saving room for Jesus

Some may label it "stressmas". I try to remind myself of the saying, "Blessed to be Stressed" during this most busy season. We're not supposed to be hyperventilating & anxious about all we need to accomplish during the month of December with to-do lists, shopping lists, party planning, and card writing. I'm trying to focus on the true meaning of the season. It's all about focusing on God's gift to the world, not my long list of to -do's! All of these distractions take away from the true meaning of Christmas.

On the distractions note, I've been MIA lately turning my kitchen into a crafting & bake shoppe. I was busy, busy with 10 plus M&M cookie jars for Miller's teachers for choir, Cubbies & Sunday morning. This consumed a whole day's labor. I cranked up Pandora Christmas music &  filled Mason jars with our glowing tree in the background. Sweet little miss at my ankles wanting to participate. Traces of flour and sugar can still be found in corners of my kitchen. It truly is the best month to be a SAHM all cozied up in our jammies. Yes mom, I pinch my cheeks and put on lipstick for Landon by mid afternoon ;o)

I attended a very special "Meaningful Christmas" ornament swap for advent last week. Isn't this the cutest little party idea ever? Thanks to a little blog I follow and Lisbeth who coordinated and planned the party, we pulled off swapping 24 ornaments for each day of Advent. There is a published devotional book to read to your child each night as you hang each day's ornament on the tree. I just love how this refocuses all the attention back to Jesus. He often gets forgotten in the madness. Do you like my lima bean baby in the manger?
I have two hot glue burns on my fingers as sweet souvenirs to all my hard work!

Three wise men. Can.you.handle.the.cuteness?

All of the ornaments were grouped together for us to fill up our boxes with. It was a fun evening of sharing Christmas traditions and socializing! Everyone was oohing and awwing over the details.

Looking forward to a very meaningful season.

counting our blessings

We spent a few days in Knoxville to celebrate a "Tennessee Thanksgiving" together as an extended family. There's an old song about a Tennesee Christmas, but I think late fall is just the season to sing about a Tennessee Thanksgiving. The rich colors are so gorgeous against the backdrop of rolling hills and horse farms. What a blessing to have both sets of grandparents together under one roof to spend our day of thanks together. Miller and Eliza Kate sure did absorb all the extra hugs and attention. Lots of eating too. Good eating! Papa and Omi  know how to entertain a crowd.

Sweet thing enjoyed turkey, sweet potatoes and brussell sprouts. To my surprise, she gobbled up every last one. She's at the stage where she approves of almost anything. Miller... well we're working on growing and stretching his tastes. He thrives on the familiar. Miller tried to enjoy the meal..talking himself into each painful bite. It's just a stage, right? He did love drinking out of Landon's pewter milk goblet. Miller felt very kingly as Landon presented it to him with a bow:) He has no idea how entertaining his dad is.

A table full of family is a sweet blessing. And, we're counting our blessings! Notice Miller's mouth full of food. That's a painful smile btw.

After dinner, we headed outside to walk some of the turkey and trimmings off in the cool Knoxville air. Miller followed the backyard rocky path in Omi and Papa's backyard, running in circles to get some energy out. He was thrilled when a group of wild turkeys came to greet us over the fence. How appropriate on turkey day! They sure are lucky birds to still be alive and not on the table being served on this day.

Omi and Papa's backyard and view of the Smoky Mountains in the distance is so peaceful. We love the wide open spaces when we come to visit. It truly is a get away!

What's a day of counting our blessings without family photo ops?  Poor children. They have to stop playing to snap some memories.

I must add that Miller is becoming the picture champ. After years of action shots, he's learning how to pose and get it over with. Just when he got it down, we have another wiggly worm to stage;)

Thanking God for our two healthy children, Landon's new position, two sets of grandparents, loyal friends, our home, the opportunity to serve others.... the list goes on and on!
Taking time to reflect on these gifts is just what this Thanksgiving was all about.
1 Chronicles 16:34 O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

thanksgiving eve

I know this seems odd . While most families are posting pictures of their Thanksgiving tablescapes and festive family dinners, you see our kids dining Japanese style with chopsticks. Isn't this the cutest little kiddie set up you've seen? I had to laugh when Eliza Kate and Miller lounged on  pillows while dining on wooden sushi rolls.  They were totally into it. Miller's CARS 2 Tag book discusses wasabi, so we finally had the chance to show him the delicacy that he could dip into hot wasabi.
It was just a fun photo op from our latest Oak Ridge, Tennessee Children's Museum tour stop. We're putting our reciprocal family passes to good use this year. Both sets of grandparents joined us this go around for a fun family field trip.

