Life Unscripted

A very special night in celebration of super-great report cards!
Sees lollipops & cousins on Thanksgiving day at Nana & Grampa's
The kids tables.
Such a pretty Thanksgiving meal with family!
Hungarian Chicken Paprikash...made with love and lots of time by Nana.
The kids with their friends the Pedroza's at our church Christmas program
These two were amazing!
She did such a good job for being a very shy girl.
The easiest homemade donuts on earth!
Ready for the play!
Sweet Elizabeth Jane
Pomegranate Party
Abby Sue & Charlotte (a true answer to prayer!)
Christmas Tree
Daddy & Three

The house is usually cluttered, the beds unmade, there are bowls in the sink and dinner pots still waiting for me on the stove in the morning. There are three busy kids underfoot...creating things out of everything from scraps of material to packing popcorn, making forts in the living room out of every couch pillow in the house, and always in need of something to feed those ever growing bodies. There is an older and very tolerant cat and now a perfectly precocious, very adored, puppy. There are backpacks, lunch boxes, & homework usually covering every bit of counter space in the kitchen and a "mom-mobile" full to the rim with snack wrappers, cracker crumbs, apple cores, juice boxes, and loads of unopened junk mail piled in the passenger seat next to me. There is a whole lot of laughter and (of course) a few battles being fought now & then. There is candle wax from the advent wreath melted all over my Christmas table runner....and a sparkly tree crammed with my favorite little hand crafted ornaments. This is our 10th Christmas as parents and every year we find ourselves clinging to the remains of each short winters day, longing for our kids to stay small just a little while longer...to keep believing in the magic of Santa Claus...and to remind us continuously of a childlike faith. We are far from perfect parents and our house does not usually run like a "tight ship"....but we love Jesus and we love each other....I'm finding that's just enough for me.