Alpine Village

A nearby church puts on an amazing event every year called the Alpine Village. They transform there entire church into a winter wonderland. They make little shops and the kids get to go into each one and participate in an activity of some kind. Two things make this event fantastic....number one....it's free! and number two...they require reservations so the gym is not overly crowded. This was the first year we've ever gone. I got brave and took all three kids, even though Rayden was in Ohio. We had a blast all night long.
We saw Santa and sat on his lap...

We told him what we wanted for Christmas....Kaleb wants Bakugan, Nathan wants a Wii and a Wii Star Wars game, and Aubri wants a kitchen.

We made candy cane crafts and heard the story of the candy cane...

we watched a train go round and round....and round and round....and round and round (they might have stayed at that thing all night if I didn't pry them away)

We played in the artificial snow that they had falling from the sky in their gym (how stinkin cool is that!?)

We posed as snowmen....

We made tops in the toy shop...

We watched a puppet show about a department store manager who learned the true meaning of Christmas...

We put sprinkles....scratch that....LOTS of sprinkles on gingerbread cookies (and later ate them with lemonade to drink before we left)
It was so much fun. What a fantastic outreach this must be. I pray that many many people heard about the good news of Jesus coming to earth through this event.

Our 7th production

I have now done my 7th program with the kids at our church preschool. We just had our Christmas show and it went awesome! I could not have been more proud. Teaching music at KDO is truly such a joy to me. There is nothing like watching the faces of little children as they belt out praises to our God. So many moments I am overcome to the point of tears over the genuine nature of their worship.

This program was filled with lots of laughs. We kicked off the show with the Monkey class (Nathan's class) rapping. We wore sunglasses and shocked the whole crowd with our "whoop whoops" and our "gangsta" poses at the end. It was priceless!
The Monkeys were joined by the other classes for songs like, "Santa Claus is coming to town," "Jingle Bells," and "In a manger."

Aubri got her moment to shine too. I was so happy to see that she sang almost every word and did the motions too. That is, until....

she lifted her dress and flashed the entire crowd. Of course....it HAD to happen on a night when I forgot to put bloomers on her. What was I thinking? I know, I know....I wasn't thinking at all. It was cute, though!

This is Lindsey and me after the program is over (notice the look of sheer relief on our faces!) She is not only the director of KDO, a fantastic mom, wife, workout barbie, and cleaning maniac....she is also a dear, sweet friend to me. God truly has blessed me with her and her family.

Family Church

Forest Hill has started doing something new that I simply love....it's called Family Church. On the first Wednesday of every month we cancel every church acticity and come together as an entire body of believers.....ages 0-well....however old you are! We have active worhsip led by the "kidz in Motion singers" (of which my two boys are a part) and then we have a video, skit, game, and a short (yet amazingly inspiring and hilarious) message from a fantastic preacher....in case you haven't guessed it yet....Rayden delivers the message.

I love this concept because I am a huge believer in the fact that generations can learn from one another. I believe that the older generations have wisdom that I (and my children) lack....and need! I also think that children can teach adults a thing or two about freedom in worship and confidence in who you are made to be.

It is so cool to dance and sing WITH my kids and then teach them how to respect and honor the Word of God as it is delivered through the pastor. It's not a quiet and formal service, as you can imagine. It's more of a....well....training ground. Life's a journey. We all have things to learn. I need to learn to forget about the person beside me and worship freely and openly and lavishly. And my kids need to learn to be still and be respectful in their worship.

Family church....it's so cool!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care and the tree has been trimmed by three very anxious and excited little children (and to be honest....their equally thrilled parents). And our house is officially ready for Christmas.

Oh, wait. I take that back. We were ready for Christmas until the boys informed us that only the inside of our house was ready. They claimed that our poor, undecorated, plain ole boring outside was the saddest house on the street. They went so far as to claim that Santa may not even like our house enough to stop by on Christmas Eve. My, oh, my. We could not have that. Leave it to Memphis weather to provide us with a 64 degree day this week....perfect for hanging lights outside. Of course, out of the 12 strands of light we had only 5 of them worked. We made due and now 4 of the bushes in our front year bear twinkling lights. Now we're good to go.

