The Fish

I forgot to mention. Rowan is consumed by only one thing that he got for christmas. A $1 yard sale item I picked up a long time ago. It's a night light and it has swimming fish on it. Isn't that crazy, yet I love it. (He's shown in the picture with it!)

Christmas

What a wonderful christmas we we're blessed with. We enjoyed each and every party we had. Starting friday night and going through christmas day. The kids did well, running from here to there, and everywhere. It was awesome seeing rowan take this in much more this year. He really got the concept and liked singing happy birthday to jesus. We gave him a book, "God gave Us You". He gets a big smile on his face when neal and I tell him how special he is to us!

Aliana loved beating the presents up. She would take them from somebody and sit on them, stand on them, and even try to jump on top of them. It was funny to watch.

One of the best things is that michael came for brunch at our house on christmas eve with my family, and he was so clear headed and well...looked really good! That was a whole gift in of itself. Thank you all for the prayers and cards. I thought this holiday was going to be hard, but it wasn't.

Neal was home helping out most of the time too, so that was great. He even potty trained rowan. He is doing so well with it, we decided to get pull-ups, and he doesn't dare get his cars wet, (the only pull-ups in his size have cars on them). But hey it's working. He's excited about all the "Good Jobs" and "I'm proud of You's" that he's getting.

But I think grandma is the most excited about this new step!

I hope you all had a wonderful christmas and would love to hear from you.

How Do You Help....

How do you help someone that doesn't want to help themselves? Coming here a little frustrated tonight. This morning a lot of drama unfolded with michael. I ended up dropping him off at his house, when I really wanted to drop him off on the doorstep of a rehab. It seems like it's been years, too many, and also another painful reminder this christmas is another without my mother. I think I have been fine with it. But then, well I don't quite know what triggered it, just feeling a little blue, but I had an exhausting day, (probably more emotionally then anything). How far do you reach out and yet how much do you set up a line, between healthy and unhealthy and serving and enabeling. Heard a great song on the way home from walmart tonight. It's from Rainchildren, called "Paper and Boxes", Wonderful song. Chorus goes a little something like this.
"I wish I could have held you that night, like i need you to hold me now."
"I wish I could have carried you, like you carry me, jesus!"

Anyway...R was invited to a gingerbread house party today, it was a lot of fun. My girlfriends took pictures. I will have to ask them for some, and post. It really was neat watching two 3 year olds, one 2, and one 1 year old trying so hard to resist the temptation of putting the candy in there mouth instead of on the house to decorate. Hubby's home this weekend, first in a long time, he doesn't know it yet, but tomorrow morning I think I might ask him if I can sleep in, at least until 7:30!! We have a birthday party for his great-great grandma tomorrow night, she'll be 96. Can you imagine, her mind's not so sharp anymore, but it wasn't too long ago, she would tell you all sorts of stories from 1930 or something. Amazing! I really hope we get blessed with more snow then ice/rain over the weekend. Okay now I'm rambling and typing funny, better get myself off to bed, before someone wakes up. Who knows mayby I could even play opossum, if someone wakes up, and hubby can tend to them, since he'll be here, and he has no plans for tomorrow. Well, at 9:00 AM there's my massage, and at 10:00 AM my pedecure, and 11:00 AM brunch in bed......YEAH RIGHT!!!
Goodnight.

Dreary Days

I thought I used to love winter, but as I get up in the years!! I think I am starting to not like it so much. The last week or so it seems like the days have just blended together. I love snow, but it's got to be a big one, not just cold and a dusting. I'll still stick with my favorite season, the good one God has awaitin for me.

Last night we had a meal with my fam and as we we're leaving we started getting phone calls on our cell phone, which seemed like from everyone and their cousins' and there cousin's cousins. They we're calling to tell us that neal's work was on fire. We had to go pick up our christmas cards so we kinda just moseyed around there for a little. And awaited more news. We then decided to drive over and all the roads we're closed but we somehow ended up getting in. I got out of the van and asked a firefighter what was going on. Then this morning neal got a phone call and they said that it was an electrical fire and that there wasn't a lot of damage. The cleaning person was there and smelled the smoke and called it in. PRAISE the Lord! If the cleaning person wasn't there they would have lost the whole building within a meatter of minutes. Because of all the oil and gas stored there. It just would have went Whoosh! So neal still has a job, just not sure when exactly he will be returning to it. As they are cleaning up and need to get the electric going. But we are so happy with the outcome.

Our pastor did a series on teenagers and all the different things they struggle with these days. It was abnoramally encouraging to me as well. This last sermon was. It was about dating. I feel hubby and I really need to start dating again. And get connected, not that we're not, but just get lost in that newness again. When you have kids, things change, everyone knows that. Some wise friend (T) gave us some fantastic advice, "treat each other as a gift".