This week started with me spending part of Sunday night in the ER. Probably not my favorite way to start a week. As you may remember, I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism in the fall. Up until this point, I haven't been on any medicine for it. My hope has been that it is just a postpartum issue, and will eventually go away. I don't have great insurance so I didn't want to spend money on something that could resolve itself eventually. And, for the most part, I have felt like I could live with it. And honestly? My favorite "symptom"? The weight loss! I have been able to eat like mad and still lose weight. It's been great! The best post-pregnancy weight loss program ever is definitely hyperthyroidism. Some of the other side effects haven't been fun though. So this weekend, I had some symptoms that led me to feel awful, so I googled "Can you die from hyperthryroidism?" Yep, I really did. And you know what? It turns out YOU CAN! I had some symptoms of a thryoid storm, which left untreated, kills you. I tried to weigh out if I should go to the ER, because I knew it would end up costing us a bundle of money. And since I wasn't sure what the problem was, I wasn't sure it was worth it. But I ultimately decided to go. It wasn't worth the risk. So arrived at the ER a little after 2:00AM. And of course, it was a busy night there. The guy being wheeled in behind me was cursing and moaning. And his leg? Dangling! Very broken!
I had a great nurse who had to do an IV on me. And I hate IV's. For some reason, it's hard to get IV's going on me- normally I end up have multiple veins blown during the process. I waited a couple of hours before the doctor checked in on me. During that time I attempted to sleep on the gurney in the cold, brightly lit hospital room. After doing blood work, it was deteremined that I was not having a thryoid storm but did need to get on thyroid medication soon. I will be seeing an endrocronolight next week.
So the first step to finding out of the hyperthyroidism is a postpartum issue is I need to stop nursing so that my hormones can start to get back to normal. With Silas and Eliana, I was done nursing by the time they were 6 months old. We started supplementing with bottles early on since I was going back to work full time. And as many of you may know, once you start supplementing with formula, it's a slippery slope. With Levi, he had a few bottles early on, but after the first month he was exclusively nursing. Fast forward 8 months, he absolutrly refused to take a bottle. We tried every night for a few weeks and he screamed his little heart out and eventaully I gave in. So this week, I decided we needed to try bottles in earnest. And on Tuesday? Levi bit me twice while nursing. Thankfully he only has one tooth, but when it comes to biting, that is one tooth too many. So Tuesday night, his only option before bed was a bottle. He drank 1 ounce. 3:00AM rolls around and the crying begins. I told Luke that it was really all him that night- because I knew Levi wouldn't take a bottle from me. So Luke tried. A half an hour later, there was no luck. Just one very unhappy baby. Luke put Levi back to bed and Luke fell promptly to sleep (he's not use to these middle of the night feedings). Well Levi IS use to these middle of the night snacks. So he proceeded to cry for what seemed like forever. Twenty minutes later, I got him up. And he drank the entire bottle. We had won! I was elated- but then realized that just because he did it once, that didn't mean the next time would be a piece of cake. But you know? It was! He has taken a bottle easily since then- both pumped milk and formula. It's a milestone for sure!
Silas had speech therapy today and I had to work. So Luke took all three kids to the appointment by himself- seriously, Dad of the Year. At the end of his appointment, his wonderful therapist told Luke that she would test Silas next week because she thinks he is where he needs to be for speech. So it's looking like next Thursday will be his last day of speech therapy. Another milestone!
So the next milestone still needs to happen. I want to potty train Eliana in the 6 days. I am sure some of you think I am crazy, and I am. I am just ready for her to not wear diapers though. And she is ready to on some level. She talks about it all the time- she just needs to actually do it. This precious girl has a mind of her own, so this is not something I can force her to do. I have to convince her that it's her idea. We will see how it goes!
Friday, January 13, 2012
Monday, January 2, 2012
Goals for 2012
-To grow in my relationship with God. If I had to pick one word to describe it right now it would be shallow. I need to grow. I want to grow. I don't want it to take some tragic experience to grow my faith. I want to spend time with Jesus everyday. I want to pray continually. I want my relationship with God to be the most important thing in my life.
-Be more patient. To play with my children more rather them have them play by me while I do something.
-Cherish the time I spend with my children and Luke. To not take forgranted my great family; they are one of the greatest gifts that God has given me.
-Plan menus every week. I used to plan menus (when I worked full time nonetheless!). Menus make cooking dinner so much easier. I hate that feeling at 5:00PM of not knowing what I am going to make.
