Deck the Halls

After Thanksgiving, we hit the ground running! We needed to decorate the house THIS weekend since it was our only chance to do it in the near future. Taigen was a trooper and went up to the guest suite and brought down all of the bins of Christmas stuff. Our living room looked like a bomb went off in it, but I'm happy to say, it has returned to a festive normal.

We were able to put up the Christmas tree last night. Our tree is artificial (you Tree Purists out there, don't burn us at the stake...there's a reason!). It was given to us by Papa and Mama Mac a couple of years ago. You see, Mom Mac was allergic to the smell of the trees. So unless we wanted to alienate her from our house between Thanksgiving and January, we needed to abstain. Gladly! We had a small one that we had purchased while still down in SC (pictured right) and we used that. It was actually the perfect size for our living room in Biddeford. Then, one year the Macs got a Christmas tree from a relative. They used it, but determined that it was too big for the living room in their mobile home. We got a wonderful hand-me-down the following Christmas! Thus you have the reason for our pre-lit, beautiful, fake tree (pictured below right).

I got all choked up this year putting it together knowing that we didn't have to put up an artificial one. I got a larger lump in my throat when I pulled out my pine cone ornament that Mom Mac gave to me one year. I had made another one to match during a "demonstration" one year at a ladies' fellowship in ME. I said to Taigen as I was putting it up, "This one means so much more to me this year." I'm glad the Kleenex was nearby!

The kids were so excited to help us put the ornaments on the tree. One of the first things they asked about were the dog and pig ornaments. It took me a moment to figure out what they were talking about. A couple of years ago Ken, Judy, Kristopher, Tim and Katelyn Endean had given the kids these two obnoxious, silly ornaments. Marshall and Shaylen enjoy pushing the buttons over and over again. It's their favorite thing on the whole tree! I've included a video for you to see and enjoy these two glorious creatures. Don't you just want some of your own?

We also put out our carolers that Mom gave us three years ago. They fit perfectly on top of my desk! I use them as examples with my children's choir all the time. See how perfectly their mouths are formed?

There are lights in each of the windows and Taigen put lights and evergreen branches on the deck railing. I went outside to see the house and it looked so pretty! We are so thankful for this house. It's overwhelming to think of how beautifully God orchestrated everything so that we could have this home.

The next couple of weeks are going to be busy ones. This next weekend is the kids' birthday. We have guests coming in from out of town to help us celebrate. Hooray! The following Thursday we have a ladies' fellowship here at the house. I'm excited about that because Toni Hafler will be our guest speaker. Then, on Friday we're having a deacons/wives/family fellowship here. On Saturday and Sunday, we're able to have some missionaries come and stay with us. I won't go into the week following that, but it's pretty busy too. Tis the season, eh? I'm thankful for friends and energy and a warm and cozy home to share. God is good.

Our Thanksgiving Guests

We were so blessed to have Mike and Brenda Bowman come and spend Thanksgiving with us. We had such a relaxing and wonderful time with them. It was tough for them this year because all of their kids and kids in-law AND (probably most importantly) their grandson are all down in South Carolina. When we heard that they weren't going to be traveling down south for Thanksgiving, we jumped on the chance to have them to our house. Thankfully they accepted!

We had turkey, stuffing, creamy mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, corn, rolls, spinach salad, sparkling cider and then a pumpkin roll and apple pie a la mode for dessert! There was no lack of food. Yum!

Shaylen read to Brenda and Mike shortly after they arrived and Marshall pulled out his airplane books to show Mike. (Mike even showed Marshall exactly where he sits on a Boeing 747 when he flies on his international flights!) After dinner Brenda and Shaylen played a game of Go Fish while Marshall ran around. Eventually, he found the perfect seat to observe the game. Talk about making yourself comfy!

The Bowmans have always been there for us. Mike and Brenda hold a very special place in our hearts and in the hearts of our children.

The End

Last night Taigen finished Charlotte's Web with the kids. They really loved the book and it was a sweet and special time for Taigen to sit and read to the kids. (The kids and I are still working on The Secret Garden. I have three more chapters to go. I'd better get on the ball!)

