Glimpses

When I looked at the date yesterday, I realized that it was one year ago that I found out I was pregnant with Presli. God is so good and merciful. She is a constant reminder to me that His plans are so much better than mine.

And speaking of dates, happy 8 year anniversary to my sister and brother-in-law. They are going to celebrate by praying that their boys actually sleep through the night without playing musical beds. Here's to reclaiming lost rest.

My precious baby girl is still sleeping well, as long as someone is willing to give her back her "pa" in the middle of the night. Do you think we could hire out for that task? The pacifier is such a double edged sword. And I'm not sure what it is about mine and Chris' DNA, but we only know how to make children more oral than dental floss. I guess it all works out, though, since Park adores when Presli sucks his cheek and she is more than willing to endure him licking hers.

YUCK.

Moving on to more pleasant topics, we had a very Merry Christmas. I loved how excited Park was about every little thing and it was icing on my cake to see Presli sporting a red sparkly tutu with candy cane striped tights. Presli adored her first "real" baby doll, especially sucking its cheeks off. (What is is it with that girl?) Challi and I were giddy about seeing all the girly things under the tree after years of Santa bringing footballs and superhero paraphernalia.

We had some awesome Christmas services at the church, followed by waking up to a white Christmas. The Texan in me never would have thought that possible! And Santa actually came on the 26th this year because it takes him a little longer to get down to Lolli and Pop's house. But, he did drop of some stocking stuffers to us in Dallas on the 25th. We made the 5 hour drive Christmas morning and Park was very thankful Santa waited to bring gifts until he could get them with his "crothers" (cousin brothers) the next day. He was also thrilled that Santa Facebooked him on his Daddy's I-phone.

Who knew Santa was so tech savvy? Maybe he could teach me a thing or two.

And it wouldn't be right to talk about the holidays without mentioning our Christmas cards. Apparently, I have a history of being overzealous when it comes to capturing just the right shot. After attempt number 15 million on day 7 of Operation "I WILL GET THE RIGHT SHOT EVEN IF IT KILLS US!", Chris suggested it was time to lower my expectations and rely on his superior editing skills instead. Perhaps he came to this conclusion based on Park bawling that he couldn't hold Presli anymore because his hand had frozen solid from her drool. Or, it could have been Presli's obsession with staring at the ground and spitting up on her dress.

I guess it's also possible that the defining moment was me dancing around behind the camera shaking jingle bells and barking orders like, "DO NOT MOVE IF YOU WANT A LICK OF THIS CANDY CANE AFTER THIS IS OVER!"

All's well that ends well since we did end up with some semblance of a Christmas card. Even if it didn't actually make it into the mail until the New Year.

I also completely forgot to participate in Boo Mamas Christmas Tour this year, but I did want to leave you with one glimpse. Last holiday season, when we had been praying for a baby for over a year, I unpacked the Christmas stockings and promptly burst into tears. I had been so certain that by December I would be hanging 4 stockings and the visible reminder of knowing that hadn't happened yet tore at my heart. All last Christmas as I looked at those three stockings I prayed God would allow me to add one the next year. And here is a peek at my favorite Christmas decorations this season:

I praise you, sweet Jesus. Not just for fulfilling the desires of my heart, but for loving me enough to walk this Earth and take my sin upon yourself.

Thank you for constantly reminding me to focus more on that picture than the one that goes on my Christmas card.

What Do Halloween And Michael Jackson Have in Common?

The kids and I went to my sister's for Halloween so they could spend the holiday with their crothers (this is our word for the cousin brothers). They just built a brand new house and I am officially in love with it!

And Park is in love with the wide open acreage called their back yard.(BTW-the picture can't even do it justice!)


However, Halloween didn't exactly start off with a bang.


After months of looking forward to being Spiderman with the crothers, Park decided he wished he would have been a cat like Presli.


Apparently, Presli wished she had been Spiderman like Park.

But, after everyone got past their costume identity crisis, we headed out to a party at one of Challi's friend's house. They had lots of games for the kids including one that called for wrapping Pops up like a mummy.


