Pictures and updates...

Wow...a whole week since I've blogged. Needless to say, we've been busy.

We had a great Christmas. A quiet Christmas eve and Christmas day...home...and just enjoying being together as a family. Then up to Virginia for a Via family Christmas...not so quiet...but a blast!

Here are some pictures of what we've been up to this past week...and because I'm sure the grandparents are going into withdrawal =)

Ella loves her doodle bear...












Ezra likes being loud...









Ella thought she could disguise all the candy she was eating by eating it behind the curtain =)













The kids have been really loving their new trampoline...and I have been loving how tired they are after so much good exercise =)




















We found a new park this week...less than 2 minutes from the church. I think we'll be making good use of this one!














Finally, I got up the nerve this morning and Ezra got a long overdue haircut. I can't get over how different he looks.













I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas...and are looking forward to 2009!

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Some presents I have already received (and the kids aren't even up!):

1. My antibiotics kicked in...and I am able to swallow without excruciating pain!
2. Being able to drink a cup of coffee...and not wanting to hurl while drinking it =)
3. A sweet Merry Christmas kiss from my incredible Jeremiah

This Christmas is off to a good start already...

Weekend fun, part three...

The weekend ended on an awesome note...

A surprise in the making for almost three months finally came to fruition!

Jeremiah was surprised Sunday afternoon by 3 vans full of Grey Stone students and leaders and college students...













Not just surprised by their arrival, Christmas caroling, or basket of yummy goodies...










Nope...

Surprised by their gift of a big, flat screen LCD tv for him!










A tv I have always wanted to get for him...but never would have
been able to. As those of you that are in the ministry know...you don't make your decision to go into ministry because of the hours or the thanks or the pay =) I was so touched that they did this for Jeremiah...for him to feel appreciated.

It truly made our Christmas.

And if the pictures weren't enough...here's a little video of his face when he first saw it =)

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Weekend fun, part two

Ella was in rare form this weekend...clearly wound up by all the fun and family!

We had all gone out to lunch together on Saturday and during the course of the meal I watched Ella reach over and hit Ezra on the head. I promptly walked her to the bathroom to talk with her and dole out "consequences".

Here's the conversation we had in the bathroom stall:

Me: "Did you hit Ezra?"

Ella: "Ummm, yeah"

Me: "Are we allowed to hit our brother?"

Ella: "No"

Me: "Why aren't we allowed to hit?"

Ella: "Because God made everyone good...Ezra too"
(I was very surprised at this answer because I have never said that to her...but hey, she was right!)

Ella continuing on: "Mommy, please don't spank me...show me grace"

Let's just say...
she didn't get any consequences that afternoon =)
It's too hard to do when you are laughing so hard!

Weekend fun, part one

There are a lot of shoes that
come with all those people!







I always get asked "where does everyone sleep" when people hear that my family is visiting...
just line up the sleeping bags!













We got to go out on a fun "triple date" with my parents and sister Mary Kate and her boyfriend, Keith. My parents celebrated 32 years of marriage this weekend!










Ella and Ava really hit it off...and hide and seek was the game of choice! Can you find them?













Uncle Jo-Jo thought it would be a good idea to get Ezra a huge noise-making fire truck...gee, thanks =)













The whole clan helping to assemble our Christmas present...a trampoline!



















Ella and Mya had to test it out before we put the net up =)






















It was just as fun and crazy as I thought it would be...and we loved every second of it!

(Well, except the part where Lily stepped in cat throw-up...and walked around oblivious for a while, or Josiah broke the toilet and "forgot" to tell anyone, or...just kidding! Even the crazy moments are fun!)

A night of catch-up...

Since the beginning of the week was a wash due to sickness...I have been feeling quite behind in all my Christmas preparations, namely shopping. So, once Jeremiah came home yesterday I headed out for a night of catch-up.

Here are some observations and thoughts from my night:

• How come I can always easily find the best parking spots when the kids aren't with me?
• How come when Jeremiah asks me what I want for Christmas I can't think of a single thing, but when I'm out shopping I see tons of things?
• Even though I know how much I enjoy gift cards...why do I still feel like I'm cheating when I get someone else a gift card?

Also...You might be pregnant if...

After thinking for 30 minutes about what sounds good to eat, you finally decide on a plain cheesburger happy meal...then you find yourself tearing up when they mess your order up and give you chicken nuggets and apple dippers...which you discover only after you've driven away.

One more thing...

We are so excited around here because my WHOLE family (yes, all 22 of them!) is coming in for the weekend. We will be doing our Christmas with them this weekend. Craziness will abound at all times, but it is going to be so much fun!

Hidden talent

A little known fact about Jeremiah is that he is REALLY good at taking care of me and the kids when we are sick.

I'll even admit...as hard as it is for me..that he is probably better than me at taking care of the kids when they are sick.

He is extremely patient and always thinking of ways to make us more comfortable...like putting extra padding in Ezra's pac-n-play because he thought it wasn't soft enough and sleeping on the couch so I can have the whole bed to stretch out in.

