All About Grey

A brief Q & A with our Lleyton Grey, who is currently 4.5 years old

Favorite colour?: Green

Best Friend?: Abram & Giavanna

Favourite Food & Drink?: Pizza with pepperoni's and oh-ka cola

Favourite Movie?: Up

Favourite Subject?: Reading

Favourite thing to do?: Play with Sonny

Favourite app?: Minion Rush and Subway Surfer

What do you want to be when you grow up?: A worker

What is the best thing about your family?: I don't know! I don't know what that means!

What is the best thing about having a brother and a sister?: They help me

What will your next birthday cake be?: I want it to be all like, pretty, like smooth {fondant?} Yes. Fondant. {Ok, but what will it look like?} um, green

Favourite sport?: I mostly like soccer

What is your best advice?: I don't know. I don't have any

Height: 43 inches (in the 64th percentile)  Weight: 41 lbs (61st percentile)

To read Grey's old "about me's" click here

Gallery Wall

So, since moving to our Chesapeake house, I've really not done a ton of decorating. I hung a few random things on existing nails in the walls. That was pretty much it.

I had a ton of canvases stacked on the mantel, and when I cleared the mantel for Christmas decor, I was inspired to get things where they "belong". A gallery wall is step one.

A friend of mine helped me with an approximate layout on the floor, and then, using command hooks, I set off to work! This is how I left it:-)...because I ran out of command hooks. There is still some space to fill, But worry not, I've got tons to hang still. Pictures, art, and more B's...

More to hang!

I would like to do a few pictures in the hall, also, I think. And we've got some floating shelves I'd like to put up, Basically, this gallery wall has barely put a dent in decor stash ready and waiting. Oh Boy!

Anyway, I've never done such a "mish-mash" gallery before, and so I was a little nervous of how it would turn out, but I am really loving the results so far!

Who Would Have Dreamed

I get that Christmas is so overly "hyped" in the world at large, that people shy away from declaring it as their favourite celebration, because one might assume that all the commercialism goes along with it. But I do like Christmas a lot, and it just might be my favourite. Each holiday has it's own things to celebrate, but Christmas just seems a little extra special.

When you really stop and think about the miracle of it all - it's a pretty big deal. And it's also entirely simple. Yet wrapped up in that simplicity are all the mysteries of the heavens. It's truly something full of awe.

And who would have dreamed, or ever foreseen
That we could hold God in our hands?
The Giver of Life is born in the night
Revealing God's glorious plan
To save the world

The Innkeeper - Short Story

This story is one worth listening to with your family this Christmas. I'll plan to have my family listen to it on the days leading up to Christmas, but I share it with you now, in case you'd like to also. ...better grab a tissue!

Begin watching at 00:50

If you are interested in downloading your own copy without the intro, click here

Tooth Fairy Mom

The tooth fairy tradition is proving to be quite a bit beyond my capabilities as a mom.

In my defense, the kids always seem to loose a tooth when I have no money on hand:-)

It is not uncommon for me to forget...So last Wednesday night, Daddy pulled out Brooks' 5th tooth!

I was admonished, excessively I might add, not to forget to place money under the pillow.

Naturally, come bedtime for me. I forgot. I've been harassed off and on every day since then. Kenna reminds us of the story of one of her teeth. I kept forgetting and one day, just handed her a dollar. She was glad for the dollar, but really wished it could have been done properly.

I feel guilty.

But not guilty enough to remember, obviously.

So last night, six days after the tooth fell out, when I went to check on him before I tucked myself in, I found this note by his head:

Needless to say, I busted out laughing, raided my purse for spare change, found 70c and put it in an envelope under his pillow.

Until the next tooth falls out... :-D

Missing Sam

We had a very sad week, last week. We heard the news through people/prayer chains at church on Monday evening - Samuel was hit by a car, and is being rushed to the hospital.

The rest of the news came shortly thereafter. Samuel died at 5pm on Monday December 1st.

Sam was 8 years old, in Kenna's class, and a friend of Brooks. His parents are Kenna's Sunday School teachers, and I am Molly's teacher (Sam's older sister). This is not to say that we are all best friends or anything, but we are certainly well enough connected to the family that this tragic accident makes a very big impact.

Sam was riding a Hot Wheels bike in his cul de sac on Monday afternoon at 3:30, when a neighbour, in a large van hit him. The police are saying it was just a complete accident and no charges were laid.

Don & Melynda, and their family - Hannah, Elijah, Molly, Nathan, Samuel (red tie), Noelle & Isaiah

Don, the Dad, is a medical doctor, and they decided a few years ago to become missionaries. They came to our church to attend the seminary that is there. and this picture is from his seminary graduation. They will be going to Bangladesh.

Sam's funeral was on Friday, and although very very sad, it was sweet too. My facebook status update from Friday perhaps says it best...

We sorrow, but not as those without hope. Sweet Sam is being laid to rest today. His funeral was a testimony to lives, rooted in faith, hope and love. Please continue to pray for Don & Melynda Curtis, as they walk the darkest of days a parent can face. Melynda, like a true mama, brave and strong, was sure to comfort my kids today, and make sure they were alright as they said goodbye to their friend. Sam is loved, and missed." Funerals are really not the best places for children - and it was very unfortunate that the first funeral my kids attended (that they will remember) was one of their friend. It was an open casket, and we opted not to take Grey for the viewing, but left it for a choice, with the other two. They choose to go, and I am glad they did.
Please pray with us for this family, and also the person who hit Sam - he is also going through a very dark time right now, and also for the other children that were outside playing and witnessed the accident. They seem to be extremely strong and living through grace, but with everything so new, and so many people involved, each grieving in their own way- there will be many hard times ahead as they face such a range of emotions.

Picture Video

Here are our family pictures from 2014, set to music. Can't believe another year has passed us by already!