First steps

Well apparently Ella was just waiting for a bigger audience before she decided she would start walking

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Party!

We had our Christmas party with our homeschool group last week. It was SO much fun! Beth did an AMAZING job planning & hosting it! We started the party with the Christmas story, recited & acted out by Joshua with his Fisher Price nativity set. He's been memorizing a few verses each year and now has the entire 2nd chapter of Luke memorized. He's never done it for a crowd though, and did a GREAT job! And the other day we were surprised to learn that Caleb has actually been paying attention as Joshua has been practicing his verses every day (hmmm...Caleb with an attention span longer than 5 seconds? I know...pretty amazing). Anyway, Josh was reciting his verses one morning and after "...and the angel said..." Caleb threw his hands in the air and announced, "do not be afwaid, I bring news & great joy for all people!". Josh and I both sat there with our chins on the floor. It was pretty darn cute.

So back to the party. After the telling of the Christmas story, we did crafts and had fun making all kinds of Christmas ornaments. Then we had lunch, decorated cupcakes for dessert, & sang Happy Birthday to Jesus. We are so blessed to be part of such a wonderful group of homeschooling families!

Ella and Eli ~ our future students...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I Love Advent

I absolutely love this time of year! With the only exception being the removal of my wisdom teeth, and despite the fact that I'm still appreciating the effects of the narcotics, it's been a fun December at the Nuzum home! And with our church staff just returning from a trip to Uganda with Samaritan's Purse, and generosity being the topic of discussion, I feel like I've been more aware than ever of how blessed we are, how many things we have to be thankful for, & more importantly how much we have to GIVE.

I know I'm in the minority but I LOVE the cold weather. I love warm PJs & thick comfy socks (& I love that since we homeschool, we can stay in them all day if we want). I love that Joshua and I never miss a day (usually when the little ones are napping) of sitting down with a cup of hot chocolate & a book to read together...sometimes in front of the fire if it's really cold.

I love that Donnie's schedule is less hectic and I'm so thankful for the days when he can come home early & we all get some extra Daddy time. Joshua was very excited this day. Can you tell?

I absolutely love celebrating Advent as a family. I love seeing the kids faces as they anxiously await the chance to open each door of their Advent calendar & discover the surprise that awaits them (it's the only time of year they get chocolate after breakfast, and also the only time of the year they get their morning chores done so fast!) They've had a few extra surprises along the way like a new Christmas movie, a day of cookie making, and a new game for game night. By the way, this is a great family board game for Christmas and, as we found out with our small group, a lot of fun for 10 adults as well!

The last couple of years we've had an Advent wreath and Joshua really enjoyed lighting the candles and having our devotion by candle light. But I realized we were getting too busy during the week & only discussing Advent on Sundays when we would light the candles. Christmas Day comes and goes so fast, we want to take every opportunity to talk with our kids about the reason for Christmas, and make it part of our daily discussion and activities. So this year, I adapted the idea of a Jesse Tree. We have a daily scripture reading & Joshua colors the ornament that illustrates that story. Instead of having a tree to hang them on, we just string them on some yarn and hang it in our school room. I love being able to show them how each story points to the coming Messiah, even 2,000 years before his birth!

We also had the opportunity to help pack 500 shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child with our church. We were so excited to be able to take the boys so that they could experience "giving back" in a small way as they stuffed boxes and wrote notes to include for the kids receiving them.

So I'm very torn at this point. Part of me wants the days to slow down so I can enjoy each moment a little longer. But another part of me can't wait until Christmas when my family will arrive and we can continue the celebration with them. And I especially cannot wait to get my hands on that nephew of mine!!

O Christmas tree!

So our plan to head to the mountains this weekend for our annual tree hunt was thwarted by less than desirable weather. Playing in the snow for awhile would have been fun. However the thought of trapsing through a field of trees with three kids, in freezing weather, trying to find that perfect tree in the midst of a snow storm....Well, let's just say the boys were just as excited when Dad drove up to the house with our beautiful Christmas tree...from Lowes. And we had just as much fun staying in our jammies all day & decorating it...with a few breaks for hot chocolate.

Ella went straight for the ornament with her brothers' picture on it.

Blankies & Thumbs Anonymous

Hello. My name is Caleb James & I am unable to hold my blankie without my thumb immediately going in my mouth.

Hello. My name is Ella Grace. And I'm feeling his pain. Don't even think about taking my blankie.

