The Greatest Gift

Last year we started a tradition that we have really enjoyed. I got the idea when we began getting all the extra advertisements last year for "Christmas." I wanted to think of something to help our kids realize how many things God has already given to us and not be so hungry for more "things." I had them think of things they were thankful for that cannot be bought or wrapped. They thought of things like family, friends, a warm house, I even let them add some things like warm jammies and toys. I wrote out 25 things and wrapped them up in 25 boxes and put them under the tree. It was exciting each night after family devotions to pick a "gift" to open. We would take out the slip of paper, read it and take turns thanking God for His gifts. The 25th box was the gift of Jesus.
This simple activity has been helpful even to me to remember in this time of getting and giving to give Him thanks for what He has already so generously showered upon us.
The last gift is ideally opened before we open our family presents. Since we are with extended family on Christmas Day, we skipped ahead this year and even though it wasn't the 25th, we still opened our last gift before we gave each other presents. This year along with the words "Jesus ~ the greatest gift of all," I wrapped a nativity scene that Mom gave us especially for our "gifts." It was in a box with a bow that unfolded into a manger scene. It was sweet to watch the children's excitement as they opened the "gift" and talked about what a great gift Jesus really is. They gazed at that little nativity scene as Chuck read the Christmas story.
Thank you God for your indescribable gift!

A Prayer at Christmas

This prayer is so beautiful and rich, I just had to share! I have been enjoying this amidst the excitement of this time of year. It is untitled and the author is unknown, but the words have continued to stir my heart since I first read them.

What shall I render to Thee for the gift of gifts,
Thine own dear Son, begotten, not created,
My Redeemer, proxy, surety, substitute,
His self-emptying incomprehensible,
His infinity of love beyond the heart's grasp.

Herein is wonder of wonders:
He came below to raise me above,
Was born like me that I might become like Him.

Herein is love;
When I cannot rise to Him He draws near on wings of grace,
To raise me to Himself.

Herein is power;
When Deity and humanity were infinitely apart
He united them in indissoluble unity,
The uncreated and the created.

Herein is wisdom;
When I was undone, with no will to return to Him,
And no intellect to devise recovery,
He came, God-incarnate, to save me to the uttermost,
As man to die my death,
To shed satisfying blood on my behalf,
To work out a perfect righteousness for me.

O God, take me in spirit to the watchful shepherds,
And enlarge my mind;
Let me hear good tidings of great joy,
And hearing, believe, rejoice, praise, adore
My conscience bathed in an ocean of repose,
My eyes uplifted to a reconciled Father;
Place me with ox, ass, camel, goat,
To look with them upon my Redeemer's face,
And in Him account myself delivered from sin;
Let me with Simeon clasp the new-born child to my heart,
Embrace Him with undying faith,
Exulting that He is mine and I am His.
In Him Thou hast given me so much more
That heaven can give no more.

A Puritan prayer

Why I am NOT a Photographer

Thanksgiving...finaly

I'm sad to say I forgot to break out my camera for most of our Thanksgiving trek to my parent's house. We had such a great time! The 11 hour trip there went rather smoothly.
Once we were there, I guess we were too busy to take time to pause for pictures! We did snap a few when my cousins came over for our Thanksgiving meal. One of my twin cousins, Andy had a baby on the same day as Anna. They were sooo cute together sitting in Mom's big chair. I think they were almost mesmerized by each other.

Then I had to catch Jake and Cade who are also around the same age. But Cade was too smart for his Aunt Kim (or too much like his daddy) and every time I got ready to snap the picture, he had to fix something in his nose!! They still were pretty cute.

We had a wonderful meal, but most of all we had great fellowship and a chance to testify to the many blessings given us by our Great God!

Color My World

I am SO thankful to be able to trade children with Jenn every week or two. It has been a blessing to be able to take her kids for a few hours one day and then to have her watch mine another day. She took mine yesterday and what a great time I had to run around town without bundling, buckling and holding little bodies. I got my hair cut, had lunch with my hubby, helped out at Aly's school and had quiet time with the Lord. THANKS Jenn!!!

We got to play with her Anna and Jacob today. Yes, her two and our two babies have the same names! Jake calls their Anna the 2-A Anna or Anna 2-A and their Jacob baby. :) They have so much fun playing together. It's fun for me to be around a three year old that can carry on a conversation in English. Their thoughts are so funny!



Anna helped me make side walk paint and they had a great time making our cement out front beautiful!
Not sure how this happened!!! She said "I was just trying to stir the paint."

The Mystery of the Missing Shoes

We've been having trouble recently locating our shoes as we are ready to walk out the door. We have a "rule" that each person can have only one pair of shoes in the shoe basket by the front door and the rest go in our closets. This worked out pretty well until lately. We have had more missing shoes than ever. This week Caleb was even late to school because one of his favorite school tennies was missing! We looked all over in all the logical spots. He retraced his steps, looked under couches...no luck! Then I remembered Anna's new favorite pass time. Shoe Thievery. I began looking not in the places Caleb frequents in our home, but the places Anna goes. Sure enough. The missing shoe was found.

