Night at Grandma & Pop's House! Ahhhh!

I recently read a quote that went something like this, although I've customized it a bit...

If your boys are beautiful and perfect, never cry or whine, always mind their manners, are amazing geniuses and behave 'perfect', then you're the grandma!

On Monday night, my mom and dad kept Jackson, Isaac and Tyler overnight so that Kevin and I could have some time to relax and have dinner out! It was so very much looked forward to on our part! The night didn't go exactly as we had anticipated, but it still was a very enjoyable time and so nice to be able to catch up with each other over a nice dinner without counting how many more bites needed to be eaten in order to have a bedtime snack.

The boys had a wonderful time at Grandma and Pop's house! I don't even want to know how much candy they consumed, how much tv they watched or how late they stayed up. I know they were in good hands, and we have the rest of the week to whip them back into shape!

Thanks, Mom & Dad, for keeping the boys and for being the best grandparents in the world! The boys have no idea how blessed they are to have you as their Grandma & Pop!

A Fun Tradition

When Jackson was 1 year old and Isaac was just a few weeks old my BFF, Chrissy, and me started a fun tradition with our families ... each year at Christmastime we ride the Santa Train together at the Strasburg Railroad. Thanks to Jimmy being a member of the Lion's Club, we are able to go by donating canned goods for a local food bank. This was our 6th year of doing this fun tradition, which our children have come to eagerly anticipate!

Here are some pics from the train:

Wubba's 1'st ride on the Strasburg Railroad!

Our gang! And, quite a gang it is! In back (L to R): Riley and Parker, In front (L to R): JD, Jackson, Ty & Isaac.

This pose was a remake of a pose taken several years ago when the boys were so much smaller. Although I don't have the earlier pic to post, it is fun for us to see how they've grown. It reminds me to cherish each day with them while they are little because time flies by so quickly!

My lovebirds! Not so happy to be posing, that is for sure!

Me and my honey! Oh, how I love him!

Tyler and the jolly red guy! On the way to the railroad Ty asked me how old I think Santa is. I replied that I really don't know, but that I'm sure he is old. Ty said he is sure that Santa is ... 45 years old! That's really old, huh, Mom? I swallowed hard and agreed ... with a smile on my face ...

This year we decided to make a day out of the tradition and went back to Chrissy's & Jimmy's house for lunch and some Christmas fun! I made 2 cute Christmas ornaments with the kids ...

... and Chrissy decorated and baked sandtarts with them ...

Tyler and Riley decorating their sandtarts!

Jackson was so neat and precise as he decorated his cookies.

My tray of sandtarts. Believe it or not, I never remember decorating sandtarts, ever. I did have fun decorating them! Perhaps I'll add them to my baking list next year.

My BFF Chrissy and her adorable, sweet daughter, Riley. I am so thankful to have a friend like Chrissy ... someone I can share anything and everything with! She is one of God's little gifts to me and I cherish our friendship! I also love that our children are so close now, too.

I hope that you will enjoy time with friends this holiday season!

The week of crashes

Well, what a week it has been!

On Monday Kevin's Dad nearly cut off 4 of his fingers as a table saw he was working on "crashed" into his hand, or should I say his hand "crashed" into the saw. He had surgery later that day and at this point his fingers are all still there and the doctor is hopeful he'll be able to keep all 4 of them. He will most likely require another surgery on the index finger, which is the one that was injured most severly. Kevin's dad is such a hard worker. He is officially retired (for the 2nd time, mind you), but volunteers countless hours to a local thrift store which benefits some Mennonite ministries. He has such a gift to construct and do anything handy, which is what he was doing when this accident happened. I so greatly appreciate his work ethic, wisdom and love for the Lord, and I hope he heals completely and peacefully.

Then on Tuesday, as I was coming home from helping at the boys school, I had a little mishap in the bad weather. We spun out of control and "crashed" the van into a field! Thankfully, we landed in between the 2 telephone poles that were nearby. It was quite scary ... of course my first concern was for Tyler and Parker who were with me. When I looked back at Ty, his eyes got HUGE and he got this big smile on his face and exclaimed very excitedly, "Mom, we just crashed!" He kept that same excitement as he later told his big brothers and Daddy about what happened! And, when I got out to check on Parker, who didn't make a peep, he just looked up at me with his big, bluer-than-the-ocean eyes and smiled his typical beautiful, toothless grin! So, that was a huge relief to say the least! I am so thankful that the Lord was watching over us, because it could have been so much worse.

