So Long, Christmas

I can’t believe its done!  So much time and energy getting ready for the big day and then its over, just like that!
We did have a great Christmas this year, but I still felt rushed at times to buy, wrap, or just stay organized.  Part of me wants to take the family somewhere in the mountains over the holidays and just hang out together.  Get away from all the commercialism and busyness. 
Anyway, here are some pics from the Kicks family Christmas;

PJ night sponsored by Aunty Mandy

Hannah with her animals

Hot Wheels, of course!

CARS mania (sleeping bag)

And last, but not least, our biscuit tradition on Christmas morning

Merry Christmas

My friend Rusty introduced me to this song and I can’t get it out of my mind.
Click on the title to listen to it: (scroll down to "Behold the Lamb of God" # 

Labor of Love

It was not a silent night
there was blood on the ground
you could hear a woman cry
in the alleyways that night
on the streets of David’s town

And the stable was not clean
and the cobblestones were cold
and little Mary full of grace
with the tears upon her face
Had no mother’s hand to hold

It was a labor of pain
it was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
with every beat of her beautiful heart
it was a labor of love

Noble Joseph at her side
Callused hands and weary eyes
there were no midwives to be found
In the streets of David’s town
in the middle of the night

so he held her and he prayed
Shafts of moonlight on his face
But the baby in her womb
He was the maker of the moon
He was the Author of the faith
That could make the mountains move

It was a labor of pain
it was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
with every beat of her beautiful heart
it was a labor of love
for little Mary full of grace
with the tears upon her face
it was a labor of love

A Montage

I have so much to catch up on that this poor entry will have to be the catch-all…so lets see where I shall begin….

At the beginning of November David and I went on a mini-vacation to Chicago.  Mutual friends of ours were getting married and we had not been back to Moody or Chicago since graduation so we thought this a good excuse for a fun, quick visit.

Chicago is still as beautiful as ever!   We walked the streets, ate at some of our favorite places and reminisced like crazy.  We were able to visit Moody, see some dear friends and laugh at how old we felt watching the youngsters walk around campus.  It was a great trip and one I would love to take yearly!

One of our favorite places for popcorn-Garretts!

On To Other News…

My big girl just got glasses-isn’t she a cutie!?

And here’s crazy Jonah racing around the house

Thanksgiving

Here’s Hannah with her Pilgrim hat at her school’s Thanksgiving Assembly;

 

Every year for Thanksgiving we spend the week in St Louis with David’s family.  We had a great time and of course took a day to visit the zoo!

fa la la la laaa, la, la, la!

This year we didn’t seem as rushed to get the decor and tree up for Christmas and yet I still don’t have that "perfect " picture of the kids for the cards that should have gone out already!

OK, so I’m fairly caught up for now-hopefully it won’t be so long between posts again, but you never know…

Note to self...

Steven Curtis Chapman is singing Christmas music in the background, the kids and I just finished putting the sprinkles on the Christmas cookies, and despite my messy house and stuffy nose I am feeling quite sentimental about the holiday.

December is a horribly busy month and I am striving and seeking to keep our little family focused and remembering our dear Jesus in the midst of it all.  When I think of him I am calm and at peace at once.  I have found our Advent wreath and will be blowing off the dust and putting it on the dining room table to help remind us all of the love of our God in sending Jesus.  We will try each night to teach the children the significance of the Scriptures that foretold of His coming, to help them realize that this Story is different than all others.  This isthe Story, the story of how our creator rescued us from our own ugliness and death and adopts us to be beloved children, blessed, loved, cherished.  I want this for them, more than anything, and I constantly need to be reminded of my place, of who I am and of whom I belong.  I forget so often and live as an orphan.

The Miracle of Christmas

A child is born tonight in Bethlehem
His mother holds him close and sings a sweet lullaby
All the world lay sleeping unaware that God himself has
come in the night.

The shepherds tremble as the angels sing
And in their song the voice of God speaks peace to the world
A miracle has happened, God has come and God
has spoken
but the miracle has only just begun.

And the God who spoke is speaking still
And the God who came still comes
And the miracle that happened still happens in the heart
that will believe
And we see(receive) the miracle of Christmas

So come to Bethelehem again and see
The one who's come to rescue us, our Savior and King
Bring your past, the joy, the sorrow, all your hope to
find tomorrow
And hear the words again, fear not and know that
God is near

Believe the miracle of Christmas 

Costumes, fires, and pumpkin guts

Sticking with the theme of “catching up” I had to post a picture of my three cuties this past Halloween.  We did the normal trick-or-treating but then had friends over for a bonfire, marshmallows and more candy.  It was a great time being together!

Oh, and here's what happened when Daddy asked the kids to help him take out the pumpkin guts!

 

Veteran's Day Blog Hijacking

The Iwo Jima War Memorial is one of the most indelible pictures of World War II.  Each and every year this is the day we remember our veterans that served in the military past and present.  Veterans like both of my grandfathers, my father, my brother, and my boss/brother-in-law. 

Last Sunday on our flight home from Chicago I was reading the book “Flags of our Fathers”.  It's a book about the lives of the men that you see in the photo above and the battle they fought on a small dirt mound in the Pacific named Iwo Jima.  As I was reading there was an older gentleman next to me that began rifling thru his wallet.  He nudges me a bit and asks”Like the book?”, I said yes.  He then hands me a photo of him as a young man sitting at the controls of a B-29 bomber.  He was a waist gunner and flew out of Saipan, they would stop on Iwo Jima to refuel on their way to and from bombing runs over Japan.  He was the oldest crewman on the plane at the ripe old age of 23.   6,800 men were killed and 20,000 were wounded in one of the fiercest battles of WWII for what some would call a gas station, but it was the major turning point of the war in the Pacific by allowing B-29's to strike deep into enemy territory and ultimately lead to the end of the war.

The gentleman next to me just turned 89 and was on his way to see his great-grandchildren.  As we talked I thanked him for his service and encouraged them that people of my generation have not and will not forget what all of our veterans have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice to keep our country free.  So thank a veteran this weekend.

–Mr. Simply Sam

Pugfest

I'll have to catch up with all of the major events in my life over the past two weeks in 3 or 4 posts -so hang in there!  I have lots of stories and pics to share…

OK(now this isn't a very major event in our lives but quite unique and blogworthy).  A couple weekends ago we dressed up our Miyagi and went to Pugfest, an annual event to raise money for the organization from which we adopted Miyagi.  Last year they had about 700 pugs(and owners) attend and this year I am sure as many showed up, including our little family. 

So…it wasn't really that much fun, but at least we have been, experienced it and never have to go again.  It really wasn't all Pugfest's fault…our children were crabby, it was very, very crowded with man and beast, plus a little smelly.  The pugs were as cute as can be but I'll have to agree to some extent with David when he said “That was a wasted $15 !”
Now please, take this as my opinion only!  I am sure there are many out there who love Pugfest and look forward to it all year ( kind of like we did in our ignorance).  But for this family, next year we'll make that drive to the mountains instead.

Here are a couple of pics of our favorite Pug and one that we liked at the 'fest.