Merry Christmas Cathy!

All Ye Faithful from Igniter Media on Vimeo.

Missy, thanks for walking me through this and for letting me steal it! This is an amazing video- enjoy!

Not a marathon, but it counts!

Ok, so we did a few push ups to get geared up!

No way, I am not letting go when you can just carry me!

OK, it was just a few steps but they count! Way to go Wag-Man!

One more time, just for fun....

Time to celebrate!

Can i put a brick on his back-this brings a whole new level of "fun". haha

Proud Wagner! Way to go! We love you!

Garrett Knows It All

Reed: Mom did you know that if you snort really loud it can suck your brain out and you will die? I know this for sure.

Me: Oh really, that sounds scary. Who told you this?

Reed: Garrett did and he is in kindergarten so he knows.

Wow, my 4 year old is afraid to snort his nose because he will die. we are that family that no one wants their first born child to be in class with because we have lots of "words of wisdom" to impart on your precious child.

I am so sorry and Reed did not die.

The Best Gifts

Kyle has been out of town and the morning conversations have been about Christmas, Santa, and when is school going to be out... This morning Garrett had a very special gift he was going to whisper to Santa so no one else would hear (me). For those of you who know me, you know i can't stand snakes (it is not a slight fear- i REALLY dislike slithery things!)

Our conversation went something like this:
Garrett: Grandmother Duke buys the best presents ever! (Grandmother Duke is Kyle's almost 90 year old grandmother)

Me: Oh really. Do you think she is going to buy you a Christmas present this year?

Garrett: Of course. She can buy me the ball python snake I want. (Grandmother Duke is a proper Southern women with the utmost dignity, kindness, and gentleness- not to mention the warmest most loving grandmother)

I am crying i am laughing so hard at Grandmother Duke with her walker at the pet store purchasing a snake...

Garrett: And i know...I can keep it at Mimi and Rocket's house since Dad won't let me have it here.

Ok- for those of you who know Donna (Mimi) this is even more hilarious that Garrett would even consider her with a snake. She had to learn to love Reveille when she lived with them for a summer. Of course, she did...for her son.

So poor Garrett is going to be terribly upset when he does not receive a ball python this year for Christmas. I love that God gave me 4 boys to raise - but i do not do snakes. i try my best to embrace the testerone by allowing wrestling in "designated" areas of the house, encouraging them to be what God has designed them to be....wild and brave. i laugh at how many times they have fought off the bad guys or trapped the wild bears in the backyard (Chili and Rio). I played Cabbage Patch Dolls and played soccer so i could get a uniform (running, no thanks!)

Merrry Christmas and Garrett can visit Shaeffer's snake.....

A Thankful Christmas?

ok, I have missed posting because we have been sick, busy, tired...so get ready i have been sitting on this one for a while. I promised in "Thankfulness or lack of it" several weeks ago that i was going to work on being more thankful- that is why the Graham family was going to base our devos on it for a full month (because I NEEDED it-funny how we intend these for our children and God has a different idea)

We are reading Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges with our community group (amazing book that is about examining the sin in my life that is subtle or even acceptable to me as opposed to concentrating on the obvious sins of others/society... it challenges me to deal with my "respectable" sins such as pride, discontentment, self control, and impatience with the same severity i do the flagrant sins of others). yeah- fun!

So.. one of our favorite verses was 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus". I worked on being thankful by not (...trying not) to get irritated and frustrated when we are late. There are many other things throughout each day - toothpaste all over the sink upstairs EVERYDAY, children who don't want to sleep, wrestling....(all the things others do to ruin the plan i had for my day). Yeah, remember when I talked about my selfishness....ouch!

Right after our family devo was about thankfulness we read the chapter on unthankfulness (no coincidence, huh?) In this chapter he makes this amazing connection from 1 Thessalonians giving thanks in all circumstances even those i do not feel thankful about to Romans 8:28-29. Because in Romans Paul tells us, "We know that in all things God works for the good of all those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose." God directs the outcome of my circumstances for my good and His glory (even when i am angry, was unjustly treated, or wronged by another).


So in learning to be more thankful in all circumstances, I pray this season i will thank God when things go awry and do not go the way i had hoped. I pray i will, by faith, thank Him that He is transforming me into the likeness of His Son. When the Christmas card picture is not a picturesque scene of 4 boys living in harmony, our annual visit to the Arboretum is not defined by skipping gleefully down the winter wonderland, or someone tells grandma that is NOT what they wanted...i will thank Him for giving me the MANY chances to develop my Christian character and those of our boys. To rid our lives of being defined by what we get and not what we give (selfishness).

This season is not about my circumstances or selfish desires but thanking God for the gift of His Son/our Savior so my sin is washed away. My obvious sins and the ones i am just so used to i don't even recognize...

MERRY CHRISTMAS

i am among the living again! Where have i been? i even got an email from the Internet telling me how neglectful i have been. :) kyle was out of town, we hit thanksgiving, and i got sick...that is 3 weeks of my life. scary how fast it can go!

my favorite Christmas tradition is the Arboretum with the kids to visit santa. here is the Graham family review- my how fast we have grown! It just seems like yesterday we were going with just Mason! i will probably be that mom who makes 4 grown teenage boys go visit santa to get the annual "pic".

Hope your month is a celebration of how amazing our God is and what an amazing gift He sent!

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Brotherly Insight Part 2

We were all driving in the car on a Friday afternoon after spending what felt like years at Northpark when Mason spoke very valuable words of wisdom to Garrett once again.

Garrett was complaining about never looking in time to see the cool thingy we are all talking about and Mason was ooing over the dead tree at the gas station. Garrett was really upset he "always misses everything!!!". Remember nothing could ever be fair enough in Garrett's world. Once again mason gave garrett the "life is not fair" speech and God has different blessings planned for each of us.

Mason then drives his point home with, "Garrett just be glad you have eyes, you could be deaf."

I thought kyle was going to drive off the road. After we picked ourselves up off the floor, we had a blind vs. deaf lesson.
I am so glad i have Mason because i don't have to say those ridiculous things my parents said to me when i was a child, Mason does it for me. By the way my mom's favorite was, "Eat your dinner there are starving children in Africa".

i love shin guards- part 2

ok- it's 4:45. soccer starts at 5:30. i have promised "extra" time playing at the park before practice so reed will actually "practice" soccer. the baby is hungry because he went to "school" today and ate 2 whole hours early (suckers). reed needs shin guards, socks, water, a ball, and transporation to practice- oh yeah and early playing time. ouch! where is dad? shin guards are evil.

and then............... i was actually practicing being thankful in ALL circumstances and sweet Garrett (g-muddy) steps in and just begins to "help" reed so he won't miss practice because at this point it is at least 5:15.

just a fun pic and thanks God for giving me each one of your precious children to raise but today i needed garrett. thanks!

a garrett funny- today at school it was ms. owens birthday and they made an announcement during the pledge about it. garrett asked his teacher (ms. lewis), "did ms. owens know it was her birthday?" man i love that kid!

Too cute!

Cutest skeleton ever! He is such a precious baby- and growing way TOO fast. It is such God's design to finally REALLY enjoy the good and bad times with the 4th child. It took 3 "trial" runs to just relax and "enjoy" even the 3am wake ups with kyle out of town!
miss you kg!