Family Moments

When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses.
-- Joyce Brothers

In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony.
-- Eva Burrows

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.
-- Desmond Tutu

Families are the compass that helps guide us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.
-- Brad Henry

A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it.
-- George Moore

Your family and your love must be cultivated like a garden. Time, effort, and imagination must be summoned constantly to keep any relationship flourishing and growing.
-- Jim Rohn

Christmas at the Bibby's

It was our GREAT please to host Mom and Dad (Grandma and Grandpa) for Christmas for the first time in 11 years.

Eric cooked the ham and loaded mash potatoes (the best I'd EVER had).
I made the green beans, jello, bread and dessert.
The best part was that I was able to spend all day decorating and detailing,
since they took the kids to the Children's Museum.
I had so much fun fussing over every detail!

Eric surprised me with something I haven't seen in 10 years,
his dimple.
I never realized how much I'd missed 'him'.
Now he's growing a beard and it's the irrestible (yeah, he's still got it after 10 years)!
WOW! I love this man! I'll have to post an picture soon!

To be festive I made a candy cane "J" for Jesus pie.

Thanks, Jen Guiney for this awesome centerpiece idea.
I went out and gathered berries, pine cones and sprigs from the trees.
Then put them all into a juice carton and filled it with water.
The freezer was a little unlevel, but it still turned out cute.
I also took the same natural elements to decorate the chandelier above the table.

It was a wonderful evening.
After we said goodbye and ushered them out we sat thinking and talking about how blessed and what a lovely evening to reflect on it all.

GRANDPARENTS

Few can bring the warmth
We can find in their embrace,
And little more is needed to bring love.
Than the smile on their face.

Their home is our home,
There always time for books and games,
Walks to horses and apples to share,
They grow more precious through the years.

I believe that God sent us Grandparents
As our legacy from above,
To share the moments of our life,
As extra measures of His love.

Mom and Dad,

I couldn't have asked for a better Grandpa or Grandma to love my children.

Luke's Big Night

Earlier this month, Luke had his Christmas Program for Preschool.
What a fun night this was for us.
We took him out to dinner at one of his favorite places, Dairy Queen.
It was a big night for him as he was asked to say the opening prayer for the program.
I have been so blessed by Luke's heartfelt prayers, and what an opportunity to be able to share the Lord's goodness with so many others.

Instruction and Discipline

Psalm 119:33-35

Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees;
then I will keep them to the end.

Give me understanding, and I will keep your law
and obey it with all my heart.

Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight

It has been a rough couple of days for me. With the passing of my Grandmother, I have found myself angry with my Heavenly Father. It has been a struggle for me to understand His reasoning for closing all doors for us to return to Texas for her funeral. Despite my arrogance, He has patient and loving with me, His daughter.
It was during a time of disciplining Luke that I felt my eyes open and my heart soften.
Am I not a mirror image of my son and his rebellion against our direction for what's best for him?!
I was just such a child throwing a fit and crying out to my Father,
"Why... It's not fair.... I'm not happy with you."
I don't need to know why.
I don't need to understand and I certainly don't need to rebel against my Father's goodness and better understanding for the right direction in my life.
I have learned a hard lesson, and with that lesson has come punishment, just as in our parenting with Luke.
It has been a hard lesson to learn, which will not be soon forgotten, but a most joyous revelation to come into.

Thy will not my will,
praise and glory for a Father who loves me.

Beloved Grandmother

If you think of me during the upcoming week, please pray for me. My heart is heavy with grieving. My Grandmother passed away and the funeral is on Tuesday. It is a hard thing for me to accept that I am unable to go. We have been unable to attain airline tickets to Texas. Mom and Dad have very generously offered their airline miles, but with the holiday it would cost them twice as many miles, and there just isn't enough. I am so grateful for their love for me. We have been on the computer for the last 48 hours trying to find tickets for less than $500 a ticket and have been unsuccessful. It is frustrating to see we can fly to Florida for less than $100 but are unable to fly to Dallas, Tx for less than $480.
I am trying to keep my heart from hardening, but it is a battle I feel I am failing at. Being human, with a human heart, I am not finding comfort in His plan at the moment. I am having trouble understanding why I unable to be with my family. Please, dear friends, pray for me.