It was a great way to spend Thanksgiving Eve as a family. We enjoyed the first Around the World exhibit. Miller and Eliza Kate liked playing instruments from around the world. The best part of Children's museums are the hands on rule!

Then it was off to step back into time in a school room from the 1800's. Everyone squeezed into old fashioned desks to get a brief mini lesson on the blackboard from yours truly. In true fashion, Landon relived his class clown days seated in the back row. Miller however stole the show with his informative lesson on lizards of all things. I love when he acts out verbal instructions that he hears from Ms. Cayla. He really IS listening! So, on our week long break from school we still managed a little one room school house session. I must say we had a great looking bunch of pupils.

See what I mean?

Eliza Kate could have spent hours in the miniature sized two story doll house. She entered through a red door just her size...with a little coaxing. The play kitchen was calling her name. Little mommy loves practicing up on her domestic skills. She really is identifying with me and watching all my "mommy" chores.

Miller was waiting on his little mommy upstairs greeting all of us through the window. I think he was having just as much fun in the play house. The rooms were furnished so realistically that he made himself right at home.

She loved the mini-fridge (just her size) and play food. Our little mommy identified familiar foods she knew while cooking away. I love how some of the adult responsibilities that consume our time and energy become favorite childhood play pass times.

All aboard! Miller was thrilled with the train exhibit. He got to watch an electric train navigate through different scenes. Sitting up in the conductor's seat was a highlight too.

Eliza Kate positioned herself in the wooden train or "choo choo" on a stationary ride. We played the day away until nap time. Miller's comment while loading up the car was "Where are we going next?" His go-go activity level never changes. Feeling thankful to have loving grandparents to our kiddos.

lots of celebrating

 

From babies to birthdays we've been doing a lot of celebrating so far in the month of November. Sweet Lucy was first on the list. Allison, my friend all the way back in the day in high school is expecting a precious bundle of pink in a few months. We attended a shower in a private room at Brio downtown. There is nothing like a shower covered in pink. From ruffled socks to monogrammed burpies this girly will be blessed. Allison was just stunning and truly joyful over this God given gift. We've prayed for this sweet baby as a group for some time. I'm so blessed by these girl's friendships and how we've grown and celebrated each life stage. There has been so much to celebrate over the last 10 plus years...some heartaches too. There's nothing like loyal friends to stick by you through it all.

Today it was all about the joy of Lucy. The napkins read "I Love Lucy". And, we sure do already love you Lucy girl.  Pink, pink, pink! Gotta love a girly gift table.

We then trotted over to Kaylee's first cowgirl birthday...same weekend. The Pinions are friends in our Sunday School class. They're originally from Knoxville and big Tennessee fans. This random fact is the icing on the cake for Landon. Every party detail displayed hee haw cuteness from her darling smocked dress to her second outfit. Yes, this first birthday girl had an outfit change mid- party, ya'll! And, I love that her mom just took it all off for cupcake time. Just like Eliza Kate, Miss Kaylee didn't like messy hands during smash cake time.

Kaylee's momma monogrammed our cowgirl cutey's outfit. We're keeping her in business this fall;) Eliza Kate warmed up to Kaylee's "horsey" present in no time. Every cowgirl needs a pony. EK loves hugging all over a cuddly stuffed animal. This one happened to be life sized. She gave a rousing "neighhhhh" to show her love of horsey.

 Quarterback cutey Landon's first birthday bash was just the perfect way to wrap up our November celebration tour. What an adorable fall birthday boy theme. The invite requested the guests to "show their school spirit". Miller sported his Samford shirt. Poor Eliza Kate is lacking in the spirit wear department. She sported her turkey dress instead. Not exactly the most natural smile from Miller man, but loved the birthday boy. Can you spy the all star birthday champ in the background? He was downing his water bottle his tiring game.

Carson and Miller had their football game on. These rowdy players were tossing the football into pails with such enthusiasm. Can't you see the excitement in Carson's hair?