Thankfulness Tree

So here are some pictures of our "Thankfulness Tree" we did for November. The boys wrote things they are thankful for on the leaves and then painted them. I laminated them so the plan is to add to it each year. We'll see how that works :) Here are the quotes on some of the leaves:

J: "My friends" (he lists them all), "Ella because she likes to play with me", "Jake b/c I'm a cousin now", "My batman wii game", "Elevation b/c it's fun", "Caleb b/c he's my brother", "Daddy b/c he takes me to play golf & he gives the best hugs", "Grandpa b/c Jesus made him better" "Bandit b/c he gives me good company"

CJ: "Ella is my princess", "my lankie" (blankie), "God is mumber one, God is mumber one!", "Daddy goes to work", "Mommy is so pretty!" (he's turning into our master manipulator with that last one. I mean c'mon, look at him!)

He's pointing to his "Baby Jake" leaf. I think that's the one he's most proud of!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Homeschool Humor

So as every Mom knows, kids are always saying funny things. And for me in particular, every time it happens I always hear my sister in my head saying, "write that down!". But usually I never do. This week, however, there were a few things said during school that I just couldn't allow to be forgotten:

subject #1: History
Me: "So, Joshua, do you remember where the pilgrims landed?"
J: "Ummm...I remember it starts with a P...Pinata?

subject #2 Math
I was reading him a word problem:
"Bobby bought 8 goldfish..."
J (interrupting): "Wait! Did you say goldfish?"
"Yes, and a friend gave him 4 more..."
J: "Ugh! Doesn't Bobby know he's going to have to clean that tank every day? Goldfish are disgusting!"

subject #3 Science
We were discussing static electricity & demonstrating it by sticking a balloon to the wall.
Me: "See Josh, static electricity!"
J: "Actually Mom, that wasn't static electricity. I was using the force"

I cannot even begin to imagine how boring my days would be without them! Thanks for making me laugh, J! I love being your teacher...& your Mom!

Aw Shucks

So we went to Aw Shucks corn maze yesterday with our homeschool group. Actually it is SO much more than just a corn maze! They started off jumping on hay, as you can see in the picture below. Then we were all taken on a hay ride around the corn field. After the hay ride, we were given a lesson on the planting, growing, and harvesting of corn , got to see how all the old farm equipment worked, and basically learned all there is to know about corn! Joshua's take home point for Dad at dinner was that people used to use the corn cobbs for toilet paper. :) There was a kid sized fort and cabins they played in after our picnic lunch, then we took a walk through the nature trail to hunt for bird houses (the answer to how many there were was hidden at the end of the trail). After a quick game of duck racing, and a climb in the tree house, we headed to the the barn where we fed the sheep and goats, saw a new baby goat, turkeys, a pig & a horse. By this time the kids were fading fast, but we couldn't leave without doing the corn maze...oh wait...we also stopped to milk a wooden cow. So a few steps into the corn maze, a few of us moms began to panic about the thought of not making it out. The kids were exhausted and Joshua ended up pushing Ella's stroller through it so I could hold Caleb who refused to walk any further. It was definitely a fun filled day! We tried to get our school work done when we got home, but Joshua ended up falling asleep on the futon. Here are a few pictures and you can see the rest here.

Sayonara old friend...

So I put the little ones down for a nap today & before I knew it, out of my mouth came, "So ya want to go outside & take the training wheels off your bike, Josh?" I completely expected the same answer we've received the last 50 times we asked him the same question. But much to my surprise I got, "Sure, Mom!"
"Uhhhhhhh....what?"
"I said, sure! Let's go."
"Uhhhh....I meant take your training wheels off and learn to ride your bike without them"
"I know. Let's go!"
"Uhhhh...ok." (thinking to myself - Do I know how to take the training wheels off?)
Fortunately I was able to rummage through the tools to find what I needed to remove them. Then came the running behind him, bent over, holding on to his seat, up and down the street...Now I know why my dad did this! Just about the time I thought my back would give out (after about 2 laps...I obviously need more excercise) Joshua says, "I'm ready for you to let go!"
"What? Are you sure!" (I did not think he was ready)
"Yes, I'm sure!"
...and off he went....

Riverbanks Zoo

Well yesterday morning we woke the kids early and piled them in the van for a surprise trip to the zoo. They were so excited to discover their surprise & especially to find out we were meeting friends there too! Joshua's favorite was the lions (they were feeding them pumpkins). And Caleb said his favorite was the crocodile. Ella enjoyed seeing the animals as well, and especially enjoyed having a stroller buddy. We got asked several times if she & Eli were twins. "No, but they were born on the same day". We got some confused looks with that one. :-) It was a beautiful fall day for the zoo! I also got to try out my new camera while we were there (thank you family for my early Christmas present!!!!!). It's going to take a lot of practice to learn how to use it well, but here are a few of the pictures we got. Enjoy!

