Matthew 2:9-11

...they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Oh Holy Night

Oh, holy night, the stars are brightly shining;It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees, oh, hear the angel voices!

Oh, night divine, oh, night when Christ was born!

Oh, night divine, oh, night, oh, night divine!

Truly He taught us to love one another;His law is love and His Gospel is peace.

Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother,And in His Name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,Let all within us praise His holy Name!

Christ is the Lord! Oh, praise His name forever!His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!

His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!

Anticipation

It's supposed to snow again.

The boys can't wait.

Carter has been singing..."I don't have no gifts to sing...rump bum bum....rump bum bum....I don't have no gifts to sing....rump bum bum...rump bum bum" in his own offbeat little tune. I hope to capture it on video before he learns the correct words.

Each night a few more presents show up under the tree and each day the boy's are a little more anxious.

And so am I.

The anticipation of Christmas day is exciting.

Howard and I have a tradition that the boys haven't been privey to so far. We sleep on the floor "under" the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. All the lights off execpt for the lights on the tree.
We talk about what we look forward to most the next day. Quiet little pillow talk in case we get caught by litte ones. Two grown people tiptoeing around in their own house, getting silly with anticipation of what's to come the next day. We are always awake on Christmas morning before our boys are...so any evidence of a slumber party is destroyed. I imagine the day the boys find out it's over. They will beg and plead to join the fun and our little secret will be no more. But for now, it's one of our favorite traditions that only the two of us know about.

Tonight I made tamales in preparation for Christmas dinner with my parents. My sister and her husband made the meat tamales a few days ago and I made the sweet pineapple ones. While they were steaming on the stove I wrapped presents and talked with my grandma on the phone about Christmas. Seems we're both anxious about it in different ways.

Our Christmas eve will be spent at Howard's parents and Christmas day with my parents.

Then more anticipation.

Our friends from Costa Rica are flying in the day after Christmas and we will have a traditional dinner on Saturday with them. So the tamales are for us and the ham is for them! Go figure. But these are friends we have had for 13 years and since seeing them 2 years ago, they have added a little one to their family. Something more to look forward to... a litte tiny baby.

I can't help but wonder if this anticipation is only a slight window into the anxiety, fear, joy and hope Mary felt when she knew Jesus's birthday was drawing near. I just wonder.

Merry Christmas friends.

Love, Mandy

Christmas Spirit

I can't help myself today..I have to post twice. Do you know when you think to yourself after you've had a conversation, "oh, I should have said..."?

While at work the other day I was talking with my friend who shared with me that each year it feels less and less like Christmas. That even with the Christmas music playing and the kids making cookies and wrapping gifts for the family, she doesn't have the Christmas spirit quite as much as she used to. There's more pressure on herself to buy gifts for the kids, etc. While she happens to be working overtime and varying shifts which clearly would make anyone tired and have less Christmas spirit, I just listened to what she said and didn't comment much. Maybe it's cause I was tired too.

But here is what I should have said and albeit a little late.

"Stop. Just stop. Stop feeling that you're inadequate as a mother. Stop wondering if your kids will have "enough" under the tree. Chances are, your kids lack for nothing. Instead, go home and sit down at the dinner table. Ask your kids to think of a kid in the their class who's family doesn't have much this year. Think about a family in your church who is without work. Think about the elderly person who has no family to visit them. Don't worry. It won't be hard. I'm sure each person at the dinner table will have an idea of someone within 30 seconds or less. Now, as a family share about each person thought about and why. Then decide as a family which one you will chose to bless. Yep, that's what I said. Dip into your Christmas fund and decide which one...Then go to walmart, buy some gifts and wrap them up together. They don't have to be extravagant. It's the doing that matters. Then deliver them anonymously or not."

100% Guarantee. This will change your Christmas spirit. God gave us His only son so that we may have life. Share this Christmas truth of God's love by giving to someone in need.

If after that little exercises you still want to make an impact. Visit my favorite Christmas gift website. http://www.samaritanspurse.org/ Click on the gift catalog and chose a gift to send to impoverished children and families in third world countries. Each of our kids pick something from this catalog ever year and remember it all year long. This is done early in the Christmas season and keeps their little Christmas lists in perspective. (although Jordan did ask for a Wii... he said it was little!)

