Operation Christmas Child 2013

Yesterday, we went shopping to fill our Operation Christmas Child boxes. It was so much fun filling our boxes and finding just the right gifts to put in them.  My sister, grandpa, mom, daughter, and I went out in the morning, and then Hubs, Baby Girl and I went back in the evening for Hub's box.  

I am overflowing with thankfulness and love and will cherish this memory! 

I wanted to find a little stuffed animal doggie for my box (for a little girl my daugther's age) because Baby Girl loves dogs SO much. I was disappointed in the lack of stuffed animals and prayed while I searched the toy aisles.  I started looking at some small Disney stuffed toys of Mickey, Minnie, etc. when I came across Lady the dog.  At first, I just thought, "Oh, this is so cute. Baby Girl would love this." Then, it hit me like a ton of bricks that this was the dog for my girl box! 

Later that night, one of the main things Hubs wanted was a soccer ball for his boy box because on all of the mission trips and countries he's been to, they always play soccer.  Low and behold there were smaller, real soccer balls that fit perfectly in his box! 

Hearing why everyone picked out what they picked was so encouraging and eye-opening. My mom picked an entire outfit from underwear and socks to a dress and shoes for her boxes. She chose this because as a child, one of her older brothers bought her an entire outfit when her dad died (she was a child at the time), which meant so much to her. I forgot about that story, but as soon as she said it, I remembered her sharing it before. She can still tell you exactly what that outfit and shoes looked like because they meant so much to her.  

I was so glad that my sister and grandpa came too.  Seeing their joy and giving.  My grandma passed away on Sept. 8th. So it's a blessing to include my grandpa in new memories. He told me several times that this was one of the biggest blessings that he's been a part of.  My sister has two boys but filled her box with tons of girlie Hello Kitty items.  It was busting with goodies. When I asked her why she chose a girl box, she said she rarely gets to buy girl things besides for Baby Girl and a sweet neighbor girl.  And she went all out girl style. And in her letter, she reminded the sweet child who will receive her box just how SPECIAL she is to God. 

The whole experience was so touching. 

I think I'm most blessed because I've been reading Franklin Graham's book about OCC. He wrote the book because they're celebrating 20 years and over 100 Million boxes delivered!! This book is filled with amazing, only God could do that, stories....from the receivers, to givers, to distribution planners, to how OCC came to be, to the importance of the logo, to those who follow up with the children and do Bible studies with them.  It's truly ALL God at work through His children.  I wish I could share every story with you. 

I recently prayed that God would use me for what He's doing.  I have no doubt that He put this book in my hand (and that prayer in my heart).  What a blessing to get to be a part of this amazing ministry! I would love to share this book with EVERYONE who wants to read it.  The good news is that it's on sale at LifeWay right now. 

http://www.lifeway.com/Product/operation-christmas-child-P005540523?intcmp=LWMain-Best4-OperationChristmasChild-20131104

"Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer." (Ps. 66:20)

p.s. I know a lot of friends already fill boxes for themselves or with their children. But if you're interested or this is the first time you've heard of Operation Christmas Child, check out www.samaritanspurse.org for all the details of how to fill a shoebox for a child. The children who receive these boxes are so grateful. For many, this is the first gift they've ever received. And with every shoe box, the child learns of the love of Jesus Christ. 

Also, it's not too late to fill a box for 2013. National Collection Week is Nov. 18-25, 2013. You can find where to drop off your box on their website as well.

24 Years of Service

We're so proud of Hubs' dad. Today is Papa Dan's last day serving as a fire fighter after 24 years of service.

Papa Dan is a name he received from the fire house. And it seems to be a pretty good reference to who Dan is to his fellow co-workers.

There was a luncheon today at the station. And we could not believe all of the trucks that came from surrounding stations to honor Dan.

Several firemen shared what Dan has meant in their lives. You could tell there were a lot of memories and a lot of respect. They shared about his character and witness and how Papa Dan has encouraged them not only in their work but also as men, husbands and fathers.

As his family, it was an honor to share this experience together. It was great to see all of his children so proud of him.

And it seems fitting that Papa Dan has decided to remain a part of the Pike Fire Fighters as chaplain.

*Top pics of Papa Dan in his fire fighter gear were taken by Jer.

**Just have to mention that I didn't get pics of all of Hubs' siblings. We didn't take these until the end and some had to get back to work/school.

Baby Girl turns ONE!

Above: Our one-year-old!

Above: Daddy made us pancakes and bacon for breakfast.

