I'm baaaaack (again)

So much has happened since I last blogged!  I mean heck, it's been since December!  My goodness, how irresponsible slack of me!  Honestly, it's a time issue.  I'm not very technological and so it takes time and effort for me to grace this blog with pictures of what I write about.  I have to (assuming they are loaded on the computer already) save them as smaller files to upload, edit them, watermark them, and make sure they are "cool" enough to fit in in blog land.  At least that's the pressure I put on myself.  On top of that I have to be creative to have something to write about and keep folks entertained, psssh that's not happening.  Especially now that times 3 now my brain has shrunk with the pregnancy of a child.  So yeah Rowen's here now (there goes more time).  But, (did I just enlarge the fact that I started a sentence with a but?) now more than ever I NEED to blog!  My children are growing up right before my eyes!   Baby boy, Rowen, Bubby (all names we like to call him), will be 2 months in 3 short days!  I don't do a good job at recording their milestones or experiences or the cute things that come out of their mouths so I must blog them.  So this is for my sweet sweet Darby (4), Carson (2), and Rowen (as we previously established almost 2 months orrr zero as Darby likes to refer to him).  They may not be the most graceful writings you've ever laid eyes on, or the coolest ideas, or have the best pictures ever (shoot, it may not have pictures at all), but I'll be glad to have a record for my babes.  I hope that pictures will frequent this blog but you can consider the ideas or recipes a bonus when I have time for such!  No pictures for today BUT I will leave you with probably the sweetest video of a baby ever in history (of course I am biased tho).

Make sure you turn the volume up and for some reason it automatically starts instead of you pressing play so you can stop it and restart it....no time to figure it out and as I said...not too technological here.

Some thoughts on Christmas

I think I have said before but Christmas is my FAVORITE holiday.  I love the colors, smells, decorations, shopping, family, food and etc...

Christmas with children is fun...and challenging.  Trying to capture the true meaning of Christmas is a hard thing in all of our hearts but especially in a child who LOVES the presents, the lights and the junk food and etc.  All of those things are fine and dandy but if they replace the true excitement over a Savior being born then they really are all meaningless little idols in our hearts.

What's annoying as a parent.  Christmas programs.  As Darby and I were watching one the other day I was just so disappointed, but not surprised. 

So here we go, seemingly against the grain to teach her:

the point of Christmas: Jesus' birth

the miracle of Christmas: God in the flesh (born of a virgin)!  come on ppl that is a big deal!

the "magic" of Christmas:  personally I don't care for the word but I would just refer to last statement

what to believe in: why Jesus is the son of God of course sent to save

I'm so confused...this program had not a single mention of Jesus but they taught that when something is wrong all you have to do is believe in the magic and miracles of Christmas.  It's so shallow and fluffy really.  I'd like to ask people who live this way,  what do they do when something goes wrong in January?

Another one we watched recently made it seem like the only way Christmas is "magical" is if you believe in Santa... oh me oh my

So now I feel like singing/praying some of the words to "Onward Christian Solider".

Just continuing in the faith and praying for God's mercy on me and my children and for the people around me.

And thankfully and joyfully with Jesus' cross before me.

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of the world rather than on Christ."  Colossians 2:8

Death...

I'm not sure what it is like but I am pretty sure I was close to it the other night when I came down with a stomach virus!  I wanted to die. 

{you should know I am totally being dramatic here, well kinda, some I am being a baby.  I know so many people battle all kinds of physical ills daily or regularly and I can't imagine it day in a day out but for my what is normally pretty healthy self, this is how it goes}

I wanted to put a gun to my head!

{see please don't take me too serious, remember I am being dramatic}

I hate the stomach bug!  I can't stand throwing up.  Thankfully though it only really lasted about 24 hours and I was better.  But my stomach has never hurt like it was with this virus....

And it was weird because when I woke up and felt nauseous at 3 am I totally almost woke chad up to go get me a pregnancy test although there was no real reason to think I could have not on purpose been pregnant.  It was weird.  I am glad it is over now... 

So I need to share something with you guys....but I will wait for the next post or so... but here is a teaser.

My sweet Darby.

Are you still my friends???

I can't be to sure if I have any blogging friends left after my ridiculously long absence...but alas I am back at it ; ).   I finally feel like I may have some more time for this blogging business!  I am telling you it is the shorter days!  It makes all the difference.

So what should I start you off with?  I don't know...but I have been in the worst mood lately.  It is getting on my nerves and I so I can only imagine how Chady feels about it.  (Well that sure was a downer to start off with...but that is what came to my brain.)

