Happy Birthday Miller!

Miller turned THREE years old today!  Our big boy is growing up.  We started out the day with birthday pancakes.

Then headed to the Science Center (we should have gone to the park because it was absolutely beautiful today, but we told the kids last night we were going to the Science Center so there was no changing their minds!)

Winter Wonderland at the Science Center.  This is the only place these kids are going to get to place in 6 inches of snow...

 or ice (carpet) skate.

 Sara Wells had a great time watching all the winter festivities.

Here comes the cake...

Miller has been saving these candles for his birthday for a year!  He pulls them out about once a week and talks about his birthday party.

    

 It's a...

Alabama Football jersey!

These pants were true love on my part.  On one of Miller's many trips to Hancocks with me, he spotted this Toy Story fabric from across the store and begged me to make him some Toy Story pants.  So, 3 months later, I made the pants.  Needless to say, he was thrilled.  I am sure he will beg me to wear these everyday.

Happy Birthday Miller!  We love you!!!!!

Sweet Corn and Zucchini

I was not planning on blogging this week because we were supposed to be in Iowa visiting my family.  But as mentioned early, Miller's asthma really kicked up right before Christmas so we had to stay home.  To make a 12 hour drive and then be two hours from a major city was just a little scary when he had just taken a trip to the ER.  Since Murray took the week off, we are having Stay-Cation!  We had a wonderful Christmas, but I have not even begun to sort through the pictures.  After our Stay-Ca, I will post some Christmas pictures.

I just wanted to share a quick recipe with you.  This is one I have had for several months.  I think it came from a summer issue of Southern Living.  This is the perfect side dish for fajitas or enchiladas.

Sweet Corn and Zucchini
3 Tbsp butter
1 medium zucchini chopped coarsely
1/2 onion diced
1/2 packet Taco Seasoning
2 to 3 cups sweet corn kernels (can use from or frozen)

Saute onion and zucchini of medium heat until tender (about 5 to 10 min).  Add taco seasoning and corn and cook for about 5 more minutes.  And that is it!  It is soooo good and soooo easy!  Now, it did not pass the Ella test, but since I just shared the fajitas with you I thought I would share a great side to go with them.

I will be back after the STAY-CA:)

Merry Christmas!!!!

 Miller was not too happy to take pictures, but very happy to write a letter to Santa Clause!

 Translation:  Dear Santa, Please bring me some Woody Boots.  Love, Miller

 Translation:  Dear Santa Clause and Mrs. Clause, I have been very good this year.  Please bring me my own small computer with a little pencil.  Love, Ella

Suckin' Thumb

I don't know if you remember this picture, but this is Miller's comfort.  Miller loves his Kiggy (and Ion which is usually dangling in the other hand).  For some reason, we have no idea why or how it started, Miller loves to smell his Kiggy's tail (while sucking his thumb).  If you are really special, he will let you smell Kiggy's tail.  If anything is hurt, Miller is upset or Miller is tired Kiggy comes to the rescue and the thumb goes in the mouth....

To say the past few days have been rough for Miller is definitely an understatement.  Miller's asthma has been acting up and he has been dealing with croup.  He has had very long, sleepless nights.  His one comfort through all of this have been his Kiggy and his thumb.  Besides this sickness episode, things have been a little crazy around here.  I kept the kids out of preschool their last week and a half because the flu was spreading like wildfire and I figured dragging kids around with me while doing my last minute Christmas stuff was much better than the flu going around our house.  Anyone who has had three little ones can imagine how that might cause a little chaos.  Because of that, a few things have gone unnoticed around the Lee House, laundry, making beds, fixing hair (no hairbows or rubber bands when we are just at home) and minor hygiene like clipping fingernails.  I do not have to worry about Ella's fingernails because she has picked up the terrible habit of biting her fingernails.  And Sara Wells I stay on top of, usually, because she claws like crazy.  In the midst of everything, I have not thought about Miller's fingernails in a few days.  You know it is bad when Daddy decides it is time to cut his fingernails.  Especially since I don't think that Murray has ever cut any of the kids fingernails.

Cleaning up from lunch today I heard Miller start crying from the bathroom calling for me.  His crying the past few days has become normal so I did not think that much about it.  He came into the kitchen, with Murray following him, showing me his thumb saying, "I have blood."  Being the good dad, realizing I needed a little help, Murray decided to cut Miller's fingernails.  On the last nail, somehow Murray clipped a little bit of his skin.  I know that sounds bad, but that is not the worst part.  The worst part is it was his "suckin' thumb."  The reason Miller was crying was not because it hurt, rather because he could not suck his thumb!  After he was properly bandaged up Murray tried to console Miller, telling him it would be ok....

Murray: "It's ok buddy, you can suck your other thumb."
Miller:  As sweet and sincere as you can imagine a little boy saying, "I can't suck that thumb Daddy, it's not a suckin' thumb."

I mean, Oh my goodness!  What a sweet boy we have.  All Miller wanted to do today was suck his thumb, his 'sucking thumb,' and poor boy could not even do that.

Feliz Navidad

I am going to start off by saying sorry about no pictures.  For some reason I just have not taken any pictures over the last week.  I think I am so tired from all that has been going on, it has not even registered in my mind to pull out my camera.  You will just have to use your imagination on this one.

We had our staff Christmas Party here on Friday night (just imagine a house full of really fun people having a great time:) ).  Murray and I could not seem to come up with a menu.  The normal "holiday" menus were not sounding good to me and to keep that much food warm would have been a little tricky, something that did not sound fun while 3 kids were pulling on my legs and begging me to help them do something or play this....  Then, I had the thought, Feliz Navidad.  Lets have a Mexican Christmas party!   It was unexpected and very good!  I really wanted to get a pinata, but since we decided very late on the menu, I did not have time get to Party City the day of the party.  So if any of you have not decided on your Christmas menu for this year, you cannot go wrong with these Fajitas!

