Christmas Pics!

Here is our little snow bunny sledding down the hill on Christmas Day! She had a lot of fun with her Daddy sledding and making snow angels today!

Nate Drewry playing the Dance Revolution game on the Wii.

Austin Drewry...what a cutie!

Here is my little man! He was really tired, and he was squinting his eyes!

This is a Red Velvet Peppermint Cake that I made for our Sunday School Christmas Party last Friday evening. It was really good!!! And, the best part was that it was also pretty easy to make.

Merry Christmas!

I hope that you are all having a wonderful Christmas Day! This past week has been so very busy. Let me quickly recap our activities for you. Last Thursday, we had the 962 Christmas Party at the Bridge restaurant here in Anchorage. Friday was a very hectic day as Nathan's office had a potluck lunch and then we had our Sunday School Christmas party that evening. The kids had a fun evening at the church while the adults gathered at the Anderson's house. That was kinda weird because we didn't quite know what to do without all the children running around us. But, we had a lot of fun playing games and socializing without being interrupted by our children for once. Saturday I had a party in the afternoon and then we had to watch the Cowboys play- GO COWBOYS!!! Sunday was our normal day of church activities. Of course, Nathan was on the hook to fly both Saturday and Sunday, and is currently on the hook to fly today and Wednesday as well. So, we decided late on Sunday evening that we needed some Christmas snacks to have around the house. So, Nathan went to the store for me, and then I stayed up until 11pm making Christmas goodies. First, I made rolls and sweet potato casserole for our Christmas dinner. And then I made chocolate fudge, peanut butter fudge, spiced tea mix, party mix and puppy chow. Now, those of you who know me well know that I am not known for my cooking abilities, but I would have to say that everything came out pretty well. OK, so back to our holiday activities. Since Nathan could possibly fly on Christmas Day, we had decided to open presents on Christmas Eve. We expected Brianna to wake us up early, but instead she actually slept later than usual- until after 9am, and so did baby Nate. So, we had a late start, but we managed to tear through all the presents. The kids got so much stuff, between their grandparents and aunts and uncles and mom and dad. I gave Nathan the Nintendo Wii for Christmas this year, and he found out about it early (I'll let him share that story if he wants to). So, he hot me the DANCE DANCE Revolution game that goes with it, along with some boots that I have wanted and some DVD's, CD's and perfume. Anyway, we had the Drewry's over for dinner last night, and we had a good time with them. We even all took a turn on the dance mat. It was quite comical. Some of you may ask who the Drewry's are. Well, Ruth is a friend of mine from high school and college. I actually graduated with her sister Rachel, but through that friendship, Ruth became my friend as well. Anyway, she married an air force guy and they just recently moved up here. So, it was really nice to have a bit of home here for the holidays. They have a son, Austin, who is just a couple of months older than Nate, so it is nice for the kids to play together. Really, Brianna just plays and the boys watch her, but it really works well.

So, here we are on Christmas morning. I got up early and made breakfast for everyone. Nathan has taken Brianna out to go sledding, and the baby is down for his nap. I really like not being so busy on Christmas day. It gives me time to think about Christ and how He came to earth as a little baby so that He could one day die for my sins. I hope and pray that each and every person who reads this post knows the love that the Father has for each one of His children. And, if you don't know that love, it is never too late to experience it. HE is the reason we have Christmas!

COLD!!!

Just so you know, it is really cold here. Really cold. The high for today is ZERO. It is days like today that you just don't want to step out of the house. But of course, today is the day that I have to get important items from the grocery store, like milk. And, of course, the squadron Christmas party is tonight, so not only do I have to go out in the cold, but I have to do so dressed up for a formal event. Some of you may think that I am complaining, and well, I am. It is that bad.

Funny Pics

We took a few pics this weekend of the kids. We thought you might enjoy some of these.

This first one, shows Nathan after he realizes he's being punished for biting his Momma. Of course, he could be doing his best impersonation of Popeye the sailor man. It's adorably pitiful, he's sort of forcing the cry.

This one is Brianna being adorable in front of the Christmas tree.