Hold up a minute. Not so fast. Our boys have not let us off the hook just yet. They are now claiming that lights are not decorations....they are just, well....lights. A Christmas tree has lights AND decorations. And that is in fact what the outside of our house needs....at least according to Kaleb and Nathan. I don't really know what we're going to do to remedy this problem....any suggestions?

So grateful...

I spent a good portion of my thanksgiving this year a bit sad. It's hard for me to not reminisce about my family during the holidays. While this time of year is filled with a lot of joy and laughter, it also reminds us of areas in our life that are lacking or are not the way we wish they were. I guess I got "stuck" in that frame of mind on Thanksgiving. I was with Rayden's family, like every year on Thanksgiving, but I could not get my mind off my own family. I was thinking of how "broken" it feels. I haven't seen my brothers in quite some time and even when I do it's for very brief intervals. My dad was spending the holidays with his girlfriend and her family, which is a whole ball of wax that I won't even get in to in this format. And then my mom was back at her assisted living center. While she was perfectly safe and happy there, I felt terrible guilt over not having her with us on this day. Unfortunately, I wasted so much of that day thinking about what I would never have back. I kept thinking about the "picture perfect" memories I would never again have. I wished away too much of that day.

I can't go backwards, but in an effort to redeem this holiday in my mind I will take some time here to count my many blessings.....name them one by one (insert pipe organ music here!).

First, I am thankful for Rayden. I could not be more blessed by the man that God gave me to journey through life with. He is honestly the most godly man I know. He loves the Lord deeply and he loves me selflessly. He keeps his priorities in life (God first, me second, the kids third, and the church after that) and that brings so much security to my life. He is able to admit his faults and ask for forgiveness when he needs to. He freely and rapidly offers forgiveness to those who offend him (including me). He is truly an anointed man of God and it is such an honor to walk through life with him.

I am grateful to the boy who made me a mother. Kaleb Josiah Hollis is a true joy and a true challenge. He can always make me laugh, make me feel loved, and make me want to pull my hair out. He is strong willed (I won't tell you who he got that from!), energetic (that's the understatement of the year), and loving. He is a picture of generosity. He reminds me that I need the Lord. I have struggled with self-righteousness all my life and I believe that God gave me Kaleb to remind me that I can not figure things out on my own. I can not "power through" or make a to-do list good enough to make my life perfect. Kaleb is an awesome young man and it blesses me to watch him learn and grow. He reminds me that life is a journey and that this journey is supposed to be FUN! I am so in love with this kid!

I could not be more grateful to the Lord that He gave us Nathan. Nathan James Hollis is a gift in every sense of the word. The Lord chose to give us this baby (I found out I was preggo with him when Kaleb was just 10 weeks old!) and I am thrilled to pieces about it. Nathan has such an intense attitude and determination. There isn't much that holds this kid back. He is so smart and he loves to help. I can also see in him a unique sensitivity to spiritual things. I really believe that he is being honest when he exclaims that, "Jesus already lives in my heart. I asked him to come in there when I was little." He is also a great picture of the stereotypical middle child. He wants to be sure that everything is fair and he often wants reassurance that he isn't being slighted in any way. When I look at him I remember that God loves to give good gifts. He also reminds me that God knows better than me what I need. I believe God has great things in store for this little man....and I can't wait to watch his story unfold.

Oh my! Is there anything sweeter than my Aubri Jane? The answer of course.....NO WAY! I am so thankful for my daughter. There was a part of me that believed that because I wanted a little girl so badly that God would never give it to me. What a terrible thought, right? I know. But it's true....I had a warped perception of my heavenly Father. But, this little darling came into my life and I realized that God delights in seeing His children smile. She personifies to me the truth that He is the giver of all good things. She brings me so much joy and just looking at her makes me smile. She challenges me to be a better woman. I know God has given her to me so that I can become the woman that I pray that she will one day be. (that was wordy....I hope it makes sense). I can not wait for all the girly adventures that await us in the years to come. I am blessed to have this angel in my family.

This year I am also grateful for my Little Grandma. I call her that because she's littler than my other grandma (whom we refer to as big grandma). We must have been child geniuses to come up with such clever names! Anyway, she has been such a sense of encouragement to me as I have cared for my mom. We have grown so close this year and I am currently thankful that she will be here to celebrate Christmas with us this year. Just 19 more days and she will arrive in Memphis!