Even Lolli and Presli got in on the action.


As you can see, Presli was the life of the party. Things wrapped up with a hay ride (minus the hay. Thanks to one smart Momma who said she was tired of her kids complain of itching every Halloween so she nixed the hay:) The ride took us trick-or treating through the neighborhood. Even baby Kord was excited.

Can I just say that I never realized that one particular little subdivision in a little suburb of Tyler, Texas was the capitol of the Trick or Treat? There were HUNDREDS of kids. They were EVERYWHERE. I have never seen such mass celebration.

Apparently East, TX doesn't mess around when it comes to candy. Not to mention that they do it in style. Gone are the days of walking door to door. People where on truck trailers, golf carts, 4 wheelers and any other recreational vehicle you can imagine. And just when I thought I had seen it all, we passed something that could only be called a Halloween float, complete with orange twinkling lights and a thumping sound system blaring MJ's Thriller.

Which brings me to a complete and total side note:
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A few weeks ago Bridget and I braved some TERRIBLE weather to go see Fame at the movies. We may not live forever, but thanks to Bridget's husband forcing us to take his 4 wheel drive truck, we did live long enough to make it through the torrential rain and flooding to arrive at the theater. Although, at some point in the drive I distinctly remember screaming the phrase, "THIS IS NOT A ROAD!"

Bridget and I were so pumped to go see it that we had planned this little outing before Presli was even born. However, the "outing" was never intended to be a party of two. After Sarah and Bridget had roped me into seeing Julie and Julia (How on earth did they talk me into a movie about cooking? After one of the million times I went to the bathroom, I totally contemplated going into GI Joe next door, just to avoid having to finish it)I decided that Sarah totally owed me.

And to repay her debt, the deal was she had to see Fame, which we all knew she would dislike as much as I hated the cooking show. After all, fair is fair. And to make things even more horrifying for her, I planned on buying all three of us matching leg warmers to wear to the theater.

BUT, somehow the night of the show Sarah mysteriously "couldn't make it." Now, being the kind friends that Bridget and I are, we graciously let her off the hook without so much as a protest.

However, we forgave but didn't forget. And now, the stakes have gotten higher. She has forced our hand into retaliating with a show she will find even MORE disturbingly torturous.

The Michael Jackson movie.

Bridget and I are stoked about seeing it---can't wait to get our dance on. And I guarantee the three of us will be wearing a glove to the theater, if I have anything to say about it. Yes, Sarah will be using her glove to hide her face, but she knows we mean business.
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Wrapping up Halloween:

So, it was fun and fabulous and this was the year that Park learned candy corns exist. Eventually, I knew it would happen.

On Friday he has his first dentist appointment, so fingers crossed that the almost 4 years of pre-candy corn knowledge will count for something.

Happy (Early) Halloween!

Big Shoes

Happy Father's Day, Chris!

I am constantly blown away by what an amazing father you are to Park and can hardly wait to see that same bond develop between you and our newest blessing. Thank you for being a teacher, encourager, provider, investor, role model and so much more.

I adore how you love to spend so much time with Park, constantly shaping the man he will become. Your example as his earthly father is giving him such a clear picture of the love his Heavenly Father has for him. You amaze me more every day.

We love you!

Birthday Anxiety

I love my birthday.

I always have and probably always will. I've even been known to be pretty obnoxious about it. So, imagine how disheartening it was when Park started showing some resistance to celebrating my big day.

At first, I thought it was a fluke that he would get grumpy when Chris would mention my birthday was just around the corner. But when we were in East Texas last weekend, the extent of his anxiety over my birthday was revealed. Before we left on Sat, my family celebrated my birthday with us a few days early, or at least that was the plan.

However, as Challi gathered up the boys to help her bring out my surprise ice cream cake, Park started to sob uncontrollably. "I don't want Mommy to have a birthday!!! I just want me and Mommy!!!" He could hardly even be bribed with part of the cake. He was equally as distraught opening presents, even though I recruited him to do it for me.

