Four Year Old Reasoning

Marshall and Shaylen's fourth birthday is only 8 days away. It is a huge milestone for them because it means that they will no longer be the nursery but going into Children's Church. They will be changing Sunday school classes, officially be in the kids' club at church (though they are already attending), and most importantly, sitting with me in the services on Sunday night.

I am trying to get them ready for this so that they know what we're expecting of them. As I was talking to them at breakfast this morning, I reminded them that they will be "big kids" once they turn four. We mentioned all of the things above and I reminded them that church is not a place to play or talk. It is a place to sit still and listen. Shaylen said, "If I need to talk to you, I need to whisper!" That's right!

I was talking to them about sitting still in the service and listening to Daddy preach from the Bible. I asked them why it was important to sit still and listen. I was hoping for the answer, "because we need to listen to the Bible" or "because God wants us to listen to Daddy preach."

Instead, Shaylen came up with this:

"Because it is impossible!"

Charge!!! Part II

Remember an article I wrote awhile ago that talked about the kids "charging" Daddy? It continues to be a favorite pastime on the evenings we are home. Tonight I whipped out the camera and captured a few pictures "in flight". They are hilarious. Believe it or not, Shaylen is the one that enjoys being the kamikaze dive bomber. She leaves all abandon and takes flying leaps onto Taigen.

Thanksgiving Photos

Happy Thanksgiving

What a glorious Thanksgiving we had. On Wednesday, Jason and Joni, Enzo and Julia came up from Massachusetts and Janelle came over. We enjoyed a time of fun and relaxation! If a mess is any gauge of the fun the kids had...they had a blast! You should have seen our basement.

We were able to relax this morning and casually get ready for the day and the feast that was to come tonight. I enjoyed the conversation with Joni as we prepared the food and laughed over our mistakes. Good memories! We planned for turkey, stuffing, creamy mashed potatoes, corn, green bean casserole, candied yams, cranberry sauce, rolls, and sparkling cider. For dessert we had pumpkin pie and apple pie. Whoa! It was a lot of food, but we enjoyed it all. It was so nice to have our dear friends here to spend the day with us.

One tradition that we are trying to carry on from Taigen's family is the singing of the Doxology before we partake of our Thanksgiving feast. Last year, Marshall and Shaylen didn't really have a clue about it, but this year I worked with them ahead of time to help them learn it. Marshall got "stage fright" but Shaylen did a really great job.

We wish you all could've spent Thanksgiving with us. We love you all and are thankful for each one of you. God is so good.

"Dear Jesus, Thank You For The Snow!"

Those were the first words out of Marshall's mouth today at lunch. I didn't even have to prompt him. He knew it was a good thing to thank the Lord for. A boy after my own heart!

Today as I was practicing the accompaniment to our Christmas choir numbers this morning, I opened the shades to let in a bit more light. To my delight, I saw the teeny tiny flakes coming down from the sky. I called the kids up from the basement and had them figure out what was coming down. When they realized what it was, Marshall said, "It's my birthday!" No, not quite. That's in two weeks, but he's got the right idea. They know their birthday comes in the winter and near Christmas.

We are so excited! Shaylen wanted to go out and catch the flakes on her tongue.

A Visit With the Macs

Last Tuesday, I took the kids over to Mom and Papa McIlwaine's for a visit. We hadn't been over in a while and I wanted to go and say "hello".

Many of you have been praying for "Mom Mac". She is doing well, though the doctor has ordered more physical therapy since she is not getting a full use out of her left side. That therapy starts today. Please continue to pray for her. I know she doesn't enjoy the exercises, but if she can gain more mobility, the less Papa will have to do for her. She is sleeping better and that also means that Papa is too. Shaylen always remembers to pray for them before she goes to bed, or reminds me if I forget. For our kids to hear that they ARE sleeping is an encouragement to continue praying. Thankfully, the Cornerstone Baptist Church family is still bringing in meals for them and ladies are faithfully coming in to stay with Mom while Papa goes out to work. What a HUGE blessing it is for them, and what an opportunity it is for the Cornerstone church family to help those who dedicated their entire lives to Christian service. I wonder who is enjoying it more?

We love the Macs so much! Hopefully we brightened up their day. We certainly enjoyed our time with them.

Simple Joys...Take Two

Monkey See, Monkey Do.

Of course, since Marshall enjoyed his shower so much, Shaylen wanted to take one. Her splashes weren't as violent, but she gets a 10 for creativity.

The Simple Joy of a Shower...Curtain

Marshall had quite the runny nose on Saturday and was sounding congested as well. I thought it would be a good idea for us to close the bathroom door and run the shower in order to steam up the bathroom before Marshall got in there to take his bath.

When he got in there, he seemed so interested that I asked him if he wanted to take a shower. He did! I plugged the drain and let him get in and sit down and enjoy it. We pulled back the decorative curtain so we could keep an eye on him. Boy did he enjoy the splashing and crashing! I certainly enjoyed containing it all within the bathtub.


By the way...he feels so much better! Much better than taking medicine any day.

Ethan is HERE!!!

You may pass on congratulations to Steve and Stephanie (and proud brothers Jared, Caleb and David, and one VERY proud Aunt...ME!!!!!) who have just introduced their fourth son, Ethan to us all. He is a cutey too! I am so thankful for this sweet little one.