Princess ladybug & her storm trooper cavalier

Well, the last post was a month late, & this one is only a week late. So hopefully I'll be catching up soon. I was a little under the weather last week, so these were the best pictures I was able to capture in the condition I was in. (Well, I stole one - thanks Al) Enjoy!

One year! (& one month)

Well our little Ella Grace was recovering from a high fever on her birthday, which unfortunately put a damper on any kind of celebration. Then the day after her birthday she and I flew to Texas and spent the next 4 weeks with Aunt Wendy, Uncle GG, & her new baby cousin, Jake. So this is a month late, but in honor of our sweet one year old, here are a few things we love about Ella:


~The way her entire face lights up when she smiles

~The dimple on her left cheek (still there!)

~She seems to be keeping her daddy's beautiful eyes.

~When she's sleepy she lays her head on your shoulder & sucks her thumb & index finger.

~Whenever she hears music (in the car, a commercial on TV, coming through speakers in a store) she immediately smiles and starts swaying back & forth.

~The way she can look at her Daddy like only a daughter can, & reduce him to a pile of goo on the floor.

~All she has to do is reach out her hand and give a high pitched little grunt & she gets anything she wants. (Who needs words?)

~Her hair is finally long enough that Mom can stop giving Caleb pig tails. (Just kidding about CJ - but I have come close!)

~The way she can eat an entire banana in three bites. (Just make sure the peel is out of sight or she gets really mad that she can't eat that too!)

~She seems to have skipped the open-mouthed baby kisses & actually puckers her lips to give you a kiss - LOVE it!

~She would chose her brothers to play with over any toy or baby doll.


Here is a collection of pictures from our first year with our precious girl:

Opportunity granted

I'm always looking and praying for opportunities to reveal God to my children. I want them to know how real He is, how close He is...closer than a brother, how much He loves us...more than we can ever imagine. That He protects us and provides for our every need. I want them to know that God just isn't someone we learn about on Sunday or say prayers to before we eat our meals. He is our Father...our best friend...our creator... & loves us so much that He became a man himself, sacrificing his own life so that through Jesus we can have a personal, real, honest, daily relationship with him. Everything we say or do should first be filtered through the truth of His word & should be reflection of His love and work in our lives. I want them to know that their lives are truly in His hands, and although He has given us charge over them for a time, that their lives & futures are ultimately His.

As I type, my mind is still reeling over the morning happenings at my parent's apartment. I am here by myself with the kids for the day. To make a long story short, I owe my parents a toaster. But what I really wanted to share was the obvious way God protected my children and the many reminders of his hand in my life that he has placed on my heart in the last few hours.

#1 He is near...always! He is closer than we can even begin to imagine. The toaster was absolutely engulfed in flames & all I knew to do was to call out to him. I also knew I needed to unplug it and/or close the door to smother it...which I did...somehow. I do NOT remember how I did it. I know I didn't reach into the flames, which I would have had to do to close the door or unplug it...but somehow, that's what I did...or did He? All I know is when it was over, the flames were gone, the apartment was filled with smoke, the alarm was sounding, all three kids were screaming...but we were all safe - and He was HERE with us. I felt His presence like never before. But what He reminded me in the aftermath was that He is that close ALL the time. Why does it take a fire that threatens my family to remind me of it?

#2 He has a specific plan for each of us. I had just told Joshua I was going to run down to the van to get some clothes. (My parents live on the third floor of an apartment building) The minute I put my hand on the front door I thought, "Oh I have lunch in the toaster, I better check on it." The second I stepped into the kitchen, the toaster went up in flames, followed by the wood cabinets above. Nobody will convince me that it wasn't the Lord that spoke to me at the door. Two words for those that know me - Mommy brain. Do you know how many times a week I put bread in the toaster in the morning only to discover it at lunch time? I held on to Ella a little longer today before I put her down for her nap. As the Lord spoke the words to my heart, they came forth from my mouth, "the Lord has a plan for you, sweet girl" Jeremiah 29:11 says "I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you & not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future" I don't know how many times I've read that verse in my life, but today it had new meaning. He doesn't just have any future for us. I believe He made it clear to me today that He has a specific plan for each of my children on this side of eternity. So far all I know is that it included today. I was about to walk out the door. I would have been gone. He didn't save me today. He saved my children. He has a plan for them, & though it may be threatened, nothing can thwart it.

#3 He answers prayer. I'm sure you have all seen the news about the boy in Florida that was burned by his classmates. I had trouble sleeping those first few nights, heart-broken by the horror that little boy must have endured, trying to imagine what his Mom must be going through, and fighting nightmarish thoughts of my own children suffering a similar fate. I finally took it to the Lord, knowing these thoughts were not from Him. These thoughts are paralyzing me with fear & I know you do not give us a spirit of fear. I know I sound paranoid, but you know my thoughts anyway, so I may as well voice them to you. Please heal that boy, comfort his mother, and please, please protect my children from ever having to bear the pain from a similar experience... I release my fears to you & accept your peace that passes all understanding....

