Happy Birthday Baby Jesus!

Last night Tink and two of her best friends, Lindsey and Rivers, threw a big birthday party for baby Jesus. There was cake and ice-cream...and even a special visitor! The highlight of the night was watching over 30 kids standing around the table singing Happy Birthday to baby Jesus. It brought tears to my eyes. As a service project we asked each family to bring one unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots. We just want the kids to understand that Christmas is about giving. It's about giving to those less fortunate and most importantly it's about God's gift to us...His Son! May you all have a blessed Christmas!








Jill

Glorify Him!

Tonight we watched my beautiful ballerina dance on stage with some of the best dancers I've ever seen. Tink'sdance company, Ballet Magnificat, held their Christmas performance this past weekend and it kept us quite busy. She had a wonderful time, though. And she was so excited that Man-Man, Gidgi, Mommy, and Daddy were there to watch her. I told her we would be sitting on the fifth row and to look for us when she finished dancing. Well, as soon as they finished I saw her peek up over the girls in front of her and start counting with her hands. It was so funny! But she found us and that just made her day. She was so excited to be up there dancing with all of the "big girls". Aunt Tania and Rivers came to see her tonight as well...so she was even more excited that they were there. It really meant a lot to her.

The girls danced Tuesday and Thursday for practice. Then they danced the actual performances Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night. "A Christmas Dream" was held at Thalia Mara Hall in Jackson. I can't tell you how beautiful this ballet was...it's just something that you have to see. The story is basically a Christian version of the "Nutcracker". It is set to the same music and everything. However instead of the Nutcracker fighting the Mouse King it is Beelzebub fighting the Archangel Michael. Katherine then travels (in her dream) to Heaven where she meets Jesus and watches as all creation worships Him. My baby was a bumblebee...of course she was the prettiest one out there! I am so proud for her to be a part of such a wonderful dance company that exists only to glorify Him!

Jill

Play Dates!

I am so very blessed to have a wonderful set of friends. Each Wednesday for the past few years we have met for lunch and playtime with the kids. One of our most recent playdates took place at Backyard Burgers. It was great because there was a big tree house play gym for the kids to play on. Since none of us had ever been there the kids were very excited and entertained. We left there and went to Harry the Potter to let the kids paint ornaments. The kids really loved this. I took a picture of all of the babies of our group as well. It's so funny that almost all of us have had a baby within the past few months. We're growing another set of playdate buddies. It's great for all of us to have a few minutes to visit with each other and give the kids a chance to play with their friends. It's a favorite part of our week!

Jill

Winter?

I must say that I'm having a hard time believing it's almost Christmas. I mean, I've decorated, bought presents, gone to parties, even told the kids the Christmas story over and over. But the problem is that it's 80 degrees outside. Yes, 80 degrees. We were watching the news last night and DH mentioned that 7 hours north of us there is a deadly blanket of ice and snow. I don't want that kind of cold. But my kids were outside yesterday for over 3 hours in shorts, short sleeves, and flip flops. Hmmm...something is not quite right.

But I do love Christmas. I love that families get together, the magic is in the air, and people are in a generally good mood around this time of year. Let us not forget what it's all about...God sent His son, in the form of a baby, to be our Saviour, that through Him we can have eternal life. That's the best Christmas present of all! Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Parade!

The annual Clinton Christmas parade was last weekend. It's a tradition for us to take the kids each year and we always enjoy it. This year I made us a light supper to eat while we waited for the parade to begin. Amber and Jamal, our neighbors, came with us. Usually the parade is during the daytime and the floats are able to throw candy. But this year they changed the parade to nighttime so there could be beautiful lights throughout Old Towne and on the floats. It really was beautiful, but the kids did miss the candy.

Baby Dedication

Last Sunday was baby dedication at our church. Princess looked so beautiful in her little white dress. Gidgi bought her a bonnet and little Bible to carry (well, I carried it). She'll be able to turn the bonnet into a handkerchief when she gets married and carry it then as well. It's a special day for us. Pawpaw and Nana were able to be there also. We walked down front with the other families and a prayer was said by our Pastor. After the service we all came back here and I made a post Thanksgiving/pre-Christmas dinner for everyone. It was a great day and everything was beautiful.

Jill

Family fun!

A few days before Thanksgiving Tink and Man-Man's cousins and aunt came to visit. Aunt Terri, Darren, and Lana were camping near Forest and they came over to spend some time with us one afternoon. We had a great time playing at the park and playing outside. It had been a while since we'd gotten the kids together so this was extra special for them. Man-Man asked me the other day when they were going to come back. I said I wasn't sure....what do you think Aunt Terri?

