Twenty-twelve

 2011 definitely put a new stamp on my life.  It was a year of giving, change, hardship, trial, joy, faith, healing, victory and perseverance.  2011 may be the year that I look back on as the catalyst for who I will be for the rest of my life.  The spark that lit the flame, possibly.  The year that I decide that just being is not enough...that one person can make a difference, and that with God all things are truly possible.  I am so excited for what 2012 will bring.  The trials, the tears, the pain, the joy and the smiles.  It only grows who I am and who I was designed to be.  To be an example to my kids, my spouse, my family and my peers.  To be light in the darkness and love all around.  To grow in giving and think less about my own needs and desires. 

I can hardly wait.  

I had 1500 miles of drive time over three days to think about resolutions, but I don't have any for this year.  What I do have is an open mind, open heart and an eagerness to be the best I can be in 2012.  The person God is leading me to be.  

My boys had the best time ever in Indiana over Christmas.  We only stayed a day, but it was so wonderful to see my grandparents, siblings and parents.  We rode the quads, took a hike in the pasture that leads to a beautiful creek where we collected geod's, and took wagon rides behind the tractor.  It was tops in my book.  Jude and Rhett played until they fell over with sleepiness.  It brought pure joy to my heart to see my kids experiencing the kind of fun I had there when I was their age.  Pure joy.  Here are a few pics from our adventure. 

 First quad ride with dad

 Grand-dad was giving out tractor rides.

 Sweetness

 Waiting for dad to get up the hill.  I have pics of me at Jude's age on this same 4-wheeler!  I turned it over on my grandpa and I when I jerked the bars going uphill.  I also ran this same quad into a bushel of poison ivy when I was 4 and had to be scrubbed down in the bath.  Yes, Rhett is wearing socks for mittens.

 Grandma Wessel 

Rhett is not amused, but mom is having too much fun!  

We spent 2 nights in Indy and then ventured on to my dad's in Missouri.  That is where we got to wake up to this view...

Oh, and it wouldn't be a road-trip with the Martins if someone didn't throw up.  Rhett did the honors about 30 minutes outside of my dad's and sat completely still for the remainder of the ride with his hands in the 'freeze' position.  Jude followed it up by vomiting at a wedding on New Years Eve, right when we walked through the door of course (we make grand entrances).  Thankfully we were in our home, in private, when it came around to me.  Nasty little bug!  

I was so proud of my sweet little boys on their travel attitudes.  They did wonderfully as usual, and are getting quite accustomed to these long trips. 

Happy New Year!  What an amazing year it will be!

Poor Santa...

 We returned to Bass Pro this year for visits to Santa.  It proved to be just as traumatic for Rhett as it was last year.  Poor thing doesn't care to sit on a stranger's lap...and I'm okay with that.

I really like Bass Pro's display.  There is a HUGE santa's workshop, elves (including the creeper to the left in pic above), stuffed reindeer, fake snow and all sorts of Christmasy stuff.  It's fantastical for the kiddos.  If you go at the right time there is hardly a wait.  I think we waited 5-10 minutes this year and we went at 4:00 on a Monday.  Last year we went at 7p.m. and that was a mistake.  Thankfully there is lots to keep boys occupied at Bass Pro.  You get one pic for free and can take as many as you want.  

 Jude actually told Santa what he wanted this year!  He is wise to the whole santa deal, but I thought it was cute that he still let him know, you know, just in case:).  

Santa was also at our church this year for pictures.  This is one of our older pastors.  Jude raised a hairy eye-brow right away when he saw him.  All of the other kids in his class were giddy and screaming, "santa, yay!"  Jude b-lined it over to me and said, "Mom, is that santa or is that pastor Ron?"  He's no dummy.  He knows who to come to if he wants to hear it straight.  

Poor Rhett...I promise I do not get pleasure out of seeing him cry.  He has a love/hate relationship with old man Christmas.  He pretends like he wants to see him, claps when he does and then screams bloody murder when we set him down.  Then as we pick him up he sounds like an emotionally abused child and repeatedly says, "santa's a nice boy...a nice boy." Maybe next year.  