This is Nathan and his Momma right after a good tickle!!

Brianna playing with her McDonald's toy.

And of course, the two Nathan's, one sleeping very peacefully.

We had a great weekend as a family. We took Brianna to see her first movie in the theater. We went to see "Alvin and the Chipmunks" which was lots of fun. If you ask Brianna what we saw, she will say, "Bow chicka wow wow!" which was her favorite line in the movie!

Thank You Jesus for Snow!

So, every year since we have lived in Alaska, we have tried to take a nice Christmas picture in the snow. This year proved to be a bit of a challenge because we didn't have snow for awhile. Acutally, we have a really good snow toward the end of October, but we didn't get the picture taken then. But then, all the snow melted off, and the temperatures warmed up, we hadn't had any more snow. Until this week. I left Monday morning with the kids to go to Jazzercise, and we opened the garage door, and huge snow flakes were falling, and the ground was finally covered again with snow. Brianna was just elated, because we had been praying for snow, and she said, "Thank you Jesus for the Snow!" It was just too cute. And, when we got to Jazzercise, while I wasn't looking, she grabbed a big chunk of snow off of the ground and started to eat it. When I found her, she just smiled at me with this guilty little grin...it was too cute!

Here is the little cutie!!!

A Sleepless Night

So, last night was one of the craziest nights we have had at our home...ever. Let me start with the fact that Nathan was flying, and I knew he would be gone until the early hours of the morning. So, we usually put the kids to bed at about 8:30, but since Nathan was gone, and Brianna took a late nap, I let her stay up a little bit later. So, by 9:30, we had completed the bedtime routine and Brianna was in her bed, and I was attempting to put Nathan to bed. Then, Brianna comes out of her room and tells me that she is awake now. She did not look one bit tired. I told her she had to go back to bed, and so I took her back to bed. Now, I cannot remember Brianna ever getting out of bed once we put her down, so this was a very unusual thing for her to do. So, back I go to trying to get Nathan to bed, and here comes Brianna again. We repeated this process four times, and she still continued to get out of bed, just as happy as can be. Even the thoughts of getting a spanking (and the actual spanking) did not deter her. I told her she needed to close her eyes and go to sleep, and after she woke up she could come out of her room again. So, she cried, and about 20 minutes later, she came out and told me, "I closed my eyes and now I am awake!" So, of course since she had closed her eyes, she had slept, and it was OK to come out of the room, right? So, here we go again. By this time, it is after 11pm, and no one had gotten to sleep yet. I finally told Brianna to lay in her bed and wait for me while I put Nathan down, and then I would come lay down next to her. By the way, the reason Nathan wouldn't sleep is because he had slept all day because he had a fever, and then his fever finally broke that afternoon, and he was all full of energy again. So, I finally fed the baby, put him in bed- screaming and crying- and then went back to Brianna. She finally fell asleep within just minutes of me being in there with her. I finished cleaning up while I waited on the baby to cry himself to sleep. Then I went and took my shower. By this time, it was after midnight and I was pretty keyed up due to all the activity. So, I sat down to write a few cards and pay a bill and stuff like that. So, 12:30am comes around, and the baby wakes up. Now, normally I would have let him just cry it out, but since he has been sick and it was time for his next dosage of medicine anyway, I went ahead and got him. I was rocking him back to sleep at 1am when Nathan finally came home. I related this story to Nathan as he decompressed after his flight...it always takes him a while to be ready to go to bed after getting off a late flight. Anyway, we went to sleep between 1:30 and 2am. Crazy night, huh? But, it isn't over. I had been sleeping peacefully for about two hours when I hear "Mommy!" right next to me. OK, Brianna had gotten out of bed and walked all the way downstairs in the dark at 4:00 in the morning. So, Nathan grabbed her and put her in bed with us...which I am very against. Not that I expect it to never happen, but our children have never slept in bed with us, not even as infants. So, of course I was getting no sleep. Not that it would have mattered, because 30 minutes later Baby Nate woke up. So, I was laying there in bed with Brianna awake between me and Nathan, Nate upstairs screaming, and I just could not believe the night we were having. So, I picked up Brianna, took her to her bed and told her to sleep the rest of the night there. Then, I went and got the baby, fed him (I honestly think he was just really hungry because he was feeling better and he hadn't eaten well in about four days) and then I finally got back to sleep at about 5am. I actually got three hours of solid sleep before I had to get up for the day. Needless to say, we all took a good nap today! Can you believe how crazy that night was???

