Merry Christmas!

This past weekend we went to Greer to have Christmas with my family.  We had my mom's side of the family Friday night, my dad's side of the family Saturday night, and we did Christmas with my parents and us Sunday morning.  My poor mom is sick, running fever, coughing, can't talk or breath due to the coughing, and she has bronchitis but despite her sickness she cooked and went along with a smile on her face.  Along with Madalyn and her runny nose, cough, and congestion.  Then Saturday, I started getting sick with a sinus infection. It was a nice weekend despite all the sickness.

Madalyn decided that her presents from Nana and G-Dad made a comfortable seat.

Today, Christmas Day....went a little differently that planned.  First, Kevin was up all night, sick. He finally went to sleep at 3:00am, but then he had to get up at 4:00am to check on the chickens. Then when he got back he slept until 7:00am.  At 8:00 am he came and woke me up telling me that he had to go to work because one of his workers didn't show up.  She didn't call or anything, just didn't show. So he wanted us to go ahead and do Christmas so he could leave.  He got Madalyn up and ready and I was running the video camera.  It took a few minutes for Madalyn to realize what was going on and to see everything.  She loves her kitchen! She has been cooking all day.  When she's not cooking, she is sitting in her Minnie Mouse chair. 

Madalyn's Christmas 

 

 

Madalyn loves her Minnie Mouse chair and book!

 

She is also enjoying a chocolate Santa! Madalyn got her Minne Mouse slippers from Nana and G-Dad and except for bath time and going outside, they have not been off her feet.

 

My Christmas present from Kevin

I looked at the window and what should my wondering eyes see? A shiny red golf cart just for me!

 

 

 

The golf cart story

I had been wanting a golf cart for myself and Madalyn to have to use around the house.  So about two months ago Kevin decided on what he wanted to get me for Christmas. He found this plain, white golf cart for sale.  He completely fixed up the golf cart with new paint, a seat on the back, new fancy wheels, and jacked it up.  I can't wait for the weather to warm up so we can use it.  I was very impressed  with all the work that Kevin did on this golf cart. He showed me a picture of what it looked like before and that was taken on his phone and Kevin doesn't have a Smart phone so there's no way to put the picture on the blog, but he has been very busy these past 2 months.  Thanks, Kevin!

 

And our Christmas isn't finished yet...tomorrow night we will get together with Kevin's side of the family.  We have celebrated all week long, so much fun!

Merry Christmas!

Zambia, Africa

Last night, my mother-in-law called to inform us that she received an email about the shoebox that we sent for Operation Christmas Child and our shoebox went to Zambia, Africa! I was so excited to find out where it went.  I know that a special little girl will be very excited when she opens her box.  Hopefully, she will find more than just the toys and things inside our box.  We place a New Testament Bible inside and the Operation Christmas Child placed a track in her language inside as well.  So, we pray that through this shoebox she will receive the ultimate Christmas gift this year if she hasn't already and that is coming to know Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.  Merry Christmas!

Speechless to a Degree

It's hard to find the right words to describe the tradegy at Sandy Hook Elementary...however, being a teacher and a parent there are no words, expect that I hope I will never have to be able to imagine what this school and community has lived through in the past 48-72 hours.   I did not learn of the events that took place on Friday until that afternoon when I was on my way home from school.  It was an instant sick feeling in the pit of my stomach and watching the news, the sick feeling just grew and grew.  I watched Friday night and I watched Saturday, until the information started to repeat itself and I had to turn it off.  I couldn't bare to watch or listen to it any more.  When I decided to be a teacher there were many things that I knew I would have to encounter and there are many things that you knew you would have to protect your students from; like keeping them from getting hurt on the playground or help soothe hurt feelings, but never, this, never this was even a thought in my head.  However, over the years this thought of this could  happen at any time and any day has crept into my head.  You pray for your students that they will learn, be successful, and have protection on their way to school and going home, but you don't think to pray that they will be safe during the school day from someone coming in the school to harm them.  School is suppose to be a SAFE place.  For so many students, home isn't the best place to be, but they feel safe at school.  Now that, that has been taken away, where are these children suppose to feel safe?  I am sure that my students will bring up at some point tomorrow the events that happened on Friday because it is a very real thing that can happen anywhere.  It's scary to think that when you drop your child off at school one morning and watch them go into the building that it could be the last time you see your child alive.  Or that you tell your family good-bye and you are on your way to work at school and have no idea that you won't be going home the same way you got to school.  This is just a horrible reminder to us all to live each day and each moment to our last, because in this crazy world we live in we are not promised the next breath.  Friday night, Kevin and I sat on the couch with Madalyn in between us snuggled together watching "Tinkerbell: The Great Fairy Rescue" and was so thankful to be there with them but I couldn't help thinking of how many parents wouldn't be able to do that with their child.  Or those adults that were killed trying to save the children, that their families were hurting as well.  This school and community is in my prayers as I am sure you have been praying for them as well.  I pray that tomorrow being a school day, will bring hope and comfort to Newtown, CT and that for the rest of us we will trust in God to keep us safe.

