..and she wears it on her arms.

 

Getting everyone shipped off to bed this evening I noticed some interesting designs on Addison.  Curious, I questioned her. If Matt hadn't been there I don't think he would have believe how stinking cute and creative our little lady is.

Mom- "Addy, why do you have pen on your arms?"

Addy- "  They are crosses."

Mom- " Why do you have crosses drawn on your arms? "

Addy- " So that when people see my arms they know that I love Jesus.  Its because I do."

What could I say to that?  I gave a 'Hmm, interesting." I glanced at my husband, shrugged my shoulders, kissed her and turned out the lights. Now if we could all only wear our love for God on our sleeves as a public sign of affection for Him. Does he not deserve everything we are and everything we have?  He died for us.

Too often we silence ourselves for fear of ridicule or for fear that we would be under some kind of judgement...like youre a weirdo or something. What I think is weird is NOT sharing it with others.  

Why would you not share the truth with those around you? 

Do you want to keep Him all to yourselves? ( lol) 

Are you embarrassed?

Are you feeling ill equipt to answer questions? 

Its easy.  Answer what you know and educate yourself on how to share the Gospel. None of us have all the answers, thats why we walk in trust and in faith. Equipt yourselves and spread the word. Let your life be an example so that others wonder what it is that fuels your families awesomeness. When they ask...tell them! After all...if a four year old can do it, pretty sure we all could.

 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

Colossians 3:16

She grows....preschool

This is Addisons preschool picture taken last month.  She is getting so big.  The teacher handed out progress reports this afternoon to look over for our conferences tomorrow.  I was so pleased with hers.  She is doing so amazing.  I am totally tooting this kids horn.

Addison Lee, you are a pure delight.  I could not begin to put on paper how deeply I love you and how proud I am to be your Mom. Even on your worst days I thank the good Lord for allowing me to raise you.  Like Christ feels about you, there is nothing you could do to make me love you less and there is nothing you could do to make me love you more.  Everything I feel for you has been this huge as the moment I first saw heart beating on a screen in front of my eyes. You are the definition of my joy....I love you.

 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Psalm 150:6

Halloween Festivities

 

The Halloween festivities may have been rearranged because of the storm but they still happened. We had two nights out trick or treating on different evenings, a church harvest party and still managed to carve pumpkins in between.

Daddy and his little bits posing with our freshly carved jack-o-lanterns.

Daddy being funny.  He took forever to get his finished.  The kids and I had 2 done before he was even close.

Pretty girl with with big old pumpkin eyes.  So pretty.

Waiting on Daddy.

All three done and ready to be lit and put on the front porch.

 Our front steps had pretty much collapsed prior to the week of Halloween so we were dealing with this as well as the feet of snow we had too.

Addy as Kitty.  Mimi made this costume for her.  Since we got it, she has put it on countless times and crawls around the house like the real thing.  This will be a beautiful addition to our dress up box.

Addy picked this costume out for me too.  Worked great because I could layer up and be warm for the several outdoor activities.  I will most certainly use this again as pj's.  They are so comfortable.

Addy taking a break out front to get a photo with some of her neighborhood friends.

 The 3 Gregg boys all ready to rock the candy buckets.

How cute is this?! Our neighbor lent us the cow costume and I got Georges lion costume from a second hand clothing site.

The boys got too cold on our second night out so Daddy to them home to hand out candy.  Addy and I braved another hour plus.   Two cool cats.

Trick or Treat!!

Few October Pics

 Just a few pictures I had lying around that I found adorable.  This is Addy ready for school.  She has style like no other.  The glasses were not to be funny either.  She put them on as part of her outfit. She walked out the door like this.  Hope it made the teachers day.

 My minis.  Early morning....most calm and pleasant time of the day. 

Had to put this up because there is not much cuter than this. Last fall they were inside my body.  Isn't that wild? I was  six months pregnant and they were half cooked. Now they are teething, eating, laughing, crawling and playing.  All out of nothing.....how perfect!

Its been a good year.  There have many times of trial but the goodness of life always prevails. God is still good. God is faithful.

Just another day...

Nana came by for visits this night.  Showering her little folks with love and attention.  What a great sport getting into a teeny tiny tent.  I can barely get in and out myself when I get guilted into going in.  If I could justify trapping her in there I would so she would stay forever.

We had given the boys sink baths in the kitchen and she inquired why she wasn't able to have one too.  Other than the fact that she weighs ton and is way too big...there was no real answer.  So into the sink she went.  Sometimes its all they need, to know they are just as important and as loved as the rest.

After baths the boys spend a bit of time in the diaper.  Mostly because they have exhausted us to this point and catching them and fighting them to put clothes on is more than work. We recharge for a moment... and its real fun to observe Drew post bath.  Its like he has lost his mind or his battery has been overcharged.  Grinning ear to ear, he darts from one side of the room to the next.  Kind of like what puppies do after a bath to get warm.  Its so hysterical to watch.  Its almost worth the trouble of cleaning two octopus in the tub just to see him in action.

George is happy post sink time too but he is the more relaxed of the two.
 He always looks so sweet and innocent but who knows what he is really up to.  I think the quiet ones are the ones to be watchful for.

Taking a breather.

Most of the big folks get wet during night time rituals so we have to get changed as well.  Addy and I happened upon these adult pj's at Walmart and she insisted I get them. They would be the perfect kitty costume for trick or treat.  They are so ridiculous I know,  but to tell you the truth , the most comfortable pajamas in my drawer.   My husband is next in line for a pair...if I can only find giant sized ones.  He agreed to wear some...although I am assuming he based his answer on thinking I wont be able to find him some.  I will.  Oh yes I will.  I will post pictures too

House of footie pj's. Poor Daddy...odd man out.

