Thanks Mom

I have been sick and run down for two weeks now. I have a kidney infection that just won't get better and now Lilly and I have a nasty cold!
I can always count on my mom to make things better. Lilly stayed home from school today and my mom came and took care of her. She also made us a meatloaf for dinner! It was just what we needed!

My Sweet Pretty

Lilly gets so tired if me taking pictures of her. She is just so dang cute and I feel like miss so much. I just want to remember everything!

How do you keep a Pook busy?

Same way you keep an Owen busy!

How to keep an Owen busy...

Have him pump up an exercise ball! Hours of fun!

This cracked me up something fierce!!!

CLEVELAND (AP) - An Ohio woman dubbed the "cleaning fairy" after she broke into a home, cleaned it and left a $75 bill has been put on probation for one year.

A judge sentenced 53-year-old Susan Warren of Elyria (eh-LEER'-ee-uh) on Monday in Cleveland on her guilty plea to attempted burglary. She also must do 20 hours of community service.

The woman told authorities she was driving by the Westlake house and "wanted something to do." She broke in, washed some coffee cups, took out the trash, vacuumed and dusted inside the house. Then she left a bill written on a napkin and included her phone number.

Warren says she owns a cleaning business and sometimes enters homes, cleans them and leaves a bill.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Church Memories

We have had two weekends full of rehearsals, and they have definitely paid off! I am so excited and proud of the kids for all their hard work.
Lilly and Owen did not need to be at the rehearsal today but came along anyway. They played with some of the other siblings that tagged along. I know they had a blast! The church was empty and it was just us there. So my kiddos and their little friends had full reign of the empty church! I know the had so much fun. They were playing hide and seek and exploring all over. I am so thankful for these days and the memories we are making.

I am so excited! I don't have to get the elf on the shelf out this year! We can just move Teddy around!!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was wonderful this year as it always is. Our day started with Lilly wakening everyone super early to watch the Macy's day parade! Lilly is very mindful of traditions and loves to do the same things each year. After the parade and slowly enjoying some of my favorite beverage we got a phone call from Teddy. He was so concerned that I did not tell him I was In New York..... he said he saw Kermit and me flying over the city. After reassuring the little guy I was indeed at home we ventured all the way up the street to my parents for a wonderful dinner! We love being with family and would love it even more if we could move Wyoming, Montana and eastern Colorado so our family in Kansas and Idaho could join us.
I have been sick like really grossly sick. That's why it's taken so long to write my Thanksgiving post. Today was the first day that I have felt better. We went to church tonight and then to dinner with some friends and I think it was to much... I have rehearsal with the kids tomorrow so I am praying I just get a good nights sleep. I have been on an antibiotic since Tuesday so one would think I would be better by now.
Enough blogging of me being sick!
I love and adore my family and could not be more thankful for the strange....quirky....wired.....that we all are!!!! We are so blessed to have so much love!

Target

I will No longer shop at Target ever! I used to love wondering around Target. I love the quality if their clothing and enjoy the groceries. However a few weeks ago I grabbed the kids for a quick lunchtime shopping trip, all was well until we went to checked out and I kid you not they had only four cashiers. The lines were all backed up and there was management standing around trying to figure out what to do. I'll tell you what to do get on a register and start checking people out.
So we actually spent about fifteen minutes in the store and almost twenty five minutes in line before I just had to leave my cart and head out.
Today I broke my cell phone case. Easy enough. I walked in walked back picked a case out went to get in line walked right up to the cashier and she rang my case...... And then it was the wrong price. Like a ten dollar difference. So the cashier turned on her little light and we waited.....and waited and now the line was huge so I left. No case..
No more target EVER!!!

No TV

So a couple of years ago Gary and I went through a program called Break Free. And it was life changing for us as individuals as well as husband and wife. One thing that really grabbed me was the amount of TV and Internet we fill our home with. Years ago I would turn that TV on with out even second guessing, from the moment we got up to the moment we went to sleep. We would even let the kids sit and watch TV. It was shameful and disgusting I think one of the ugliest thing we as parents do is let our kids sit and zone in front of TV. I was at the home of a friend of a friend and her kid was screaming because her show went off. That is scary. I will even say when TV starts to take the time of worship we know we are allowing idol in our homes.
Now I don't want anyone to think we don't watch TV or movies because we do. This weekend we did a ton of Christmas crafts and we had Christmas movies on all day.
When Gary and I decided our home was a place of worship and loving God we also decided to limit TV as well as what the kids are seeing. It's been about two years now and we don't even miss it.
One if my very favorite times if day is when I am making dinner. Usually the kids are "helping" me or they are at the table doing homework or coloring. We have long dinners here at the Haynes house usually an hour and a half. After everyone is done eating we do our family devotion Followed by our nightly chores baths prayer and bedtime. We are on our second devotion book and it has been an amazing time for our family. Praying everyone will just unplug and focus on God and family!

My Unique Lilly

Lilly is an incredibly healthy eater. When I make her lunch I give her lots of dippable veggies and a half sandwich. If I don't I open her lunch box and see she had left stuff behind. When we go out to dinner she will usually order a salad with ranch and water! I love it and hope this lasts! I don't want her to have my fat genes!!