What else...well we went punkin pickin the other day and here are some pictures from this event!

The last picture is us girls with our choosen pumpkin...

Husband Showcase...

Warning....

This blog might turn into a place that I showcase my husbands amazing skills...

So I am here to present to you his second video...

It was shot this past weekend at our friends little girls 1 year birthday party.  I may be biased but if you ask me, he has got enough talent to knock your socks off ; )

Oh and I will just go ahead and tell you that our new pet is none other than...

Princess Fiona, the guinea pig.  She is cute on one hand and then a rodent on the other...hopefully I will get a picture up of her soon.  You may not believe me but I am serious, she IS cute, she has messy hair not the straight kind.

Anyway~back to the video...
I would challenge you to click the little tab at the bottom right side and bump up the quality of the video.  720p is HD but may run choppy or slow so I recommend the 480p bc it is still better quality but not as slow...your choice ; )

 

Back with a video...

Well I sure hope you weren't holding your breath waiting for my next post...lol.  I am the worst blogger in all the land.  Summer is a crazy time.  We have been having sooo much fun tho.  I will just briefly fill you in so far....


*God has done miraculous and amazing things in a family situation that has been troubling for quite a long time.
*I still haven't introduced you to our new pet.
*I maybe had or didn't have mono.  I didn't feel like I had mono...well according to some of the stories I hear.  All I know is my first test was positive and the next which was a week later was negative.  So who knows...
*We had and thoroughly enjoyed Carson's first birthday party.  She is growing up so much!
*We went to Disney World.  Stayed at the Wilderness Lodge and just had a fantastic time!  I am going to share pictures soon.


Those are the main events.  


My hubby has been aspiring to do these creative films and is really still smack in the middle of learning software and getting ideas but for fun he shot this CUTE video of sweet Carson and I will share bc I think he did an absolutely AMAZING job.

Get ready...

for alot of pictures!  We had a blast at Darby's 3rd.  Birthday party!  Lots of things have been happening over here with the Priest family.  I can't help but sing, "I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazerene.  And wonder how he could love me a sinner condemned unclean...." He is Wonderful.  We got a new addition to the family that I hope to be introducing you to soon... but until then just hang on. : ).  Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure.

Taste of the cake...session.

Okay sorry again for the slack blogging!  I have been really busy but also I am outside so much more with this spring and summer weather.  I noticed alot of my bloggy buddies have cut back dramatically in their blogging and so I don't feel as bad ; ).  I guess until the time changes again and we are stuck inside to avoid the cold weather we just wont be writing as much! 

Exciting things are coming up!  Darby and Carson are having their birthdays!  Yay.  Darby's is this coming weekend...oh man that reminds me I better get my stuff together!  Then Carson's is the following weekend.  I'm thrilled to be celebrating my sweet girls. 

So my friend Amy has done it again....she took THE cutest pics of my babe (and my sister's babe).  We had a smash the cake session!  Here is your small taste until I get them all!  Go to her photography blog to see more!

Recently I saw the movie Avatar!  I mean I am a little behind on the times but...Oh my goodness.  I loved that movie!  I LOVED it.  So if you haven't seen it then you should. 

I didn't update on Carson when she turned 11 months!  I am so slack!  What can I say.  I will tell you though that in her 10th month she perfected the art of cruising around the furniture throughout the room.  She can clap and wave...she is still really quiet but she will say da- da and her version of ma- ma.  She is serious and if she sets out on a mission she is determined to accomplish it.  She still gets terrerized by her older sister but she LOVES her big sis Darby!  She is a cubby dub.  I she weighed 22lbs on a trip to the doc last month!  She is so sweet.

Soon I will be updating you on my 3 year old and 1 year old!  I can't believe it.

Question....I need your help

Can you wear a black dress to a 5:30 wedding on May 1st?

My sis gave me this dress and I would love to wear it but it is hard hard hard for me to be okay with the idea of wearing black to a wedding.  Is this something I made up in my head as a bad thing?  I know ppl do it.  Don't they?  After all I do think my sis bought it for a wedding.  But I think it is supposed to be more formal if the wedding is at 6.  Anyway just wondered what yall thought.  In order to not have to buy another dress I have that dress option and a linen dress which are like totally opposite in dressy factor.  I really think the linen one is too casul it would be better for like a 3 or 4 oclock wedding ; ).  I do have two other dresses that I COULD wear but I don't really want to.  To me they aren't weddingy enough. 

Are you freaking kidding me!?!?!?!?