Jill

Princess at 3 months!

I honestly can't believe how fast my little girl is growing up. It seems like just yesterday that I was blogging about her birth. Now look...she's so big! Princess is a very happy baby. She loves her "Johnny jump" that we hung in the doorway between the living room and kitchen. She bounces on it and thinks she's big stuff. Tink and Man-Man will sit down there and play with her. They're so good with her. Tink is especially great. She reads books to her and lays on the bed giggling with her. Princess gets a huge smile on her face whenever Man-Man or Tink are near. They can quieten her down when neither Daddy or I can.


Here is Princess posing with her rabbit that Gidgi bought her. This rabbit is the softest thing I've ever felt. I'm sure it will become her "lovey". All of the kids have a favorite animal that they call their "lovey".

In Princess's lap is her Christmas ornament for this year. She actually has quite a few ornaments since it's her first Christmas. I always buy the kids a lot of ornaments with the year that they are born on them. It's a tradition. They also get to go each year to Hallmark and pick out an ornament. This year Man-Man chose a "Bob the Builder" ornament and Tink chose a Disney princess ornament. It's neat to see what they like and are interested in each year.




Isn't this the cutest towel you've ever seen? Princess' Aunt Judy bought her this and we just love it. She's such a precious little flower!


Well, I better go for now. Princess is getting fussy! It must be bed time!

Jill

Family and friends!

We just had a wonderful long weekend. I love Thanksgiving. It was quiet, productive, and restful. We spent all four days together as a family...doing family things. Thursday we ate and laid around playing and watching football. My mom came over but that was the only company we had, not that she's company! She's just another addition to the family.

Friday we decorated for Christmas. We all put up the tree and decorated it. We hung the lights and garland outside. And this year mom bought us a manger scene to put outside. The kids love decorating for Christmas. I love the way the house feels when the decorating is done and the house is all clean. There's nothing like it in the world.

DH's parents came over yesterday (Sat.) and we were able to spend some great time with them. Today we all went to church for baby dedication. Our precious little Princess was dedicated this morning along with at least five of our friend's children. We have an amazing church family. I feel so warm and welcome, like a member of a large family! All of our close friends here are from our church. God has blessed us so much! I'll write more later...I'm exhausted now and I'm headed for the pillow!

Jill

A Chill is in the Air?

It's almost Thanksgiving and I've been trying to get my house in order for...oh, three weeks or so. Why is it that every time I think I'm almost done with the laundry I find another clothes basket hidden away in a messy bathroom. I swear I just cleaned that bathroom! The clothes are a never ending battle in the Kyser household. But now Tink has gotten big enough to really help. Not the kind of help that you "let" you toddler do that actually causes you more work in the long run. No, Tink is my big helper. Her job is to fold hers, Man-Man's, and Princess' clothes. She also folds the towels. By the time she's done with that all I have to do in mine and DH's clothes. It's really helped out a huge amount. The only problem I have is actually getting her to finish her job. Oh, she starts out great, but somewhere along the way she gets a little too ticky about how that shirt is folded or how high that pile should be. Or we just get sidetracked onto another project all together. But then I do the same thing!

So back to Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving. It's a holiday where no gifts are exchanged, no pressure is on anyone to have the best decorations on the outside of the house, not much decorating is done on the inside....except what you want to do. It's just a time to get together with family and be thankful for each other. A time to be thankful for our Lord and His sacrifice for us. A time to be thankful for the many blessings we receive from Him. How thankful are we really? How many times do we actually try to thank God for all of our blessings. I say "try" because it's impossible to realize all of the blessings He gives us. Our homes, our jobs, our children, our spouses, our nation, our freedoms, our church. I mean the list goes on and on. He gives us these gifts, these blessings everyday yet we are so slow to thank him. I was raised here in Mississippi and I can tell you that my mom always taught me my manners. My kids know their manners. If someone gives you something you better thank them. If not you can't have it. Wow, what if God used that rule on us? How many blessings would you have today? I wouldn't have many I can sadly say. Thank you Lord for mercy! Thank you Lord for grace! Mercy is not receiving what you do deserve. Grace is receiving what you don't deserve. Where has the Lord shown you grace today? Mercy?

O.K. I know I'm rambling...but I had no idea what I was going to talk about when I sat down at the computer. God laid these burdens on my heart and I spelled them out. I guess He's been trying to tell me something and I haven't bee listing. Thank you, Lord for loving me through my weaknesses. Count your blessings this Thanksgiving...you'll be surprised!

Thanksgiving Party Fun!

