Friends are Fun!!

The past two weekends the kids have had friends over. Let me just tell you, kids are hilarious; they are so open and honest, and they are soooo creative. I love to watch and listen to them play. I honestly enjoy it as much as the kids do when we have 'extras'. Anyway, (I'm trying to keep this one brief) here are a few pictures of the kids in action.


Here Sara Kate, Libby (from across the street) & I are having a tea party with story time included. We were reading, "If you give a mouse a cookie". They both thought it was hilarious, and would laugh with each page turn. Talk about an ego boost, I felt like Jay Leno.

As you can tell, there are serious tea party discussions going on here.



Maddie & Ella got to spend the night Friday night. We all had a blast. We had home made pizza, which was a huge hit; and we made chocolate chip cookies. Maddie declared that they were "the best cookies she'd ever had," which, again made me smile considering her mother makes the most delicious chocolate chip cookies out of grain she mills herself....they are melt in your mouth to die for, and ours (that they helped with) were from a Betty Crocker mix. Hilarious! I think she must have been complimenting the chefs...as well she should have. ;)

This picture is of the younger ones just chillin'. Darn they're cute!




I thought this next picture (below) was hilarious. All the girls had all this frilly dress up stuff on, and I guess Bryce decided he wanted to dress up too. When they came downstairs as Spiderman & BatWoman, I laughed out loud. You see, when the kids were itty bitty I would always freak out because we'd be at Maddie's house and Bryce would come in wearing a "glass" slipper or some fancy hat. Well, as you can see you can ....... "FUUGGGHET ABOUT IT" as far as Bryce is concerned. No more girly stuff for him. After they morphed into super heros they went around the house "saving" people. Who knew all the tragedies there are out there. We all felt safe & secure with the Heros of the House.

Just look how absolutely cute Maddie looks........she's gonna "kill 'em with kindness." And if you're wondering about Bryce's hands, they are "shooting a web"

Here the kids are having hot chocolate after they were outside in the freezing cold, jumping on the trampoline.

Thanks for sharing your kids with us, mine had a blast!!

Hodge-Podge

My pastor uses this term a lot in his sermons when he wants to talk/teach/preach about several different things in the same sermon. It's funny, he all but apologizes when he tells us that he has a hodge podge (which means jumble) for us; but I must admit, I love it. He'll finish up his first point and then he'll say, "Now, we're going to put a period right there, and move on." Something about that appeals to my little (huge) bent towards organization. Not to mention, that when you have several different things to say, you have to choose your words carefully....there's no time to beat around the bush, and there's no time to sugar coat. So, Dewey, if you're reading this (which I know you're not) I happen to love the hodge podge and I feel it's definitely time for another one; but maybe you should clear that with God first. By the way, in the off chance that you are reading this, let me recommend some good reading material to you. :)


Anyway, in true Dewey style I have one heck of a hodge podge for you!! This post is just going to have a little bit of everything, so brace yourself.


First order of business: Most of you know (all 3 of you) that we are in the process of adopting a little girl from China. We have been in "the process" for 3 years now. I had planned to set up a blog when we got closer to travelling to bring her home so that everyone could see pictures and read of our travels (you know, 'cause we're so interesting and the writers strike may just be still going on then). Well, the wait time has grown and grown and we've just been waiting and waiting and there really isn't a whole lot of news to share, but I've been reading a lot of adoption blogs in my spare time {read while I'm neglecting the laundry and dishes} and I just thought I might go ahead and set it up. Then, one day, when we have our little Malley home she can go back and read just how much we longed for her and waited for her.....and it will give me an outlet as well. So, our adoption blog is malaganssong.blogspot.com; I will post to it as things happen. When we finally have her home, I'll just have it as a reference (like Sara Kate's E coli. blog) and we'll have all the other family business on this one. And, yes, it was the extreme need for organization(mine) and understanding(yours) that I felt like I had to share that last bit with you.


Moving on (notice the period).