-To get to a doctor and get my hyperthyroidism treated. I am tired of feeling tired. It's been 6 months now and crappy insurance or not, it's time to get this figured out. I am still hoping that it's just a postpartum issue and it will go away once I am done nursing and my hormones start to balance out. But in the meantime, I need something to get me through.
-Spend less time on the computer. Enough said.
-Be more patient. To play with my children more rather them have them play by me while I do something.
-Cherish the time I spend with my children and Luke. To not take forgranted my great family; they are one of the greatest gifts that God has given me.
-Plan menus every week. I used to plan menus (when I worked full time nonetheless!). Menus make cooking dinner so much easier. I hate that feeling at 5:00PM of not knowing what I am going to make.
-To get to a doctor and get my hyperthyroidism treated. I am tired of feeling tired. It's been 6 months now and crappy insurance or not, it's time to get this figured out. I am still hoping that it's just a postpartum issue and it will go away once I am done nursing and my hormones start to balance out. But in the meantime, I need something to get me through.
-Spend less time on the computer. Enough said.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Christmas Stockings!!!
When Luke and I got married, we bought Christmas stockings at Target. When Silas was born, we never got him a stocking because we couldn't find one that we loved. Well fast forward four years. None of our kids have Christmas stockings... and this year, that all changed. A good friend of mine from high school owns a stocking company, so I decided to check out what he sold. There were so many great options, it took me awhile to narrow it down. Our stockings arrived on Friday- and they are beautiful! I love how they look, I love the great quality, I love that they are personalized, and I love that they are stockings we can use for many years.
If you are looking for Christmas stockings this year, check out Merry Stockings. My favorite stockings are the Modern Stockings. I know you will find something that you love. Did I mention that all of the stockings come personalized? And the best part is, it's not too late to order for this year. If you order by Wednesday, December 14th (tomorrow!), you will receive your stockings in time for Christmas. And you can receive 10% off your order by using the discount code ELF. Shop over at Merry Stockings today and support a great small business (based in Minnesota!).
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| Close up of my stocking. |
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| We were excited to see that the stockings were lined, which means no stretching out! |
If you are looking for Christmas stockings this year, check out Merry Stockings. My favorite stockings are the Modern Stockings. I know you will find something that you love. Did I mention that all of the stockings come personalized? And the best part is, it's not too late to order for this year. If you order by Wednesday, December 14th (tomorrow!), you will receive your stockings in time for Christmas. And you can receive 10% off your order by using the discount code ELF. Shop over at Merry Stockings today and support a great small business (based in Minnesota!).
Thursday, December 1, 2011
25 Days of Christmas
Here are the 25 special things we will be doing for Christmas (see my last blog post about the Christmas Advent house we got this year.) This is the plan for now. I will probably make changes in the order of things, as our month goes along and our schedules change. One thing that is not listed yet is we are planning to do something as a family at a rescue mission downtown. I am waiting to see what that looks like... It might involve on going to the place and doing something. It might be buying presents for kids who will spent their Christmas at the mission. Since we aren't sure what this is yet, I haven't added it.
1- Decorate Christmas tree for playroom
2- Make Christmas cookies
3- Go to a Christmas parade
4- Get out Little People Nativity set, read Christmas story from the Bible
5- Present: new Christmas sock
6- Present: Christmas Bereanstean Bears Movie
7- Do a Christmas craft
7- Do a Christmas craft
8- Go to the Broadmoor Hotel to see Christmas Lights and make s'mores
9- Christmas candy!
10- Go visit Santa Claus at the Bank
11- Watch a Christmas Veggie Tales
12- Make Christmas cards
13- Make Christmas cookies and presents for teachers
14- Present: Stockings (my kids have never had stockings and we finally ordered some this year. More to come on that later.)
15- Read Christmas stories and have hot chocolate
16- Go to the Electric Safari at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
17- Christmas Shopping as a family
18- Present: "It's a Meaningful Life" Christmas Veggie Tales
19- Decorate Gingerbread House
20- Go to Polar Express Night at Chick-fil-a
21- Make cut out cookies and decorate
22- Bring cookies to the Fire Station
23- Drive around and see Christmas lights
24- Make cupcakes for Jesus’ birthday
25- Read stories about the first Christmas and open presents
So we will see how this all works out! My point is to have something fun everyday from now until Christmas. Lots of this is regular stuff we would be doing anyways, but doing it like this will be extra fun for the kids.
What are some special things your family does each Christmas? What are some new traditions you are starting within your family?
