Friday, December 28, 2012

where did I go?

In my sleep I was blogging, in my dreams I was crossing everything off my to do list, but in reality I wasn't getting much done, but I was enjoying making sweet memories with my three little monkeys which beats all the above!  So it will be worth the wait to see and read what we have been monkeying around with! :)

Here is a peek at our family pictures prior to Christmas that I was holding off on until I got all my Christmas cards out!  I still have some that are sitting here awaiting addresses, but I just haven't sat down until now!  I know sounds dramatic, but true!  Busy Momma bee here can't you see?

...and NOW I introduce our family picture! 

Merry Christmas from the Fuller folks!
Wishing you peace and joy in this season of celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior and...

we pray that you have a SUPER duper New Year as well!
This my friends is one of my favorite pictures of the boys!  This stage of their lives they are SO into superheros and action that when Andrew lifted them up into the air they automatically started to "fly"- now that is just one reason I love this picture!  The other reason is their amazing father is starring at them with such joy as he looks up while their heavenly father looks down upon them as they fly high through life!  Priceless I tell you!
 

Friday, December 14, 2012

check THIS out!!!

 
Another blogger, FBer, and now friend blogged about the Christmas Angel!  Read what she has to say and some of her FABulous ideas too!

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Company Overview
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thanking GOD

Sitting on top of our dinning room table was the angel and elf, although he got himself into more trouble "diving" into the bowl of ornaments, with a message to "tell GOD thanks!"

Why would they sit on the table and why would it say tell God thanks? 

Archer, "we thank him for our food!"  YES!  Ding, ding, ding...you got it kid! 

Dinner time is the best time to start a sweet time with your family and take a moment to thank HIM for your food and if your Ashton you thank Him for every person sitting at the table with you at the time, then proceed to ask where _____________ or ____________ is and are they gonna come eat with us too?  I love his heart to be surrounded by others and LOVE!

What do you need to thank HIM for today?  What can your kids thank Him for too?

Wacky Tacky Christmas

Getting ready for our Sunday School class social this month and we are doing a "Wacky Tacky Christmas party!"  I am sure you are wondering what in the world we are doing?  Well the wacky is the attire that one is suppose to wear from their "favorite" sweater to reindeer ears and the tacky is a "treasured" gift that one is suppose to bring so that we can have an exchange war swap!  I can't wait! 

So today Ashton, Kirby, and I headed to our favorite HEB to get the food gathered for the meal that Jodie and I are preparing, it's gonna be a chicken pot pie- crockpot style!  Yummy to my tummy- let's just all start praying now that it turns out good otherwise we are in serious trouble for tomorrow evening!

ps-  she is starting to "pose" for pictures- what do you think about that and her "big" girl denim jacket from Aunt Devra- thanks!?  My two babies are getting way too big for comfort, but a blessing in that is each new day brings about a new adventure with them!

Also, DID you notice WE CHOPPED off Ashton's hair and NOW he LOOKS even more so like a BABY!  He is loving it BTW! 

where's Ashton?

This is how my little guy decided to leave the store with a basket that we bought for part of a Christmas gift!  Crazy silly dude was guided by Archer's commands, which was even funnier!  Lesson here is that Ashton is SO silly and he truly TRUST Archer to guide him and protect him!  They both were laughing the whole time until we made Ashton take it off in the parking lot to hold our hands!  Gotta love these boys and how much fun they are- so blessed!

what is that?