Order number two: Fun Fact Friday. If you remember, in my very first post I stated that I was going to try to keep with the tradition of a real almanac by giving 'useful and practical' facts. Now, I use those terms very loosely because while some of them may have been useful and practical, others have been anything but. Others...maybe even most, were just down right silly. Hello? I didn't name it "FUN" Fact for nothing. Anyway, I digress. I confess that I have done a grave injustice to my faithful readers, because most of the time I just down right forget to include one. So, in the spirit of Works for Me Wednesday from rocksinmydryer.net (which, by the way, if you haven't checked out you should) I am going to do Fun Fact Friday. I know I know, so corny, yet so fun. But, it actually serves two purposes. Believe it or not, there are times when I just don't have a lot to say to you folks. This will give me something to post every Friday. Now, I'm not saying you're going to get life changing facts here. I'm just saying, you'll (hopefully) have something to read.


Order number three: Then and Now. This is just another idea to give us amateur bloggers something to post. I came up with this in the wee hours of the morning when I couldn't turn my brain off long enough to sleep. The sad part about that is, I wasn't worried about anything (mom, I'm serious, you can pick yourself up off the floor; I hope you didn't throw your back out). I really wasn't, I just had all these thoughts about nothing roaming around in my head. That, coupled with the fact that Brad snores like a freight train makes for one sleepless night. Anyway, one of those random thoughts was that it might be fun to post "then and now" pictures of the kids.....and maybe even of us (or maybe not). We all have them on our computer and they are just sitting there. So, we might as well post them and enjoy them together. It will be fun to watch them age digitally, don't you think? But, here's the catch. I can't be alone here. Because, I can compare pics of my kids anytime I want to; but I can't see yours. So, when you find yourself at a loss for words, post pictures. In closing, I would like to know why my "wee morning hour" Epiphanies couldn't be something a little more original and significant......like an invention or something.

So, behold my first THEN and NOW:

THEN: BRYCE on 8.28.02 at 9 lbs. 14 oz

THEN: SARA KATE on 11.22.04 at 8 lbs.

NOW: BRYCE (5) and SARA KATE (3)

December 2007

Katie-Bell the cookie caper

Earlier today I was engrossed in a show about quintuplets. We were/are enjoying a lazy day indoors since its so cold, and I was making the most of it by chilling and watching tv. Brad & Bryce had gone to blockbuster to rent a new game for the Wii, again taking full advantage of a day at home. Sara Kate was, as usual, in her own little world; and she was making her rounds between watching the babies with me in my bedroom or watching Noggin in the living room. Every so often, I would check on her to make sure she wasn't up to something. The picture below shows what I found on one of my check-ups. Note to self: She's ALWAYS up to something.

Apparently, she was hungry and decided to make herself a cookie-sandwich. Sigh......I don't guess you can blame her much. Conveniently, all thats left is the bread; Which makes me wonder, why she got the bread in the first place. I won't try to figure out the thought process of a 3 year old.

I just thought I'd share that with you, glad my camera had batteries!!

Shana

Me & the Mully-grubs.....UPDATE

I just have to let everyone know, that God is blessing my efforts to remain joyful....and Satan is doubling his efforts on me as well, but thats okay because I am more than a conqueror.

Anyway, let me just update you really quickly. I just barely mentioned in my last post that I still hadn't gotten any brown shoes. I've been needing them for a while, and before Christmas I had actually looked several places. But, when Christmas rolled around I was focusing on gifts and the shoes went on the back burner. My current pair of brown shoes (that I super love) are just flat worn out. It's embarassing, but the heel part of the left shoe is completely gone. I really need some brown shoes.

The very same day that I posted that, my neighbor Meleia had gotten her shipment of some shoes that she had ordered. In that shipment was an extra pair of brown shoes. She said that she called the customer service people and told them they had sent an extra pair, but they told her to keep them and share them with someone. When she hung up the phone, she read my blog and saw where it said I needed some brown shoes. So, over she came, and now I have some brown shoes. Check them out. They are kind of a concept of a croc and come like in a small-medium-large sizes (because normally I wouldn't wear the same size as Meleia). They are super cute and comfy.

Call me crazy, but I think that was God trying to bless my effort. Now I'm trying extra hard.

With smiles abundant,

Shana

Me & the Mully-grubs.....