Update on Baby Nate

Well, unfortunately, Nate is still a very sick little boy. He came down with a high fever on Sunday afternoon, and has had it ever since. I took him back to the doctor on Monday, and basically he is just sick and we have to let it run its course. The good news is that his ears looked cleared up, but his throat is all yucky but it is not strep. The doctor did have some kind of name for what he has, but I have no idea what it was. He said it would take three to five days to run its course. So, continue to pray for Baby Nate.

Isn't he pitiful? He fell asleep at the table.

Welcome Home Jerome!!!

This past Sunday, my good friend Ginger's husband came home from a fourteen month tour of duty in Iraq. We are so proud of Jerome and the service that he and the rest of the 425 provided for our country, and we are so glad to have them home. We went to Buckner gym where the troops were welcomed home, and I have never been to a welcome home like that. And, I barely made it. They arrived a little early, so even though I was early, I walked in just as they were singing the national anthem. It was very touching to see the 250 men who had been away from their families for so long standing there at attention. A prayer was said, they sang the army song, and then it was chaos as everyone ran to hug their loved ones. It took a little bit for Ginger to spot Jerome, but I tell you I have never seen her move so quickly, and the children were quick to follow. What a special time! Thank you Lord for protecting these men and bringing them home safely to their families once again.

More Doctors Visits & Stuff

So, I guess this is just the time of year for my children to get sick. This time it is Nate. I had to take Brianna in to the doctor for them to check her lungs again, and so I had them check out Nate to because he has been a lot more fussy lately as well as he has had a cough. Come to find out, he has a double ear infection. No wonder he has been so needy lately. So, just as soon as Brianna is off of the medication, Nate is on it. But, despite the ear infections, he is still a really sweet baby- as long as his motrin is still taking effect to kill the pain.

The up side to this is that Nathan is on alert this week. That means that he is home all week unless he gets called in to fly. So, I have an extra set of helping hands around the house. When this happens, we usually make a list of things to try to get done while Nathan is home. The list usually doesn't get done, but we try. This week, we haven't made a list, but we have already gotten our room rearranged and cleaned up. Next, Nathan just needs to finish his master's paper. Only two more chapters...we'll see if that gets done before Christmas!

Thanksgiving Pics

So, I had intended to post these pictures on the last post, but I must have hit a wrong button. Anyway, here they are:

Nate, Nathan and Brianna- notice the Cowboys apparel- Go Cowboys!!!

This is Jadyn, my friend Ginger's daughter. The plate was in front of her, and she didn't have a fork, so what else do you do but just try and eat off of the plate? What a cutie!!!

Baby Nate finally fell asleep! What an adorable little man!!!

Brianna, Jared and Luke playing!