The kids were snuggled close to Daddy last night as they were hearing about Charlotte dying. I had forgotten what a sad part that was! However, as you can see in the clip, they were laughing again when Charlotte's children make their grand appearance. These are such precious memories with Daddy.

Happy Thanksgiving

We are so thankful for all of you. We pray you all have a blessed Thanksgiving.

A Pre-Thanksgiving Chuckle

I can never think of Thanksgiving without thinking of this.

So Big

It's always funny when complete strangers ask Marshall and Shaylen how old they are. They always say "4." They haven't reached the stage where they add the "and a half". Since they come from tall stock, people are always surprised that they aren't five or six and so I have to clarify that they will be turning five very soon. Often we'll go to the store on some given afternoon and the clerk will ask, "Wasn't there school today?" Then I need to launch into the discussion that they are only 4, only in Kindergarten, and are home-schooled. That satisfies them, I guess.

We have wanted to add more responsibility into the twins' lives so I created a list for them to follow during the day. One of the things on the list that they should've been doing for a while now was making their own beds. Two things hindered this: we had the beds up against the wall and, up until our Colorado trip, they still had the guard rails up. It was impossible for them to do it and for the bed to actually look made. Surprisingly, taking the bed rails off was not an issue at all. We were very thankful. The last part of the conversion to "big kids beds" was completed the other night. We pulled the beds away from the walls and showed them how to make it! Hooray!

I can hear the kids every morning reading their list and making sure that everything gets done. (Hear my sigh of contentment?) I haven't had to remind them to make their beds once. They are excited to be "so big" and doing it themselves.

We Two Alone

Before Janelle left for Zambia, I gave her a missionary biography. She read it and then told me I could borrow it (Isn't she nice?).

I finally finished it last night (or maybe I should say "this morning") at around 1:30 a.m. It's entitled We Two Alone: Attach and Rescue in the Congo by Ruth Hege. This is an excellent book and was so challenging to me! Ruth's dependency on the Lord during her terrifying ordeal was a rebuking. Would I have responded in the same way?

If you get a chance to ever read this treasure, I highly recommend it. It's an easy read and is definitely hard to put down.

Who Needs Toys? Just Send Stairs

They've just gotten brave enough to try this and love it! I discovered SEVERAL carpet burns last night during bath time. Must not have bothered them enough to stop. It was hilarious to listen to them do this over and over again.

A Fresh New Look

We are so excited that our church nursery is getting a face-lift! What prompted this was a small leak from a sprinkler system hose outside. The water came in and ruined the drywall and the carpet. We have a genius handyman at our church who was able to fix the leak and the wall, but the worn green carpet was completely ruined. We worried about mold and our sweet munchkins crawling around on it. It needed replacing. After 15 years, I think it deserved to retire!

We have three very large rooms in the nursery and so the decision was made to redo all of them at the same time. Our nursery director picked out an adorable border to put up and ordered a nice, coordinated, neutral carpet to be put in. Once the carpet was scheduled to be put in, the floor board was ripped out and some men went in and put primer over the old stenciling. Then another man came in and painted the walls a nice cream color. Lastly, another man painted the trim tan. It was ready to wallpaper!

Several of us went in last night to hang the border so that it would be completed by the time the carpet-layers come in on Thursday. There was music, hot cocoa, munchies and tons of laughter. It was a wonderful combination of work and fellowship! Two of the ladies had never hung wallpaper before and we had so much fun showing them how to do it. By the end of the night they were talking about which room they were going to attempt in their own homes. It was a late night, but we were able to get everything completed.

I'll be sure to post pictures of the nursery when the carpet gets laid and all the furniture gets returned to its rightful place.

JHSA Update

I haven't updated you in a while on the kids' schooling progress. Let me just say that they are doing very well! They still enjoy trekking up to the schoolroom and shout with glee each time we change the DVD to a different teacher. I asked them which teacher was their favorite and they proceeded to mention them all. Too funny. This past week they learned about some of their favorite tales: The Little Red Hen, The Three Little Pigs, The Three Bears, etc. In honor of the three pigs, we had pigs in a blanket for lunch that day. The kids thought it was funny!