Then today, to top everything off, I was at the grocery store trying to fly through quickly to get some last minute items that I needed for dinner and baking and I "crashed" my cart smack dab into a lady's butt! Yes, dead center, smack ... right in the butt! She was a grandmotherly type lady. I felt horrible! She so graciously accepted the blame for stopping in the middle of the aisle, but it clearly was my fault ... it is so hard to see over Parker's seat, but I need to be more careful and not be in such a rush!

I'm hoping that we don't have any more "crashes" this week! I'm telling you ... there is NEVER a dull moment around here, and I mean NEVER!

What if?

Do you know what would have happened if it had been "Three Wise Women" instead of "Three Wise Men?" The women would have asked directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, and brought practical gifts!

Amen, sister!

We are Dressed Up!

As Tyler says, "We are dressed up!" What he means is that our house is decorated for Christmas!

There is something so sweet and pure about a child's excitement around Christmas ... all of the lights, sweet treats and family gatherings! I just love this time of year! I especially love the anticipation and excitement that my children experience, and I love spending time with my family, making memories -- which to me is far better than any gift I could receive on Christmas morning!

Here's a little peak at our "dressed up home!"

Here is a wreath I made. I got the idea off of another blogger's site. It was easy to make and was just what was needed to bring some holiday cheer to the door leading out to our deck!

I love to decorate with natural things, like greens and berries!

More greens, which were clipped from our yard and Christmas tree! Cheap decorations!

And, fruits add such nice color! Again, a very inexpensive way to decorate

Our Christmas tree! When we went to pick out our tree, it was dark outside and raining. We didn't take much time ... my personal goal was to find a tree for under $30! When we got home and brought the tree inside, Jackson decided that he didn't like it. He said, "it's too skinny and it looks like an asparagus!" Once we got the lights and decorations on, he changed his mind though. For me, the more bare spots and imperfections the tree has, the better ... I think they add character to the tree! And, this year our tree has it's share of bare spots! But, I achieved my goal ... the cost of the tree ... $29.99!




I just love decorating the tree! I love to look at each ornament and reflect on where it came from or what special meaning each one holds! The white angel ornaments on our tree (above) are particularly special to me because I made them the Christmas of 1993 in memory of Kevin Matthew -- our infant son who was born and died that September. I also love each and every ornament made by my boys! They are one of my most treasured possessions!

A fireplace is meant to curl up in front of ... even if it's a gas fireplace!



I hope you have the opportunity this December to spend time with those you love -- be sure to make some treasured memories -- and thank the Lord for the special people in your life!

Countdown to Christmas

It was the Christmas of 2002. Jackson was nearly 3 months old. My sister wanted to get me something special, since I was a new, doting mom who had fallen hard for this little miracle of a baby that I had given birth to a few months earlier. Knowing that I was (and am!) very sentimental and a big fan of tradition, my sister found the perfect gift for me ... a Christmas Advent Box that I could use with Jackson and any other little Hostetter children that came along after him. In addition to the Advent Box, my sister also gave me a "Twas the Night Before Christmas" book -- the very book that our mom read to us each Christmas Eve before bed when we were little girls!

This advent box is one of the best gifts I've ever received. It makes its big debut every year on December 1st and the boys squeal with delight when they see it! We already have so many cherished -- priceless -- memories involving this special box!

Our typical routine is that when the boys are all in their jammies, they come down and take turns opening the drawer for the night. They always get a note in the drawer with a piece of candy and sometimes a small gift. Some of the highlights for this year have been a Hot Wheel, some gel clings for them to decorate their bathroom mirror, gum, and a tablet/eraser/ruler/pencil set. Typically on the night before Christmas, I put in gold (not just any gold ... but the gold wedding band that my Pa-ee gave to my Ma-ee), frankincense and myrrh and then talk to them about how the wise men brought those gifts to the baby Jesus.

I love making memories with my boys ... and each night in December doing this Advent Box with them, counting down the days until Christmas, is such a special time for me and them!

Signed, sealed, but not yet delivered ...

I know the photo is a little hard to read, so I'll translate ...

"I promise to bring my wife & kids home for Thanksgiving and Christmas each year because I love my Mommy & Daddy"

Just a little contract that we had our boys sign this Thanksgiving! What? You think they didn't understand what they were signing, huh? Well, I assure you ... we explained it quite well to them ... if they wanted to eat turkey, they needed to sign!

Gobble, Gobble!

Take a look at the cute cupcakes that Isaac took to school for his birthday, which happened to fall the day before Thanksgiving this year.

Thanks, Mom, for searching high and low to find the candy corn for me! You are a lifesaver!