Thanksgiving

I hope that you each had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because I love the history behind it as well as the time spent with family and friends. This year, we spent the day with some friends from church and the squadron. Actually, on Wednesday, we got together with the entire 962nd squadron at the Six Mile Chalet on base for a wonderful time of food, fun and fellowship. One thing I am thankful for is that my husband is a part of a great group of people who are a lot of fun to hang out with and we really have become a big "family away from family". I spent most of Wednesday evening and Thursday morning cooking and then we went to our friends, the Anderson's, to watch the Cowboys play and then eat Thanksgiving Dinner. Of course, for those of you that know us well, know that we are die hard Cowboys fans. So, this was a big event, and I am also thankful that the Cowboys are 10-1 for the first time ever- it made Thanksgiving Day so much more enjoyable. We then enjoyed an eventful dinner. We tried to make it a civilized time, but with seven children and five adults, it never is. Of course, we fed the children first and had them sit at the table in the kitchen. Then, the five of us adults got our plates and sat down to eat. Of course, by this time the children were almost done because they were too excited to eat anyway. Except for Brianna...she wanted to sit with her Dad. So she came and sat on her dad's lap. And, she loves the rolls I made, so she was just stuffing them in her face, which her dad thought was funny, until she gagged on them and threw up all over his plate. I actually laughed, but it was really gross. So, after cleaning that up, the other kids had gone to the playroom, so Kyle had to go monitor that, and Nathan had lost his appetite. So, us ladies- Candance, Ginger and I, just sat there and visited for awhile. And of course, Baby Nate just ate through it all. That kid can eat more than any other ten month old I have ever seen, and he isn't ten months old until the 26th. He really likes stuffing. All in all, it was a fun day. We missed being with our extended families, but having a wonderful family here as well as good friends is a blessing.

A Busy Week

This has just been one of those weeks that has been very busy. We started the week off thinking we were going to have some time to get a few things done around the house because Nathan was on alert, so he didn't have to go into the office. And it was gorgeous outside because we got a bit of snow last weekend. But, of course Nathan got called in on Tuesday, so all our plans were spoiled. Oh well! So, it I just had a lot of things to do this week. I had to decorate a Christmas wreath and a Christmas tree for a wreath auction on base- and then go to the wreath auction. I had to shop for and set up crafts for our MOPS group which was on Friday, as well as prepare a devotional for the group- and attend MOPS on Friday. I had a jewelry party on Friday evening. And then of course there are the daily tasks of laundry, cooking, cleaning and playing with my children. I also have been trying to work out more consistently...so that takes up a little time each day as well. And of course, Brianna's bed had to break this week(it has been damaged several times in different ways- this was just the last straw). So, we were contemplating what to do, and finally just decided that she would get the queen size bed that we already have. We spent this morning (after my pedicure- I needed a break) setting it up and cleaning her room. So, tonight is date night, even though my beloved Sooners are playing, and it is actually on our TV- thank goodness for DVR!!! I have been wanting to go to this fun restaurant down in Anchorage for awhile, so we are heading there this evening, and then who knows what we are going to do. I don't even know if there are any good movies out, but we may see a movie, or go shopping or something. We just need to get out.

We had a really good snow this past week. This is the view from our back porch.
On the way to church last Sunday night, it was snowing and Brianna said, "Look Momma! It's so pretty!" And, it was just absolutely gorgeous with the snow catching the light of the church. I wish I had a picture of that.

Here is Nate with a smile. His dad must have taken this picture, because I surely would not let him climb on the couch like that, at least not without a helping hand right there.

And here is our precious Brianna, straight out of bed. On this particular morning, she was helping her momma make blueberry muffins and scrambled eggs. She is doing well- she hasn't "choked" in a few days. She is still coughing, but I think the medicine is working. Thank you all for your prayers and please continue to pray for her.

Update on Brianna

We heard from the doctor today, and Brianna does have pneumonia. She is now on an antibiotic and breathing treatments, and she will have to be seen again in another ten days. Please continue to pray for her...she is so sweet in spite of all the coughing and "choking". Today, when we gave her the new medicine, she was so excited because we told her it would make her feel better- she even wanted more.

Pic

I am just posting a pic of our family so that I can add one to my profile. I hope this works. As you can tell, this picture was not taken in Alaska. It was taken on our recent vacation to Florida.

