CHRISTMAS 2011---Toledo time

LIGHTS AT THE ZOO...
We love this tradition in our family. :) It's a LOT of work for 75-90 min of walking around (freezing). Of course that's intermixed with trips in and out of the buildings (so then we sweat) and in and out of potties (so then we strip off the 12 layers) and in and out of our mittens/gloves to assist the kids with one of their million zipper/mitten problems. (so then we're tired). Haha...but we love it. Ryan and I SO enjoy watching the kids dance in front of the dancing lights. And this year Griffin danced it up too. Was neat to see him more than just a blob in a wagon/stroller. Our kids have a blast. And of course there's nothing like following that up with hot chocolate and donuts. This year we went to Tim Hortons and it was delightful. :)

My dancing queens!!!!


December afternoon at Nana and Papa's house



These are the same two dresses that Katie and I wore when we were 4 and 7...so so so sweet to see my girls in them. I vividly remember wearing these Christmas dresses. Wow
how time flies by. Life is such a gift!

Dinner at Kiki and Dave's house for a special evening!!

Christmas Eve.
This year we spent the day at mom and dad's house with the Moan family. We typically do this on the 25th but we were in Columbus this year. It was a great morning, a nice brunch, a fun time hanging with VERY excited kiddos. Of course it's crazy and a bit of a whirlwind with kids at these ages, but nonetheless, a special time as a family!!

This is a picture of the shoes that "DADDY SANTA" got his family...a pair of shoes
for each one in our fam. What a fun gift!

Christmas morning.

We had a brief time with just the 5 of us on Christmas morning. Went way too fast and felt a bit too rushed this year, as we had a deadline to get to Columbus by a certain time. It was hard because the kids wanted to enjoy their new gifts and Ryan and I wanted to actually TALK with the kids in greater detail about what this morning meant. This is something that will change in the future...we need more SLOW time and reflection time together. Having said that, it was SO cool watching them be excited for each other and anticipate the fun ahead of them for the day!!!

Funny pics of the clan, on the go...

Early morning sounds

I love coming home from my early morning workouts and hearing Emma's feet run across her bathroom floor.

I love hearing Griffin sing in his crib as if he's on a stage.

I love the smell of the coffee that kicked on while I was gone, and smelled up my entire house for me to come home to!

I love turning on PBS kids and watching WildKratts or Martha Speaks with whichever kid happens to be awake at that time.

I love mornings and I love a new day!
...Excited for this week before Christmas, it always is such a special week to celebrate and rejoice with the family. :)

The Moan/Snow kids...so fun!!

This picture is adorable...but man oh man was it DIFFICULT to take. Griffin is about 18 months old and has no concept of sitting still. Charlie and Emma were very well behaved, actually. Jack was a lil punk and whined/didn't want to be in the picture. And Ellie was slap happy and ridiculous. Soooo...this is the keeper!!!

Great memories...!!!

Trying to soak it in

I seriously am so bad about keeping a good rhythm with this blog. But I know it's important and I know I will LOVE looking back on these someday. Makes me frustrated that I don't always have time, or make time, for a quick entry at the end of the day.

Sooo...my struggle is that I SOOOOO love and enjoy these days and times with my kids. I love baking with them, coloring with them, chasing them around my house, having dance parties and family movie night. I love praying together in the car and I love having breakfast, lunch, and dinner with all 3 of them (most days). I love packing Ellie's lunch and I love watching her learn. I get pumped seeing Emma learn how to write new letters and I can't stand how adorable and charming Griffin is...I could just stare at him all day. I love watching them hide from Daddy when he gets home and I think it's fantastic that the girls argue about who's turn it is to have a date with their Dad.

So I love these days. A lot.
But I seriously have trouble sometimes just soaking it in and enjoying them, because I find myself THINKING too much about how fast this will go, and how quick they will be old, and how one day I will be decorating the Christmas tree without our kids in tow. Isn't that depressing? I want to ENJOY ENJOY ENJOY, but I find myself getting sad and bummed at how fast they are already growing up.
I truly look at Ellie's two front teeth (now almost fully grown in) and get the quivers as I see her smile change from silly child and drama queen, to a pretty little girl who asks questions about life, death, and friendships that are out of her league. I look SO forward to 3:30 when I go to pick her up and get to see her face and spend the evening with her.