Here is my favorite santa pic to date...

Two years ago and two crying boys.  Same santa!  This dude is like 6'5" and super nice. 

There are a lot of places around town to get free pics.  After talking with some friends I learned that some places are charging $20 for santa pics.  That's crazy!  Even Navy pier had free pics in Chicago.  Another one of my favorites!

Jude wasn't scared.  

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!  We are all super excited around here.

The simple gift of water...

I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink - Matthew 25:35

Hi friends!  

I know that it is Christmas time and so much money is being spent on gifts for our loved ones, but I would love to give you the opportunity to give the gift of water to children and families across the world.  My extended family donates to a charity each year around Christmas time, and this year we are raising money to build a well through Healing Hands International.  They are bringing the gift of fresh drinking water to Ethiopia, Haiti, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Honduras and India.  They are a wonderful organization that not only brings water, but brings the message of Jesus Christ - Hope.  You can check out their work here .

The water crisis in other countries is not something we hear about often in our comfy U.S. bubble.  Even the homeless and poorest of poor have access to water here.  6000 people a day die because they lack access to clean drinking water (90% of them children) in other parts of the world. 850 million people lack access to clean drinking water.   I can't imagine spending my days hauling water, not being able to send my kids to school because I need them to help fetch water, or watching my kids die from dehydration or sickness resulting from drinking contaminated water (a child dies every 15 seconds from water-related issues).  Seeing what I saw in Haiti, my heart breaks for these people.  Watching the reactions of children getting clean water for the first time is breathtaking.  Mothers weeping in their realization that their daily journey to provide water is over.  Unimaginable.  

Please visit the link below to our families well if you are interested and able to give.  Please help us bring water-hope-life to a place where there is none.  All of your donations are tax deductible and you will receive a receipt for your donation.  

http://www.hhi.org/campaigns/i-was-thirsty

Merry Christmas and God Bless! 

goody goody gumdrops

SO, today was build-a-gingerbread-house day on our advent calendar.  Jude has been eyeballing the gingerbread kit I bought a few days ago and has had many questions.  He was super excited when I picked him up from school today and he found out that today was the glorious day we open the box!

Unfortunately someone had a bad attitude at lunch and earned himself a time-out in my room, which turned in to 2 hours of this...

Next thing I knew he was awake and stumbling out of my room asking if his 10 minutes were up.  Two hours did the body and the mind good.  He was in much better humor and ready to have some ginger fun.

Here is our first attempt at a ginger bread house.  It was hard...that frosting is like paste and dries really very quickly.  AND it tastes gross...so I hear.

Rhett just wanted to eat everything.  

We are all ready for Christmas around here.  Tree is up.  We bought our "first" tree this year.  We had a charlie brown tree that we have used since we got married, but I wanted something a little more husky and grown up feeling this year....I am 30 after-all, and that does classify me as a grown up.  We went ahead and put up charlie brown and the new tree.  Jude insists on moving decorations around daily until they are just right.  I let him because that is a small battle to lose :).  He has fun with it and it's not hurting anything.  We are definitely in need of some new ornaments for next year.

Dallas strung lights on the front of the house a few weekends ago and all of the gifts are bought.  We are set! I am so excited to be visiting my grandparents in southern Indiana this Christmas.  My kids have never been to the "farm" or "up on the hill" as we say.  We had some fabulous four-wheeling fun on the hill over the years.  I'm excited to show them what country living is like.  

Rhett has been running around saying, "Merry Mismas!", and talking about how he saw Santa at church. He doesn't mention throwing a kicking screaming fit when asked to sit on Santa's lap, but that's another story for another day.    

Question...does anyone have any good volunteer ideas for kids?  I really want my boys to know what giving is all about.  I think Christmas is a special time to highlight giving.  We want them to see it all year round, but needs are great this time of year and we want our kids to learn to love others this time of year and not just to love gifts.  We are doing angel tree and working in the food pantry, but have any of you heard of any other good kid-specific ideas?  Let me know.  

Everyone else ready for Christmas?  It's coming and it is my favorite time of the year!