This week they are learning about Bible storybooks. Today they read a story about Esther. They made a scepter and then wrote a story about what they would do if they were a king or queen. Marshall's was so funny that I had to share it:

Kings
If I were a king, I would hold a scepter and I would eat pizza for lunch and Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast and tomato soup, grilled cheese, and crackers for dinner. I would live in a big, humongous castle.

He then drew a picture of a (as in ONE) Cheerio, a piece of pizza and a bowl of tomato soup. I guess it doesn't take much to please him as far as food goes.

The kids are learning dozens and dozens of words and enjoy reading their books. They are trying more and more to decode the words that they see around the house and on the way to church. I even catch them during church trying to read the tiny print in my Bible (this is a good thing as long as they don't shout out, "Mommy! I see 'in'!").

Our schoolroom is nice and bright and cozy warm. The temperature changes drastically as we head down the stairs into the garage in order to cross over to get into the main part of the house. Shaylen has been singing on the way downstairs, "We're going to the cold place, the cold place, the cold place. We're going to the cold place. Wherever it may be." (Sung to the tune of We're Following the Leader from Peter Pan) She cracks me up!

Only 17 more days until they are 5. Can you believe it? Today they started to learn about the ones and tens place. We counted out sticks for each day we've been in school and then bundled them up in groups of ten, placed them on the tens' side and the leftovers in the ones place. Their teacher didn't suggest this, but I've seen it done in many classrooms. Then we also took some unifix cubes and counted out how many days until their birthday and set those aside in the same fashion. This way, each day we can take away a cube and they'll automatically know how many days are left. Now they can figure it out themselves and not have to ask me.

I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be able to stay at home with them and be so involved in their education. I'm having the time of my life and am grateful for a husband who works so hard so that I might be with our two precious kiddos. I wouldn't trade this for the world!

Feeder Friends

It's been quite a while since I posted on any birds in our backyard. That's probably because there haven't been too many since the weather turned cooler. Lately it's been a lot of Tufted Titmice, Chickadees and woodpeckers and no new friends. The Chickadees like a particular pine tree that is right outside our school-room window and I see them going back and forth, hopping from branch to branch. The kids don't notice, which is good, but I take great delight in watching them!

Sunday afternoon I noticed two new birds underneath the feeder. I got the camera out and snapped a couple of pictures. Turns out that it was a male and female dark-eyed, slate-colored Junco. They were content to peck on the ground and I was able to get a couple of good shots. They are tiny and beautiful.

Finally Home

I will always remember Christmas of 2006 as the day that Mom Mac had her mild stroke and heart attack. (This picture was taken after Cornerstone's Christmas program that year...just days before this all transpired.) I remember Papa Mac and their son Mark called to tell us, and Taigen rushed over to SMMC to be with them. He spent a good chunk of the evening there. I remember eating Christmas dinner alone with the kids and praying for Grandma Mac.

It's been a long journey since then, hasn't it? Many of you have prayed for the McIlwaines. I got a phone call at 10:50 on Friday morning from Papa saying that Mom was gone. We will miss her desperately. My mind is flooded with so many good memories!

Of course, I cried. I stopped school and brought Marshall and Shaylen over to my chair and told them in the best way I knew. "You know how we've been praying for Grandma Mac because she is sick? You know that we have been praying that she would get some rest? Well, this morning, Jesus answered our prayer! Jesus wanted her to be in heaven with her and so we are happy that she is now there. I'm sad because I will miss her, but I know that I will see her again one day in heaven. Grandma Mac went to sleep this morning and woke up to see Jesus and all of heaven. Isn't that wonderful?"

They don't quite understand it all, but knowing that Mom Mac had Christ as her Savior and that she lived a life full of service to Him is such a tremendous testimony to them.We went up Friday after school to spend some time with Papa. Continue to pray for him please. He is doing well, but I'm sure there will be many lonely days.

The past week I've had the song Finally Home (by L.E. Singer) in my head, particularly the arrangement by The Wilds. (I've typed the lyrics below.) It was something good to meditate on as I prayed for Mom Mac. What a tremendous consolation to know that she no longer has to fight the cancer. She is free from pain and more alive today than she ever was!