Happy Birthday, My Dear Jacob!

Jacob had a great day full of vehicles. He really enjoys trains, cars and tractors. He was delighted with his "choot choot num-num" translated: train cake. He was also thrilled with his new geo tracks train set. (I got a great deal!!) But I think his favorite present was...

Having Grandma Bev and Pop come visit!!

He was so glad to be with them! And of course they brought presents!!
I think his favorite from them was his airplane shirt that lights up. He also really liked the two yellow tractors! Thanks Mom and Dad!

Jacob Ray, you are such a joy! I am so grateful that you are a part of our family!!

Enjoying the Beauty of Fall

The Election in Perspective

On this "Election Day Eve," I thought I would share this video of John Piper. It was an encouraging reminder of what a mighty, sovereign God we serve...no matter who is elected our next president. I couldn't get it to process, so here's a link if you're interested.

Game Day

I finally shot a few pictures at the football game. It was such a beautiful November day. I just wish I could have captured a fraction of the beauty of the day and excitement of the game. It was a close one...27-19. That doesn't sound too close, but they were ahead most of the first half and pretty close to scoring towards the end of the game. WHEW! GO Warriors!!

Trick or Treat!

Homecoming Fun

There were so many fun things going on before the game! Inflatables, face painting and even an exotic animal petting zoo. To top it all off, our cousins from Saint Francis came all the way here for the game!!
The game was a great one. The Warriors won! 42-14!!




Jacob got to watch the last quarter down on the side lines with the "serious football fans," his Grandpa Dennis and Uncle Tim!! He stood for the most of the quarter paying attention. His favorite thing to yell is "GO D!!!" (Even when the offense is in!) Do you notice our beautiful new track and field??
THANKS Grandma Nita and Papa for the great Eternity Focus T-shirts!!












All of the Lambert Cousins (so far)!!

Warrior Pride!

Pickin' Pumpkins

Before last week's football game we were able to go to a pumpkin patch. Aly really liked all the different types of pumpkins. Jake loved the covered wagon ride. Anna liked throwing the little pumpkin "balls" out of the wagon. A fun time was had by all. thanks, Kristen Schenk for organizing the trip and Jodi for the great pictures!!

Gibberish???

Our poor Jacob has not been able to communicate clearly from the beginning. He will be three in November and still doesn't really speak English. I think he's a really bright little guy - he understands everything we say to him, he just can't get us to understand the words he says to us! I also am confident that he will get it...eventually. He just usually has his own way of doing things. He has pretty much invented his own language with a lot of sounds, sound effects and movements. It's pretty cute how he has learned to communicate in his own way. I feel bad for him though because it has to be frustrating to know what you want to say and the rest of us (most times) have NO idea what he is telling us. One of my favorite verses that applies to his situation is Psalm 8:2a "From the lips of infants and children You have ordained praise..." It is such a comfort to know even though most often our little Jake goes throughout his days not being understood, there is One who hears him and COMPLETELY understands him! When that little boy prays, he can have confidence that the creator of heaven and earth knows every word that he speaks. He can praise God in his gibberish!! (We don't usually encourage that kind of thing without an interpreter!!!) J/K! His prayers touch my heart because he may not know the greatness of our God, but he (in his own language) can still praise Him and is beginning to know that there is a God. A God who loves him, cares for him and knit him together exactly the way he is for His purpose!! Our God sees us each and loves us and wants to hear us cry out to Him! No matter how misunderstood we may feel, we have a maker who understands us completely. "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!" ~ Psalm 8:9

Cultivating Spirituality in Our Childrens Lives

I stumbled across this article called "Ways to Cultivate Spirituality in a Child" and have been thinking a lot about it today. I have been brain storming lately of ways to help our children move from head knowledge to heart change. I don't know much about this author or her blog, but this particular article has been an inspiration to me. I hope to implement parts of her ideas into our routine.

All Aboard!!