Emma is officially beautiful. And I don't mean just outwardly. She is just the most lovely and precious little princess. I have prayed for purity, gentleness and leadership in her life since the day she popped out. It's incredible how God is doing those things in her life. So when I see her talking to her dolls and dressing up her ponies, I just LOVE those moments and don't want them to end!

Griffin was a baby last year at Christmas, and this year he will be pushing the girls aside to get to their boxes...not so he can play with their toys, but so that he can stand on them. Or put them on his head. Or throw them at them. HAHA! I love that kid...and kiss him at least 200x a day. But how is he halfway to 2 already? Geez oh peetz.

So I'm trying to soak this in. Ryan is too...we aren't good for each other in this regard b/c we constantly make comments to one another about how fast it's going or how one day it'll be different. We're CRAZY. But we sure do love our family. :)

Ellie and I in Nicaragua...lunch at the Orphanage

Pumpkin carving time...such a fun night every year

And THIS...just jammies, Saturday mornings, cartoons, hanging out...NOTHING like this.

The trip of the year

This trip was not a missions trip. It was a trip where WE received. Yes we took some toys and we left a little money. But the end result of the few days we were there was a CHANGED perspective, mind, thought process for both Ellie and me. It was amazing to be able to do that with my dad and my daughter.

The kids at the orphanage left marks on us....they were some of the godliest people I've ever been around. They knew they had nothing, yet they had joy. They knew they were going to eat the same thing for dinner that they had for breakfast and lunch, but food was nourishment and kept them alive...and it was GOOD. They loved Jesus. They were grateful for the truth and the life that God gave them when they were RESCUED from their previous life and taken into the orphanage.

These people in Managua, Nicaragua have nothing. They literally have nothing...the kids in the orphanage are significantly more blessed than the families an individuals living outside of their gates. More than half of the city has no electricity or running water. They walk in knee-deep mud in their front yards. They hang their clothes on clotheslines that are also supporting the walls of their homes...

the highlight of the trip for Ellie was when two of the girls stopped us as we were walking to the van to leave. Both of them went into their cubbies in the bathroom and grabbed one of their only toys (a barbie doll, a pair of hair accessories and a lion)...and they insisted that she take them with her. She instantly became emotional and didn't even know how to respond. As soon as we got outside of the orphanage, she began sobbing. Ellie felt it. She got it. She knew that those kids had nothing and yet GAVE, to her. What a lesson to learn for a little peanut from Sylvania, OH.

Encouragement of the century

So last night was the most encouraged and cared for that Ryan and I have felt in a long time. Pretty simple, too. We just prayed. But it was needed, and Ryan and I have felt dry, tired, weak, frustrated, and even unmotivated lately. So Jesus initiated this prayer time in people's minds/hearts at JUST the right time.

Sam and Dyan Windom, Erin Martell, Allie Rothman, and the 2 of us...we prayed for just over an hour...but MAN oh MAN did God come in heavy ways.

We prayed for the church for awhile; for the people, the leadership, the direction. Then we had some time where they all just prayed over me, and later...just Ryan. I don't want to forget the many encouraging and spirit filled things that were prayed over me, so I'm going to write them down so I can refer back to them often.

**You are in His Hands
**God uses you to encourage other people in tremendous ways. Don't be afraid to speak out into people in clear/direct/encouraging ways, even when you're not "sure" if it's just something you're thinking or if God is really pushing you to do that. They prayed about how I
**God is going to use your upcoming trip to the orphanage in Nicaragua and he will change your life in the process.
**They prayed for my hands to have a healing touch to the kids we see/visit/play with at the orphanage...that my hands would be reassuring as I hug and healing as I pray for kids.
**You are called to be on a hard road as a pastor's wife with a role of being an emotional doctor in so many people's lives, and that is not always fun and certainly not easy. But it's not meant to be a burden, it's meant to be a joy.
More later...as I continue to remember...