OK, I've been formulating a post in my head for a while now. It was going to be a rant and rave about my last few days....how my kids aren't behaving, my clothes aren't fitting, I still need some brown shoes, my hair is falling out, etc. ad nauseum. Lets just say I've had a rough week..especially with the kids. And, honestly its funny how their temporary lapses in common sense (that you know God gave them) immediately reflects on your parenting skills. Somehow you suddenley become a failure and you look around and for that brief (sometimes long) moment it seems that everyone else is doing it right. Anyway, as I was cooking supper (Monday night) and just plain old mad, (something I've been a lot lately) I was drafting my post in my head. It just seemed like nothing was quite right. Nothing was seriously wrong (and trust me I'm very grateful) but nothing, and I do mean nothing was right either.



Have you ever been there? In "the funk" or the "mully grubs". Well, I have been for about a week or so now. Lord knows my life's ambitition is Not to be a whiny sulker, but sometimes you just feel like you deserve to wallow in it. And by yesterday afternoon, I was so wallowing. But, I've firmly decided and I declare to all 3 (ha ha) of my faithful blog readers that I'm over it. Over the last few days, time and again I kind of felt a prompting to be done with it. For instance, I was getting my hair done Friday and my stylist asked what was wrong (geez, I hate that I was THAT transparent). And, I said, "oh nothing and everything, I guess I've just got a lot to be aggravated about. But I'm so sorry that I'm being a 'debbie downer' today." He replied, "Oh honey, you're not being a downer, I have clients who come in telling me that their cancer is back or they hate their job or whatever, so trust me, you're not being a downer." OK Lord, point taken. Ouch!! He was gently, but very clearly saying to me, you have nothing to be aggravated about. So, I resolved in my mind to take hold of the JOY of the Lord. And, I sailed through Friday night without problem. But by late Saturday and even a little on Sunday I could feel myself focusing on my 'stuff'. Sunday night, I couldn't sleep so I got up to pray. I prayed specifically for the week to come, for my parenting abilities, and for the self discipline to continue my exercise and quiet time all week (among other things). Well, Monday was the absolute, mother-of-all, battle of the wills between myself and my children. They totally ganged up on me, and the 'gloves were off', but I was determined to win. Mind you, I had to wait for daddy reinforcements to come home before I was declared victorious, but at least it was 2 on 2 then. But don't feel too sorry for me, they were in their rooms while we waited on daddy :) And, if the battle itself didn't make me mad enough, I was more mad at myself that I was being defeated, not only by my kids, but by the enemy as well...especially after praying. I had, once again, let the events of the day steal my joy and tempt me into wallowing. And, once again I was reminded that there are worse things than having a bad behavior day with your kids. I was reading some of the comments on Beth Moore's blog, and it is just apparent from their comments that things could be so much worse.

Don't ask me why I'm saying all of this. I guess it was time for a post, and this is just where I've been. And, part of me thinks that its good to 'air out' and pass on what the Lord is sharing with you. Next time, it would be nice if I could tell you what the Lord is sharing with me without making myself look like a complete brat (or some other more effective word).......but I am what I am ( a work in progress.) And, also, don't get me wrong, I don't think of myself as terrible or anything. I know everybody has days like this, and everbody has kids who have a bad day. So, I'm not living with a barrel of guilt or anything, I'm just saying that I'm a slow learner!!

So hopefully, the next time you see me, I will have a happy heart. If, for any reason, I don't have a happy heart please give me a swift kick in the pants.

Joyfully yours,
Shana

The Karate Kid

Bryce's Frankincense gift (the gift that is designed to draw them closer to Christ) this year was Karate lessons. The connection may not be immediately apparent, but Bryce needs improvement in the areas of self control (he has my temper --ugh) and self discipline. Karate really emphasizes those characteristics and qualities, and both of them are examples of fruit of the spirit (patience & self control). The owner of the studio is a christian and so is Bryce's instructor, and while they may not necessarily be teaching anything about faith, their example as people to respect and emulate will hopefully be beneficial. Plus, before he tests for each new belt we are going to have him memorize a verse at home. So, with all that taken into consideration we decided to go for the lessons as a Christmas gift. So, on Christmas morning he opened a new karate outfit (it has a proper name, but I don't recall it) and we told him his lessons would begin on January the second.

