I did not let my daughter eat a piece of chocolate found in her stocking...left over from...ahem...last year.
I mean, really, what kind of mother do you think I am?
I did not also eat a piece of chocolate found in her stocking...left over from...yeah...last year.
How desperate for chocolate do you think I am?
And I most certainly did not have a hickey on my neck that I tried (unsuccessfully) to cover up with make up before giving my testimony in Elevation on Sunday.
Married couples don't get hickeys.
Especially super spiritual ones like the pastor and his wife.
Oh no.
Not me.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Photojournal:Thanksgiving 2009
The Whole Hambrick Clan, take 1 (minus those missing...you know who you are!)
Granny and the great grandkids (minus sleeping Ezra)
After stuffing ourselves for the second day in a row, we decided we needed to find a park to burn off some of those calories...
Addie is going to hate this one (but I just couldn't resist!)
Just to make Addie feel better...here is one of me that I don't like. Really, who can do monkey bars?
Gymnastics with Heather
Football with Daddy
The Whole Clan, take 2 (minus those missing)
Gramma introduced the kids to the "secret" cupboard. You know, kind of like the Narnia wardrobe. Kept them occupied for a loooong time!
And kept them quiet (except for when they were surprising unsuspecting people)!
We decided to take a family trip to see the Roanoke star as it had been years since Jeremiah or I had been. The kids loved it...
Well...except for the cold which Ella is clearly demonstrating on her face!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Granny and the great grandkids (minus sleeping Ezra)
After stuffing ourselves for the second day in a row, we decided we needed to find a park to burn off some of those calories...
Addie is going to hate this one (but I just couldn't resist!)
Just to make Addie feel better...here is one of me that I don't like. Really, who can do monkey bars?
Gymnastics with Heather
Football with Daddy
The Whole Clan, take 2 (minus those missing)
Gramma introduced the kids to the "secret" cupboard. You know, kind of like the Narnia wardrobe. Kept them occupied for a loooong time!
And kept them quiet (except for when they were surprising unsuspecting people)!
We decided to take a family trip to see the Roanoke star as it had been years since Jeremiah or I had been. The kids loved it...
Well...except for the cold which Ella is clearly demonstrating on her face!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Holiday Movie Guide
My dad's favorite movie of all time (not just of the holidays) is It's A Wonderful Life.
I have many happy memories of watching that with him as a kid growing up.
I am excited because this is the first year that Ella and Ezra will actually get to watch and enjoy some of my favorite (as a kid) Christmas movies...
Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer (the Burl Ives one)
Frosty the Snowman
and...
Mickey's Christmas Carol
As well as some of the newer ones...
Merry Madagascar
The Polar Express
and
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Now that I am an adult (mostly?) my favorite Christmas movie is the original Miracle On 34th Street,
What about you?
I'd love to hear what your favorite holiday movie is!
______________________________________________
Click here for a great guide to all the holiday movies airing this Christmas season!
I have many happy memories of watching that with him as a kid growing up.
I am excited because this is the first year that Ella and Ezra will actually get to watch and enjoy some of my favorite (as a kid) Christmas movies...
Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer (the Burl Ives one)
Frosty the Snowman
and...
Mickey's Christmas Carol
As well as some of the newer ones...
Merry Madagascar
The Polar Express
and
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Now that I am an adult (mostly?) my favorite Christmas movie is the original Miracle On 34th Street,
What about you?
I'd love to hear what your favorite holiday movie is!
______________________________________________
Click here for a great guide to all the holiday movies airing this Christmas season!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
ThankFull Week (Active Contentment)
Jeremiah and I did a contentment experiment last year that really taught us a lot.
I am reflecting on what we have fleshed out this year regarding being content.
And yes, this does relate to Thanksgiving.
I have learned that one does not just will oneself to be content. I can't tell myself "I am content" and...poof! It happens.
(If it worked that way I would next try telling Ezra "you are potty trained!" Ha!)
Like with all sin, when struggling with discontentment, one simply doesn't just remove the discontent. It has to be replaced with something else.
I have learned that contentment is gained by being actively and intentionally generous and thankful.
