memories

Ahhh, memories. This is one for the fiance someday...

The other day I was on the phone with my mom in Phoenix and Evie got up from her nap. Evie usually gets up first when I make both her and Katie sleep for a bit, so this was not unusual. I was chatting with my mom for about 15 minutes or so when I started to hear this wailing coming from somewhere. Liam and Evie were both sitting on the floor having a snack and were fine, so I started to look for this noise. I got down the hall and yelled for Katie and asked her where she was, she replied back that she was in her bed and was stuck. (I had thought that maybe she was in the bathroom.) Anyway, I walked in her room and she was red from yelling for me and crying. I told my mom to hold on a minute, as I was still on the phone, and climbed up the bunk bed ladder to see what was going on. There was Katie tied by the drawstrings of her pants to the bed frame. I started laughing (it's a response that I just can't help sometimes) as I simply pulled her pants off and asked her why she didn't just take them off herself. She looked at me kind of dumbfounded for a moment and then said she'd never thought of THAT. As soon as Katie was freed, she started yelling at Evie and asking her why she didn't "tell mommy" that she was stuck? I asked Evie if she was supposed to have come and told me that Katie was tied to the bed and she looked at me and said, "Yep."

rock christmas party

Jason and I have had the privilege for the last few years to work with another couple and then on our own with the Jr. High and High School youth at our church.  At our very first meeting we had like 20 kids, after that we averaged 2 or 3 for the next couple of years, except when it was movie night!  Now, we have about 6 that come regularly and when they bring friends or older siblings are home for holidays, we have more.  We celebrated our 3 Annual ROCK Christmas Party a week before Christmas and as always had a ton of fun!  Most of the students got here on time, but then all the guys left to go get one of the other guys out of the ditch where he'd gone off the road.  After they came back all safe and sound, we dug into the food and continued on with the games.  We did the typical Bible "sword drill" this year and then followed it up with a devotional before we got into the rest of the games.  The devotional was on Eph. 3:20, which in the New King James version doesn't sound all that exciting and is kind of confusing- "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us."  So after the teen who found it the fastest read it in that version, I read it to them from the Message- "God can do anything, you know- far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!  He does it not by pushing us around, but by working within us, His spirit deeply and gently within us."  Great verse for the end of the year in my opinion. 

Instead of loading a ton of pictures and videos on here, I've posted a Smilebox of the evenings festivities!

 

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nutcracker

The girls and I had the opportunity to attend a performance of the Nutcracker a couple of weeks before Christmas.  It was presented by the Sate Street Ballet of Santa Barbara, CA - growing up, I spent time in Santa Barbara visiting my grandparents who lived there.

I convinced a girlfriend of mine to attend with me and she convinced her girlfriend to come along too, so it was Katie and Evie, myself, Sherry and her little girl Asia and Aimee and her little guy, Titus.  Asia and Titus- who are both under a year old- behaved better than Evie did! Katie did great and had a wonderful time.  I would have had a wonderful time except for the 4 year old who sat next to me for 2 hours asking when we were going to eat.  At one point after intermission, Evie would just not sit still.  The Prince and the Sugarplum Fairy were dancing and I told Evie that it was almost done, after they danced it would be over.  I have not seen the Nutcracker in a long time and completely forgot that after they dance a pas-de-deux, they dance and individual dance and then another pas-de-deux.  Well, as the Sugarplum Fairy came on stage to begin her solo, this Evie let out this loud "uuggghhhh" much to my dismay.  She though it was over and we could go eat now!  

We eventually did get to go eat.  The "older" ladies gave the little ladies the choice of where they wanted to go- a fancy restaurant or Applebees.  Katie spoke for both of them and chose Applebees, and informed us that it was fancy restaurant, it had posters on the wall and stuff. Ahh, reasoning of a 6 year old.  It was a good choice as Evie took 3 bites of her dinner, put her head in my lap and fell asleep for the rest of the meal.

I once again found myself learning the lesson that what one kid can do, another kid cannot and will not be taking Evie to anymore ballets anytime soon!