God is good...

I had an amazing Christmas this year. The kids were great and we spoiled them rotten. We had 3 guests with us for Christmas dinner this year and that was amazing. We got to attend church on Christmas eve and Christmas day and Brad and I got to spend some real quality time together. Chrissy was amazingly uplifted this year and really enjoyed Christmas and the Peters family Christmas. Brad was thrilled with his iPod and is still playing with it. Overall everyone was happy, there were no upsets just fun, laughter and a whole lotta love and I tell you, nothing could be better than that. The Lord helped my little family to become even closer and I never thought that was possible. And another cool part was one of our guests is not religious but did take part in our prayer and in our birthday celebration for Jesus (complete with birthday cake, candle and song). I hope they come back to visit again real soon. They already said they'd love to be included in our Easter feast. God is good and I love Him dearly. How did I ever celebrate Christmas before I found Him? Thanks to God I'm out of my slump and it feels great. Thanks too to Larissa for the advice. :-) M.

Christmas Blues...

I can honestly say I have never experienced Christmas blues - until now. Christmas has always been a time of love, and cheer. I love celebrating my Lord at any time. Celebrating His birth has always been a special event with my family - since Brad and I were married at least. For the first time ever I feel nothing but overwhelmed and sad. I'm sad about everything. Sad about families losing loved ones, people going through trials and health problems, sad about people being alone at Christmas. I really don't like people to be alone at Christmas. So much so that we are having 2 guests Christmas day this year who would otherwise be alone. But I just cannot regain that joy that I've always had at Christmas. Everything feels like a chore - my job, the kids, all the shopping and preparation, the house and now even the finance stuff. I just feel like I'm trapped under tonnes of weight and I'm suffocating. I used to have trouble understanding why people couldn't be happy at Christmas. Now I understand. But I really don't want to bring anybody down. Sorry for whining. I guess I hoped spilling my guts in writing would help. It hasn't. Sorry. Anyway, it's not Christmas just yet so maybe there's a chance I'll change. Huh, that's kinda funny, I'm listening to the radio and they are now playing a song called "Christmas Blues". Yeah.

Timmy's and great friends...

Man, did I ever have a great time last night. It has been a very long time since my husband and I had an evening away from the kids to just kick back and hang out. We went to our church's community dinner and it was soooo good. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was relaxed, fun and very social. It was so nice to be together with our church family and not be talking finance or planning etc. Then after dinner we watched the end of our Alpha DVD study which was very good and we discussed it briefly after. Then Brad, Kari, Chris and I went to Tim's for coffee and a lot of fun. Our conversations covered a wide variety of topics. Anyway I realized after I got home how healing it can be to just be with people you love, and people who love you. Brad an I both really needed to be doing something that didn't involve planning or work or even worrying about the kids. Thanks and many kudos to Chrissy and Amy for helping us achieve an evening of enjoyment. It couldn't have happened without you and thanks for all your hard work getting the stickers and crayon off our coffee table. Thanks to Stephen for being so gosh darn adorable and for playing so well with Noah. Thanks to Ceilidh for being such a good girl and thanks Noah for, well, well just thanks. I hope Brad and I don't have to go another 6 months before being able to do something like this again. Thanks Kari and Chris for great fun and laughs and for all your loving support. Thanks Brad for making the evening so special. You rock baby and you know why!!! I'm looking so forward to our "Colin James weekend" in Feb. I love you Brad. Lets do this again soon ok? Date night for mom and dad? K? Love you. M.:-)

I would really like to sing...please!!