It wasn't pretty. Chris finally had to take him out of the room to discuss how it would hurt Mommy's feelings if he kept this up. He came back in to cuddle in my lap and tell me over and over that he just wanted us to cancel my birthday.

I'm really not exactly sure where this came from, but I know it has something to do with him not liking me being the center of attention. As much as he is a straight up Daddy's boy, he has definitely developed some protectiveness of his mommy. He is very used to sharing Chris at church, seeing him on stage, watching him baptizing, or counseling with others.

But, he is not interested in sharing me with anyone other than Chris and the baby. (And since the baby is not born yet, let's hope he still feels as generous come September:) Anytime I'm on stage, Park has to be taken out. He LOSES it. One time while in the control room with Chris, he just caught a glimpse of me doing announcements for a Women's event and sobbed uncontrollably.

Clearly, my birthday somehow falls into this category.

So, in an effort to get him to enjoy my birthday as much as I do, we let him decide how we would spend it this year. Last night, Chris, Park and I celebrated my birthday at the Ranger's game. After a round of Dip N Dots, some Ranger home run fireworks, and Park getting to take some batting practice, I think he learned to enjoy my birthday as much as I do.

And maybe he gets it from me, after all, because there is no one else I would rather have all to myself than Chris, Park and the little love who kicked in my stomach the entire game. I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my 32nd birthday!!!

(Well, I didn't exactly tell you the whole story of my big day. But, I'll save the yucky part for tomorrow. Something really scary happened the morning of my birthday, but by God's grace it had a happy ending. We'll just skip over that for now.)

Tonight I get to continue the celebration with a Birthday girl's night out with Bridget and Sarah. And Park doesn't have any reservations over that one since Daddy Night will be in full swing.

The "Eggs"travaganza

Last Wednesday was a day that Park had been looking forward to for weeks.

He was so excited that morning that he greeted Chris and me at our bedside at 6:45 AM, bright-eyed and bushy tailed. The first words out of his mouth were, "I'm so happy Jesus died on the cross for us so we could have this Easter party! He must love us so much!!"

Not exactly what we envisioned him retaining when teaching about the crucifixion, but at least he held on to how much we are loved.

The party was a whirlwind of wild little boys and two little girls who could hold their own among them. We had such a good time sharing the excitement of Easter with some of our closest friends and it might just become a yearly tradition around here.

Enjoy the party pics and I hope you and your families have an amazing Easter. If you live in the Fort Worth area and are looking for a place to celebrate, we would love to welcome you at our church.

Fellowship Fort Worth service times:
Sat 6PM
Sunday 9AM, 10:30AM or 11:59AM

Bunny puppets, cupcakes and Easter grass and we were all set to party! The craft station set up for bunny ear construction
Three of the crazy "bunnies"; Grayson, Park, and Beaux
The egg painting festivities.
Caiden was our resident safety patrol, notifying me that, "Park is eating the eggs and they have TOXIC CHEMICALS all over them!!!!! (AKA Crayola paint:)
Bridget and Sarah pretending not to notice our children painting more of themselves than the eggs.
Grayson and Eli on the prowl for more eggs.

Addison staking her claim during the egg hunt.

Bunny Business

Never mind that it is only the first day in April, Easter celebrations are hopping around here. Considering our Christmas tree was up by Halloween, we are all about getting the party started. (And since it technically didn't come down until mid January, apparently we are also about being the last guests to leave.)

Here's to egg hunting through mid-May.

Park is beyond excited to go take his picture with some real bunnies next week, but he has been sure to clarify about 100 times that they are real and NOT the "fake mall Easter bunny in the scary costume." We will also be hosting a little Easter party for Bridget and Sarah's kids next week and Park double checked that the "mall bunny" would not be making a guest appearance. Clearly, he is not a fan.

However, we had some people in bunny costumes at our church last weekend greeting at the front doors. Apparently, church Easter Bunnies are not as scary judging from the multiple high fives and waves Park gave them. But when someone tried to make it into a photo op, he bolted faster than Peter leaving Mr. Mcgregor's garden.