Christmas Pictures

Here are some Christmas pictures of Madalyn.  These were a challenge..every time I put Madalyn in the rocking chair, she would laugh and get up and run away.  Then the challenge of getting her and Wingo in a picture together. It took my mother-in-law, Mrs. Katie, my sister-in-law, Tori, Lily Kate, Kevin, and myself to make these pictures happen, but we got them finally.

Madalyn and Wingo (I tried to get a picture with Wingo wearing some reindeer antlers, but he kept on shaking them off.)

 

 

Madalyn and Santa

Madalyn went to visit Santa when we were in Greenville over Thanksgiving.  At first she wanted nothing to do with Santa, but there was a professional photographer there, and she was wonderful! She had Madalyn as quick as a wink sitting in Santa's lap, smiling and happy as could be. (My dad and I both had our camera so we took our own pictures of Madalyn and Santa, but the photographer was a big help to get Madalyn in Santa's lap because at firs there was no way that was going to happen.)

 



 

 

Lights of the South

Saturday evening, my parents, Kevin, Madalyn, and I went to see the "Lights of the South" in Grovetown, GA.   I had heard about this place from some teachers at school and they said it was wonderful.  The traffic wasn't that bad considering they said there was over 5,000 people there Saturday night.  Once you buy your tickets you can ride a hayride to see lights of all kinds of characters, the Christmas story, American history, etc. You can roast marshmallows and make S'MORES, eat at Mrs. Claus's Kitchen, and see Santa and more.  It was a perfect night to go weather wise and we all enjoyed it.  Madalyn really enjoyed seeing the lights on the hayride, she was saying "ooohhh" and "aaahhh" on the ride.  We plan to make this trip again next year!

(It was hard to take pictures of the lights on a moving hayride, but I got a few pictures to share of the lights.)



The entrance to the light park on the hayride.

Kevin and Madalyn on the hayride.

 

The hayride began with John 3:16 and telling the story of Jesus' birth.

Noah and the Arc-telling of the beginning of mankind.

The next section was American History

 

 

Then you went through a section of your favorite cartoon characters and ending with Santa and Christmas.

 

 

 

 

The ride ends with a castle and Cinderella's coach.

 

 

 

Madalyn and her Prince Charming...her Daddy.

 

Kevin, Madalyn, and Me

G-Dad, Madalyn, and Nana

 

 

Madalyn's Christmas Program

Saturday morning, The Creation Station, Madalyn's preschool had their Christmas Program.  Madalyn's group were called the "Angel Band" and they played instruments for about 43 seconds in their musical debut. I was proud of the fact that Madalyn stayed on the stage and didn't cry. However, she had been practicing with bells and for the performance they gave her a tambourine and she didn't know what to do with it.  She has the saddest look on her face during the performance.  But she did well.

Poor baby, she didn't get to ring her bells.

She did hit her tambourine a little.

Madalyn was glad her 43 seconds of fame was over.

Here's Hunter ringing his bells.

Painting a Little "Joy"

So, Friday night was "GIRLS NIGHT OUT" for me, my mother-in-law, and two of my sister-in-laws.  There is a new ART Studio that has opened in Barnwell where you can go and paint a picture with guidance from an art teacher.  We all had a good time.  It was nice to be out with just the girls and no husbands or children for a few hours.  Not that we did a lot of talking, we were fairly quiet, there was a lot of detail to this painting.  If you want to check out what is available to paint here's the website  http://www.theartstudio.us.com/ or you can find The Art Studio on facebook. 

Here we are hard at work

The Four of Us: Katelyn, Mrs. Katie, Tori, and Me with JOY!



 

The Whole Class was full of JOY! :0)