I really enjoy singing. I've loved singing for as long as I can remember. Really, even at about age 2 I was warbling into a tape recorder and putting on little shows for my family. I joined choirs, I joined drama clubs to be in musicals, I took voice lessons, I competed and I even sang to my husband at our wedding. So, every chance I get to sing I take it. Ask my family. I sing at home, in the car, at work, in the shower, anywhere, anytime. A year or so ago I was approached to sing in the choir at our church for the church's 75th anniversary. I was so happy to be apart of that choir. But, unfortunately I got sick just before the anniversary, lost my voice the day before the anniversary but sang anyway at the anniversary the best I could. I have been asked to participate in church coffee houses and karaoke nights and each time I get sick just before and try to sing but sound terrible doing so. Well, guess what? I was approached to sing in the church choir again, this time for our Christmas eve and Christmas day services. BUT I'M SICK YET AGAIN. I lost my voice on Saturday and although it has somewhat returned I am still hoarse and ill with a cough and a fever etc etc. Our first choir practice is Thursday night and I know what I'm going to sound like - AWFUL. I would really just like to sing...please!!! Especially to help glorify my God and praise my Lord and Saviour. I'm beginning to think this is God's way of telling me I need to stop singing. Or maybe I just need to keep my mouth shut altogether! :-) M.

Who's Brad?

I seem to recall - vaguely - that I have a husband. I think his name is Brad. If memory serves he is about 6'1, wears glasses and is extremely handsome. I'm going on flashbacks (and this photo) of course though. I recall marrying him a few years ago (6 years and 3 months ago to be exact) and then something about a move across Canada, a few pregnancies and a couple of kids, one or two or three more moves and then a life in Niagara Falls with a new kid. Or is it all real? Sometimes it feels like I'm in the twilight zone. Did I work today? Is it really 8pm already? What happened to all the left over pizza I know we had? Whaddaya mean chicken pox? We're going home to visit family THIS weekend? What cookies and carols? What finance meeting? What parent/teacher interview? I feel lost - somewhat overwhelmed but mostly just lost. Out of the loop. But what is worse than being out of the loop is being lost... alone. I MISS MY HUSBAND. I WANT HIM BACK. Ok so whoever took him I just want you to know I will give you anything - whatever it takes to bring him back to me. I'm talking to you Niagara Falls Review and you Hot Spots and you computer and you Gamma-Dynacare. PPPPPLLLLLEEEEEAAAAASSSSSEEEEE return him to me safe and sound. I miss talking to him, I miss praying with him, I miss doing bible study with him, I miss doing things as an entire family and I miss private time. Ok yes I have needs!!! Anyway, I'm sorry this got into a rant but I cannot get over how lonely I am for him, how much I miss him, how much I need him and how much I love him. I would so love to marry him all over again and have a second honeymoon. Just us! Ok so if you hear anything about his whereabouts or if you or someone you know happens to get a glimpse of him please let me know. Because other than God he's what I need most to get me through every day and other than God he's the one I love the most and other than Christ, Brad's the best thing that ever happened to me and I thank God for him every minute of every day. I'm blessed beyond belief to be his wife. Now I just pray I'll actually get to spend some time with the guy. M.

And welcome to round two.

This is my son Noah. This is what chicken pox look like. What you cannot see is how sick he was. You cannot see how cranky and sucky he was. You also cannot see that he could not sleep, he screamed laying in bed at night and everytime we put calamine lotion on him. It hurt him to close his eyes because he had chicken pox even in his eyes. Praise God he is better now. He is sleeping through the night again and no longer screams in pain. His spots are drying up nicely and he no longer has the fever. He still looks like a leper though. He hasn't been out of the house in over a week and he's getting stir crazy. Today he told me he wants to go live in the park and ride his bike all day long! I don't blame him, I get a little wild when I'm locked up in the house too. Any way, I pray this is it for us and the POX. As long as you don't see any blogs posted about Brad having them then we're in the clear. We are going "home" this weekend to do "Christmas" with the families. Watch Brad get them Friday!!! Any way just wanted to give you an update on us. Hope all is well with everyone reading this. Merry Christmas and my God keep you safe always - especially from the POX!!!. Thanks too to everyone who asked about both kids and who prayed for them. Much appreciated!!! M.