When engulfed by the terror of the tempestuous sea,

Unknown waves before you roll;

At the end of doubt and peril is eternity,

Though fear and conflict seize your soul.

But just think of stepping on shore-And finding it Heaven!

Of touching a hand-And finding it God's!

Of breathing new air-And finding it celestial!

Of waking up in glory-And finding it home!

When surrounded by the blackness of the darkest night,

O how lonely death can be;

At the end of this long tunnel is a shining light,

For death is swallowed up in victory!

But just think of stepping on shore-And finding it Heaven!

Of touching a hand-And finding it God's!

Of breathing new air-And finding it celestial!

Of waking up in glory-And finding it home!

Psalm 116:15 "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints."

Catching Up - Scarborough Trip

So sorry that it has been over a week since I posted anything. I'm sure you can tell things have been busy. Let me back up and tell you what's been going on.

I was able to go up to Scarborough on Nov. 1st and speak at their ladies' fellowship. Their theme was "Serve the Lord With Gladness" from Psalm 100. As always the fellowship hall was beautifully decorated and it was wonderful to see my dear friends there. (I also got a recipe from my friend Martha Faulkner that I'm dying to try...) There was a testimony from their new teacher Bekah Brownlie, a canning demonstration and then we watched as a couple of ladies made canned bread. It sounds funny, but it actually works! After singing "There Is Joy In Serving Jesus" I got up and gave a brief (really, it was...) devotional. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the ladies.

After the fellowship I drove over to see Mom Mac. She is now in a nursing home as her health has deteriorated enough that Papa can no longer adequately care for her at home. Unfortunately, her latest MRI came back showing that the cancer has spread through her entire lower abdomen. It's so hard to swallow that news, but I have to remember that two years ago, they didn't give her this long. I sat on her bed and held her hand. She was awake when I got there and listened as I chatted with both her and Papa and their son Mark (or Dunnigan). Eventually she drifted off to sleep. I just relished the fact that I could sit and hold her hand. Those of you who know us, know that she and Papa have filled the role of "Local Grandparents" for our kids and, for the time that Marshall and Shaylen weren't here with us, as parents to us. We used to go over every Tuesday night and play Tri-Ominoes. Mom Mac and I would sit across the table from one another and roll our eyes at Taigen's and Papa's jokes. It was a wonderful time with them. Any of you that have kids though will understand that all of that got eclipsed when the twins were born. Boy did they spoil them!

I don't know how long I stayed at the nursing home, but I cherished that time there. Afterwards, I went to go see a new little friend of mine after that. His name is Gabe and he is just a cute little marshmallow of love! My friends Matt and Jessica had him a couple of weeks ago and I was dying to hold him and see Jess. I am very happy to say that he is even cuter in person (though that's hard to imagine because he's so cute in pictures). Matt and Jess have also just purchased a new home and it was nice to get the nickel tour, though I really came to just see the baby.

I stopped off at the Pfaltzgraff outlet on the way home in order to see if they had any really good deals. The outlet is closing (not the store) and everything is 40-60% off! I got a steal of a deal, but I cannot mention it here because it's someone's Christmas present.

A busy day, but a good one. It was nice to get home and spend some time with my family before bed. Whew.

Cute As A Bug

I wanted to show these pictures of Shaylen from the Sunday morning before we left for vacation in CO. Aunt Karen had purchased this outfit for Shaylen, and the first really cold morning we had this fall, she wore it. The really neat thing though, was the hair bow that Karen had made while they were here on vacation. Isn't it perfect? Of course, Shaylen looked like a million bucks and our dear older ladies in the church enjoyed oohing and aahing over her outfit! Thanks Aunt Karen.

Today is the Day

Is there really any good reason why NOT to?

New Dictionary Entries

sprainking - formally "spraining". tr.v. To cause a sprain to (a joint or ligament). Shaylen said that if she fell from a ridgepole, she'd have to walk funny from "sprainking" her ankle. (Can you tell we've been listening to Anne of Green Gables?)

google - formally "gobble".-v. To swallow or eat hastily or hungrily in large pieces; gulp. On the way home, Marshall said he would "google" up his lunch of Spanish rice and beans so he could then have a plain tortilla.