Three Things on Thursday
1. This fall, I overcommitted myself. I went from doing nothing in the summer; Just play dates and shopping at Target to doing way. too. much. At the end of August, Silas started speech therapy once a week, about 25 minutes from where we live. I also started working, about 10 hours a week. In September, I started doing Bible Study every Wednesday morning, a small group every Wednesday night with Luke, and MOPS every Thursday morning. Somewhere in there I committed to helping with Children's Church every week, which isn't a lot of hours, but just something else on my plate. So not only was I busy, I was dragging my children all over the place too. The end result of trying to do this much has been, I have not done everything well and I have been flaky about some of my commitments. In January, I am doing less so that I can really enjoy what I do commit too.
2. During the last few months of being busy, I have also noticed that when I am overcommitted, I spending way less time with my children. (I know, that should have been pretty obvious to begin with. Sometimes I am a slow learner.) And then when I do have time with them, I am tired from all I am doing (and from my insomnia), that I feel like I am giving my children my leftovers. And I am not ok with that. I can hardly fathom that Silas will be in kindergarten next fall. Life speeds by and I am staying at home with my children so I can spend time with them and enjoy them. This fall I have allowed myself to by too busy doing "stuff." But even good things can take away time from what really things that are really important- like my family.
3. Christmas. My absolute favorite season of the year. I love everything about it! I love celebrating the birth of Jesus. I love the time with family. I love the music (and start listening to it, often, in October). I love snow. I love Christmas plays and musicals at church. I love all the cookies and candy. I love Christmas Eve church services. I love shopping to buy special gifts for family. I love traditions. I. LOVE. IT. ALL. Tomorrow is December 1st which is exciting. We are starting a new tradition in our family. I bought an Advent calendar that we are filling with special things for each day until Christmas. Some of the things do relate to the real meaning of Christmas- and some of them are just fun. Here is a picture of the one I bought. (And I was so happy to find a picture of it tonight on the internet because I was not feeling very committed to taking a picture of it myself to upload.)
It looks like it belongs in the game "Candyland." Silas calls it the candy house. If you know me, you know that I shop and buy, and then often return if I find something that I like better or if it's a better deal. So when I bought this house, that is sort of what I had in mind. Well, once we had it, it was ours. Silas loved it and there was not going back!
Tomorrow I will post the list of what we will be doing for the 25 days. The kids are excited and I am too!
2. During the last few months of being busy, I have also noticed that when I am overcommitted, I spending way less time with my children. (I know, that should have been pretty obvious to begin with. Sometimes I am a slow learner.) And then when I do have time with them, I am tired from all I am doing (and from my insomnia), that I feel like I am giving my children my leftovers. And I am not ok with that. I can hardly fathom that Silas will be in kindergarten next fall. Life speeds by and I am staying at home with my children so I can spend time with them and enjoy them. This fall I have allowed myself to by too busy doing "stuff." But even good things can take away time from what really things that are really important- like my family.
3. Christmas. My absolute favorite season of the year. I love everything about it! I love celebrating the birth of Jesus. I love the time with family. I love the music (and start listening to it, often, in October). I love snow. I love Christmas plays and musicals at church. I love all the cookies and candy. I love Christmas Eve church services. I love shopping to buy special gifts for family. I love traditions. I. LOVE. IT. ALL. Tomorrow is December 1st which is exciting. We are starting a new tradition in our family. I bought an Advent calendar that we are filling with special things for each day until Christmas. Some of the things do relate to the real meaning of Christmas- and some of them are just fun. Here is a picture of the one I bought. (And I was so happy to find a picture of it tonight on the internet because I was not feeling very committed to taking a picture of it myself to upload.)
It looks like it belongs in the game "Candyland." Silas calls it the candy house. If you know me, you know that I shop and buy, and then often return if I find something that I like better or if it's a better deal. So when I bought this house, that is sort of what I had in mind. Well, once we had it, it was ours. Silas loved it and there was not going back!
Tomorrow I will post the list of what we will be doing for the 25 days. The kids are excited and I am too!
Thursday, November 24, 2011
24 Things I am Thankful for...
I have much to be thankful for- something I try to remember every day. Rather then try to post on facebook everyday what I was thankful for, I thought I would make a list here instead.
1. Luke- He is an AMAZING husband and my best friend. I cannot imagine life without him by my side.
2. Silas- I love this sweet boy! He says funny things that make us laugh everyday. He continues to have an amazing memory. He "read" to me an entire Curious George story tonight- from memory.