Snowball Puff Princess Kirby went "school" on Tuesday looking cute as can be, but little did I know that a rash was about to set free...(on her that is)!  I got a call and rushed away, rushed away!  I was worried, because not only did I get one call, but two calls saying it was getting worse by the minute!  So WHAT did I do?
1.  Called DR.
2.  Made an appointment
3.  Gave her Benadryl
4.  Went home...
5.  Changed her clothes into comfy ones
6.  She napped
7.  Went to get boys from "school"
8.  Got gas, snack, and headed to DR
9.  Waited forever
10.  Saw Dr, which Kirby loves, she always leans in for her to hold her! :)
What is it?  Hives!  Why?  Different reasons (allergy- NOPE, laundry soap- NOPE, virus-PERHAPS?, contagious- NOPE!)...What can we do? Keep giving her Benadryl and if it gets worse call me (DR)!
Day 2- woke up and worse even with Benadryl, so what did I do?
1. Called DR.
2. Made an appointment
3. Gave her Benadryl
4.  Went to church for MOPS
5.  She hung out with me and the girls- was feeling fine
6.  Took her to nursery for an hour
7.  Pick up boys from "school"
8.  Ate lunch with Aunt Ronna
9.  Went to Dr.
10.  Waited...
11.  Ran test
12.  Waited
13.  Came back negative

What is it?  Hives!  Why worse?  Get gets worse before it gets better and as long as other symptoms were not present no need to "stress" about them! 

Day 3- woke up and BETTER!  Snowball Puff Princess Kirby was healed!  Thank you GOD, because this Momma wasn't doing too well not have concrete answers! :)

BTW:  even though her little face and body was covered- she still was the cutest little thing ever!  So blessed by our little princess! :)

read

Our angel and elf were busy reading this morning when we found them and to my surprise they were reading, "Christmas in the Manger", which is a very simple, but great book for kiddos to read that tells of some important people that were there when JESUS was born!
So what did our message from the angel say, "READ", so what did we do?  We read the book that our friends were reading and talked about each character and which one was the kids favorite!
Characters included: star, donkey, ram, ox, sheperds, wise men, Mary, and the baby (JESUS), so which one is your favorite?  Stay tuned to our favorites- I bet you can guess, but I'm still gonna leave you hanging! :)

Lesson:  What do each of these characters have to do with Christmas and how do their roles play an important part in HIS birth?  Example from the book, "I am the baby asleep in the hay, and I am the reason for Christmas Day."  Discuss this among your kids... 

ps- the book is from Leap Frog!

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

call someone you love...

The boys always come into our room first thing in the morning and it's usually Andrew's side of the bed  they peak over to greet us "GOOD MORNING!"

...then they go look for the angel and elf, but this morning was a different story!  They went looking for them and could not find them were getting frustrated and upset thinking that they had not come back!  I continued to encourage them to look harder and that they had not check all places!

M-O-M-M-Y  oh my- they are right here!  Goodness silly them they were hanging out on Daddy's night stand!

Message:  Call someone...(heart drawn)!  Oh boys I guess they want you to call someone you love- look she is holding Daddy's phone!  giggle, giggle, giggle from two little boys thinking that was funny! So they immediately shouted let's call our cousins!  Well, guys they are at school right now, but we can call them later today when they get home!  Oh man...it kinda put a damper on their spirits, but were easily distracted with a super hero move! :)

Lesson:  God is always there for us to call on him!  He loves us and is always listening although he may not answer how we wish, but HIS plan is greater and if we wait we too shall see!  Prayer is the best line of communication and you don't need a phone- the line is always open!  TRANSLATION KID STYLE:  We can call God anytime boys!  Ugh-sighed the boys!  Yes our prayers are the way we can call Him and talk to Him- we can tell Him we love Him, we can thank Him, we can tell Him what scares us!

Who do you call first?  God should be your #1...

Monday, December 10, 2012

show LOVE

Sometimes it is hard to show others love, especially when they are not the nicest, but that is when God is challenging us to be more Christ like and we are called to show His love!  Today our Angel showed Henry love even though he is causing some mischief around our house!  He jumped off the door moulding last night and landed face down, which cause some worried hearts with our boys!  Today we explained that even though he was acting out- the Angel was showing her love by wrapping her arms around him!  How can you show love to others?