Today was such a good day. It was one of those perfect, we're gonna remember this for a long time after, kinda days.

Hubs took the day off work to celebrate Baby Girl's big day, and we went to the zoo. This was Baby Girl's first experience at the zoo, and we all loved being together outside with the perfect weather.

Even the drive to the zoo was fun.  We took our new to us family vehicle out for the first time. Plus Baby Girl moved up to a big girl car seat for the first time. I think she thought she was hot stuff. (I think we all thought we were hot stuff. :)

Above: Big Girl loving her new seat!

The zoo was so much fun that we all crashed and took a nap when we got home. It felt good to just enjoy our day together and not stress over how to accomplish the day or what to prepare for the next thing.

In the evening, the grandparents came over to celebrate. They all love Baby Girl a great deal and have been extremely supportive of us this past year. We are so blessed and thankful.

Above: First cupcake.  No problem. 

Above: Baby Girl knew how to get her present...

Above: ...and that there's something good inside.

Above: She even stopped to smile for the camera on her own.  I may have taken just a few pictures of this girl in her lifetime and told her to smile for me. 

As today approached, it has really made us think back to last year at this time. Hard to believe that it has been a whole year since the first time we held her in our arms. A year and a day ago, we were checking into the hospital to be induced.

And I have wanted to take Baby Girl to the zoo since even before that day. Since we knew we were having her, the zoo has been in my dreams to share as an experience with her. And today, it happened! And we had FUN!!

Baby Shower

Just before Easter, I was invited to a baby shower for a friend.  This was her third, and she already had a boy and a girl.  So, it was more of a girls' night.  And we had such a good time.  I wanted to share this experience for two reasons...

1. If you're looking for something fun to do with the girls that's stress free (no cleaning, cooking, etc.), have your event at The Flying Cupcake.  The one up in Carmel is a pretty good size.  Everyone bought a cupcake, sat around a large table for an hour and talked.  It was great!

2. It is so refreshing to get together with a group of women and be real! I loved not feeling any undertones of uncertainty or trying to out do each other.  It was just women being open and sharing and talking about real life.  I guess it was refreshing to be around people sharing about giving birth and having babies since I feel as if I've been in a cocoon for a while.  I've asked my friend if she would share her friends so we could do this again. I think the feeling was unanimous! :)

My friend the week before she had her baby girl.  

You can follow her amazing blog at messageinamasonjar.com.  

The current post on her blog shows pics of the new sweet babe and her other darlings.

The women at the "shower."

 If you haven't been to The Flying Cupcake. It's darling.  I love the shabby chic style. 

I saw their delivery van shortly after, and it cracked me up! The logo of the cupcake with wings is on top of the van.  You can't miss it! 

Twenty little fingers and twenty little toes!

My mom and I co-hosted a shower this past weekend for a friend having TWIN GIRLS!  Having gone to many showers together, this was the first time my mom and I collaborated on hosting a shower together.  Using a secret Pinterest board to share our ideas, we came up with some really creative and fun concepts.  Of course time is a factor, so we couldn't do them all.  And yet, I think it turned out really well...especially considering most of our guests seemed to linger and talk for a while.  That is always a good sign. 

 

We decided on a pink and green theme to celebrate the twin girls and Spring!

      

Even our punches celebrated the color theme! 

Lime Slush by Paula Dean and Bubbly Love Potion (Raspberry Punch).

Don't you love the glasses and green & white paper straws?

We found the glasses at Target and the straws at the Flying Cupcake!

Going with a brunch theme, most of the food was very simple and yummy.  

My mom found the idea for these silverware napkins. Aren't they darling?

She says she's not crafty, but once again, this proves her wrong.

And of course, these cupcakes came from Gigi's Cupcakes.  

After a taste test, strawberry was my favorite.

(These are the flag bunting from my last post!)

I found an easy way to make the diaper cake here.  It really is simple, makes a pretty 

center piece for the gift table, plus diapers are such a great gift.  

Our group activity.  I googled baby shower games for twins and came across this one. It even had different border colors to choose from. Perfect. 

One of the main reasons I wanted to throw this shower was to help my friend with the big items they'd be purchasing again for the second time.  So I was thrilled when we were able to buy them a crib AND a car seat.

Both items were delivered directly to the family, but I wanted those who went in on the gift to see what we gave. So I used a little left over fabric as a background and framed images of the gifts printed from online.  And we had a group card using a little fabric for the "flags" on it too.

This was a fun shower to host, especially for such a dear friend.