WHEW! We made it! I decided it was time to go "home" to Illinois for a few days. Jake and Anna and I packed up and we headed to Wyanet on the Amtrak! It is a pretty good way to travel, especially now with the prices of gas. The main downfall, though is that it takes off and arrives in Hutchinson in the middle of the night. We had to pack up all the kiddos and get to the train station by 2:20 AM. Only the report I received was that the train was running late, and from our past experiences with the train, we know that it usually continues to lose time. So we took our time and got to the train station a bit before the time they told us it would be there, and the train was already there! The railroad barricades were down and sure enough the train was about to depart! I hopped out of the van and ran around the barricades, around the train and sprinted (in my flip flops and pajama pants) up to the conductor. He had just finished loading everyone and had pulled up the step ladder and was closing the door. I came barreling up to him and with all the breath I could muster, said "I'm (gasp) coming! Can (gasp) you wait (gasp) just a second??" To which he very gruffly replied, "A second is ALL you have!!" I whirled around to where Chuck had just illegally crossed the RR tracks and began to unload our two sleepy and surprised babies! We grabbed all we could and Chuck shoved us on the train, said a very quick farewell and we were on our way. Even though we had a rough (and I'm sure to anyone who happened to catch a glimpse that morning at 2:40, humorous) beginning to our trip, the rest went really well. The kids did a pretty good job on the train and there were no major hold-ups. It was so good to be with my family! I hadn't been "home" since the beginning of June, so it was great to be there. We got to spend a lot of time with My brother and his family. Cade and Jake are getting to be good friends! They had so much fun playing together. They both really enjoy digging on Grandma Bev and Pop's hill with the 'diggers.' We also had some time to visit with Grandma. She hasn't been feeling well at all, so I feel blessed to be able to share some of her precious time. She even ventured out with us one day to a local apple orchard. She enjoyed getting out and looking at the pretty mums and sampling some of the apple treats! It was a beautiful day. The time always flies by too quickly, but the time we had was great! The way home on the train went really well. THANKS for all of your prayers! When we got on the train, we sat in an observation car with big picture windows. Jake was so excited to be on a train! There were some aspiring musicians from Spain and Russia who were glad to serenade us. That really helped the time go by quickly. Jake made a friend named Vera on the train and they both played and sang and drummed right along with the musicians. I was thankful for something to keep us busy. I tried to get a video that captured the atmosphere aboard the train, but this was the best I could do. Enjoy.

Football!!

Football season is well underway with all the ups and downs that go with it. It is so much fun to have a game to look forward to each Saturday. I am sad to say I haven't even snapped one picture of a game. I was so thankful when I saw Jodi's blog. She has taken some beautiful pictures. I'm going to have to link to her great post since my season (of life and football) is a bit different than hers right now. I haven't been able to even think about taking pictures because I'm usually in survival mode at football games, and if I'm lucky I might be able to watch a whole play. :) So.... THANKS Jodi for such a perfect portrayal (in both picture and words) of how the season is going so far.

Grateful Hearts

What a great God we serve! I don't think I will ever understand the depth of His mercy and love that He so graciously pours on us! He chose to save me and as if that weren't enough, He continues to shower me with blessings. Some small, some huge, some in the midst of extreme heartache...He never ceases to bless "beyond our comprehension." Some (probably even many) of those blessings He gives go unnoticed day to day. I am trying to make an effort to recall and rejoice in those blessings. I am also trying to give Him the glory, declare His praises, and give thanks to Him from whom all blessings flow!
When I begin to mentally compile a list of the things I have been blessed with, of course they are too numerous to list. One that is fresh on my heart that I want to share may seem small or insignificant to some. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 5:20 to "always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." And am I ever thankful...















...for our NEW dishwasher!!!

I am thankful that I no longer have to wash our mountains of dishes by hand. I am also thankful that I don't have to pre-wash and post-wash each dish that goes in & out. I also like that I don't have to wonder if the top rack will completely disintegrate due to the rust caused by our Sterling water. Yes, I am thankful for all of those things. But the thing that fills my heart with overflowing gratitude is that it was a free gift! Someone was sensitive to the Lord and through His leading sacrificed of themselves to give us a sweet gift - an envelope marked "DISHWASHER" - full of the exact amount we needed to get a very nice, new dishwasher and even have it installed. (The money was so perfect, I think I got 2 pennies back!!) We were humbled by the gift and so thrilled to be able to give God the glory for meeting a need through someone else!

Thank you, Dear Mystery Friend!!! And Thank You, Lord, for meeting our needs exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or imagine!!!

My Favorite Freebies!

Here are a couple of freebies that I thought were worth getting.

*PARENTS magazine 2 year subscription. (No strings attached, but they say hurry - these are limited.)

*FREE music download from Chris Tomlin! Jesus Messiah. Great song with scripture.

These both are completely free - I tried them both. Have a great day!!

Kansas State Fair!!

Chuck's always too busy this time of year to take time for the big fair (or so he says). :) I usually feel obligated to take our children so that they don't miss out on this piece of Kansas culture!! Sooooo, even though it was 56 degrees and rainy, we braved the weather and the crowds and enjoyed a couple hours of fair fun! (I also had to take advantage of free entrance and dollar rides. I must be on a money saving kick...see below post!) They each rode a couple of rides.












But I think they enjoyed looking at the animals just as much as they enjoyed the rides. The petting Zoo is always great fun for them. They don't mind getting animal slobber all over.




















The camel was so funny! We had a good time despite the cold weather. We laughed a lot and hopefully made some great memories!