I still call it progress from last year, though. Baby hops, folks, baby hops.

Last week, at the Fort Worth Campus alone our church stuffed and distributed 50,000 Easter eggs with candy and fliers inviting people to our services. As a church, we also spent a weekend serving the community and reaching out to our neighbors. Too many times in my life I have TOLD people about Jesus without SHOWING them His love. It was such an awesome thing to be be apart of and I'm so thankful that among all the Easter parties and festivities, Park was able to get a glimpse of the REAL reason for Easter.

In other news, Park was also a big fan of April Fool's today, as well. He must have tricked me about 50 times. His favorite one was telling me that his hair had turned various colors and then screaming, "APRIL FOOLS!!!", while laughing wildly. I have to admit I fell for the one about my cell phone being in the fridge.

Mainly because I've actually put it there before without realizing it.

So, when after being several days "overdue", Challi called me tonight to say her water broke, I waited for the big, "April Fools!"

Turns out, sister doesn't joke around about labor pain. And since we both do natural childbirth, I totally understand why.

Park and I will be heading to East Texas in the early morning to meet my newest niece or nephew. But until then, I'm guaranteed to get no sleep tonight while I pace the floors praying for a safe, healthy delivery. No wonder she about went into cardiac arrest when I was still pushing with Park five hours into it. She said giving birth paled in comparison to knowing I was doing it and she could do nothing but wait for news.

You'd think I'd be more relaxed since she has given me so much practice waiting for baby news. This is her third baby to deliver in three years, after all! With three kids age three and under, I'm thinking I should probably stress less about the delivery and more about her losing her mind upon returning home!

My dad wants us to put it in writing that we are done with having babies. After each of us having trouble conceiving at different points, each of us having unexpected pregnancies at times, combined with the fact it makes him crazy for us to be in any kind of pain, this man does not do well with childbirth or the likes. All my life my dad loved having girls, but when I talked to him a few minutes ago he said, "And why exactly did I not pray for sons?"

You would have thought that the two weddings in one year thing would have driven him to this conclusion much sooner, but clearly Pops is a strong man.

I have to admit it did cross my mind to call back and tell him I'm in labor, too, and then after a long pause follow it up with, "April Fool's!", but I'm just not that cruel.

Rough and Tumble Sensitivity

Yes, I am alive.

Still comatose, but joyfully alive.

Lately, with my new "sleeping schedule", I've had a hard time balancing blogging with clean laundry and food for my family. So, I decided they could go hungry for one night in order for me to give y'all a brief update.

Priorities, right?

Well, sandwiches for dinner doesn't really count as starving does it? To be completely honest, I think Park and Chris are secretly relieved that I've been too tired to cook lately. After all, faking edibility probably gets challenging night after night.

However, Chris did not disappoint with his special Valentine's "I Love you" pancakes and Park requested to spend time individually with each of us, making creative presents to surprise the other with.

I ended up with a bouquet of paper flowers and Chris got a love puppet, constructed out of a paper bag, a million cut-out hearts, and a little boy's creativity. Neither of us could have been more thrilled with our gifts. I was especially pleased with the sensitivity our usually "rough and tumble" son showed with such a sweet gesture.

Never mind the fact that in the end, Park used Chris' puppet to eat my paper flowers.

Rough and tumble sensitivity is better than nothing, I tell you.

Park was so impressed with Valentine's this year that he has decided everyday should be "a day of love, Mommy!"

And although I think this idea was inspired because he adored his Spider man placement and mini etch-o-sketch so much, the concept is very valid.

We don't need a special day of the year to show people we love them. We should exude Christ's love to others every single day of our lives.

Now, I wish I could say that I live this out a hundred percent of the time or that I make a habit of putting other people's needs above my own. But the truth is I am selfish. Oftentimes, it takes other people in my life serving me to remind me that I am called to give self sacrificing love to others.