This is one of my very favorite recipes!  One of my good friends from St. Louis gave it to me.  She is from Texas, so you know it is going to be good!  Everybody, I mean everybody, loves this chicken!  I even get excited when I know we are having it!

Chicken Fajita Marinade
6 Breast of chicken
1 cup lime juice
2/3 cup of beer
4 tsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 garlic cloves, bruised

Mix all ingredients together in ziplock bag, then add chicken.  Marinate 6 hours or overnight.  Grill chicken.  I think it is best when the chicken is a little charred on the edges.  We usually saute peppers and  onions to have in the fajitas.   You cannot go wrong!

SANTA!

I am several weeks behind in posting this, but better late than never, right?  A couple of weeks ago we all went to eat lunch with Santa!  We started this tradition last year and it is wayyyyy better than going to see Santa in the mall!  The kids got to be so close to Santa the entire time and watch up close Santa talking to all the other kids.  Murray was a little bit late because he did not realize a New Member's Class had been scheduled the same day so they kids had to wait to talk to Santa.  It was a hard wait, but it made it all the better when they actually got to sit in his lap.  Here is Miller waiting eagerly to meet Santa.  Miller remembered being scared last year and screaming crying in Santa's lap and was very excited about not being scared this year.

 When they finally got up there, Sara Wells was the one who was not too happy this year.

 But then she gave Santa a chance.  Hmmmm, let me get a look at you and see what I think...

 Nope, still not happy!

 But then Chloe and Fitz joined in and were not afraid.  They gave Sara Wells the confidence she needed for the perfect family picture.

 Look at these precious babies!

 Love this picture of Fitz!

Ella worked very diligently on her letter to Santa.  She put it in the mailbox that goes directly to the North Pole.  We will just have to wait and see if he gets her letter....

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Stocking Stuffer

We all know how much the Lee children love anything crafty.  Because of that I am a sucker for anything that has a crafty/educational twist to it.  I saw this at the store a couple of weeks ago: coloring, cutting and gluing... I was sold!  Hours of entertainment!

If your kids love to color, cut and glue, you cannot go wrong with this in their stocking!!!  I found this one at Wal-Mart (so sorry forgot to include this in the original post:) ).

All Hair Days...

Are not created Equal

11 Months Old

Ok, so I know I am a little bit behind on blogging.  I have been working hard on Christmas presents and blogging has taken a little bit of a back seat.  Also, I think unconsciously I have not wanted to post this post because then it is really real.  The time goes too fast.  I know I sound like a broken record, but it is so true!  I just cannot believe that Sara Wells is 11 months old!  How does it go so fast?

Sara Wells turned 11 months old last Sunday.  She got tubes on Monday, and I really can tell a difference.  I definitely think she is talking more.  She can say, "mama, dada, ba-by (almost everything is baby), puppy, bye bye (and wave), woof (what does a doggy say?) and she can blow a kiss.  She is on her way to walking too.  So far she has taken 3 steps.  She really just wants to run around the house with Ella and Miller.  She just watches them with envy as they make laps around the house.  I know it will not be long before she is right there with them.

O Christmas Tree!

This picture pretty much sums up our Saturday.  A day filled with whining, complaining, fighting and lots of disobeying.   Murray took Ella to the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner (bc I cannot seem to ever get everything I need on my weekly grocery store run) and while they were gone Miller knocked over the Christmas tree.  We have our Christmas tree on a stand that is held up by paint cans.  This is the redneck way of having a taller Christmas tree without having to buy the tallest tree.  Don't worry, we cover up the paint cans so you cannot see them.  Another benefit is that you can actually get the presents under the tree.  Anyways, for some reason Miller thought it would be a good idea to pull the paint cans out.  He said he wanted to stand on them.  I actually did not respond bad in that situation, I was just so glad he was not hurt.  He was so pitiful trapped behind/under the tree.  I wish I could say the same for the rest of the day.  As the kids got worse throughout the day, so did I.  I heard a clip on the radio a couple of weeks ago that said that one of the reasons we respond so poorly to our children and get so frustrated is because we expect them to act like adults.  That was so true for me Saturday!  By the time I put them to bed I was so frustrated and exhausted.  As soon as I shut their bedroom door and walked into the kitchen I was filled with shame.  I could not believe how I acted all day long towards the kids.  All day we talked about having a good attitude and loving our brother and sister all the while I had a terrible attitude and did not show love towards Ella and Miller.  Ella got out of bed to go to the bathroom and I apologized to her for being so short with her and not showing her love with my words and actions.  I told her how sorry I was.  She just looked at me and smiled and said, "its ok Mommy, I love you."  And that was that.  I tried to apologize again and she just said, "Mommy, I said I forgive you.  Let's not talk about it any more."

It is amazing how quickly I forget what my main goal in parenting is.  My role as a mother is to teach my  children to love the Lord and glorify him with their life.  That is the main thing!  It has nothing to do with me or what I think my kids reflect of me.  All of my parenting should revolve around teaching them the love of the Lord!

Providentially, our Sunday School lesson on Sunday was on parenting!  We looked at Psalm 127, which I don't think I have ever really looked at in light of parenting.  Verse 3 & 4 really hit home to me especially in light of the day before.

Sons are a heritage from the Lord,
children a reward from him.
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one's youth.


We are to prepare our children to be arrows in this world, always shinning bright in darkness and being the salt of the earth.  My main goal is to raise my kids to love the Lord and prepare them to serve him with all of their life.  I often forget this.  But the Lord is always gracious to me  uses my children in my sanctification process.

I mean, who can be frustrated with this little guy???