," to fulfill a void in them or just to feel like they had a great Christmas. I never want them to think "stuff" is our sole expression of our love for them. I pray the Lord will keep me in check to not take away the candy canes in my kids life. Maybe I can teach them to even give that candy cane away because the feeling of giving is even better then getting that candy cane.
Story Book Land
Quin in heaven, a cookie in one hand a mouth full of it.
Checking out Shrek.
Keena stroll'in along with her chips.
Story land is great except it's totally freezing in there. It seemed colder in there then outside.
Very Informative for my type
For some unexplained reason, on an uncertain date, a mental to-do list began scrolling through my brain and has yet to stop. “You must make your life orderly today, so that everything will run better tomorrow,” it reads. Deep down I know this is simply not true. Will I ever have a day when every item is checked off? I doubt it.I’ve spent many hours striving for perfection in my home – cleaning, organizing, never giving myself a moment’s rest – only to go to bed at night with unfulfilled expectations robbing me of my joy. And even on days when I come close to getting everything tidy, I have a nagging feeling that I’ll never be able to keep it that way. Is there any hope?
Yes! By facing my addiction and realizing that it robs me of much more than joy and time with my family. I’ve adopted the following principles as my ex-perfectionist creed. If you, too, have closets that could be displayed in national art museums, maybe these ideas will help.
I will focus on family. It’s been said that what you spend your days doing will determine what you spend your lifetime doing. There’s a lot of truth in that. And five years from now, I don’t want to look back and regret not spending enough time with my my husband, my children, or my friends.
I will step out of my comfort zone. Will life really fall apart if I leave the dishes in the sink overnight? (No, I’ve tried it!) I don’t want to pass up making a memory to clean a kitchen that will be dirty again tomorrow.
I will remember that rigid people are brittle and break easily. I’m trying to be more flexible about my expectations. I’m also trying not to fret over little things, even if they don’t match up to my standards. It is of greater value to teach my children to contribute to our household than to complete the housework myself.
I will consider what’s eternally important. No matter what the mental to-do list tells me, my success does not depend on how well I keep my earthly home, but instead in the value I place on my heavenly one. Securing cleanliness and comfort should never take precedence over contributing to God’s kingdom. Studying God’s Word, spending time in prayer, and reaching out to others, I’ve realized, is never time wasted. In fact, don’t tell anyone, but I consider these things as setting my heavenly home in order, closets and all!
Tricia Goyer is a freelance writer from Kalispell, Montana. She and her husband, John, have three children.
Photo shoot, so fun.
And what do you want for Christmas Keltes? ....ummmmmm
Oh, ya I am loved...can't ya tell.
Most precious moment ever.
Here are a few favorites from my last photo shoot of Jen, Derryl, and Keltes. We had lots of fun and Keltes was such a trooper. The whole slide show is loaded to "wahkeena photography blogspot."
Stopped in my tracks
You know that expression.."it/you took my breath away"? Now I believe it. I was walking to my kitchen, kinda in a zone getting things cleaned up. I caught this sunset out my back door and it just simply took my breath away for a moment. It was like a instant calmer. My rushing around just stopped and I starred at it. It was one of those moments that helped me remember why not to get caught up in running 100 miles an hour. You know, " don't forget to stop and smell the roses." I believe God showed me that example with this sunset. When was the last time we just laid out to take in the stars?
Purse obsession
Ohhh, darling... don't you have a ball to play with? Ha, ha.. I actually find this to be so cute. I just hope he'll be over this by age 5. If not, I might be a little worried. I did get him a mower for Christmas and a shopping kart because he loves to push the stroller around. I think a mower will be a great replacement.
The Pumkin Patch
I didn't want you miss out on this! So we were a little late in the season to find a great pumpkin. We did end up taking a tractor ride..well ya know that was worth it. Can you tell this isn't exactly Quins favorite time of day to be out and about..ya, he was a bit tired.
I've got your back.
O, did you fall brother?
I'll help you brother.
There you go, you ok?
I love how Keena looks out for him. She is always right there to pick him back up and dust him off. In the future I'll be sure to show them this in case they have moments where they think they hate each other.
FYI: It's best to just wait until after nap time when planning a family outing. Well, only if you want good pictures anyway.