I'm so inspired by all the people I am surrounded with who are actively practicing this type of love. And although my sensitivity may be rough around the edges, I'm thankful that God isn't done with me yet.

Rough and tumble sensitivity is better than nothing, I tell you.

A January Christmas Tour

Am I the only one who still has my (gulp, cheeks turning red) Christmas tree in the living room?

I have to come clean. Each January, I go a little further on trying to sneak in extra days of leaving the festivities up. I think my husband is paranoid that a few more years down the road, we might still be celebrating Christmas when July rolls around.

At this rate, he might have valid reason for concern.

There is something so warm and cozy about a home decorated for the holidays. Everything seems more alive and full of love. And with the cold bleakness of the January weather, who can blame a girl for holding tightly to the wonderment of December?

Well, besides her husband, who is ready to get all the Christmas boxes out of his garage and back into the attic. This weekend, hubby, I promise.

Somehow in my "blogging sabbatical", I missed out on Boo Mama's Christmas Tour of Homes this year. Regardless that I am way late to join the party, I'm still going through the links on her site to visit people's homes, while pretending they are all still decorated, as well.

And then it hit me.

No sense in hanging my head in shame. Since I've already admitted my decorations are still up, why not help keep the wonderment of December alive by giving you a January tour? So, grab a cup of hot chocolate and come on inside.....

Front door

Entry way

Living room ("The Fancy Tree")

Mantle

Kitchen

Kitchen table close-up

Playroom ("The Sentimental Tree")

Park's Room (The Jesse Tree)

The Back Patio (in search of festive table decor for next year!)
The Little Man who is as sad as his mommy is to see the decorations come down.

Thanks for stopping by and here's to hoping the TRUE reason for Christmas stays our top priority all year long!

And that my decorations find their way back to the attic before next December.

Relax, Chris.... just a joke. (Well, kind of:)

The Jesse Tree

Christmas in in full swing here at Holding Little Hands and family.

Being married to a pastor has taught me that it is imperative to take advantage of holiday festivities immediately following Thanksgiving, in order to free up our schedules for the weeks leading up to Christmas.

So far, the agenda has included a visit to the Gaylord, a trip on the North Pole Express train, a viewing of the Polar Express, and a pancake breakfast scheduled with Santa. Also in the mix are plans for a holiday party, the building of a ginger bread house, a celebration of Chris' 30th birthday, and an early Christmas with one side of the family.

All of that, and yet we still don't have a decent Christmas card picture to show for it.

Go figure.

I love all the glitz and dreaminess of Christmas. However, as much as I want Park to have fond memories of baking Christmas yummies and partaking in holiday festivities, I pray that those pale in comparison to his memories of how our family celebrates the birth of our Saviour.

In light of this, we have added a new tradition this year that I would highly recommend to anyone looking to instill the true value of Christmas in their children.

It is called the Jesse Tree.

The Jesse Tree is named from Isaiah 11:1: "A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots." It is a vehicle to tell the Story of God in the Old Testament, and to connect the Advent Season with the faithfulness of God across thousands of years of history.

There are many creative ways this can be done, but in our family it simply looks like this:

Starting on Nov 30, we began reading passages of scripture each night. We've been using Park's Classic Bible Story Book (which I LOVE!), and supplementing scriptures from our own Bibles. After reading the story, we memorize a short verse of scripture and make an ornament that represents what we have read. (So far, we have only been using very basic art supplies such as yarn, Popsicle sticks, foam sheets, construction paper, cotton and so on)

Each night, we hang the new ornament on a special Christmas tree that is in Park's bedroom. As we place it on the tree, we take a minute to look at the previous ornaments and briefly recap the theme and scripture we learned from the nights before.

I am amazed at how much he is remembering and how much he looks forward to the activities that the next night holds. It has become the highlight of the day for each of us.

