March Madness

Just after getting his credentials... feeling pretty important!

If you know Reed, you know the boy loves some basketball. He entered a contest a few months back at our bank, and the winner got to be the "ball boy" for one of the rounds of the CAA Basketball Tournament that was being held at the Richmond Coliseum. Well, he didn't win the contest, but he did get to do it! In a casual conversation with a man that goes to our church, Jay mentioned the contest. The man then said that his friend is the one in charge of the CAA and he'd email him to see if Reed could be "in"... the next morning, he was "in"! Talk about excited! He even got us free tickets so we could all go and enjoy the games. We had a blast (and if you know me, you know that the fact that it was free made it extra fun!!) watching the game, but even more fun watching Reed enjoy this fun day.

Reed ran up to tell us about all of the free food in the hospitality suite... all of the Buffalo Wild Wings and free Mountain Dew he could devour! He is pumped!I took the above photo so you could see how close Reed got to enjoy the game... see him in the white shirt sitting just below the basket??? Talk about great seats!

My Goodness...

... I stink at this thing called "regularly updating your blog". (Hey Jen! Thanks for the nudge!) So, I was asked if we survived the Daniel fast, since that was one of the last things I talked about on the blog. Yes, we survived and came out with a new appreciation for a few new foods, a few "keeper" recipes (but definitely not all of them!), and eyes and hearts opened wider to appreciate everything we have. I told someone recently that I'm so good at following the rules that I don't know if that qualifies as a successful fast.... simply "following the rules". It was a great experience though, and I'm still seeing the fruit of it some days. (Unfortunately, the few pounds I lost have come back to me. And I think they brought a friend or two along for the ride.)

Well, a couple of weekends ago we headed to NC to host a baby shower for my cousin Joey and his wife, Joy (yes, we took the shower to them!). It was a fun whirlwind of a day. Lots of laughter, lots of good food (recipe to follow) and lots of PINK! We are so excited to meet baby Charlotte in a few weeks! I made this punch recipe and it was a big hit... I thought I'd share the recipe here.

Frozen Cappucino Punch

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup instant coffee granules
1 cup boiling water
8 cups milk
1 qt. vanilla and 1 qt. chocolate ice cream, softened

In a small bowl, combine sugar and coffee. Stir in boiling water until dissolved. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Just before serving, pour coffee mixture into a one gallon punch bowl. Stir in milk. Add scoops of ice cream and stir until melted.

If you have tried a Coffee Toffee Twisted Frosty from Wendy's and love it, you will be pleasantly surprised to find that this tastes almost exactly like it, minus the toffee! It's a tad addicting... I almost cried when we had to pour out the leftovers. Couldn't exactly bring them back to Virginia with us, but I did consider it. It really is that good!

I think that explains where the pounds came from!!

Miles can tie his shoes!

Big happenings around here... no more tying shoes! Woohoo!

Day 2

"Sometimes you are so hungry that the only way to get fed is to fast."
~Susan Gregory, The Daniel Fast Blogger

I'm chewing on this quote today, since I'm not chewing anything else!!!

Daniel Fast, Day One

Today is Day One of the Daniel Fast that our church is participating in. We had lunch today at my mom's as we usually do, and now are on a liquid fast for the first 24 hours of the fast. We resume eating tomorrow night at dinnertime, when we begin the Daniel Fast which is basically fruits, vegetables, and nuts. I've never participated in a lengthy fast and I am excited to see what God shows us in the 21 days we'll be fasting.

So far I've only been without food for 3 hours. I'm sitting here with a growling stomach and thinking about the people in Haiti who haven't eaten in 3 days, perhaps. I also think of Robin, our Compassion child who eats the equivalent of our "fast" on a daily basis. He writes and lets us know that he ate rice, lentils, and beans for lunch at school. To be writing and telling us that, he must be eating well and wants us to know. I feel overindulgent today.