So just doing some nightly computering and I had my TV on bc I watched some of American Idol.  Glee comes on afterward.  I caught it once before in pieces and from what I saw it was just a typical standard american show...Okay so they were singing Madonna's "Like a Virgin" and I peaked up from my computer.  Okay so it was three couples singing and doing some very seductive dancing and dramatizations or whatever you want to call it (telling a story to go with the song if you will).  One couple I didn't recognize, the other was a teacher relationship I think and the other were students in HIGH SCHOOL.  I think that is awful!  HIGH SCHOOL.  Really?  So the girl didn't end up going thru with "it" and I guess that is how they justify that being appropriate?  I don''t know.  We have come a long way from what was on in my younger days and my kids are only 1 and 3 (almost).  I am very concerned.

I try...

I try to blog more I really do.  I don't know when I will fully get back into the swing of things but I do still pop in on blogs here and there!  So I still have yet to finish posting my easter pics and beach vacay pics...  I am getting there...soon I hope. 

Right now tho I was wanting to write about something on my mind.  A couple that I know of just had their four year old daughter die.   I can't even begin to imagine.  The parents although they are suffering extremely are my kind of heros tho.  They are thankful and hopeful for their daughter and praise and honor God's precious name during such a hard circumstance.  It just reminds me though of 2 things.  One is how futile life is.  It is so short and unpromised and even if we are allowed to live until we are old we still get old and with that comes brittle bones, wrinkles, gray hair, back pain and etc (shoot some of us young folk even have some of those things).  Our hope is not in this lifetime.  Thank you Jesus for that!  I only have this one futile life to live though and I do want to live it with purpose and dignity.   I don't want to be careless with my relationships or decisions or seek to satisfy my every desire with material things.   I don't want to be shallow with a feel good surfacey image but hollow on the inside.  Oh Holy Spirit come be with me, and Lord forgive me for when I find life in things outside of you, and protect me. (sorry had to pray for a sec).   The second thing it made me consider is how gracious God is to have given me my 2 sweet girls and with good health for now.    I know that God could take them away tomorrow if he chooses to allow that (via cancer or a car wreck and etc...) and that is a sobering reminder to be so thankful for such blessings.  It is also a call to be diligent and faithful in my responsiblities and care of them.  I wish yall could meet them.  They are the sweetest things.  I had a babysitter tonight and she has been here several times but she was just like they are just such sweet and happy girls.  It is the truth!  I can truly say that there aren't many things other than my sweet children that bring me such joy.  It is an honor and a priviledge to wake up each day and be with them.  They are not my source of life just sweet blessings from my Father.

So here are the eggstravaganza pics...better late than never ; )

A "Fancy" Feast For A Fine Occasion!

Real Quick...I forgot about show us your life today and had already planned this post but the only "missiony" type trips I have done were here in the states and I don't think I even have any pics on my computer!  One day I will have to post some pics from my husbands trip to India!  I love India!

So in honor of Carson's 10 month Birthday we decided to throw a party!

I'm not sure that this "fancy" feast is worth a super momma mention over at Natalie's blog but we had a grand ol time....

This dinner is considered "fancy" compared to you know...say frozen pizza or ckn nuggets and etc...

Yes, just spaghetti!  In effort to "spruce" it up a bit I used angel hair pasta and added some cheese to top and baked it and wa-la. 

Yes I used a JAR of spaghetti sauce...if some of you ladies could tell me where you get your energy from I will go to great heights and spend great money to get it for myself!  Or how about this!?! Does anyone know how to add hours to the day?  That could be good too!  Now occasionally I will wip up an actual fancy dinner and if time and energy weren't an issue it would actually be a hobby bc I LOVE it!  Speaking of spaghetti though I have a GREAT spaghetti alternative dinner that I saw a concept for and then kind of created a reciepe for it and it is delish and I will have to share it with yall one day!  Really easy, fun and best of all low cal! 

To really add to my "fanciness" I used an actual glass for the tea and "fine" china for the dinner.  By fine china I mean just our regular dishes...these are fine compared to plastic ones tho right!?!  I attempted to top off my "fanciness" by attempting some "fancy" photography...

I really do cook my family meals I am exagerating the fanciness of this but I tell you... some of you moms truly are super moms!  Yall inspire me that is for sure!  For now though I will continue with the party-party part of our night THE CUPCAKES...courtesy of Betty Crocker! 

Aww, poor Carson had to stick with yogurt melts for her desert...but soon little monkey you can have the real stuff!

Well, we did sing Happy Birthday to all of us and it was just a divine celebration!