If you are interested in duplicating this tradition for your own family, you could easily use a modified version of this for the remaining days. To simplify, listed below are the passages we are using and (the symbol) we are basing our ornament on:

Introduction of the Jesse Tree
1 Sam 16:1-13 Isa 11:1-1: (The Tree)

Creation- God Made Everything in His Image
Gen 1:1-2, 3 (Sun)

Adam and Eve- Consequences for our Actions
Gen 2 and 3 exerpts (Apple)

Noah- The Flood
Gen 6:11-22, 7:17-8:12, 8, 20-9:17 (Rainbow)

Abraham- The Promise
Gen 12:1-7, 15:1-6, 17, 18 (Tent)

Isaac and Rebekah- Going Above and Beyond
Gen 24 (Camel)

Jacob- Assurance of the Promise
Gen 27:41-28: 22 (Ladder)

Joseph-God's Providence
Gen 37, 39:1-50:21 (Coat)

Moses-God's Leadership and Provision
Exodus 2:1-4:20, Exodus 12-18 excerpts (Manna)

The Ten Commandments
Exodus 19-32 excerpts, Deuteronomy 34 (Stone Tablet)

Joshua-The Fall of Jericho and Entering The Promised Land
Deuteronomy 33, Joshua 1-5 excerpts (Sandal)

Gideon-Unlikely Heroes
Judges 6, 7 (Trumpet)

Samson- Importance of Staying in God's Boundaries
Judges 13-16 excerpts (Flexed Arm Muscle)

Ruth- God Rewards Loyalty
Book of Ruth excerpts (Wheat)

Hannah's Promise- Samuel Listened to God
1 Samuel 1-3 excerpts (Ear)

David and Goliath- Fear Not
1 Samuel 16, 17 (Sling Shot)

David the King- Becoming a Man after God's Own Heart
1 Samuel 18, 26, 31 excerpts, 2 Samuel 6, 7 excerpts (Harp)

King Solomon- Fulfillment of God's Promise
1Kings 1, 3, 8 excerpts (Crown)

Jonah- Obeying God the First Time
Book of Jonah (Fish)

Three Faithful Men- Following God Wholeheartedly
Daniel 3 (Fire)

Daniel- God is in Control
Daniel 6 (Lion)

Nehemiah- Rebuilding and Gathering Together
The Book of Nehemiah excerpts (Shovel)

Mary- Being Willing to Accept the Call
Luke 1 (Silhouette of Mary)

Jesus -Birth of the Messiah
Luke 2:1-20 (Manger Scene)

*Pictures to follow when blogger cooperates:)

We may not end up with a great Christmas card photo this year, but I'm so thankful that snapshots of Jesus are being stored up in Park's heart.

The Turkey Toddler Trot

For the last few years, our church has run the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. We all wear matching shirts that advertise our service times for Christmas and use the oportunity to invite others to be our guests.

Typically, we've been unable to participate in this event because my entire side of the family heads off to the anual Aggie/T.U. game.

But, this year we will be celebrating Thanksgiving with Chris' family (who live in the area) and that means watch out Turkey Trot, here we come!

Hubs was trying to talk me into running the 10K with him, but then he woke up and remembered who he is married to. Him walking in on my unathletic attempt at Taebo in our living room may or may not have served to jog his memory.

Since then, the word is, "Feel free to walk it at your own pace, sweetheart."

Needless to say, Park is beyond excited about this race. Or, at least he was until I told him there will be a lot of people there and we will need to bring his jogging stroller as a back up plan.

Enter The Great Stroller Strike '08.

According to him, no respectable three-year-old still rides in a stroller for any reason whatsoever. Apparently, that is soooo last year.

So, to prove his capability of running the race to completion, he has been practicing nonstop for the last 2 weeks. Running everywhere we go, he turns back over his shoulder to shout, "See me running this race, Mommy? See how fast I am?? I will WIN that Turkey Trot!"

Perhaps that stroller will come in handy for Park to wheel me across the finish line.

Park's Turkey Trot Countdown Chains!

A Hero of a Halloween

It's a bird....It's a plane...No, it's a SUPER HALLOWEEN!

*(In case you are wondering why his cape is maroon, a certain someone had his heart set on being an "Aggie" Superman.)


Happy Halloween, Y'all!