Drew.  The one kid in the house that actually bears a little resemblance to me and my side of the family.  Figured the nuttiest of all the kids does.  Fits me and my side of the family well I suppose.

In our cat like get ups.  At this time of night I sometimes get a little bit of Addy snuggles before I get the expected and obnoxious, 'Mom !...you're squishing me.  You're giving me a headache!"  During the day she is on the go go go and its hard to get her still.  I savor these moments.  My thoughts are these moments will become even rarer as she approaches the big '5' birthday. Little does she know I will still expect this when she is twenty seven.

Jungle Gym daddy. If you look closely you can probably I Spy them all. He enjoys laying just about anywhere and letting them  go nutso. I sit back and encourage them to expel all available energy reserves. This is his relax time if you can believe it.  When he comes home from work it is ALL hands on deck if we want everyone ready for bed by eight. Even after the kids are to bed it is not all that relaxing around here because the boys alternate wake ups ( and we cant bear to let them cry)  If that wasn't draining enough, this seasons colds make for frequent unhappy breathers and even more needs for Mom and Dad.

George is all over the place.  My house used to be situated nice....every piece of furniture in its place but we have taken to moving things just to keep George out of danger.  He will b-line towards a visible plug 100 feet away.  The kid is a daredevil.  He loves this corner of the living room so much that we actually had to move the living room couch up against the cabinets too thwart his attempts.  We have nothing else up our sleeves so I'm hoping he gives up.  Until he starts getting on the couch alone....which is just about to become a reality.

Mr. Blue eyes, what are you thinking about? Please be kind and keep out of trouble.

 

Addy. Addy. Adddddyyyy.  Quit it with treating the floors like a feed trough.  No lie, this happens twice a day. The kid does what she wants in the name of 'helping the boys'. Thank goodness for the dust buster. Best invention to date.

"Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all day long, And in Your righteousness they are exalted."  

Psalm 89:15,16

October for reals....?

I wait all year for the fall.  Its like a taste you can only experience once in a great while.  Its playing mean tricks though because instead of gorgeous brisk days that we have been pining for all year...we are shoveling snow.  Not inches....feet.  This has every good Mom furious as our laid out plans of happy kids ( outdoooooors all afternoon), sunshine coming through the windows, leaves blowing around and showing off their colors has been destroyed and turned into wet EVERYTHING. Its also made way for generous amount of time by the back door putting on endless layers of clothes for the young ones while they whine.

Ok...done with the dramatics.  I am over the idea of a perfect fall.  I am not angry anymore that Trick or Treat had been cancelled.....even though I think its a crime of sorts. Lord , I hope I live to see another fall because I did not get my fill enough.

Here is fall...New England Style.

 

Andrew meets snow for the first real time.  Mom does not like the cold so this is typically as far as I go.  It was a first so I had to take part.  He enjoyed playing with Daddy and having a ride on the sled with the big kids.

 

All three in the snow.  The boys were made for this weather.  I couldn't watch for long because neurotic Mommy came out and was having anxiety over the temperature, their poor little cold noses....etc etc.

 

Kids will really make the best of anything.  Life is so easy for them.  To have the mind of a child for just an hour a day could be good medicine.

Braved it with my George for a few. He was grinning ear to ear.This child wears joy on his face for every new occasion.  

As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters. 

Proverbs 25:13

New Creations

As of recently I have required myself to get back into the things I once loved so dearly.  Anything creative.  Taking baby steps but enjoying every second.  Its funny how something so silly can make you feel alive again.  Like maybe I am a person other than the caretaker of many.

 

In the womb George and Drew were known as 'A' and 'B'....so I had a little fun with it.

 

This was just funny for our family because we are all deeply in love with condiments.  Only fitting that we refer to each one of the boys as one. We do love them so and they are very delicious little critters..

 

Now that the boys are all over the house we have been trying to enforce (gently) the no shoe house policy. I cannot keep up with the sandy floors or dirt covered hands and knees. 

Someone suggested having new socks aside for visitors to wear in case they did not have any or were chilly. So...I decorated some.  Most are ridiculous but its all in good fun. This was a good time.  Nothing too intricate but it got the job done.  Here are the feet of my Smom and baby sister wearing the super fashionable Gregg socks.  If this isn't incentive to come visit , I don't know what is.

New hobby .  Hair bow making.  This is so very amazing super quality goodness therapy. Did you follow that? Most nights of the week I sit for hours on the sofa with piles of ribbon in my lap. Hot glue gun going, lots of sore burnt finger tips, but this brings joy to my heart.  Oh how I love to create something out of nothing. (Kind of like making super awesome humans out of practically nothing at all.)

In creating anything there is something so magical. Imagine that same welling pride in the heart of God...master creator of all.  Pretty cool.  God you reveal yourself to me in the most unlikely of places.

 This is hair bows gone wild.  Every fashioned hair bow in the house on the heads of the craziest of people I know. 

 Yes, Dad is one of them.  He is the cutest.

The tiny parts of me that were becoming less recognizable  are starting to show themselves once again. I thought I was lost.  God is opening up so many things for me.  Allowing me to see that there can be more to life than exactly what is in front of my eyes.  He shows me I can take the gnarliest of material, scraps of nothing and the dullest of medals and create. I can make beautiful things. I can redeem what was once considered ugly. How perfectly does that apply to what we sometimes think is unfixable or damaged or forever changed. 

  

   No matter the circumstance you find yourself in, God makes a way for  you to start anew.  To basically start over as a new and pure creation. Forgiven, fresh and clean. A masterpiece. Be the shiny gift he intended you to be.  Pick up the broken pieces and lay them at His good feet.  Tell Him you are ready to rebuild.

And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ , by whom we have now received the atonement. 

Romans 5:11