When I am focused on all that the Lord has blessed me with I cannot help but be content. When I am actively being thankful I cannot help but be overwhelmed with the goodness of the Lord. When I realize all that I have to be thankful for I cannot help but want to share with others.
Pastor Clay spoke a few weeks ago on the subject of biblical finances. He used an illuminating illustration on how when we are comparing ourselves to others in the aspect of "goodness" we always compare ourselves to people "below" us on the goodness scope...murderers, adulterers, etc. However, when we compare ourselves to others in the aspect of what we "have" we always compare ourselves to people "above" us on the possession scale...people with more cars, clothes, etc.
If we can retrain our minds to look at all we have been given and blessed with and have in our lives we cannot help but be thankful.
In turn, true thankfulness breeds generosity.
Generosity breeds contentment.
May your Thanksgiving this year bring about true contentment.
______________________________________________
Philippians 4:11-13
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
I am reflecting on what we have fleshed out this year regarding being content.
And yes, this does relate to Thanksgiving.
I have learned that one does not just will oneself to be content. I can't tell myself "I am content" and...poof! It happens.
(If it worked that way I would next try telling Ezra "you are potty trained!" Ha!)
Like with all sin, when struggling with discontentment, one simply doesn't just remove the discontent. It has to be replaced with something else.
I have learned that contentment is gained by being actively and intentionally generous and thankful.
When I am focused on all that the Lord has blessed me with I cannot help but be content. When I am actively being thankful I cannot help but be overwhelmed with the goodness of the Lord. When I realize all that I have to be thankful for I cannot help but want to share with others.
Pastor Clay spoke a few weeks ago on the subject of biblical finances. He used an illuminating illustration on how when we are comparing ourselves to others in the aspect of "goodness" we always compare ourselves to people "below" us on the goodness scope...murderers, adulterers, etc. However, when we compare ourselves to others in the aspect of what we "have" we always compare ourselves to people "above" us on the possession scale...people with more cars, clothes, etc.
If we can retrain our minds to look at all we have been given and blessed with and have in our lives we cannot help but be thankful.
In turn, true thankfulness breeds generosity.
Generosity breeds contentment.
May your Thanksgiving this year bring about true contentment.
______________________________________________
Philippians 4:11-13
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
ThankFull Week (Letters)
We are taking the time today to write a good old fashioned thank you letter.Yes. On paper!
How bout' that.
Ella and Ezra each picked (yes, I did sort of prompt Ezra) someone to write a letter to...expressing their simple thanks for what this person is in their life.
Jeremiah and I will be writing some as well.
Writing a thank you note doesn't take up much of my time...yet, I admit this is something I should do much more often.
Who do you need to take the time to thank today?
Proverbs 11:25
He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
ThankFull Week (Blessing Chain)
The kids and I sat down and made a blessing chain...
Each link had a person or thing listed that they were thankful for.
Here's some of their list:
Mommy
Cars (bet you can't guess who listed that one!)
Daddy
Friends
Trucks
Nana and PawPaw
Airplanes
Gramma and PawPaw
Books
Meme and Poppee
Puppets (aka Church for Ezra)
Cousins
Trampoline
Blueberries
That they can run fast
Levi
Kitties
Mrytle the bird (I'm sure Uncle Frizz-Dizz is going to be listing that one too!)
Macaroni and Cheese
and...
Swimming =)
We hung it over our kitchen table as a visual reminder to them that we are remembering to be thankful this week...and what a lot we have to be thankful for!
Each link had a person or thing listed that they were thankful for.
Here's some of their list:
Mommy
Cars (bet you can't guess who listed that one!)
Daddy
Friends
Trucks
Nana and PawPaw
Airplanes
Gramma and PawPaw
Books
Meme and Poppee
Puppets (aka Church for Ezra)
Cousins
Trampoline
Blueberries
That they can run fast
Levi
Kitties
Mrytle the bird (I'm sure Uncle Frizz-Dizz is going to be listing that one too!)
Macaroni and Cheese
and...
Swimming =)
We hung it over our kitchen table as a visual reminder to them that we are remembering to be thankful this week...and what a lot we have to be thankful for!
Adoption: Why Ethiopia?
In the same way that the reasons to adopt are intensely individual and personal...so are the reasons behind choosing to adopt domestically or internationally.