------------------

Annie “Marie” Varner

Marie Varner, age 99, passed away December 26, 2008 at Ware Living Center in Amarillo . She was born on October 23, 1909 in Weatherford , Texas to Thomas E. and Dora Kennedy. Her family moved to Cisco when she was a child where she grew up. After graduating from Cisco High School she briefly attended Abilene Christian College . She married Dr. Roy W. Varner on December 24, 1937 in Abilene . Except for the time she lived in San Antonio when Dr. Varner was in the service during World War II, she lived in Abilene where Dr. Varner practiced medicine for many years. They moved to Clyde after his retirement. She moved to Amarillo in 2005. After her marriage she was a homemaker for the remainder of her life. She was a loving wife and Mother and her life revolved around her family. Marie and R.W. were the parents of six children. She is survived by sons: Darrell and wife Ethel of Amarillo, Larry and wife Tammy of New Braunfels, Terry of Richmond, David of Abilene and daughter: Sharon Simpson of Phoenix, AZ. She is also survived by seven grandchildren and five great grand children. Marie was preceded in death by her husband, her son Roy Don, her parents, four brothers and four sisters. She was a member of the Church of Christ for almost seventy years and attended Highland , Hillcrest and Clyde Churches of Christ until her health prevented her from doing so.

These are a few of my favorite things....

I have ooohed and awwwed over those of you who were able to take sweet sleeping pictures, and now with the aid of my new Cannon Power Shot and the love of Mom and Dad, I finally got the picture I've been waiting oh so long to have.

My hands were shaking as I opened up Eric's gift and he did NOT disappoint.
Lisa Leonard designed this pendant and how blessed I feel to have a husband who loves me enough to take time to get such a thoughtful gift.

I hope you got all you wanted and found much, much more this holiday!

Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,
You may skip our house this year, next year and forever.
Our children will be nestled all snug in their beds, but there are no hopes for you to be here.
Luke, Kayla and Krista are treasures to know everyday, for you only know them once a year. We hold them to a Higher standard and ask that they obey everyday, I am in disagreement that you ask this but only one month a year. If they are naughty, we love them still and instruct them accordingly, but do not withhold things from them based one month a year. We instruct them in forgiveness and while this may include some restriction of toys, it is not for an entire year.
If you are in fact, you can see when my children and sleeping and know when they are awake, this would mean that you already knew that I was going to write you this letter and will not be saddened to skip our house this year. You see there is no need for you to know how my children have been because we already have our Heavenly Father who watches over my children and loves them whether they are bad or good. He is pleased when they are good, but knows that they are good for His glory. His gifts are of far greater value and bring greater joy than your elf made toys. How exciting for my children to have Christmas all year rather than just once a year.
I have told our children that this is no you. I don't make exceptions for you. We do not lie to our children about such things. I do not believe that hope wears a red suit. Our focus of Christmas is on a more giving Father. Not Father Christmas, but our Heavenly Father who gave us His only son.
Without you, our children do not lose their imagination. You do not stop their play, they are princesses, doctors, super heroes and much more. There is wonder in the air, freezing rain formed into miraculous designs of snowflakes, more gifts from our Father above. Our tree is a beautiful twinkle of lights and hung with memories fashioned into ornaments. There is no lack of love nor wonder here.
Our children do not need presents from your sleigh. They received many expressions of love from family this year. Our Lord provides, if I waited on you there would be no Christmas. How disappointing it would be to build their hopes on a promise of presents that would never appear. Instead we have wrapped their presents with thanksgiving and yet another lesson on the grace of our Father above.
'What's the harm,' you may say.
'Missed opportunity', I say, ' for a chance to fulfill our purpose to glorify God though instruction and teaching.'

We ate your cookies, drank your milk and don't need your presents,
for you see,
our home is full and there is no need for you here.
-------------------------------------------

Merry Christmas!


Eric, Jean,
Josh,
Luke, Kayla and Krista

I'm under here....

I'm drowning in Christmas to-do.
Christmas cards, unfinished gifts, finished gifts, pictures, little hands and multiple little fingers attached to those little hands :-).
Next year I will remember this and start in OCTOBER!

I am looking for some new recipes to try out for our First Ever Christmas Dinner! Do you have any good fruit side recipes?

Anyone doing something creative with a Christmas table setting?

Sorry no pictures, I'm too lazy to get up and get the camera to upload some,
I have sewing to do and MUST get off this computer!

Merry CHRISTmas!

November Happenings in Review

The first snowfall if the year,
November 30, 2008

I love catching these moments!
A chance to see the love of my children pass between one another,
and count my blessings.

The day after Thanksgiving we went and picked out our tree!

I couldn't resist the last day to play in the leaves before the snow came.

Krista 1, Books 0
That's okay we made puzzles out of the book.

The Purdue/IU Game at Grandma & Grandpa's
Go Purdue!

Art Day, painting with the girls