Let me just tell you, He LOVES it. It is incredibly right up his alley. He has a grin from ear to ear the whole time he is there. The first couple of nights, his lesson was one-on-one, and he got some great individual attention. Last night, there were 5 others in the intro class, and 3 of the other kids were his age and size; and Bryce loved that too. There are other classes going on as his is, and Bryce just looks around with his jaw dropped at what the other folks are doing. He sees all their head and foot gear, and he sees them sparring or fighting, and you can just tell he's thinking, "When do I get to do that?"

So here is my new little Karate Man. If you're wondering, he has to earn his first belt so right now he doesn't have one. It will be awarded when he learns basic form, at the end of the intro course.

And, now for some FUN FACTS. I realize that I've either forgotten them or they haven't seemed appropriate, and so several posts have been without a Fun Fact. I wouldn't want ya'll to be without an occasional Fun Fact, so here are a couple for your reading enjoyment.

FUN FACT #5: There is a new store in Chattanooga, that ya'll may not know about. It is located in the old Home Depot shopping center off of Lee Hwy in what is now the Sportsman's Warehouse shopping center. The store is called Steve & Barry's. It is a trendy clothing store, similiar to an Old Navy. The clothing brands or designers they carry are Hollywood/New York names like Sarah Jessica Parker and Amanda Bynes. Anyway, the cool part about the store is that there is nothing over $20. They have womens, mens, and childrens clothes and it is fairly large store. I went in it before Christmas, and was just real impressed by how cute the clothes were. In fact, today (1/8) on Oprah they are talking about Sarah Jessica Parker's line and Steve & Barry's.....you can check it out at Oprah.com. So, I just thought if ya'll hadn't been there or heard of it, you might want to check it out.

FUN FACT #6: Ya'll already know that I'm a blog junkie. I enjoy reading other peoples (especially adoption blogs). My friend, Tammy told me about Beth Moore's (of Living Proof Ministries) blog. Most of you know that Beth Moore writes incredible bible studies. Anyway, her blog is so refreshing. She talks about everything, from spiritual to just ordinary nothingness (if thats a word) like recipes and new shoes and going to the doctor. Some of her posts are very thought provoking and encouraging and some are just down right hilarious. I now have a link to her site over on the left. Check it out from time to time, you may just be blessed.

A Legacy

As many of you know, Brad's grandmother, Louise Hitt died on December 15th, 2007. She was 94 and an amazing woman. She was pretty remarkable in many ways. When Brad & I first met in 1996, she had just retired, having worked well into her 80s. She was a very active lady continuing to drive and be involved in her community's senior center, and at her church. And, boy could she cook. Our favorite (or at least mine) was her macaroni and cheese. I still use her recipe. Her mind was very sharp too, often times when we would go visit, she would have a jigsaw puzzle out on the dining room table or an old laptop set up so that she could play solitaire.

I loved all of those things about her, but what I loved most was the legacy that she left for us. Faith was very important to Grandma, and Brad has said that he feels that he came to know Christ, in part, because of the prayers he knew she was praying for him. He still has the bible that she gave him. And moreso, she had a direct role in Bryce asking Jesus into his heart too. You see, he had begun to be interested in the late fall; and two of his best friends were baptized in early December; which also generated interest. But at that same time Grandma's health had begun to decline. A week or so before she died she was hospitalized. When that happened we started talking to Bryce about Grandma; and the fact that she was very sick and that she may go to live with Jesus very soon. We told him that it was okay, and that if you have Jesus in your heart you get to live with HIM in Heaven. We told him that she would be healthy again and have a brand new body.

Grandma past away about an hour or two after her entire family (children and grandchildren)had all left from a visit with her. In fact, the very last thing Brad did when he left was pray with her. But, on the way home we got the call. That night, when we were having our devotions, Bryce said that he wanted to ask Jesus in his heart because he wanted to go to heaven. So, Brad prayed with him and he asked Jesus into his heart. I will be forever grateful for the legacy Grandma Louise left to her family, and for the role she played in her great grandson's salvation. The very day that she left to go live with Jesus, Bryce secured his place in Heaven as well.

Here is Grandma Louise holding Bryce when he was a newborn.