CHRISTmas

It's been awhile since I posted anything to my blog. I don't even remember how to change the pictures that are on this page. lol My boys are now 3 and 4 years old. Growing like weeds. We just celebrated Christmas yesterday (as others have as well :) ) and it made me think about why we celebrate in the first place. It's hard as a parent to not buy into the Santa Clause idea for my boys. Don't get me wrong, I believed in Santa when I was little. But when my oldest asks who Santa is, I tell him about Saint Nicolas and his involvement with helping others. I don't tell him about an obese male who dresses up and sneaks into houses while "seeing you when you're sleeping". OK. That's just creepy if you think about it.

But seriously, I tell my boys about Jesus. I tell my boys about a God that loves them. I tell my boys about what the holiday is really about. When they grow up, I don't want them to have memories of seeing a fake Santa at a mall. I want them to have memories of looking at Nativity scenes with their mom and dad. I want them to have memories of hearing/reading the story of Christ's birth, not the Night Before Christmas.

I'm not saying all of this to downplay or downgrade the importance of Santa and Christmas magic in people's lives. I'm saying this to show the importance of Christ in ours.

Last Move

Well, verdict is in and the home is ours! We get keys this Friday, after final walk through to make sure no small holes or crazy creatures were being hidden by the current owners furniture. I can't believe this. I was thinking about how many moves we've done together as a family and this will be our 8th move in 8 years. Yuck! But now it's our mortgage we'll be paying. No more wondering if we are gonna find a place larger, closer, better, etc. It's now our home. It's our mortgage. Scary thought really, but nice at the same time. We finally have a home of our own to raise our boys in. The Lord's plan was so much better than our own. Even with the ups and downs that come with living in this world, the Lord has kept us close and safe and watched over us.

For I know the thoughts I have toward you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11

God is Good. :)

Absense of the "Queezy" Feeling...

Josh and I went and viewed a home yesterday afternoon in Prosser. We received an email from our Realtor about it, having just listed that morning. After having over 6 potential viewers view it before we could even schedule a viewing, Josh and I were able to get a 2:30pm appointment. Why the rush? Location, Location, Location. The way I put it to Josh, "It could look like crap inside, but the yard and location of the home is great."

After viewing it, Josh and I decided to put in an offer. We knew that there were a lot of people already interesting, but having put in more offers than we would ever want to admit on more homes than we ever wanted to see, we were fine if we didn't get this one. After all, the Lord's plan is so much better than our own. We just wouldn't mind it including this home. ;)

Three hours after the viewing, Josh and I got the call that our offer has been accepted. We are now in the 10 day phase of inspections and neighborhood reviews. But one thing was missing... that queezy feeling I have had with every home we've put an offer in on. I'm not sure why, but I always felt like I had food poisoning after putting an offer in on a home. It was like I didn't want to swallow the full amount of our offer for the home that it was supposed to grab. But not this one.

This home is quaint, small from the outside. It looks about 1200 squarefeet from the road, but it's just over 2600 squarefeet with a finish basement. The yard is great for our boys, and there is such great "bones" to this structure... real wood and all! For those of you who are new to the home buying processes, real wood is few and far between. There are way too many who are buying homes that have been put together with "fake" wood, in an effort to save cost to the builder and (in my opinion) rip off the buyer. New houses definitely look beautiful, with huge tubs and walk in closets. But I'll take a regular bath with real wood trim over a soaking tub with foam corners (obviously, the corners aren't really foam, but you get my point).

We shall see how inspection goes, but for now... I'm content. For now... no queezy feeling. :)

Knowledge for Those who Knock at My Door

I have always felt a ping of sickness when I answer the door and it's another person claiming that they know the real way to salvation or that Christianity has it wrong. I am not one to think that I have all the answers. I know I don't. But it irritates me when someone claims that they are right and then can't support their information with scripture. If you have to go to another book to prove your faith, that is not God. If you have to stick to a specific bible, that is not God. I know there are arguments that there are translation errors, and rightly so, but one type is not the only accurate one. The entire Bible is the infallible Word of God, written under the direction of the Holy Spirit. As such, I have decided to take on an assignment that will further my faith and hopefully help others.

If you don't agree with someone, isn't it wise to get their reasoning to strengthen your belief? Example, if I know what you are going to argue when it comes to something, wouldn't it strengthen my argument if I was able to rebuttal at the moment instead of later when the sudden, "I should have said this" comes to my mind. I hate that. And I hate getting caught at the door with Jehovah Witnesses and Church of Christ and Mormons...

So, I am going to look up the different faiths and research them. I'm going to compile a book of what they believe and the scripture that they use to support it. That way, when Mr. Witness comes to my door, I can just thumb to his section and have a real debate, soul for soul.

Playing Catch-Up

I have been pretty lazy these last few days, but I figure I deserve a little r & r. Gabe and Gavin are a million miles a minute, and it is few and far between that I get to even sit down and finish a cup of coffee without the reheat option on the microwave. So, I think it's ok that the last couple of days have been somewhat unproductive. Alas, it cannot remain so. I am now creating a list of things to do before the 1st of March. I need to pay for Gabe's birthday party, which is at a gymnastics area here in Richland. Not a whole lot of options available for a 3 year old that will allow family and friends over. Our sardine canned size home works great for us and a few guests, but when the numbers hit double digits... not so much. My Professional Student status has taken a pause, as I am student teaching to gain volunteer hours for WSU's program this fall. Josh and I are house-hunting exhaustively. I won't be surprised if it comes down to us having to build over buy. Josh has taken the Youth Leader position at our church, so he is even more busy than usual. Gavin will be walking any day now, and Gabriel has made best friends with the wall (and his nose... a lot of time outs...). Potty training is a blast too. Luckily I have the book "Dinosaur VS the Potty" otherwise I might not have a chance with the boy. :) And so it begins...

My Boys are Getting Big...

Gabe and Gavin Christmas 2010

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