Take it as you may, but I believe with all of my heart that He answered that prayer today. By the way, I did take the opportunity to talk to Joshua about God's obvious hand in our lives this morning. It was a sweet time. Our pastor really challenged me last week with this question: "Is the life I'm living worthy of the death He died to give it to me?" I hope to make a better go at it.

I came so that they may have life and have it more abundantly John 10:10

I'm an Aunt!!

...I guess I should also mention that Donnie is an uncle :) Well, apparently all I had to do was blog about my impatience to send Wendy into labor. Almost immediately after I posted yesterday's blog, her labor started. Jake Ryan Miller (my nephew...I mean our nephew) was born yesterday at 9:09 pm and weighed 9 lbs 1 oz, 20in long. Yes that's right, my little sister pushed out a nine pound baby! I have nothing on her now :) I was there for every second of it and I wouldn't have traded that moment for the world! Hopefully I got a good video despite the fact I was trying to see through an ocean of tears. Wendy was amazing through it all, & for the first time I witnessed a daddy actually jump up and down as his son was delivered. (I needed a laugh at that point - thanks G) Jake is doing well. He needed some oxygen for awhile last night, but he's a trooper & doing great. Here is a link to the first pictures of our new little linebacker. We love you baby Jake!

Waiting...

Well Ella & I have been in Texas 1 week and are trying to be patient as we wait for the arrival of our sweet baby Jake. It's been such a blessing to be able to spend some time with my sister, but I'm ready to be an aunt!! Here are some snapshots of the last week.

sleepy girl...

Ella & Aunt Wendy sporting their Texas longhorn shirts...

Our ONE year old...(party is being postponed until Daddy & brothers get here)

Daddy, Joshua, & Caleb ~ WE MISS YOU!!! XOXOXO

Camera time with Granny

"Spelling is boring!"

Not anymore!

For those of you wondering...yes, it did take awhile to convince Joshua to get his hands "dirty" with shaving cream. But spelling is officially back on Joshua's "approved subjects" list, AND the red stain on my table is gone! Bonus!
It goes without saying that Caleb had no problem getting his hands "dirty".

Tippity Top

What do you get when combine a super-animated drummer, a wild keyboard player and a group of talented musicians and producers who have been given the task of producing a video for Student Takeover?....well, this:

"Tippity Top" Music Video from Elevation Church on Vimeo.

One Fee I don't mind paying

New tunes from a talented group. Check it out.

J's dialect analysis

J: "Isn't it funny, Mom, that Grammy & Granddad say 'supper' and we say 'dinner'...and we say jammies & they say pajamas (pu-jaw-muz)?"
Me: "Yeah, we say things a little different, don't we?"
J: "I guess it's because they live in Texas. They really talk like cowboys there."

The inevitable

It had to happen eventually, right?

If you give a mom a muffin...

If any of you are familiar with the books "If you give a Mouse a Cookie" or "If you give a Moose a muffin" (there are others as well) you will get a chuckle out of this. Our boys love these books & when I came across this today I had to pass it on. Hope it makes you smile like it did for me! Can anyone else relate?

If you give a mom a muffin,
She'll want a cup of coffe to go with it.
She'll pour herself some.
Her three year old will spill the coffee.
She'll wipe it up.
While wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the waher,
She'll trip over shoes and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan for supper.
She will get out a pound of hamburger
She'll look for her cookbook ("101 Things To Do With a Pound of Hamburger")
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The check book is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two year old.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two year old's diaper.
While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring.
Her five year old will answer and hang up.
She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee.
Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.
And chances are..
If she has a cup of coffee,
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

by Kathy Fictorie

Wild party

Well we finally recovered from the "Nuzum plague" and were able to celebrate Caleb's 3rd birthday today. He was crying his eyes out before everyone arrived saying, "I want to put on my shoes and go to my party!". Needless to say, the tears dried up fast as his friends started arriving & he realized the party was here. He wanted an animal party, so here are our wild and crazy animals.

Joshua helped Mom make some animal cupcakes

Here's the birthday boy trying to blow out his candles from 3 feet away. For some reason he was afraid to get any closer to the candles. We finally had to bring each cupcake to him so he could blow them out. What happened to our fearless wonder?

Then we played "who can eat like an animal"...

...Piper won

Sorry sweetie ~ no cake for you until next month!

Our sweet friends brought over their bounce house for the entertainment. (It pays to have connections!) We love you Fairs!

Happy Birthday Caleb!