Pray for Brianna

Yesterday, I had to take Brianna in to the doctor's office. She has been waking up with very raspy, wheezy breathing, and then sometimes she has started coughing to the point where she starts to throw up lots of flem...she calls this "choking". Anyway, it has persisted for about a week, so I decided it was time to go in to the doctor. So, as we are sitting there, the doctor takes a little extra time listening to her lungs, and then tells me that we need to send her to get chest x-rays because he is concerned that she may have pneumonia. OK- so the doctor did a good job of freaking out mom. Anyway, we went to get the chest x-ray, and I couldn't even go in there with her because I had Nate with me to. But, the techs said that she did a great job letting them taking pictures of her insides. This was very cool to a two year old. So, back to the doctor's office, and good news, her lungs were pretty clear. He said there was one spot that the radiologist was going to check out, but other than that, they were clear. So, that means that Brianna just has some sort of respiratory problem (the doctor had a name for it, but I can't remember it). Basically, it is a step below asthma, because she is too young to diagnose that yet. So, we are doing breathing treatments four times a day right now. Pray that Brianna does well with this and that she doesn't "choke" anymore, and that the radiologist will not find anything too concerning, but if he does that we would have wisdom and patience in dealing with it.

Church at Home

This week, we woke up Sunday morning with three out of the four of us feeling a little under the weather. So, we decided to have church at home. We sang some songs, which is really different with toddlers. Jesus Loves Me, I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in my Heart and other children's songs are favorites with Brianna, so that is what we sang. Then for our Bible lesson, we read the story of Ruth. Now, we chose this because we knew it would hold Brianna's attention because her middle name is Ruth (especially when you change all the pronouns to Ruth!). But, I also LOVE the story of Ruth. Three things stick out to me about this extraordinary woman. First, her faithfulness.

"But Ruth said, 'Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me." Ruth 1:16-17

WOW! How hard would that be? To be given the chance to go home to all that is familiar, but instead beg to move on with your mother-in-law with no hope of having another husband. Ruth basically gave her life over to Naomi. But, reading the rest of the story, we know that she was really giving her life over to the Lord and His plan for her life.

The second thing that I admire about Ruth is her industry. Ruth took the initiative to go seek out work to provide for herself and for Naomi. And, my understanding is that the gathering of wheat and preparing it is not an easy task.

"And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, 'Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor.' And she (Naomi) said to her, 'Go my daughter.' " Ruth 2:2

The third thing is Ruth's obedience to Naomi, and ultimately to the Lord.

"Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, 'My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you? Now is not Boaz our kinsman, with whose maids you were? Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight. Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. It shall be when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies, and you shall go and uncover his feet and lie down; then he will tell you what you should do.' She (Ruth) said to her, 'All that you say I will do." Ruth 3:1-5

You know, I think I would find it a little difficult to do something like that. But, I find this to be a great encouragement to be obedient to the Lord, no matter what the circumstances. Sometimes life just does not make a lot of sense, or we just don't like what is happening. But, when we surrender ourselves to God's plan, we will be blessed beyond our own comprehension.

"So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went to her. And the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son." Ruth 4:13

And, we know that it is through this lineage that King David was born, and through his lineage, Christ our Savior was born. What a blessing!

So, we named our little girl Brianna Ruth. Together, those names mean strong, faithful friend. My grandmother's name is Ruth, and she is one of the most godly, faithful women that I know. She is an incredible blessing not only to my life, but to the lives of everyone she meets. We pray that our Brianna Ruth will be a strong, faithful friend and that she will be, in some way, like her great-grandmother. This picture was taken on our vacation this summer at the beach at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, FL.

My Wits End

OK, so if anyone has any advice, I need it. My nine month old son doesn't sleep very much, therefore I don't sleep very much. He stays up until about ten in the evening and is up at six in the morning, and he doesn't really nap during the day. I put him in bed for a nap in the morning, and he will sleep for about 15 minutes or so (if I am lucky, 3o) and that is it. His afternoon nap has seemed to just vanish. I am about at my wits end with this because I need some more sleep. I have tried just letting him cry it out, and that doesn't seem to bother him near as much as it bothers me. He will just cry and cry and cry. I was praying about it tonight, and the only thing that came to my mind was to meet his need, whatever it may be. So, after letting him cry for awhile (during this time was when I was praying what to do), I went and got him, and after another 20 minutes of soothing him, he finally went to sleep. So, any advice???