Let me state up front that I do not think one or the other is better. There are risks and pro's and con's with both. And I am pretty sure the Lord never makes any kind of differentiation between the two in his word.
A child that needs a home is a child that needs a home.
Period.
I am just explaining our reasons for choosing the path that we have.
Like I've written about before, my personal experience with having grown up with so many adopted siblings strongly influenced my views on adoption. As a young teenager my family did foster care to adopt for a time. I know this is not true for everyone and I hesitate to write this for fear of discouraging anyone from choosing this route to adopt, but I would be lying if I said that our foster experience was a pleasant one. Even as a teenager I saw gross inefficiencies and circumstances where the best interest of the child was not prioritized.
After our missions trip to Haiti, and seeing the extreme and abject poverty that is so prevalent in that country we strongly felt that the Lord was leading us to put our efforts into adopting an international orphan. Regardless of your political leanings...one cannot deny that even the most under resourced orphan or pregnant teenage mother in America has access to public health care and education. Unfortunately, in many under developed countries there is no such thing as public health care and education, or only a limited few actually have access to it.
Once we had decided on international adoption, we looked at three primary factors when choosing a country to adopt from:
1) Where are we eligible to adopt from?
2) Where is there a significant need?
3) Where is there a stable and non-corrupt (at least as much as you can possibly get) program in place?
Haiti was not an option as we didn't meet three key eligibility requirements for the country. As we moved on and started looking at other countries, Ethiopia kept coming up (and up again!) in our research and our talks with other adoptive families.
There is significant need for adoptive families in Ethiopia. There are 4.8 million orphans in this country, namely because of wars, severe droughts, and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS. The life expectancy for an Ethiopian is 43.
And while no adoption process or country is not without corruption, there is plenty of research that we looked at that showed that the Ethiopian adoption program is only growing and becoming more stable.
Ethiopia also has one of the simplest dossier requirements in the adoption world and is one of the least expensive countries to adopt from.
Intertwined into all this research and facts was a lot of prayer and wise counsel and searching the Word...
...and we felt confident in moving forward with Ethiopia for our adoption journey.
Let me state up front that I do not think one or the other is better. There are risks and pro's and con's with both. And I am pretty sure the Lord never makes any kind of differentiation between the two in his word.
A child that needs a home is a child that needs a home.
Period.
I am just explaining our reasons for choosing the path that we have.
Like I've written about before, my personal experience with having grown up with so many adopted siblings strongly influenced my views on adoption. As a young teenager my family did foster care to adopt for a time. I know this is not true for everyone and I hesitate to write this for fear of discouraging anyone from choosing this route to adopt, but I would be lying if I said that our foster experience was a pleasant one. Even as a teenager I saw gross inefficiencies and circumstances where the best interest of the child was not prioritized.
After our missions trip to Haiti, and seeing the extreme and abject poverty that is so prevalent in that country we strongly felt that the Lord was leading us to put our efforts into adopting an international orphan. Regardless of your political leanings...one cannot deny that even the most under resourced orphan or pregnant teenage mother in America has access to public health care and education. Unfortunately, in many under developed countries there is no such thing as public health care and education, or only a limited few actually have access to it.
Once we had decided on international adoption, we looked at three primary factors when choosing a country to adopt from:
1) Where are we eligible to adopt from?
2) Where is there a significant need?
3) Where is there a stable and non-corrupt (at least as much as you can possibly get) program in place?
Haiti was not an option as we didn't meet three key eligibility requirements for the country. As we moved on and started looking at other countries, Ethiopia kept coming up (and up again!) in our research and our talks with other adoptive families.
There is significant need for adoptive families in Ethiopia. There are 4.8 million orphans in this country, namely because of wars, severe droughts, and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS. The life expectancy for an Ethiopian is 43.And while no adoption process or country is not without corruption, there is plenty of research that we looked at that showed that the Ethiopian adoption program is only growing and becoming more stable.
Ethiopia also has one of the simplest dossier requirements in the adoption world and is one of the least expensive countries to adopt from.
Intertwined into all this research and facts was a lot of prayer and wise counsel and searching the Word...
...and we felt confident in moving forward with Ethiopia for our adoption journey.
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