So go for it. School's not out yet and I'm sure your kids will have an idea. Just ask them (and run their choice by the teacher who usually can verify the need).

Then, if you want, share what you did in the comment section. I'd love to hear what impact you made for eternity and how it changed your Christmas spirit.

Mandy

The Why's

Three years ago today, the NICU doctor came into our hospital room at 4am and told us that we needed to be prepared that Carter was not going to live. On Sunday he turned 3 years old.




Today at work, we had a baby stop breathing and die.



Why?



Today my baby lives and some else's does not.



Why God?



Carter ruptured his lung shortly after birth, by day two his heart was so enlarged it collapsed his other lung and then his little heart stopped delivering blood to his lungs. He was put on a high frequency ventilator and a boat load of medications. He didn't eat or move for the first 6 days of his life. God healed him when the doctors said he would die and and three days after Christmas we brought him home for good. His story, our story, and God's healing hand witnessed to more people than we ever will know. Hundred of people all over the world prayed for our son thanks to a nifty little thing called email. News spread like wildfire of his condition and his subsequent healing by God. What a powerful witness to the doctor that day when three hours after telling us our son wouldn't live, we went back into the NICU and Carter had made a huge turn around. The doctor said he couldn't explain why the sudden progress and I looked at him and said "I can, it's called prayer."



But why today, did God allow another baby to die?



And why did I have to be at work when that call came in?



Why today on the this significant day?



These are the why's that I wrestle with in my soul, in my sleep and in my subconscious. And events like today shake me. Don't get me wrong, I couldn't be more thankful for such a miracle baby, but I can't help consider the pain of those not able to hold their babies today. The hundreds of children who die each day in Africa from starvation or the one's who perish due to war or earthquakes. Somehow I doubt that the pain a mother in Africa feels from the loss of multiple children to hunger is any less than the pain a mother in our own country feels who's child has died for no explainable reason. Yet mother's in Africa don't have a blog to share their feeling or a support group to get through.



I know the answers I'm supposed to know about the whys. I know we live in a sinful, less than perfect world. I know there will be pain in this life. I know that God is God and I am not and that He is the same no matter what happens on this earth. But I still can't help the whys. The thing is, I'm not sure I really would want the answer if offered to me. It might just be an unbearable one. I share this to relieve a bit of anxiety I feel today and also to praise the One who gave us Carter. The verse that has stayed with me the most since this time is this: "Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah." Psalm 62:8. In a sense, that's just what I am doing. Pouring out my heart and thinking out loud.


Here are some pictures of Carter, the before and after if you will. Our kids were still not feeling well..so we cancelled his birthday party. Then, I went to walmart and bought a cake with a Christmas ornament, pulled it off, put some monster trucks on it and we went out to pizza. Christmas cakes shouldn't be orange anyway. Later that night Carter puked it all up..in our bed of all places, but at least it was enjoyable for the moment. It's a far cry from the little party we had planned but he's only 3 and it's likely not to scar him for life. Plus, it's a molehill that I didn't make a homemade cake and celebrate in our home. Things could be worse, couldn't they?



For those who prayed for Carter and our family during those weeks 3 years ago, again I say thank you. Mandy...for all the boys







licking frosting !

Our Christmas Tree

Do rum and tree's go together? I was beginning to wonder. We broke out the decorations and the boys were just a little overzealous. Grant started throwing garland everywhere and lights were all clumped on one side. I realized at this point that my perfectionist tendencies were starting to come out and this wasn't going as I had planned. After putting most of the light on the tree, one strand decided it had a mind of it's own. Half the lights went out...argh. I took them off the tree, plugged them into the wall and Jordan and I were searching for the problem child bulb....

(insert geography lesson here)

...the fire station can be seen from our front porch. Tonight our house almost became visible to the firemen from their front porch! The problem strand of lights starting buzzing, then an orange glow from the wires broke out and then sparks and flames. FIRE! Thanks to Jordan's intelligent little brain, he unplugged them immediately and called aunt Brittany who was driving through town. She stopped to pick up more lights for us. I wasn't about to drag puking kids to Walgreen's. I'm so glad that strand of lights was off the tree when that little flame show occurred. Howard should be home soon from his basketball trip, the travel is a bit slow going due to falling and packed snow. He will be excited to see he missed the tree decorating event all together,he just doesn't dig that part. He will be more excited to know that there is still a roof on our house. I enjoy dispatching for the fire department, but it's another story to have them dispatched to my own house. Here are a few of my favorite ornaments. Did I mention I love Christmas trees and ornaments?

