And life continues. . .

Angelina ballerina jammies Grandma made

Busy bags from Grandma!
Um, no Judson hasn't had his hair cut yet. . . but not for lack of trying. I did take him on Monday and he screamed so loud they said they wouldn't cut his hair. . . oh well, at least its winter.

Judson has been asking for baozi since his buddy Grady gave him one a few weeks ago. He was happy until his meatball in the middle fell onto the dirty sidewalk. . . better luck next time.

Christmas. . . Merry?

Friends. It is December 28, and quite honestly I'm relieved. That month of December was quite busy. Full of good things. But, I'm ready for January!

Don't get me wrong, I did have a few moments of thankfulness for my Savior who was born long ago, for the very purpose of living a perfect life and dying a death he didn't deserve, on my behalf, and all those who will trust in Him.

And honestly, my sin, and my kids sin helped me see my need, and their need for Savior, and thats why we celebrate this season right?

In years past, I've been disappointed by the lack of "surreal" peace and joy that I and my family experiences. This year, I took it in stride. Christmas was not a day without selfishness or discipline, or whining. No, Christmas is not a magical day where everyone is happy and gets what they want. We buckled down and gave some gifts, and disciplined selfishness and lack of sharing and hoarding. It was a day like most others, but with some added intensity.

So, here you go. Yes, these are some good shots. But don't get the idea that the Collins house was all fun and games. What you don't see, I'm trying to tell you. . . life in a small house with 4 littles is challenging. And yet, rewarding. Again, I did many times point my eyes to my Jesus, and thank God for this gift which surpasses all.

Hope your Christmas found you the same. . Merry or not.




Thankful for Skype this year to be with family far away.Lawrence building with his MagnaTIles from Grandmas Susan
Lawrence's new pj's

Nerf Gun fun
Emma's new pj's.
C's new Pj's
Yes, we did have a finished gingerbread house Christmas Eve. Thank you Brian and Christie!!
Juddy's new pj's
The beginning of the building.
Yellow skittles all in a row, intense Lawrence at his finest

Welcome baby Benjamin!! A great gift to celebrate his birth just 3 days earlier:)

Daddy's birthday cupcakes
Taking care of Grady while his mommy and daddy were at the hospital with his new baby brother. Good dress up idea Mark!!
Oh, yes he is that old!!

Watching the trains at the Hilton hotel with Sarah and G.
Our friend Nat arranged for some Christmas goodies to be brought in from the homeland. The guy who brought them was staying at the Hilton, which is why we made the trek to see the trains!!


Marks birthday is tomorrow. We went out last night with some old friends. Thank you Kate and Justine for babysitting!!
I took Julie's advice and tried using some of my flour on these sugar cookies. YAY. Fun times decorating! I asked Mark to pick up the bag of flour and let me know how heavy it was, and he said "oh about 48 pounds". I guess I still have some work to do!!
Video time for the kids, rest time for the mama. I laughed out loud when I noticed Emma wearing the tupperware!!

Cake eating video

Killing time before bed

Happy Birthday Lawrence

Happy 5th Birthday Lawrence!! We recounted his birth story today at lunch telling Lawrence all about his birth. We had a party last night, and just celebrated as a family today. Lawrence's birthday was characteristic of himself. He had fun, he laughed, he cried, he was angry. All the attention somehow made him think he was the center of the world, which doesn't go over well with 2 parents and 3 siblings. It was early to bed for all at the Collins' house tonight. Enjoy the pics, and stay tuned for some very "real life" videos including birthday celebrations. Lawrence helps me realize that life is not all disney movies and happy birthdays. You take the good, you take the bad, you take what God gives you.
















Yes, the lego cake make a return appearance.
Fun with our friends, after a good round of pin the spaceship on the space station.

50 pounds of flour

Yes, I did buy 50 pounds of flour. In my mind, I was buying wheat flour in which I could divide up and sell to my friends. In my defence, my friend Phyllis used to do this when I lived here before. I was just following in her footsteps.
Do you see where it says, wheat flour? Right? And Special Wheat gave me hope that this was indeed "special" not "normal". Need a bigger look?

Well, when I opened the 50 pound bag, I saw reality, which is . . .yup, white flour. And without a high demand on white flour, I'm on my own friends. So, lets see how long it takes me to use up 50 pounds of flour ok? Any guesses? And, please, inspire me with some of your recent favorite baked recipes. I've got a lot of flour to use!

Friday girls discussion. We're reading "When People are Big and God is Small" by Ed Welch. I read this book 10 years ago before getting married and it was helpful. Now, I'm rereading it and finding it equally helpful. I'm thankful for God's continued love for me expressed in His helping me search my heart and see my need for His help.

December

I overheard Lawrence this am saying, "yeah, its a tree, but there are no candy canes, and its fake". :) Thats been my attitude lately too. "Yeah, its ok, but its not like life back in America, especially during the holidays" I'm needing to up the fight to be content where God has me, and to not dwell in my self-pity of missing friends and family. Real missing, but don't want to miss trusting that God has me here now all according to His perfect plan. Quick thoughts from a busy girl!!

It finally got cold yesterday! I'll take not breaking out the winter coats until December 1!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Here are photos from our recent photo shoot with a local friend. He basically brought his studio to our home and set up! No captions necessary, just enjoy:) And be excited when you get this in your mailbox this Christmas:)