Time with Papa
Dec 7th 08
All ready to go to the OSU basketball game with PaPa. As I was getting Quin ready to go he burps and says "cuze-me" (aka: excuse me) and then just laughs. I thought it was so adorable.
Happy 30th Birthday Hammy!!
Hamiltons "surprise" birthday small get together. Does that make sense? Anyways, it sounds like he a had a bit of an idea this party was happening. It's hard throwing a surprise anything. Well, he loved it anyways. We had a great time with 3 other couples. Making it a small thing was actually quite nice and now I know why Ham didn't want a huge party. We were able to share memories and laugh hysterically. Love you hun!
...Our Dear Savior was born
Ok..ok..here it is. I know you wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
This pic really does not do it justice. The star I bought separately, nice touch eh. Ever since I've put it up Keena has been talking about Jesus birthday and she's even trying to explain to Quin what the nativity set is all about. Bought at Costco.
Getting crafty
The turkey speaks for itself. Fun, cute, and I will always have a memory of how big Keenas hands and feet were during Thanksgiving 2008. This is one of those things I'd like to make a tradition. Making a turkey with the kids. I've decided most of my dector for the holidays will come from kids crafts. Some times I get in that spirit of wanting to get fall decor or more Christmas decor, then I come to my senses and realize whatever I buy will most likly end up in a garage sale some day and I really do not need it. If that is not enough of a reason, I just am not a nick-nack kind of person. I hate, yes hate clutter. I don't even like my attic to take up space. In fact I just went up there not too long ago to organize it. Ham doesn't get it..ha ha. It drives me nuts knowing I have tons of baby stuff, not being used and taking up space up there. However, I want to keep it for our 3rd child.(No I am not pregnant.)
Ok, back to what I was saying- all of my holiday decor excluding my nativity set(one of the best things I have ever bought) will be my kids crafts. Just another way to instill family tradition and spend time together.
Dec moments
Keena loves to get under the warm laundry. Thanks for your help sis.
I am so blessed to have a daughter and son that adore each other. They love playing together. From the moment Quin wakes up Keena is right there to say, "brother do you want to come play with me." Quin follows her wherever she leads. On this occasion I found them in the closet peaceful as can be as Keena talks to him and includes him in whatever she is doing. Now, I'll be real here...this is not how it always is. They have their quarells but the positive outways the negative by far.
Priceless!
Decorating the Christmas tree
How excited can one girl get about decorating a tree?..really excited. O, she couldn't wait. She didn't want any help either.I had so much fun watching her too. She is also crazy about the lights..just like her mama. I would love to sleep on the couch every night in Dec. just to fall asleep by the shining light of the tree. Keena wants them on all the time. She has been coming out of her room every night to check and see if we have turned the lights off. If we had she'd turn them back on and go back to bed. She believes they need to be on all the time. I get it.
Christmas tree hunt
This is Quins first tree hunt walking. Can't say he was thrilled about it.Keena however was so excited! The first pic there is him striking a pose like his sister does, head tilted to the side. I like getting our tree ASAP after thanksgiving so we can get the most out of the experience. It came down to realizing it was hard to find a day together to go cut a tree down. We almost gave in to the idea of Ham just quickly picking one up, instead we made it happen. Ham took a Wednesday morning off so we could get a tree. I am SO happy he made the time. I really did not want to miss out on that experience with the kids. We are now getting to the point we need to start thinking about family traditions together. It's kind of exciting.
It's very important to me that we create wonderful family moments to look back on. Things we do every year without fail. Things our kids are looking forward to doing every year for all holidays. I believe the Christmas tree hunt is a good start. What is better then getting a freshly cut Christmas tree?? These little adventures are what little kids go crazy for. I believe getting our Christmas tree will be more memorable to them then the gifts they get. I believe making a ginger bread house with mom, decorating the tree, dancing together to Christmas music, and singing happy birthday to Jesus will bring them their memories of joy, not stuff.
Keena and Quin want and NEED our time. A gift they should be receiving year round. Hamilton put it quite nicely. Our kids want to be included in our regular every day activities. It's easy to forget how important WE are to them. To just be attentive and engage in their chatter. I could do a better job of that.
If ya'll have great family traditions, I'd love to hear about it.
Merry Christmas!