Lesson with our kids:  even though your brother may "hurt" you by hitting you or be a "stinker" towards you we must still how each other love, because we are called to LOVE others no matter what!  Think of all the people that called Jesus names, but he still showed them Mercy and LOVE- how great is that!

a day at the park

 An afternoon at the park with my kiddos...
Archer is off digging in the dirt while Kirby and Ashton are swinging their hearts out! 
Kirby is my bowtiful baby girl grinning away...
...and Ashton is my superhero that is always there to "HUG" the day away! 
It is VERY VERY rare that we leave the house without our cap!
I treasure all three- thank you LORD!

Sunday, December 9, 2012

25 days of an angel

Here are 25 ideas if you are still searching, so that you can plan ahead!  It's about making memories and messages that your children can relate to so that they understand the TRUE meaning of Christmas!  This has truly brought light to our family and been such a blessing!  Stay tuned to more ideas from the Fuller Folks too!

hats off!

A week or so ago we had "parent's night out" that our church does about six times a year that allows us SUPER DUPER inexpensive child care, so we can spend some much needed time together!  We usually go out to eat, watch a movie, or just walk around enjoying each others company, but this time we had a mission to complete!

We had to finish preparing for Miss Kirby's birthday party!  Andrew picked up his favorite (my suggestion) take out Sam's Cafe (Asian food) from the Heights on his way home and I dropped the kiddos off at church and headed back home!  We started a Christmas movie, because I just LOVE them and ate our dinner, which was oh so yummy!  Afterwards we finished putting together goodies bags and then headed off for a haircut for me!  I know that is NOT a date night, but when do you expect a Mommy of 3 kiddos to get her haircut?  So...Andrew being an amazing spouse joined me and then decided to walk around the mall, where he found the boys Christmas presents that my grandmother had been in search of for weeks (orange remote control motorcycles)!  He called her and she was super duper excited- I think she even screamed with joy over the phone!  I just love her and Pops too!

So after "dinner, movie, prepping for a birthday party, and shopping date" we headed back to church to pick up kids!  Oh!  An important part of the story is that the boys always get happy meals on parent's night out as a special treat!

On the way home the boys did this...
 
...giggles all the way home!  Happy Hats is what we all called them!
Enjoy a happy meal and make some memories out of them!  It's more than a meal- it's happiness!

4 boys oh no...

Oh yes and it was F-U-N with just a few meltdowns, but hey it was Thursday after MDO and those days are always a challenge in themself, because the kids are tired from the week!  I just love all four of these boys and thought I would share our time together with you!  Will and Luke's Mommy was on a much needed Mother/Daughter trip to NYC- we missed her, but glad we could help!
Will, Luke, Archer (with a Christmas tree hat on), and flying Captain America (Ashton), with puppy enjoying their treat- candy cane!
Archer "reading" a book to them all!  I think we have a sleepy one!  This my friends is beyond precious- such sweet and loving boys that have had such sweet memories and many more to come!

to the firehouse we go!

Today we got to go to the firehouse and we have the "angel" to thank for that trip!  Our angel left us a message that said, "give to others", along with books in her hands!  The boys were super excited to find her this morning holding books that they thought was for them!  They ran into our bedroom showcasing them and excited for them- I asked "you think those are for you?"

Archer was a little puzzled by my question, so I jumped up and ran where she was and read her message to them!  Oh- what do you think we should do with these books?  Should we give them to kiddos that don't have any or you think they are for you?

Archer- oh we should give them, but how?  Mommy- let's drop them off at the fire station where they can pass them out to people that don't have any!  Archer and Ashton (jumping up and down) oh yes!  oh yes!  Where is a fire station- which one?  How will they give it to the kids?

As the boys climbed up into the car- they both carried the books with such care and pride!  It truly melted my heart to see their sweetness and to realize that not once did they fuss that they were giving them to other kids nor ask where were theirs- such hearts at such a young age! I am so blessed with amazing little boys!