I'm also doing a Bible study at church... a Beth Moore study on the life of Daniel. What neat timing. The study was planned long ago, but the fast was laid suddenly on the heart of our pastor and within one week we found ourselves fasting. In her teaching, Beth tells us that our "Babylon" finds us in the midst of tremendous overindulgence. Our culture has too much, and it's so true. Too many food choices, too many t.v. channels, too much, too much, too much. As I fast from the "choice food" that Daniel also fasted from, I am hoping to let go of some of my Babylonian influences as well.

My kids are participating as well; for them, it's sugar, soft drinks, and dessert. Reed has also chosen (on his own) to fast from his favorite Xbox 360 game. They were sent home from church today with a calendar and guidelines for prayer each day. I plan to incorporate the fast into our school day, and I pray that they are significantly changed during this time as well.

So, day one has me wondering what things He'll reveal to our family and church. If you are in it with me, what has He revealed to you??

Milesisms

"I am readin' words like it's nobody's business!"
(during yesterday's Phonics lesson)


"Reed, have you thrown up yet?" ("no") "Good, just remember, everything's gonna be allright."
(said through the bathroom door)


"Mom, I want Cocoa Puffs for breakfast, please. On the double!! Or, just please"
(caught himself just in time!)

"Why did I have to get cursed with these drop-dead good looks???"

(must have gotten that from something he saw on the Disney channel!!)

Guess What We're Saving For?

September can't get here soon enough!!

2009 Recap

Wow, it's true what they say. Time does fly by the older you get. This year seems to have really flown... didn't we just ring in 2009?

Here's a recap of our year, since I haven't been the most consistent blogger. 2009, in pictures:Miles turned 6 in January! (here he is with birthday pancakes) ... and he lost his first tooth in March!

We visited North Carolina and played kickball (Go Nannie!!) ... that was a fun day!

The boys each had a special part in the CHBC Young Voice Childrens' Musical at church:

We finished one more year of homeschooling... Reed was happy to be doing his end-of-the-year test!! We took a few day trips to some really fun places... Maymont Park:

Carter Mountain Orchard for a fun day of apple picking:

Ocean Breeze Waterpark in Virginia Beach:

We learned a new game, thanks to a fellow blogger, and played it. A LOT. Here we are with NC family at Shelley's house playing it... Reed turned TEN this year! Wow, what a handsome ten year old!

We also celebrated our 14th Anniversary on September 9th with a special dinner out with some sweet friends...This year also brought some devastating news about our dear friend, Steve. He was diagnosed in early 2009 with cancer, underwent surgery, only to discover that the cancer had returned in September. We were able to be part of two really neat fundraising events for Steve and his family. In September, we helped out with the first annual Steve Freeman Ministries Golf Tournament. It was a great day, and we were so glad that Steve felt well enough to come out.
In late October, I organized a fundraiser at our local Chick-fil-A for Steve. It was a huge success, and again, we were thrilled that Steve was able to attend. There were so many more memories, happy and sad... these were just a few highlights. I realize now since I've been uploading pictures for this post (for the past three days) that it might take me all of 2010 to recap '09 at this rate! So, we'll call it a year. Last night we rang in the new year with Steve and Lisa. We are hoping and praying for a happier, healthier 2010. Happy New Year!

White Christmas

Ok, so it isn't Christmas yet, but I can't remember the last time it snowed so close to the big day! And, they're calling for snow on Christmas Eve too!

Try this!

If you need an easy (REALLY easy), and inexpensive gift to give this year, try these cute monogram ornaments.

I found the idea on Kelly's blog and tweaked it according to what I could find at Wal-Mart this week. I debated going across town to Michael's, but I think they turned out adorable, and so do the ladies I gave them to as gifts! (I gave them to each of our staff wives... just a little something that says "Merry Christmas" without spending a fortune! It can get expensive buying for 12!) If you want to try making them, just buy some silver glass ornaments (Kelly uses clear, but WM didn't have any). Use a sticker for the monogram and add some cute Christmas ribbon... there you go! How easy could it be, yet so cute? I made one for myself, too and just love it on my tree!