We went to our homeschool association's Thanksgiving party earlier today. The kids made feather headbands, garland leaves, a cookie turkey and colored pictures. They all had a blast. The garland had four leaves on which the kids wrote (or had mom write) things they are thankful for. Man-Man was thankful for Daddy, Mamma, Princess, and Tink. He came up with those on his own! Tink was thankful for her dogs, Daddy, friends, and Princess. Oh, well...I'm sure she'll remember to be thankful for me when she doesn't get supper! haha!

We are so very blessed to have close friends who homeschool. We are able to get together and do lots of parties, field trips, and share ideas with each other. I am so proud to be able to say that I'm homeschooling my children. I know this is the plan God has for us right now. It's not for everyone, but I know he led us here.

Hayride and Family Fun! (mostly!)

The first weekend of this month we took a trip to Montgomery to visit DH's family. This was the first time the extended family got to see Princess. It's a great family tradition to have a hayride around this time of year. We gather together and cook hotdogs around a bonfire, followed by Smores!! The kids ask for this hayride all year!

The trip was a little rocky to begin with. Let's just say that our precious little angel of only 10 weeks does NOT like to ride in the car. She made this very well known to all of us. I think she slept an hour out of the 5 hour ride. The rest of the time she was screaming! I knew she wasn't wet, hungry, hurting....she was just MAD! I remember Tink doing the same thing when she was that age. Of course it bothered us a lot more with the first baby.

The same fussiness took place on the way home as well. We decided to stop in Meredian to take a break. We got her out, took potty breaks, and let her calm down. It was nice to get peace and quiet for a little while. When we got back in the car we found out the car was dead. Man-Man loves to play in the front seat when the car's not on. While Daddy was changing Princess' diaper he decided to turn on the headlights. i.e. dead car!! I tried to go up to a lady who was sitting in her big truck and she wouldn't roll down her window to talk to me. I felt like she thought I was a criminal waiting to rob her. OUCH! Did I really look that bad? Finally a nice, large African American man with a rigged up Bronco and blaring rap music walked quietly over with the beloved jumper cables. What an angel he was! Thank you Lord!

We made it home safely. That's the important thing. But we are not going on any more road trips until Christmas. I pray she's gotten through this stage by then.

I'm uploading some pics of the hayride. We had an awesome time and the kids are still talking about it!

Jill

Happy Halloween!!

Last night was so much fun! I had to have had the three cutest kids on the block. Tink decided to dress up as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Man-Man was a fireman and Princess was a pumpkin.

We went to our church for their Harvest Festival. The kids played lots of great games and got lots of candy as well. All of their friends were there so they loved it. This is the fourth year in a row that we've gone to the church and we really enjoy having something safe and wholesome for our kids to do at Halloween.

Princess had a lot of fun walking around on Daddy's shoulders. It was a great night!

Girls Weekend!!

A couple of weeks ago a few of us girls were blessed to go to a wonderful ladies conference, Extraordinary Women. Tania, Amy, Robyn, Corinne, and Tracie were all there. We got to hear from wonderful Christian speakers and authors. Lisa Whelchel (Blair on the Facts of Life) is one of my favorite authors and I was so excited to hear her speak. She's a pastor's wife and a homeschooling mom so I feel she has lots of advice to share with me. We also heard a concert from Point of Grace. They're amazing. All of the women at the conference were so uplifting and encouraging. I really needed some girl time. God couldn't have planned that conference at a better time for me. Thank you mom for sending me to the conf. as my birthday present. You're the best! And thank you to my girls for reminding me that I am more than just a milk maid!! haha! I love you all!

Birthday Boy!!!

Man-Man just celebrated his 3rd birthday. He wanted a Hot Wheels party and boy did he get it. Nana made him a cute cake with a racetrack on it. There were about six race cars, whistles, and orange cones on the cake.It was so cute and he was so proud of it.


We decided to have his party at Mazzios Pizza since we're still operating in newborn baby mode at the Kyser house. In other words, the house is not ready for a Kyser birthday party. I loved having the party somewhere else. We just showed up, decorated, and cleaned up our mess. Someone else cooked, served, and finished cleaning. Now that's my kind of party.



His big present was a F-150 truck from his Nana and Pawpaw. They gave Tink a Barbie jeep when she was 2 and Man-Man loves it. Bless his heart, he's been riding in that pink jeep for almost a year. You should have seen his face when they pulled out his truck. He was so excited. Can you believe that thing even has a real radio and cup holders.








My little boy is growing up so fast. I treasure each day, each minute with him (and all of them). I know I'll blink one day and they'll be all grown up. Thank you, Lord, for these wonderful miracles. May they grow daily in their knowledge of YOU.