Girls Day

Lilly and I had a girls day! Mostly at church and rehearsals fir the musical. I adored my Lilly Grace she is so much fun. This is a picture of us in the coffee shop at church just being silly.

Wonderful Day

Our Christmas tree has been putrid the last several years. Our ornaments have moved several times and have been broken. So today we made some new decorations for our tree! I have never been a fan of matchy matchy trees. I love pulling a decoration out if the Christmas box and saying remember when! Hopefully one day when my kids are
grown and be able to remember when! I did learn a valuable lesson today. And that is I swear I will never ever use glitter again! Here are some of our creations. These will look great on our tree and around our home! Also I was thinking great teacher gifts!
Can't wait until we put up our tree next weekend!

Owen and Willie and a strange head that snuck in the picture

Yep 2:00 am Tossing and Turning

I am once again awake. Checking the news as soon as I woke. I just have a sick feeling.
Israel.. If you are not paying attention to Israel you should be.

Praying early this morning for the peace of Jerusalem!
"May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!" - Psalm 122:6-7

Fruit I Mean Veggies of Our Labor

It's that time of year when all our veggies start looking gross at the store. So I have prepared by buying some of our favorites and chopping them up and freezing them. Lilly is an amazing little helper! She insisted on chopping an onion! :) we have five one gallon freezer bags full of, green,yellow,red and orange peppers along with six chopped red onions and twelve yellow onions! And my favorited four acorn squash!
Bring on the snow I am ready!!

Very Nice DMB

I needed some good news for today after starting my day at 4:45 and stopping at 9:30. I wonder if I will sleep tonight?
Any way I do love me some DMB and they did a great thing today by pledging $1 million dollars to the hurricane sandy relief fund.
Oh how I remember the days of listening to Dave sing....and Sarah hailing taxies and that Jamaican guy. And who could forget the trip to the zoo, with Lance and Gary! And me listening to my poor husband throw up because he is super allergic to the "fumes" at DMB concerts. We vowed never to go to another Dave Matthews Band concert again unless it was outside! Oh the memories!

Ugg

So I am super nervous about tomorrow. We as in my center are going to have our yearly "surprise audit." You would think if its a surprise I should not know about it, however because my manager is in the last manager meeting of the year and I am opening it will more than likely happen tomorrow. If we get bypassed we won't have an audit until next year. Any way I have a million and one things going through my head.
I have mega problems sleeping add this stress to my head and I am doomed for a long night of tossing and turning.
I am also praying for Gary. I think this night shift stuff is starting to wear on us both. Gary has been pretty amazing about literally getting about four to five hours of sleep during the day for this entire year. He loves his job and received a huge promotion. I am really proud and so thankful for all of his hard work he really has been pretty amazing. During this year he had to step aside from the security team at church. I know he was heartbroken. Gary would never come out and say that but I know stepping aside from ministry was definitely not what he wanted to do. I have been praying for other opportunities to come up for Gary. We are so thankful for the blessings of his currant company. They are honorable, fair and provide excellent pay and insurance. It's just the hours. I am leaving for work when he comes home and going to bed when he is off to work. I do think we have both done really good at managing our home with these hours, but I am tired and so is he. Hopefully this new year will bring day hours back for my poor husband.
Well that's all I got. I am going to pray and try really hard to rest! I sure wish Jesus would just come and get us and take us home! I am ready for eternal rest and heavenly coffee!

Me and The Owen

I love Owen, he and I had a great day. Even if he had a cavity at the dentist!

Thanking my Favorite Veterans

I have always been so proud of being an Air Force Brat! I have said it time and time again some of my favorite memories are of my dad in uniform. Especially during a water fight! Only Teddy will get that! And one of my saddest day was the day my dad put on civilian cloths after he retired.
I thought for sure I would marry a nice man in blue and silver instead I married a very cute blue eyed Army boy who I could not love and adore more!
I have enormous respect for our Veterans who have served our country without embellishing their duty. It's an honor to love my special Vets I am proud and thankful for all they have sacrificed.
I am so thankful for my friend Matt Pratt for his sacrifice to our country and am so excited that he is home safe and awaiting the arrival of little Pratt Pratt!
I am so incredibly proud and thankful for my little brother who is still serving honorably, we are blessed beyond words to have Teddy home and safe. He is my little hero!
Special prayers go out today to all who have served our country. We are so thankful for your service.

Yes Another Sleep Post

Yup can't sleep again.....But it's because I get to lead worship in the morning so I am just over excited!
The feeling of singing to Jesus is like non other. Seriously I am happy to sing in the congregation and honor The Lord with music off the platform but it is something truly special when you look out and see hundreds of people in worship.
I live for those moments when our hearts are all fixed on Jesus and you can feel the Holy Spirit surrounding every voice and heart!
I pray that everyone gets to experience that relationship with Christ as I have. I pray that my family and friends loose the things of this world and place your hearts and convictions in Jesus. I beg The Lord to come now for His Church. I want that rest in Jesus and everlasting worship! With Everything for eternity!

Our commitment to Israel was penned by the Psalmist so long ago in Psalm 102:13: "You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come." This is that day.