We rewarded the smiles with some dollar hamburgers at the food court...
Then after naps, we took some dinner to friends and then drove around and looked at Christmas lights. We came home and surprised the girls by pulling out lights to put on our house. I love Avery's reaction in this picture! 
Christmas is such a fun time of year!
Response to rule #1 by A: "really?!!!! I never knew that. I'll stop doing it then."
keep the family sane all while operating on very little sleep overtakes me.21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."
I guess the holidays are the "law" in my life that points out my sins. So for the month of December, I am waging war against the "law of sin that dwells in my members."
No books, no new disciplines, no new anything. Just God's Word and me. Nothing fancy and no grand plans. Just need to get out of the way and live according to the Spirit more. Back to the basics.
She was not convinced when I told her the best part about cleaning pumpkins was the messy hands and she cleaned that entire half with a napkin in her hand.
Even if little faces are pressed up against the outside of the shower(which they often are), I can't hear what they're saying over the water, so I can still concentrate on the verses I'm memorizing.
So now its your turn. How do you memorize scripture?
Elliana: "if you throw up on yourself, just tell mommy and she'll give you the medicine and a trashcan." (this was said very seriously to Justus as if teaching him a very important lesson)
Avery: "How deep is your tummy? I think it starts here (pointing to her throat) and goes all the way to your belly b. Which means I need more to eat because my tummy is pretty deep"
This floor had been scrubbed and mopped less than 24 hours earlier...Anyone else out there feel my pain =) I think my kids must have holes in the bottom of their lips!
Until tonight! We finally made our thankfulness tree! I think the motivation was some leftover cutout flowers I had from a breakout session I taught yesterday at church which meant I did not have to trace or cut out leaves with the girls. For some reason, the thought of making leaves exhausted me =)
So here's our tree. So far we just have a few flowers and hearts added with things we're thankful for. Hopefully we'll get a little deeper as we continue over the next 2 weeks. Right now we're still just thankful for balloons and trees =) But even if it never goes any deeper than that, at least they're learning what it means to be thankful. And hopefully having a bit of fun in the process =)
A trip to the zoo with Grandma
The weather was perfect and the animals were active. The girls showed no fear getting up close and personal with this tiger!
The elephants and giraffes were a big hit as well. I've never seen them run in the zoo before. Usually they just stand there and eat. I think Grandma and I had just as much fun as the girls!
What makes a trip to the zoo even better? Riding the train! 
The girls even put on a little show for Grandma and practiced their dance routines. Well, Avery danced; Elliana giggled and "skipped" through the living room.
It was a great day!
Justus has tasted his first lemon
It took 3 sleepless nights, but his first tooth has finally broken through!
And he learned to say the letter d. Daddy is going to feel special to hear "da da da da" greet him when he gets home next week!
6 1/2 years ago I walked into his apartment to find this and a ring for my finger. 
6 years ago we said "I do" and began our married life together. Right after we got married, we used to joke that it was like a slumber party every night. We would just lay in bed and talk for hours about absolutely nothing. We have always just loved to talk to each other. 
And now he's gone for a week...
This week, 1 week seems like an eternity!!
The past few weeks, I've just been keenly aware of God's working in my heart. He has been cleansing me and removing some stuff but at the same time satisfying me and speaking to me. The more I am aware of Him on a continual minute by minute basis, the more dependent I become on the Holy Spirit working in my life. This verse speaks to me about how active God is and reminds me to be thankful that we don't serve a passive God, but an active God who is continually speaking to us and drawing us unto Himself.
But today was the highlight of the week, Avery's b-day party. Her actual b-day was last week, so she got a full week of birthday celebration! Fun times. For her birthday, she decided she wanted to bring cupcakes to school, a castle cake and to play Simon Says and Red Light, Green Light with her friends. So we...
And then today at her b-day party, we played Red Light, Green Light
Simon Says
Rock, Rock, Be A Rock
Ate some castle cake
Opened some cool presents
hit open a pinata full of candy
Ate some hotdogs and fruit
played a little Wii with our best friends who now live in Austin.
fell into bed exhausted
and then we ended the evening with a great dinner and a little ice cream for the two birthday girls! (Brent's mom's b-day is today as well!)
Who could ask for a better 4th birthday =)
