And This Little Piggy Stayed Home...

Who needs the gym?

And this is why we have dads...

Another snapshot of my home

Here is our living room, or at least part of it. I can't really get a good picture of the wall with the big window, but you get the idea. I laugh because I always end up decorating so vintage. I don't even prefer vintage. But, when your shop at the Goodwill, it kind of defaults that way. So here you go...

Snow Day!

Doesn't she look thrilled?

The girls have been waiting all year to make snow angels. You can imagine their excitement when they woke up to this. I got them dressed. It took 20 minutes. I sent them out the door, took a 10 minute shower and when I got out they were already inside. They probably would have stayed out longer had I been able to go out with them and roll a fat snowman or build an igloo, but this bowling ball in my belly was not up to that idea. So much for a day in the snow. It was pretty to look at though.

A Glorious Day

Yes, Annalee can vacuume. All by herself! Oh, the joys. Yes, she has on only one ballerina shoe. It was all that she could find, along with the Snow White headband. Some days I ban dressing up just so I can see them in normal clothes. This is her way around the ban.

We love the Children's Museum

Annalee rings up an apple for my mom.

The Richmond Children's Museum is so cool. It has an open floor-plan, so if you are a 7 mth prego mother like me, who prefers to watch her children play rather than actually play with them, it is perfect. I can sit on the bench and keep an eye on all three curious minds. Annalee is pretty much obsessed with all sorts of dressing up and pretending. She was a firefighter in the ambulance, a cashier at the grocery store, a banker at the ATM and of course, a ballerina on the stage. Shelby spent the entire time by herself digging in the fossils. Avery was a wander ending up in the corner eating gluesticks in the art room. So much for being able to keep an eye on her the whole time, Oops. P.S. The day I get a decent camera is the day I will stop appologizing for such HORRIBLE pictures. Sorry.

Another Sunday

Please excuse the yellow picture, but I refuse to use my flash.

You know how much I cherish Sundays at our house. Here is another snapshot of a great day. Most members of our family were recovering from the stomach bug. So we stayed in and ate homemade chicken noodle soup with fresh bread from the bread maker, built a fire and napped, alot!

Life Point

Ice sculpture, perfect touch... Awards being presented.

Goals printed on each table.

Cool LifePoint background for photo ops!

Fun times with great friends!

I absolutely love our church. I love the vision, the boldness, the heart, the passion, the outreach, I could go on and on. I have a special heart for the pastoral staff, many of them are Liberty raised, which makes me smile. I also really appreciate how they do everything first class. No slacking or cutting back here. They take the things they do for God seriously and seem to run full speed ahead in the creative department. I am continually amazed at how they share a timeless truth and powerful message while seamlessly merging it into a relevant delivery. There is no watered down, weak message of God's love, grace and mercy. Pastor Daniel shares with passion, boldness and truth every time.

Last night we were invited to the volunteer banquet and yet again. I was amazed, and blessed to say the least.

Details that scream the LifePoint touch:

Childcare provided on location (a big plus for us!)

Red carpet rolled out upon arrival, literally

Music playing outside upon arrival

Photo ops with a cool Lifepoint background

Beautiful atmosphere, dark and romantic

LifePoint Church ice sculpture

Catered by Carabba's, yummy!

Lots of free stuff to go home with

Professionally cut videos of memories throughout the years that produced both laughter and tears

Semi-formal attire, makes for a great date night!

Guest speaker, Jonathan Falwell

Adamantly against using any volunteer help for the entire event. this a a major big deal for a few pastors and their wives to pull off with no extra help.

The list could really go on.

But I really just wanted to share how much of a blessing this church has been to us. We love them and love being part of God's work in this community.

Hike

There are some days God reminds me how utterly blessed I am. This weekend, I has one of those days. We had a relaxing morning at home with a delicious breakfast of egg casserole, (I am determined to find a recipe I LOVE and stick with it) hot fresh banana bread, and fruit salad with homemade whipped cream. Thank Mom. Yes, that would be me:)

Then we did a little Christmas clean-up. After naps, we went to the park for a spontaneous hike. It was a beautiful 50 degree day, perfect for a little exercise, even for the pregnant mom. Shane led the way while the girls searched for the perfect walking stick, put their shoes on the right feet, again, and tried hard not to fall. One the way back Annalee took over the lead and we used the opportunity to teach her about being a servant leader. She was very diligent in making sure her troops were aware of what was expected of them, the order they needed to walk in, songs we needed to sing, encouraging the lagers, and reminding everyone that they could do it and that we were "almost there!" They had fun, and we had a memory to file away forever. I love the family God has given us. We really are so very blessed