I always put him to the test when I am pregnant...but this week has got to go in the record books. I've had some kind of sinus infection-flu like thingie on top of my normal 1st trimester yuckiness. Ezra has a double ear infection and sinus infection...and cut 3 new teeth. Thankfully, Ella hasn't succumbed...yet.

I couldn't ask for a better husband (or at home doctor) than my Jeremiah, and I am so very thankful for him.

On her own...

Jeremiah, Ezra, and myself are sick today...

That means Ella has total run of the house. We set her up with some food, turned the cartoon channel on, pulled out her coloring books and whatever crayons survived the mouse hole...and told her to come find us in bed if she needs us =)

Christmas Carols with Ella McKay

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First flutters...

I have felt the first flutters of the baby yesterday and today.

It's hard to explain, but I think the first movements are best described as a fish flopping around.

It's amazing how much sooner I have felt these floppings with each pregnancy...I was 16 weeks along before I felt Ella, 14 weeks with Ezra, and now I'm feeling this one already at 11 weeks.

It's absolutely incredible!

Here's a picture of an 11 week old baby...it looks very similar to what we saw on our ultrasound last week...

Guest Blogger...Jenn's husband

So Ella was in story telling mode tonight. Our nightly ritual consists of a story, told by me, bedtime prayers, and 20 minutes of my most convincing arguments as to why I cant stay in the bed "jus a yittle bit more". Tonight was different, Ella decided to throw something into the mix. She decided to tell me a story. About ants. Ants whose behavior reflected the behavior of nearly everyone she had contact with ever. I found out some very interesting things about ants tonight. Here are just a few nuggets of knowledge from an adorable 3 year old.

"Daddy did you know...ants can eat pine cones!"
"Ants can go potty."
"The thunder came and they got tiny umbrellas to keep them safe."
"The ants asked for a cough drop but got a spanking because they got out of bed."
"The end, thats a story...you can stay jus a yittle longer."

She is pretty interesting stuff.

Making a list...and checking it off

I'm feeling the crunch of Christmas...less than 2 weeks away!

I do love all the stuff to do for Christmas though...I love the baking, the shopping, the wrapping, the holiday cards to write and send out. It's not a chore to me...I love it!

Today I was quite proud of myself as I got quite a few things checked off my Christmas to-do list:

1) Finish up the Christmas cards
2) Box up the presents I need to ship

and, finally...

3) Make the dreaded post office trip (which really wasn't that bad!)

I also was able to get the whole house clean, all the laundry done, and grocery shop!
Whew, I'm beat tonight =)

Baby Update...

Today was my 1st doctors appointment for the new baby. A sweet lady from our church (thank you Nancy!) watched the kids for us so that Jeremiah was able to go with me. That in and of itself was awesome =) We were very impressed with the new practice I am going to...everyone was very nice and professional.

The best part of the visit was getting to see the baby bean on ultrasound! Despite Ella's prediction, there is just one baby in there =) He or She was even waving it's arms and legs around...absolutely incredible! The bean had a steady heartbeat and is measuring right where it should be.

Praise the Lord!

After seeing the baby on ultrasound Jeremiah thinks it is a little girl. After showing Ella the sonogram pictures she kept asking where the baby's face was? Hehe. She also kept insisting that it was pictures of Guacamole and her other stuffed animals =)

You might be pregnant if...

You get out of the shower only to realize (for the 3rd time this week!) that you forgot to wash the shampoo out of your hair!

A Christ-filled Christmas...part 2

As promised, one of the things we do as a family to help us keep the true meaning of Christmas at the forefront of our hearts every holiday season is to...

1) Be intentional and sacrificial in our giving!

Why?

"For God so loved the world that he gave...
a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord!"

What an amazing example to follow...

Here are a few various Christmas projects/charities that we love:

1) Samaritans Purse - Christmas Shoeboxes

I love this especially for the way even my kids can get involved in it. Ella went shopping with me and I explained to her that we were filling these boxes with gifts for other little girls who didn't have a lot of toys like her. She also colored "her girls" some pictures to include in the boxes. What a great opportunity to show our egocentric 3 year old that the world is bigger than she...and that we are called to love others like we have been loved!

2) Compassion International - Christmas present for our adopted child

We have supported "our" little Odalyz for 8 years now through the ministry of Compassion International. And every year we send a little extra for a Christmas present for her.

3) Lottie Moon Christmas Offering

Despite the bad rap that Baptists get a lot of the time...one of the aspects that make me the most proud to be a baptist is their international missionary work. The Lottie Moon Christmas offering takes place every December and it is the major fund-gathering for the work done around the world. We always make an intentional sacrificial gift to this offering because there is no other higher calling than the one to "go and make disciples"...and this is one way to support that calling.

4) The Salvation Army bell ringers

Again, I love this one because I can bring this down to Ella's level...and show her that not only do we spend our money on the things we need and want...but we are giving of our money to help others who don't have as much as we do.

Finally, I love the way this video sums it all up...

I remember the Christmas...

that my older sister, Laura Jeane, and I (we were great partners in crime growing up!) found the Christmas present hiding spot and peeked at ALL the gifts...

that was a rather disappointing year.

We never peeked again.