Maggie and Eliza Kate were lunching ladies while "tailgating" on the sidelines of the action.

It's so refreshing that she likes to sit in her chair to eat. I can trust her to calmly stay in one spot for longer than five minutes. Oh the life of a leisurely lunch. Blurry, blurry.... I'd love a new lens. I've knocked it around so much that it now clicks when I go to focus..ugh!

Gotta love bouncing with Sophia with a frosted face mess. There were all kinds of screams in the bounce house. They were having a BIG time together.

Jack and Miller put themselves in the "dog house" right around half time at the party They are hilarious to listen to. Boys!  Loving this fall party season.

soccer party finale

We lived up our soccer season for nine weeks this fall. At the end, I was ready to hang up our hat on our weekly commitment. Too many Saturday plans, birthday parties, and community projects were getting in the way. I learned a lot about being a parent in friendly sports competitions while being a spectator on the sidelines though. There is a whole world of sports etiquette and sometime a lack of sportsmanship during these games. Our first season was a great introduction to organized sports. It taught Miller perserverance, focusing skills and dedication to practice. I , in part, learned the practice dedication factor too...making sure we got in the backyard a few times a week to kick around. We enjoyed our Y soccer Saturdays. The perfect commitment without scheduled weekly practices for this age group. It truly felt like a neighborhood league with our paths crossing friends from our neighborhood,  and those that live in the Woodlands.

Our family divided and conquered the last three games of the season. I was stressed trying to make it all work out. October was a whirlwind of a month for us. Landon and I were sad that we had to miss the soccer party finale along with sweet Maggie's birthday while in Charleston for the weekend.  We knew Omi and Papa would save the day and deliver the highly anticipated cupcakes to our team soccer party in the Woodlands. They were thrilled to be a part of the end of season celebration. These boys and girls deserved blue sprinkled cupcakes to congratulate them on a job well done.

 

While we were away, I relived the magic on my phone as a mom on the team sent me pictures from the party. What a surprise gift!  Wish I could blog about the party details and mini awards ceremony. I didn't witness the joy of seeing my little shark get his first medal, but know that Omi and Papa treasured every second of their time with all star Miller. The precious pictures helped me to relive all the magic!

Untitled from Erica Fokens on Vimeo.

Leaving you with a quick video of Miller warming up before one of the last games. Ignore Landon's sidelines conversation with the coach.

Here's to the Sharks...GO blue!

charleston weekend

The first weekend in November led us to a fun getaway spot in Charleston, SC for a friend of the family's wedding. Elizabeth, the bride, is the sister of my dear friend all the way back to high school, Mandy. My parents joined us as well for a great mini-cation without the kids. We're so blessed by Landon's parents for always being so willing to take on our little darlings so we can breeze out of town. Saturday was a brisk, wind whipping day...but we still managed to enjoy the city. We spent our time shopping at Market Square with all the street tents. We walked in Battery Park by the water and did our best to stay bundled up!

It was BRIGHT..hence my painful smile;) Everything about this quaint town was beautiful. As a southern GA peach, I felt right at home with all the charm. Eating a duty free seafood lunch at A.W Shucks was more than delightful. Can I get an amen? No sippy cup refills, cheerio passing, or baby bouncing a bored girly out of her high chair. Sometimes our meals resemble somewhat of a circus act. Leisurely adult lunches are fantastic gift! Landon was happy with his raw oysters. A win, win day all around! I wish I had captured more pictures downtown. We'd love to come back for a much longer weekend one day.

The wedding was outside at a beautiful beach house venue. At the last minute, I threw on my winter coat over my wrap. I'm so glad I did! We enjoyed the beautiful ceremony and reception. My one "wardrobe malfunction" happened when we were exiting the ceremony. My fine Chinese crafted  jeweled necklace decided to drip my plastic gems all over the aisle runner. One by one they spilled every which way. I guess that's what I should come to anticipate with mart purchased costume jewelry. Luckily, we were one of the last couples to exit. I had a little help retrieving my precious jewels...ha!

A fun night was had by all! The bride was just stunning. Where's my picture of her? Jackson and Anna were in the wedding and absolutely precious dancing & twirling with their momma on the dance floor. Anyone notice the red headed bookends in this picture?  Sweet wedded blessings to you Elizabeth and Matt.