As they walked into the fire station with Daddy- Kirby and I sat in the car, they both go a little nervous and shy!  Now, let me tell you Archer does not get shy- he is the kid that runs into a room announcing himself!  The fireman were cooking up their breakfast and welcomed them into their kitchen, took the books, thank them, and suggested a picture by the "boomer" with them!  All the while both boys were shy, but Ashton was grinning with pure joy!

Now as soon as they got in the car they could not stop talking about what they did, who they meet, and where they took a picture!

Lesson:  GIVE to others as GOD gave us HIS only son to take away our sins!  What an amazing selfless act that as a mother I couldn't imagine...

a ballerina

I just love everything girlie and what's better than going to a ballet!  I don't think you ever outgrow wanting to be a ballerina- well at least I don't!  Maybe that's because I'm a kid at heart...

I got to go the the Nutcracker with a dear friends Mom, brother, and friend of theirs and it was truly a blessed time!  We had a nice peaceful dinner prior to the show that made my tummy smile and heart warm!  Afterwards we headed to our balcony seats that were more than perfect and begin a journey into fairy tale land with magical music and more than perfect ballet!

I just loved it- thank you Barb for such a special treat! I even got a picture with a "star"-the rat!  Hey- I  knew my kiddos would appreciate this more than a ballerina, at least for now! 
Merry Christmas!

dinner with captain america

Our night this week included Mexican food with Captain America...Ashton left the house, dressed as Captain America, in what I thought was just going to be one errand to get Andrew his hair "gup" and then we decided to go ahead and meet Andrew for dinner since he was stuck in traffic!

I am not typically that kind of Mom that lets the kiddos rule, but once in awhile a kids gotta have some independence that isn't going to harm anyone, so Captain America it was!

He "paraded" into the restaurant as though he was THE Captain America and underneath it all there was a HUGE grin!  Folks were surprised to see him dressed up in the month of December, but smiled and grinned with pure delight and if I may say so myself my little guy was super confident and super happy with himself as Captain America!
What is it behind that costume that gave him that boost of confidence?  Is it the strength of a super hero afflicted onto him or is it the attention?  I think a little of both!  I loved to see his grin of pride that evening!  Now...the next day when he wanted to leave the house dressed up and the answer from me was a no- that grin and pride turned into a full on tantrum on the floor...

Oh I can't forget that Tortilla Santa made an appearance too... never a dull moment, which is a true blessing in this Mom's eyes!

Friday, December 7, 2012

helping Angel

We woke to find a mess in our kiddos bathroom and who do you think left it?  Henry- the elf!  Needless to say Archer was NOT happy that he left his bathroom a mess, which was comical in itself!  Ashton thought it was quite humorous!  I think their reactions tells you a little about their little personalities! 

He had wrapped the bathroom up in toilet paper- what a waste- I know, but hey it is all for a lesson!  On the opposite side of the elf was our sweet little angel with a ball of toilet paper in her hands a message that said "help others!"  So we gathered that Henry made a mess and Kay was trying to help him by cleaning it up!  So how can we help others? 

Archer, "by helping them up if they fall down!"
Ashton, "by picking up toys!"

Biblical lesson:  Jesus helped many people from a man being able to walk again and a women being able to see again!  We must have faith in HIM...



Yes, boys those are all great ways we can help others!  How can you help others? Do tell!

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Hug an angel

...so today our angel's message was HUG!  Well, this Mom thought it would be cute to have our elf and angel hugging when the boys found them this morning along with the message!  ...so it was kinda good, kinda funny, and kinda bad, but I think we kinda got the message across!  giggle giggle!

It started off with Archer running into my room hollering I found them I found them!  Oh goodie I said in a surprised voice, "where?"  "what are they doing?"  He ran to the side of my bed and said I have to tell you something in a whisper, oh ok...wondering where in the world he was going with this!

"Mommy Henry (the elf) is kissing the Angel!"  giggle giggle giggle! As he leaned into me with his hand cupped around this ear and mine whispering he has a secret to tell me!  I guess he didn't want Ashton or Kirby to notice the PDA!  hehehe! 