Have any of you ever ruined your own Christmas surprise?

The princess makes good cookies...

They may not have looked like much (because I couldn't get my cookie press to work to save my life...aughh)...but we sure had fun.

They tasted good too =)

It's so much fun to have such royal help with the Christmas baking!

Wild night

This is what we normally see when we open the door to the kids room to get them up in the morning...










And this is what we saw this morning...










We're going to have to bolt down his crib somehow or who knows where he will end up one morning =)

A Christ-filled Christmas...part 1

Ella came running to me this morning..."Mommy, I should have that...come see!" During a commercial break from her beloved Wonder Pets cartoon was an advertisement for a baby doll that could swim.

Now, I'll admit, a baby doll that can swim is a pretty big deal to a three year old. I'm quite sure I would have been impressed too.

She also loves to look through all the toy catalogs that seem to be coming in dozens these days. She often tells me that she "should have that".

This is the first year that she really "gets" Christmas. It's so much fun to watch her wonderment at the lights and the music and presents and all the magic that surrounds this time of year.

I love it.

And I don't have any problem with the lights and music and presents and magic of this season...I just don't want her to miss out on the real reason for why we celebrate Christmas.

Jeremiah and I decided when we first had Ella that we wanted to do some things to help keep things in perspective for her (and all our future children) and for ourselves as well. I thought I'd share a few of the things over the next week that we are doing as a family to keep our holiday a Christ-filled one.

I'd also love to hear what special things you do this holiday season to bring the emphasis back on the true meaning of Christmas. Share your traditions and ideas please!

Memory Monday...

1 John 3:18

Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

Thanksgiving leftovers...

No, not food...

Pictures!

My awesome father-in-law was kind enough to send me some of his pictures from our holiday...as I forgot my camera =(

I think my kids would live at the beach...




































Jeremiah mastering the rip-stick...










The whole Hambrick clan (minus 3 cousins)

Craving of the week

My craving of this week has been homemade chicken salad.

I have made not one, but two big batches of it...and pretty much eaten it all by myself =)
(I all but threatened Jeremiah's life if he ate too much of it!)

Here is the recipe I use:

2cps cooked diced chicken
2 hardboiled eggs, diced
1/2 cp diced celery
1/2 cp mayo
1 tbsp vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cp sweet relish

I have added/substituted grapes/apples/nuts before...depending on what I have at home or what is on sale at the grocery store. It is a very simple and easy recipe that has never failed me yet...and boy, it has hit the spot this week!

Nancy Drew and the case of the missing crayons...

Ella went into roomtime yesterday with a princess coloring book and a full basket of crayons.

Coming out of roomtime what did she have?...

Princess coloring book?...check!













Basket?...check!












Hmmm...where did ALL those crayons go?

Under the bed? No.
In the toy basket? No.
In her bed? No.
In her book basket? No.
In Ezra's crib? No.

Hmmm...where could they be?

Calling Ella in the room at this point...

Me: Ella where did all your crayons go?
Ella: I put them in the mouse hole
Me: Show me where the mouse hole is baby...













We have no idea how she got ALL of them into the "mouse hole"...
but, they are long gone!

It's a bird...It's a plane...

It's.....

the Daddy fairy?!!!









Oh yea, he's not afraid of his inner-fairy =)
At least for Ella's sake!

A random observation...

Ella is a lot like a cat...

• She only likes affection if she initiates it
• She has to have things "just so" before she can go to sleep
• Can we say priss!
• She tends to be very wary of new people and needs to be allowed time to warm up to them
• Once she has warmed up to you...you have a friend for life
• Hates to have her hands or clothes dirty
  

Ezra is our puppy dog...

• Loves hugs, cuddles, kisses, and any form of affection!
• Will plop down on the floor and just roll around
• Has never met a stranger
• Never hesitates to eat anything...on your plate, off of the floor, whatever
• Has never met a dustball or dirt clod he didn't like
• He is your friend for life...until the next person feeds him or plays with him =)
  

I wonder what #3 will be like?...

How lovely are thy branches...

The hunt for the perfect tree...was surprisingly quick this year because it was sooooo cold!

Ella kept asking if we could get a "sprinkley" tree...I think she meant a fake, pre-lit one =)










She really got into the decorating this year...hanging the "bobs" (bulbs in toddler-speak) with determination!










Ezra just wanted to eat the tops of the "bobs" and steal the already hung ornaments. He is going to have a rough few days until he understands that "no touch" means "no touch".

Sigh...










It was way past bedtime by the time we finished...
but well worth the effort!

My Thanksgiving day CVS booty...

So, I've never posted a picture of all my "deals"...
but...

the deals of CVS on Thanksgiving day (yes, my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and I opened the store!) are definitely worth a picture...














I got all the above (plus some candy that didn't make it very long and some lotion that I am already using) for $3 out of pocket. I walked into CVS with 21 ECB's (extra care bucks...basically cvs money) and walked out with 35ECB's!

Phrase of the day...

"Ezra... be gentle!"

Ella's face after having her hair pulled for the 3rd time!












The remains of the cow and wise man from our ceramic nativity scene that is now way off limits!










Who me?...