A Challenging Week

This has been a particularly challenging week for me. For one thing, Nathan has been working extra hours this week getting ready for exercises during the next couple of weeks at work. That means that I have been with my children pretty much all day every day, without any breaks. Brianna especially has missed her time with her daddy, even to the point where she was crying yesterday asking to call her daddy to have him come home. So, today, when Nathan had to go into the office this morning, no one, including him, was to thrilled about it. But, he came home just in time to put Brianna down for nap, and let me go grocery shopping without two children (all you moms out there know how much of a blessing this is). Then, this evening we got to go out as a family, and well, I got to do a little retail therapy. I think everything I bought was on sale. :)

Anyway, all of this just makes me appreciate every minute we do have together as a family. I guess because my husband is in the military, I often contemplate what I would do if anything ever happened to him. And I know that the Lord could choose to take him, my children or myself home to Him at any time. I also know that the Lord has a plan for us, and whatever happens is His plan for my life. I say all this to make the point that even through all of the frustrating moments this past week, I am so thankful for my children and all the time we were allowed to spend together this week. Even when Brianna had to do everything by herself and I was running late, or Nate just wanted to have me hold him, so I didn't get my house cleaned, I had to stop myself and tell myself that they are the priority, they are what my "job" is, and the moments that I take to train them and love on them is the most important way I can spend my time. And then it is totally worth it when Brianna crawls in my lap and tells me that she loves me, or when Nate gives me one of his huge smiles.

So, the next two weeks Nathan will be working even more than he did this past week. I pray that I can keep the proper perspective during this challenging month. I am sure that there are going to be many laughs and smiles to keep me going.

My Family

So, this is my family. We live in Alaska right now because my husband is in the Air Force. This picture was taken at Portage Glacier, which is just a little south of Anchorage. It is usually a pretty nice hike, but it was a little rainy on this particular day. But, we still had fun.

Like I said, my husband Nathan is in the Air Force. He just promoted to Major a couple of months ago, and he is only two chapters away from having his master's degree completed. I am so proud of him for all the hard work he puts in just doing his job and providing for us. He is a pilot, he loves fishing, and most importantly, he loves the Dallas Cowboys.

Brianna is our most precious little girl. She is two years old (twenty-nine months) and she is trying my patience at this very moment. Even so, she is such a sweet heart, and most of the time she really is just trying to help. She is at the stage where she wants to do everything herself, without any help. Now, I know that this is good for her to learn to do these things, but it makes everything I do take twice as long. I am sure that she will be the subject of many posts.

And finally, Baby Nate is my little man. He is so cute and fun right now. He is nine months old, and he is changing every day. His latest accomplishment is waving hello and clapping his hands. He is definitely getting a little personality, and his smile can light up the room.

So, about me. Well, I just keep up with the rest of the family. I work out almost every day (for my own sanity), I am involved in spouse's groups on base, MOPS at church, and I have a home based business selling Premier Designs Jewelry (again, to give me a little time for my own sanity). I am a huge OU football fan (Go Sooners!!!), much to my husband's dismay (he is from Texas). But, I also love the Dallas Cowboys, so we have some common ground there.

My First Blog

So, I guess I am going to jump into this blogging thing. I have thought about doing this for some time, but didn't really know why I would do it, other than it seems kind of fun. But, a couple of weeks ago in church I was convicted to do more to share the love of Christ with others. The emphasis that day was on world hunger, and they really meant feeding the poor and less fortunate. So, here is my list to help feed others physically:

• Make four Christmas boxes for Operation Christmas Child (one representing each member of our family)
• Buy some stuffing to donate to the local food shelter for the Thanksgiving baskets
• Keep our change to give to the World Hunger Offering
• Clean out our garage and crawl space and donate a bunch of stuff to the Salvation Army or Bargain Shop on base.
  

But, we also need to feed others spiritually. So, after much procrastination I decided that I would start this blog so that I can hopefully be an encouragement to others. I don't know if I will be any more of an encouragement than anyone else could be, but hopefully I can touch a few lives through this endeavor. Of course, there are the added benefits of getting to share with everyone what my husband and my children are doing (I will be posting pictures as soon as I figure out how) and getting to hear back from family, friends and strangers too. My prayer is that all who read this will be encouraged in the Lord.