Ethan James Schag
Nov. 10th, 2007
1:02 a.m.
6 lbs. 15 oz.
20 1/2 inches

New Dictionary Entry

ukcypent- formally known as "occupant" n; a person, family, group, or organization that lives in, occupies, or has quarters or space in or on something.

Today I read the book Duck and Goose to Marshall and Shaylen. A duck and a goose mistake a ball for an egg. They try not to yell because it would disturb the "occupant" inside. Shaylen asked me at lunch what an "uckypent" was. It took me a while, and after much prodding and repetition of her new word, I finally got it!

Pumpkin Cobbler

Tonight we are having two dear ladies from our church come for dinner. We are so excited that they were willing to come all the way up for fellowship!

For dessert I have made one of my favorite fall dishes that Mom McIlwaine taught me how to make: Pumpkin Cobbler. It is a wonderful variation for those of you who don't care for the traditional pumpkin pie.

Crust:
1/2 cup melted butter
1 egg
1 box yellow cake mix (save out one cup and set aside later for topping)
Mix together and put in a 9x13 pan.

Filling:
1/4 cup milk
3 eggs
3 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
29 oz. can pumpkin
Mix together and pour over crust.

Topping:
1 cup cake mix
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup softened butter
1 cup chopped walnuts
Mix together with fork until you have a corn meal texture. Sprinkle over filling.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Cool and then serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

The Heat Is On

I finally broke down this morning and clicked on the heat on the main floor. Never in our 7+ years in New England have we clicked it on this late. It's usually been on sometime in early October when the leaves change.

The heat wasn't on long though, maybe for one hour until the main floor got to about 67 degrees and by then we were bundled up in our warm clothes for the day and down in our warm basement. (We leave the furnace room door open and that heats the basement a little. It was 65 degrees this morning, but has heated up throughout the day to 69 degrees. Nice! That won't happen all winter though. Soon enough we'll be clicking on the heat down here in order to keep little noses and hands warm during our day here at home.)

Looking at the price of oil these days, however, makes us grab for that extra sweatshirt before reaching for the thermostat.

Sweet Treats

Someone in our church had a birthday this weekend and I was making him cookies as a little gift. When Marshall finished his dinner I asked him if he wanted one. Of course he did! He was merrily munching on his while Shaylen quickly crammed the rest of her soup in her mouth so that she could also partake of the sweet treats!

When her bowl was empty, I congratulated her on completing her dinner and asked her, "Would you like a cookie?"

Without ANY hesitation she replied confidently, "TWO!"

She is definitely our child.

BTW...she only got one. She would have eaten a dozen if we had let her.

House Update

Many of you have emailed and asked for an update on our showing on Tuesday evening. We got a call from Craig this morning and he said that he hadn't heard back yet from the other realtor. He did have some "good" news for us though. The couple that came and looked at our house forever ago had put an offer in on another house and it fell through. Their realtor was going to bring up the possibility of our house again, since the husband had wanted ours in the first place.

The couple that looked at our house on Tuesday was looking at other homes in the area, so we'll see whether or not they love our home as much as we do.

I'll keep you posted if we hear anything. Thank you for your prayers.

Time With Friends

I failed to mention (how could I forget?!?!) that we were able to go down to Odiorne State Park on Monday (Taigen's day off) and spend time with Matt and Amy Fagan and their three cute munchkins: Josiah, Caleb and Katherine. There is a wonderful playground there right on the coast & Marshall and Shaylen had a marvelous time playing. While the kids entertained each other, we were able to get caught up.

Matt is the pastor of Heritage Baptist Church in Salem, NH. He started the church about five years ago and they are in the middle of a building project. We are excited to hear all the great news about their church. Once we move down to the Dover area, we'll be only 45-50 minutes from them so the chances of us getting together are greater.

It was a beautiful day. We were worried that it would be breezy and icy cold on the coast, but the sun was shining and the air off the ocean was actually somewhat warm!

More Prayers

Today Marshall, Shaylen and I went out shopping and also were able to pick up Taigen's prescription that was ready at Rite Aid. Shaylen had found a balloon in one store and thought she could take it home. I explained to her that it was not ours. She said, "But, it was on the floor!" I told her that we did not pay money for it and we must leave it where we found it. She said, "Maybe there will be one at The Christmas Tree Shop!"

There wasn't, and she told me so as we left the store. She was fine with that...much to my relief! She said to Marshall in the van, "Marshall, there were no balloons in that store. I would've held on to it tight!"

At Rite Aid, the pharmacist gave Marshall and Shaylen some M&M's and Kissables while we waited and even gave them some to take home for after lunch. What a special treat! They finished off their first packages in the van on the ride home.

When we got home I unloaded my treasures while they played. When we sat down to lunch, here is what Shaylen prayed. It is a hoot. It is so hard to not chuckle out loud.

"Dear Jesus, Thank you for this wonderful day. Thank you that we could go to two stores with no balloons because there weren't any. Thank you that Daddy's medicine was ready. Thank you that we could come home with special treats in the van. In Jesus' name. Amen."

I was rebuked that she remembered to thank the Lord for the little things. Don't we so often overlook them? Lesson learned.