Thanksgiving Celebration

On Thursday we packed up and set off for Grandma's (my parents house).


My brother, Jay and his family were there too.

All 6 cousins had a good time catching up and playing together and we enjoyed each others company as well as some good food!








Since we have 6 kids between us (all under 7), we try to have some "activities" planned.
This year the kids made pilgrim cookies. They had a good time assembling all the yummy ingredients.









Pilgrim Hat Cookies!










They enjoyed eating them too!



We also had a gift draw among all 8 cousins. Tonya had purchased wooden toys for each of the kids.




Then each one got to paint the toy for the person they drew. They had a good time painting and it was a nice activity to keep them busy!











We had a great time with Family and are very Thankful for each one of them.

Happy Thanksgiving

It is frustrating how our society seems to skip over Thanksgiving. Already stores have their Christmas decorations out and even our town lights have been lit this week. I understand wanting to put them up while the weather is warm, but do they have to be lit yet?

Why don't we take time to be Thankful. It seems to me that we, as a society, just skip over Thanksgiving.

So today I'll share with you what the Adkins family is Thankful for.

Eli says he is thankful for Nathaniel and "you" (momma).

Nathaniel is thankful for Maddie (and thinks that everybody should be)

Ronnie is thankful for the sun (it's not out today, but he's still thankful)

Maddie seems to be very thankful for momma (at least she lets everyone within a mile radius know when I have left her sight).

Ron is thankful for "you (that's his wife), my kids, my churches and I'm thankful that my brother is some better".

I am thankful for my Amazing Husband who loves me unconditionally and for my 3 very crazy and rambunctious boys and my cute baby girl. I'm thankful for our health and all that God has Blessed us with. Most importantly I'm thankful for Jesus. I'm thankful that I have a personal relationship with Him and that He is with me Always.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Jesus Knocking

I received the following story in an email yesterday and thought it was so cute. A good reminder of the innocence of children and how we should all be a little more childlike.

A nurse on the pediatric ward, before listening to the little ones chests,
would plug the stethoscope into their ears and let them listen to their
own hearts. Their eyes would always light up with awe, but she never
got a response equal to four-year old David's comment:

Gently she tucked the stethoscope into his ears and placed the disk
over his heart. 'Listen', she said...........'What do you suppose that is?'

He drew his eyebrows together in a puzzled line and looked up as if
lost in the mystery of the strange tap – tap – tapping deep in his chest.

Then his face broke out in a wondrous grin and he asked,
'Is that Jesus knocking on my door?

Missionary Visit

We had a very busy weekend. Molly Treiber from the Evangelical Church Mission came to our house on Friday evening. The boys love having company and it didn't take long for them to warm up to her and begin asking her to read to them and play games.

Molly is a Missionary in Bolivia. We had never met her before but we discovered throughout the weekend that we had many friends in common.

As you know Molly was here for the Biggest Buckeye Game of the Year! So when she asked what colors not to wear, we suggested that Red would be the best thing for her. She fit right in with all of us crazy Buckeyes! The kids just loved having her here.

The boys liked her Bolivia pictures, especially the picture of the sloth.

On Saturday evening we had a pizza party and get to know our missionary with both churches, so by the time Sunday came and both services and a noon meal were over we were all pretty tired.

I love that the boys can get to know many Missionaries. Eli cried when Molly had to go. I told him that maybe one day he could go to Bolivia. Maybe Jesus will call him to be a Missionary too.

As I mentioned we were all pretty tired!

But it was a great weekend and we now have a new friend. Thanks for coming Molly!

Go Buckeyes!

O-H-I-O

Daddy's so excited to have his "little O", he doesn't mind helping her for a few years!

There are days...

There are days that I just can't wait for bedtime, not mine, but the kids. I know I should cherish every moment with them, but there are just some days when I would like some quiet. It seems that with 4 kids in the house there is lots of noise, chaos and just constant something going on. A friend reminded me last week how quickly these days pass. I know that there will come a day when I wish for the noise and even some (or all) of the chaos.

My mom reminds me, often, "This Too Shall Pass". I know my kids are growing up. I know I won't have them in my arms, or even under our roof for long. Everyone always says, "they grow up so fast".