OH MY goodness I said in SHOCK- are you sure?  As he nodded his head as though it was about to fall off with a yes- I jumped out of bed and ran into the room where they were and read aloud the message- HUG!  Archer you silly boy- he isn't kissing her he is hugging her!  OH he said with those great big ole eyes and a little grin.

...so I learned a lesson no physical contact for elf and angel because little almost 5 year olds get giggly!  ps-he does when Andrew kisses me too- its kinda cute!  I love my sweet family!

PICTURE?  Well...if I post it you too will agree with Archer- his lips are planted on the angels!  What can I say when I'm setting the stage at almost midnight in the dark!  Fun times!

Oh and the real lesson was we are to give HUGS to show others we care for them as GOD cares for us and loves us!

THE END

Monday, December 3, 2012

welcome


The message left today was welcome...well what in the world does she mean by that?  As she sat we pondered away and realized that we were having a party that day in our home and that we were to welcome others as though it was there home too!  We explained to our kids that God has blessed us with a home and we are to share it with others and make them feel welcomed (loved)!  So how do lil' ones make people feel welcomed?  Sharing toys, greeting them as they come in, and telling them they sure did enjoy them coming over- thanks!

How do you make people feel welcomed into your home?  How can you teach your children to do so as well!  It truly is not our home- it's Gods and it welcomes all no MATTER what! 



Sunday, December 2, 2012

Lessons with the Angel

So each day that our angel visits I try and create a biblical lesson and or reference so that we can expand upon using the angel as a fun family tradition with our kids while we grow their walk and faith too!

Day 1: Our Angel's message was to "give me a name", so if you think about our LORD and SAVIOR- what is HIS name? He means so much and has so many different lessons just in HIS name alone! Check out the list below, reference here, and let me know what HIS name is to you! HE is my MIGHTY GOD and provider!  Ask your kids- what does HIS name mean and here their little voice and help them understand how JESUS is ____ to them!
The greek meaning of Jesus is Joshua, which means God is salvation!
In the Gospel His name was given...
Matthew 1:21
"And she will bear a son; and you shall call HIS name Jesus, for it is He who will save is people from their sins."

OLD TESTAMENT NAMES FOR GOD



ELOHIM......Genesis 1:1, Psalm 19:1
meaning "God", a reference to God's power and might.

ADONAI......Malachi 1:6
meaning "Lord", a reference to the Lordship of God.

JEHOVAH--YAHWEH.....Genesis 2:4
a reference to God's divine salvation.

JEHOVAH-MACCADDESHEM.......Exodus 31:13
meaning "The Lord thy sanctifier"

JEHOVAH-ROHI......Psalm 23:1
meaning "The Lord my shepherd"

JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH.......Ezekiel 48:35
meaning "The Lord who is present"

JEHOVAH-RAPHA.........Exodus 15:26
meaning "The Lord our healer"

JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU......Jeremiah 23:6
meaning "The Lord our righteousness"

JEHOVAH-JIREH.........Genesis 22:13-14
meaning "The Lord will provide"

JEHOVAH-NISSI.........Exodus 17:15
meaning "The Lord our banner"

JEHOVAH-SHALOM........Judges 6:24
meaning "The Lord is peace"

JEHOVAH-SABBAOTH......Isaiah 6:1-3
meaning "The Lord of Hosts"

JEHOVAH-GMOLAH........Jeremiah 51:6
meaning "The God of Recompense"

EL-ELYON..............Genesis 14:17-20,Isaiah 14:13-14
meaning "The most high God

EL-ROI................Genesis 16:13
meaning "The strong one who sees"

EL-SHADDAI............Genesis 17:1,Psalm 91:1
meaning "The God of the mountains or God Almighty"

EL-OLAM...............Isaiah 40:28-31
meaning "The everlasting God"
MORE NAMES OF GOD--Father, Son, Holy Spirit