3. Eliana- I love this silly girl. She is silly all the time. Seriously. I am enjoying the time I have with her when Silas is at preschool. She is all girl- babies, pink, purses, and shoes.
4. Levi- He is 8 months old today. So hard to believe! He is probably our happiest baby (and that's saying something, because our other babies were happy, easy babies too!). He learned to clap his hands this week. There is almost always a smile on this face.
5. My parents- I love living close to them. They are not only my parents, but great friends. They light up our kids world, and ours too. They have set an amazing example for me, in marriage and parenting.
6. Kelly and family- My sister is one of my best friends. I so wish they lived closer to us! We talk multiple times a week (sometimes multiple times a day!). Her husband, Corey, is pretty amazing too. He has been in my life since I was 14 years old. He's a great brother. I adore Natalie, Connor, Teyla, and Kieran. They are awesome kids and cousins.
7. Michael and kids- Since becoming adults, Michael and I have been great friends. He is an awesome father to Jordan and Madison- and a pretty amazing man in general. One of the benefits of living in California was that we could drive down for a long weekend visit. I wish we could see him and the kids more often. Jordan and Madison are super fun kids- and Silas and Eliana love playing with them!
8. Jonathan and Kelly- Jonathan is 4 years younger then me and is a great little brother. (Which if you know him, isn't accurate. He's tall. I guess I should just call him my younger brother). Jonathan and I have done a lot together. In addition to growing up together, we worked together, we went to college together, and I was a a youth group leader at church for his grade. (So that meant retreats, summer trips, and missions trips together too). He married Kelly almost 2 years ago. And she is amazing too- a beautiful person, both inside and out. They are great for each other- and I know that God brought them together in His timing for each other.
9. Luke's family- Luke has an great family that I now how the privilege of being a part of. Often, Thanksgiving ends up being a big holiday for Luke's family- cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents are all together. We have spent the last three Thanksgivings with his family- and we will miss them all tomorrow! Everyone lives in California- so we don't get to see everyone much. We miss them.
10. God- He is my life. Without my relationship with God, I would be nothing. Moving to Colorado has brought my relationship with Him to another level. I am learning to trust more, worry less. My favorite name for Him is Immanuel (God with Us).
11. Freedom to worship- I am thankful that we have the freedom of religion in the USA. There are many people in other countries around the world who don't have this privilege.
12. Our home- We moved into our home last January. It's great! Luke and I have always lived in apartments. We love having space (double the space of our last apartment). We love having a garage (especially when it snows). We love having a fenced in yard where the kids can play.
13. Our cars- We have two cars that seem to be sent from God. Both cars we got for a good price, with super low mileage. I am thankful that Luke has a car to drive to work. I am thankful that I have a car so that I can go to Bible Study, MOPS, and just get out of the house while Luke works!
14. Clean water- This is something that is so easy to take advantage of. So many people in the world don't have access to clean water. I am thankful that I do- and I want to help other people have access to clean water too.
15. Food- I love to eat. I am thankful for good food that God created for us to enjoy. And can I be specific and say I am thankful for Chick-fil-a? Because, I am! We love that place and eat their often. I am not sure I could live somewhere that didn't have Chick-fil-a.
16. Computers and Telephones- I am thankful for technology that helps us keep in touch with people.
17. Health- I am thankful that my family is healthy. There is so much sickness in our world. Being healthy is something very big that I am thankful for.
18. Mountains- One thing I love about Colorado is the mountains. They are big, beautiful, majestic.
19. Weather- I love weather. Specifically, different types of weather. Hot. Cold. Rain. Snow. Sun. Clouds. Hail. Rainbows. And Colorado has crazy weather. And I love that.
20. Friends- I am so thankful for friends. Moving is hard. And it's made me realize even more how thankful I am for friends. Friends that love us. Friends that encourage us. Friends who walk through life with us.
21. MOPS- I have been in MOPS for 4 years. And it's great. My MOPS group in California were some of my great friends- and still are now.
22. Bible Study- I love having the chance to gather with a group of women every week and study God's word. I have a great group here in Colorado, that I have unfortunately missed a lot this fall. Hopefully next semester I can make it more!
23. The YMCA- We became members of the Y when we moved to Colorado. I love being able to take the kids swimming there (and our Y has a great pool for kids). I enjoy working out a few mornings a week, while the kids play in childcare. And after I work out, I can take a shower without little hands banging on the door. :)
24. Our country- I am thankful for the many freedoms that we have in the USA. I am thankful for democracy. The United States of America is not a perfect place, but it's better then anything else.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving! May it be a day filled with love and laughter. And a day to remember the many blessings in each of our lives.