So my prayer is this, "Jesus, Help me to love each minute I have with my children and make each moment count. Help me to make memories that will last a lifetime."

Do you cherish every minute with your kids or do you long for bedtime?

She's an ADKINS

There were several guesses by email and on the comments as to who our little girl favors. And most who guessed were correct. Those big cheeks are Eli, the Buckeye is Nathaniel and the little guy in the sink is Ronnie. So I guess nothing was really accomplished through all this. Maddie still looks like her brothers and is for sure an Adkins. There is no denying her family. Here are a couple more pictures for you to check out. These are as close to 6 months as I could find of Ron and I. We were so cute! I can't figure out how to scan and then crop them, sorry!

A year with JESUS

November 18 is a BIG day in our family. Today we celebrate Ronnie's 1 year birthday of asking Jesus into his heart!

We are making a big day of it. He had to go to school, but we sent cookies along so he could celebrate with his class (what better way to teach him to share his faith). We are also going to dinner tonight and I plan to read him some emails from many of you. Last year when he accepted Jesus, Ron and I were so excited we sent out a huge email to everyone to tell them how excited we were that our little man had asked Jesus to come into his heart. Many of you responded with words that Ronnie will enjoy reading one day.


So today is a celebration in our home. The boys were a little confused this morning when I began singing to Ronnie, "Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You, A whole Year with Jesus, Happy Birthday to YOU!


We were super excited last year and even more again as we celebrate.


On Nov. 18th last year, Daddy and Ronnie made this special sign and today Ronnie took it to share and sing with his class (Another great reason for Christian Education).

We love you so much Ronnie and we are so glad you are a part of Jesus' Family, a CHRISTIAN!

Guess Who!

We keep wondering who Maddie will favor. If she will have her own look or look more like one of her brothers. So I have a little challenge for you. The above picture is Maddie at 6 months (now). Below are pictures of all 3 brothers at about 6 months. Can you tell which one is which? And who do you think she favors?

There's no prize for guessing correctly, it's just the honor of knowing you know my kids! I'm anxious to see if you can figure it out. I'll fill you in next week!

Thank You

Thank you Veterans! Today is the day we honor you! The boys school had a Veterans Program today to honor all our Veterans.

Nathaniel's class did the pledges to the American Flag, Christian Flag and the Bible. They were so cute. There are only 4 of them and Nathaniel held the Christian Flag. The 4 of them, did all 3 pledges by themselves. They were great!

Ronnie's class did a Poem entitled, "The Soldier".

T is for the tremendous courage you demonstrate

H is for the hope you give to all mankind

E is for your endless endurance

S is for your self-sacrifice

O is for the obstacle you overcame

L is for your loyalty to our country

D is for your desire that all men have the right to be free

I is for your immeasurable bravery

E is for your everlasting faithfulness to complete the task before you

R is for your resolve and willingness to take responsibility

Thank you Soldiers for all you have given to us and to this Great Country! We salute you!

"NOT" My Calling

I am convinced without a doubt that my calling is not to be a single parent or to be single at all. Ron left yesterday for a trip to Chicago and I am missing him. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids so much, but I just love them more when daddy is around too. We've done pretty good here the last 24 hours, but I'm counting down the hours till he gets home (6 hours 10 minutes, approximately).

It seems like everything we do, we miss him. It's obvious that Ron is gone when...

* I am watching the Hallmark channel movie on Sunday afternoon, instead of NFL Football

*The boys want to invite a friend to play football, instead of just asking me (daddy would have been out there with them, thankfully Maddie was my excuse on that one).

*His place is empty at the table

*His side of the bed is not warm

*I can't fall asleep until midnight and every sound in the house is magnified

*I don't make a pot of coffee in the morning (and I actually miss making it)

*After a trip to the store, I have to keep Eli entertained and Maddie calm while bringing in groceries (all the way from the garage up 3 steps to the kitchen - it didn't seem like that long of a walk yesterday)

* We get done with lunch a little early and Eli has no one to wrestle


There are lots of other signs that things just aren't the same around here.