I think that sums up the evening. It's officially Carter's Birthday since it's the wee hours of the morning. If I sit and think about it too long my eyes will water...and so will the eyes of those who know us well. That story will have to be saved for a later post.

Love,Mandy

Puke!

Yes, this is my first blog entry...and it's titled puke! It's called threemainboys however I promise that this blog is not all about bodily functions just because the majority of our family population is boys.

Let's rewind...back to last saturday night. My office had a Christmas party at the county jail for all the employees..please keep reading..I know it sounds a bit creepy... Christmas at the jail...but don't worry, it get's worse.

Howard's school was hosting their very first basketball tournament and he couldn't attend the Christmas party so I took the three boys and we headed in with food to share. I had worked graveyard the night before, came home and took a nap, made a run for the store, baked two desserts and a main dish (in 1 hour might I add) then ran the littlest son through the hair salon for what was supposed to be a quick haircut that took a whole hour... by the end I was ready to ask the girl for the scissors so I could finish it myself...but I refrained and grit my teeth as he got the worse haircut ever! We made it to the Christmas party, sat on santa's lap, (ironically I just typed satan and had to back up to change my characters around...but Carter thought he was satan anyway) then headed out the door for the basketball game. We caught the tail end of the winning game and were on our way home when my tummy started to rumble. We tucked the kids in bed and I told howard I wasn't feel well. Figuring it had to do with sleep deprevation from being up for almost 32 hours I crawled in bed and fell asleep. Two hours later....pat pat pat.. "mom"...pat pat pat.."mom" and then the sounds of puking coming from the stairs to our room... from that moment one it's been one whole week of puking from me and the boys.

I have worked graveyard all week, come home in time for Howard to leave for school and just in time to catch more puke in a bowl and try to take a nap. My kids have missed a whole week of school and we managed to make it to their Christmas program at school last night because we thought everyone was feeling better. Did I mention that on Monday we got a Christmas tree? Did I mention it's still sitting in the living room without any decorations or lights?

This week was howard's last week of college classes before next term so he had 4 finals this week. He cleaned up puke all through the night while I was at work still not feeling well, and I cleaned up puke all through the day while he was teaching and taking his finals. The only carol's in our house this week have been "oh, what fun...it's is to clean..." you get the idea.

Howard left for a basketball road trip yesterday and the kids had their Christmas program last night. We arrived just in time to throw the costumes on the kids and take a seat. It was only then that Jordan remembered he was supposed to wear all brown like 4 others in the program who collectively were the 5 pheasants. Well, this program had 4 brown ones and one with a grey sweatshirt and blue jeans. Oh well....life goes on doesn't it? I'm laughing now but last night I was in tears. I'm tired. It's been a long week and now my son is sticking out like a sore thumb. It could have been worse..another little girl wet her pants in front of the whole crowed of approx 250 people. After the program my mom took the boys home...I went to work and then came home this morning to sleep. I just picked up the boys and arrived home to hear an announcement from Grant that Jordan just puked all over the bathroom. That was the understatment of the year. At one point I considered a garden hose but then realized we dont have one of those drains in the floor like public bathrooms do. The tile and the porcelain would have faired just fine but he new cabinets probably not so much. My dad will thank me later since he just finished building this cute little house we are living in at the moment. So, I settled for removing the toilet seat and putting it in the bathtub. After washing down every wall, baseboard, tile and exterior and interior of the toilet, tub and sink we have the cleanest bathroom on the block! Don't worry, I won't invite you over to see it. Carter's asleep on the couch next to me now running a fever and I have officially decided we will not be having a birthday party at our house tomorrow night for him. I may instead rent a house tent and fumigate the the entire thing to eliminate the flu bug altogether.

I'm sure your wondering by now..."Why is she sharing this?" You see that's just who I've become. I'm not about to write a blog that shows the happy pretty side of life only. You're going to see the ugly, not so fun part about life and being a mom too and I hope that through it we learn together and look forward and up.

So thanks for ready my first blog entry..I look forward to sharing about better topics soon. It's time to decorate a tree now.

Mandy