1. Luke- He is an AMAZING husband and my best friend. I cannot imagine life without him by my side.
2. Silas- I love this sweet boy! He says funny things that make us laugh everyday. He continues to have an amazing memory. He "read" to me an entire Curious George story tonight- from memory.
3. Eliana- I love this silly girl. She is silly all the time. Seriously. I am enjoying the time I have with her when Silas is at preschool. She is all girl- babies, pink, purses, and shoes.
4. Levi- He is 8 months old today. So hard to believe! He is probably our happiest baby (and that's saying something, because our other babies were happy, easy babies too!). He learned to clap his hands this week. There is almost always a smile on this face.
5. My parents- I love living close to them. They are not only my parents, but great friends. They light up our kids world, and ours too. They have set an amazing example for me, in marriage and parenting.
6. Kelly and family- My sister is one of my best friends. I so wish they lived closer to us! We talk multiple times a week (sometimes multiple times a day!). Her husband, Corey, is pretty amazing too. He has been in my life since I was 14 years old. He's a great brother. I adore Natalie, Connor, Teyla, and Kieran. They are awesome kids and cousins.
7. Michael and kids- Since becoming adults, Michael and I have been great friends. He is an awesome father to Jordan and Madison- and a pretty amazing man in general. One of the benefits of living in California was that we could drive down for a long weekend visit. I wish we could see him and the kids more often. Jordan and Madison are super fun kids- and Silas and Eliana love playing with them!
8. Jonathan and Kelly- Jonathan is 4 years younger then me and is a great little brother. (Which if you know him, isn't accurate. He's tall. I guess I should just call him my younger brother). Jonathan and I have done a lot together. In addition to growing up together, we worked together, we went to college together, and I was a a youth group leader at church for his grade. (So that meant retreats, summer trips, and missions trips together too). He married Kelly almost 2 years ago. And she is amazing too- a beautiful person, both inside and out. They are great for each other- and I know that God brought them together in His timing for each other.
9. Luke's family- Luke has an great family that I now how the privilege of being a part of. Often, Thanksgiving ends up being a big holiday for Luke's family- cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents are all together. We have spent the last three Thanksgivings with his family- and we will miss them all tomorrow! Everyone lives in California- so we don't get to see everyone much. We miss them.
10. God- He is my life. Without my relationship with God, I would be nothing. Moving to Colorado has brought my relationship with Him to another level. I am learning to trust more, worry less. My favorite name for Him is Immanuel (God with Us).
11. Freedom to worship- I am thankful that we have the freedom of religion in the USA. There are many people in other countries around the world who don't have this privilege.
12. Our home- We moved into our home last January. It's great! Luke and I have always lived in apartments. We love having space (double the space of our last apartment). We love having a garage (especially when it snows). We love having a fenced in yard where the kids can play.
13. Our cars- We have two cars that seem to be sent from God. Both cars we got for a good price, with super low mileage. I am thankful that Luke has a car to drive to work. I am thankful that I have a car so that I can go to Bible Study, MOPS, and just get out of the house while Luke works!
14. Clean water- This is something that is so easy to take advantage of. So many people in the world don't have access to clean water. I am thankful that I do- and I want to help other people have access to clean water too.
15. Food- I love to eat. I am thankful for good food that God created for us to enjoy. And can I be specific and say I am thankful for Chick-fil-a? Because, I am! We love that place and eat their often. I am not sure I could live somewhere that didn't have Chick-fil-a.
16. Computers and Telephones- I am thankful for technology that helps us keep in touch with people.
17. Health- I am thankful that my family is healthy. There is so much sickness in our world. Being healthy is something very big that I am thankful for.
18. Mountains- One thing I love about Colorado is the mountains. They are big, beautiful, majestic.
19. Weather- I love weather. Specifically, different types of weather. Hot. Cold. Rain. Snow. Sun. Clouds. Hail. Rainbows. And Colorado has crazy weather. And I love that.
20. Friends- I am so thankful for friends. Moving is hard. And it's made me realize even more how thankful I am for friends. Friends that love us. Friends that encourage us. Friends who walk through life with us.
21. MOPS- I have been in MOPS for 4 years. And it's great. My MOPS group in California were some of my great friends- and still are now.