This year I am SO AMAZINGLY GRATEFUL that we are getting mom the help she needs. 2009 started out so rocky with her. Lots of hospital visits, delusions, hallucinations, doctor appointments, bills, prayers, and medications later we FINALLY have a diagnosis. Frontotemporal Dementia.....while this is not a happy diagnosis....it is an answer all the same. Within weeks of this diagnosis we were able to get her a room in an assisted living facility that will care for for her and provide her the safety and companionship she needs. She is SO happy there and I am SO happy for this progress.

This year I am grateful for my sweet friend Lindsey. There aren't really words to describe how her family has blessed us this year. I know that God did me a great favor when he put her in my life. She is a breath of fresh air to me. She is a real person....honest about her failures and faults...but who is striving with all that she has to honor the Lord in every way. She makes me laugh....and cry. She checks on me when I am down and she gives up time with her husband so that our men can go out and "bond." She also openly and lavishly loves my kids.....and there is no greater gift that you could give a mother than to pray for, care for, and love her kids. She is a gift to me straight from Heaven.

I am also thankful for our church. This picture is of the students we took to St. Louis this summer. They are some of the greatest students in all the world. They love the Lord and they love us. What more could you ask for? Our church has had its ups and downs....no doubt (unfortunately way more downs than ups here recently) and it has been so terribly frustrating to serve there at times. But, these people have become our family. They are there for us to celebrate our victories with us and they weep with us as we have mourned terrible losses this year. They have shown us the way that God's people should love one another....we know they love God because they have loved us so selflessly.
I am thankful that we live near Rayden's extended family. It has been a joy to get to know Carrie and Amber this year....they have become dear friends. I have never lived close to my cousins before and it has been really cool to have Rayden's cousins just minutes away. They remind me of what a gift family can be....how we should treasure our moments together.

My list of things I am thankful for is far from complete, but I will end with this last thought. I am grateful for the promise of Heaven. This year Rayden and I buried 4 of our grandparents. As of now, Rayden has no living grandparents. While these passings were painful, they remind me that this world is not my home. I am grateful that there will come a day when all pain and sorrow will cease. I am grateful for a day that I will see my Savior face to face and I can fall at His feet and worship and adore Him. This picture makes me smile because I see two people that are now at the feet of my Jesus. I know they are is pure bliss. Their pain is gone. Their joy is complete. They struggle no longer with sin and sickness. And I trust that they are speaking to Jesus and asking Him to bless us, to watch over us, to use us, and to allow us to finish this race with vigor. I am grateful for a God who saves....and also promises a greater life here and after death.

A sweet night-night story

We spent the week in Branson, Mo with Rayden's family for Thanksgiving. All the kids (our 3 plus our niece Jordan) slept on mattresses on the floor in Grammy and Grandad's room. Before bed the first night Uncle Tommy went in to read the kids a story before lights out. Only, much to our surprise/amazement/pleasure he wasn't the one reading the story. Our sweet niece (just 2 months older than Aubri) was telling the story. The story of Jonah and the whale was beautifully pouring out of this sweet 2 year olds mouth. Now, she wasn't reading the book....holy cow....that would totally have rocked our worlds! But, her mommy and daddy had read her this book so many times that the words just stuck in her little head. It was a precious moment.

And for my sweet niece, Jordan, I pray that she would learn the lessons of Jonah. I pray that she will hear God's voice and choose-the first time-to follow God's commands. I pray that for my own children as well. Praise the Lord for His Word and the truth that it shows us. And praise the Lord for moments when we can hear His truth spilling forth from children we love.

Playing in the leaves- Part 2

The farther into fall we get the more leaves that hit the ground in our front yard. While I hate---oops, I mean strongly dislike---the tree that stands in the center of our yard, I am grateful for the fun it has provided us in the last few weeks. And you've gotta love that crazy Memphis weather that allows you to play outside without a jacket in the middle of November. How sweet is that face?

Look at those gorgeous blue eyes.....man....he is a handsome fellow.