We miss you and love you Ronald Lee (a.k.a. Daddy)

Fun Times

Our Farmer church does Operation Christmas Child. What we do is have people sign up to take the kids of the church and fill a shoebox for a child that age. It is fun and is a good way for our congregation to get together with the kids.

Our boys went last year with the Ruffers and then out for Pizza. So they were excited to hear the Ruffers were taking them again. This time they had their grandson, Brayden too.

So 4 boys from 2 to 6 yrs. Wow, you would think they were gluttons for punishment. As you can tell from the picture below they had a great time. They went to Dollar General and filled their boxes in no time and then went off to Pizza Hut too. Fun times - that I'm sure the boys will NOT soon forget.

Big Plans

Our Family is perhaps, once again, going through a change. That dreaded word, CHANGE! I'll try to explain and in doing so, would ask for your prayers!

Ron is finished writing his thesis. Therefore he has nearly completed his Masters of Sacred Theology from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus. He will have to take comprehensive exams in the spring with a May Graduation.

He has begun applying for PhD work. He has visited a couple of schools and has another one planned for this coming week.

We really don't know what the future holds. Ron would love to complete his Doctorate and then teach.

The not knowing scares me, but Praise the Lord we know the one who controls the universe! My Grandma Hornish says, "when God is in your plans, PLAN BIG!

So we are prepared for Big Things and trusting Jesus for our future!

Professional

If you've read this blog before, you know I love to take pictures of my kids. Well today it was way past time to get some professional pictures of Maddie. With the boys I had gotten 3, 6 and 9 month pictures done. So today we headed off to get Maddie's 6 months pictures. But of course, I didn't get them today, so I had to take some of my own.

Except for the lighting and backgrounds, I think I might have gotten better pictures! Although it's hard to get bad ones of this little cutie!

Applesauce

I did it, I made applesauce today. If you've made it before you are probably thinking, big deal. But this was my first attempt and I did it! I canned 5 quarts and 6 pints (I ran out of quart jars). Then there was just enough left to give everybody a spoonful at supper. They loved it, even Maddie. So not only did I make applesauce, I made applesauce that everyone likes!!

Below are some pictures of the final stages. I started during nap time this afternoon. Maddie of course decided she would take and extra short nap today, but she was content to play in the kitchen. Eli was excited to help and I wasn't quite done when the boys got off the bus, so they helped out a little too!

Have You Read It?

I recently read the book, The Shack, by Wm Paul Young. Have you read it? I guess there is quite a bit of controversy about the book. I actually enjoyed it.

If you haven't read it, it is a novel that gets into deep issues of the Trinity, and discusses the 3 in 1. I think the author does a great job of answering some tough theological questions.

By my analysis of it, you might think it is a very "heady" book, but in fact it is a very easy read and it captures your attention.

I think in reading this book, it is important to remember it is a novel, but I don't think that it should be taken as impossibility either.

I guess you will just have to read it. I'd love to hear what you think.

My First Buy

Recently I was in Wal-Mart and found this adorable dress that was Maddie's size. It also happened to be on clearance, gotta love that. The clearance price was so good ($4) that I bought one for Maddie and one for Lucy (my niece in Arua, who I will see very soon). So they have matching dresses.

Yesterday I just couldn't wait for Lucy any longer. Maddie wore her great buy. She was so cute. Mostly because she's just cute, but partly because I found a great buy.

I'm trying to remember for sure, but I think this is the first dress I have bought for our little gal. She has been supplied by many friends and family with clothes and Ron says she has more clothes than any girl should be allowed.

I just think she's cute.

She's teething a little, can you tell?

We do it Different

We don't celebrate Halloween the way it is traditionally celebrated in our society. We don't do costumes and trick or treat, we don't even hand out candy. For the last few years we have begun a tradition where we read the story of Martin Luther. We talk about the Reformation and the beginning of the Protestant Movement. It is important to both Ron and I that the boys understand their Church History.

To put it simply we don't participate in the evil of this "holiday". Society has made this a very perverse and horrible thing. I made the mistake of going to Wal-mart on Saturday and I'm just very thankful that I only had Maddie with me. Some of the costumes I saw were just plain evil.

Why would we allow our children to participate in that type of behavior? We do not condemn those of you who participate, we just choose to celebrate differently!