22. Bible Study- I love having the chance to gather with a group of women every week and study God's word. I have a great group here in Colorado, that I have unfortunately missed a lot this fall. Hopefully next semester I can make it more!
23. The YMCA- We became members of the Y when we moved to Colorado. I love being able to take the kids swimming there (and our Y has a great pool for kids). I enjoy working out a few mornings a week, while the kids play in childcare. And after I work out, I can take a shower without little hands banging on the door. :)
24. Our country- I am thankful for the many freedoms that we have in the USA. I am thankful for democracy. The United States of America is not a perfect place, but it's better then anything else.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving! May it be a day filled with love and laughter. And a day to remember the many blessings in each of our lives.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Operation Christmas Child
For a few years, we have been participating in a project called Operation Christmas Child. OCC provides Christmas boxes to thousands of children through out the world. For us, it's a perfect opportunity to let our children learn and serve. People who live in the United States of America are RICH compared to most of the world. Check out the Global Rich List- it's an interesting website that helps put into perspective how much money we make compared to the rest of the world. Americans, by in large, are in the top 1% of the world. Over half the world lives on less then $2 a day- less then what many of us might have spent on coffee this morning.
I want our children to grow up with the realization that we have much to be thankful for. We are thankful for our home, for heat and water, for our beds to sleep in, for food to eat, for the freedom to go to church and worship God, for jobs, for cars, for health insurance. We are blessed. And I want our children to grow up being thankful- and realizing that there are many people throughout our world that don't have some of the most basic things, like clean water.
We started talking to Silas two years ago about how some children in the world don't get any Christmas presents. So we got a shoebox, took Silas to Target, and he picked out things for boy his age. We picked out some basic "need" items: a toothbrush, toothpaste, a bar of soap, a washcloth, a comb. Then we picked out "fun" stuff: a coloring book, crayons, a small toy, a shirt, candy, sunglasses, a flashlight... you get the idea. And the neat thing about it was that we were able to get Silas involved- and let him pick out things he would want to get himself.
So this year, we involved Eliana too. We went to Target and the two kids picked out all sorts of stuff to pack in their shoebox, so that a child somewhere in the world would get a present for Christmas. I put a picture of them in their shoebox. They are going to color a picture too. We want the children who receive the boxes to know they are loved. And that another child across the world picked out these gifts for them.
A girl at the Bible Study I have been attending grew up in what is now the Republic of Georgia. When she was a child, she received an Operation Christmas Child box. She was able to tell our group how much it meant to her as a child. It was neat for me to hear her experience- and to know that this very little thing that we do, does make a difference in a child's life.
If you would like to be a part of this, act quick. The last day to drop off boxes is November 21st. I would encourage everyone to be a part of this project and help make a difference in the lives of children around the world.
I want our children to grow up with the realization that we have much to be thankful for. We are thankful for our home, for heat and water, for our beds to sleep in, for food to eat, for the freedom to go to church and worship God, for jobs, for cars, for health insurance. We are blessed. And I want our children to grow up being thankful- and realizing that there are many people throughout our world that don't have some of the most basic things, like clean water.
We started talking to Silas two years ago about how some children in the world don't get any Christmas presents. So we got a shoebox, took Silas to Target, and he picked out things for boy his age. We picked out some basic "need" items: a toothbrush, toothpaste, a bar of soap, a washcloth, a comb. Then we picked out "fun" stuff: a coloring book, crayons, a small toy, a shirt, candy, sunglasses, a flashlight... you get the idea. And the neat thing about it was that we were able to get Silas involved- and let him pick out things he would want to get himself.
So this year, we involved Eliana too. We went to Target and the two kids picked out all sorts of stuff to pack in their shoebox, so that a child somewhere in the world would get a present for Christmas. I put a picture of them in their shoebox. They are going to color a picture too. We want the children who receive the boxes to know they are loved. And that another child across the world picked out these gifts for them.
A girl at the Bible Study I have been attending grew up in what is now the Republic of Georgia. When she was a child, she received an Operation Christmas Child box. She was able to tell our group how much it meant to her as a child. It was neat for me to hear her experience- and to know that this very little thing that we do, does make a difference in a child's life.
If you would like to be a part of this, act quick. The last day to drop off boxes is November 21st. I would encourage everyone to be a part of this project and help make a difference in the lives of children around the world.
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| Here is the stuff that Eliana picked out for her box. |
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| Here is the stuff that Silas picked out for his box. |
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| To happy kids with their Christmas present boxes for a child in need. |
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