Pure bliss!

falling deeper in love

I've been reading more. And I must say that I am really excited about this book. When last I told you about it I was still somewhere around page 60. But now, I am on page 146. People.....it's official now. I love this book. It's a real no nonsense guide to parenting. It seems simple and practical. You've got to love when you read something and in your head you are thinking, "yeah....that's it! That sounds right. Why didn't I think that before?" It's clever, funny, informative, thought-provoking. Okay, okay....you probably get the picture by now. You would think I was paid to do a review of it or something! (which I wasn't, by the way!). If you would indulge me, I would love to share a few new quotes that I have read recently. Maybe they will speak you as they did me.

"In this regard, Grandma understood that she was raising an adult, not a child." -I love that thought. We are equipping our kids for something more than just the next play date or the next school grade. We are striving to make them functional and godly PEOPLE....adults who will lead their own lives in a way that honors our Lord.

"consumption without contribution inevitably engenders a feeling of entitlement." -Yikes! I wholeheartedly agree. I even see this in my own life (gulp!). I want my kids to be grateful people....and it seems that requiring their participation in our family chores and responsibility will facilitate this.

"Nothing dampens a child's social skills more than solitary, mind-numbing electronics." -Umm....guilty as charged. I sure have rented a movie because I was tired and played it off as "family movie night." What a lame excuse for a "togetherness" activity. No one says a word to each other....in fact we never actually even glance in one another's direction (unless someone gets up to pee) and we call it bonding. Something seems a bit off. That quote stings a bit.

"all too many of today's parents really do not know where they are headed with their children" -Once again....ouch. This one is really making me think. Where am I headed with them? I mean, sure, I want them to be godly adults, but that's a pretty generic.....and hugely gigantic target. Anything more specific? Not sure yet....still praying and thinking about it. I hope to have an answer soon....at least before them move out, right?!

"Grandma understood that unless emotional pain was associated with misbehavior, misbehavior would continue unchecked. But then, in Grandma's day, misbehavior was not a psychological phenomenon. It was sin, and one could not afford to fool around where sin was concerned." -I have really like this quote because it reminds me that it's okay....no, actually, great when my kids cry after they do something wrong or after they are disciplined. That means they "got it." They need to associate sin with pain. Wouldn't it be helpful in our own adult lives if we could always adequately make that connection? It also reminds me that in the "discipline war" the battle is not between me and my child. The war I am waging is against sin. So really, my child and I are on the same team....dressing in armor and drawing our swords against the evil one. And I for one will be damned (pardon my language....I know pastor's wives shouldn't curse, but it sure feels appropriate in this sense) if I let the enemy win in my child's life!

If you are at all intrigued, I encourage you to go get this book. I am loving it and it is stirring up some great prayer times and making for some great conversations between Rayden and I about our goals in parenting and how we see ourselves getting there.

A very hands-on dad

I must preface these photos with a simple request. Please do not take them literally or too seriously. You are about to see pictures of my husband "fighting" with our children. This is their version of rough play with daddy. The boys like to take off their shirts and "punch" each other and wrestle while I make dinner. It's hilarious to me to be stirring something on the stove and hear Nathan yell, "let's do this thing." or to hear Kaleb shout, "you can't handle this." And then wild laughter follows.
Tonight Aubri decided to get in on the action. She even took her shirt off (it's a good thing she's facing away from the camera because I don't know how to censor pictures! ha!)

let the countdown begin.....

we are headed to Branson for a Hollis family Thanksgiving in just 5 more days! To help the kids understand when we leave (they are about jumping out of their skin to go.....they only ask what day we are leaving about every 20 minutes!) we made paper chains. Every morning we clip one more chain off and count how many are left. We started with 7 and we are now down to 5. We are all anxiously awaiting the day we awake to just one more chain....we'll pack up the car....wait til Kaleb gets out of school....and then head to Missouri. We simply can't wait!

fall leaves

The first batch pf leaves have fallen off the trees here in Memphis. The kids and I raked them up one day after school and had some fun. I love seeing the pure excitement and joy on their faces. There is nothing like the simple childhood pleasures like jumping into a pile of leaves on your front lawn. I even took a turn myself....I love being a kid myself sometimes too!