this little light of mine

“Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I am permitted to hold for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950);

solid fans!

We have some solid husker fans in this house I discovered today! Harper broke out his husker gear and Charli was quick to find her matching outfit! They sported their matching shirts and pants with pride all day! Charli played in the snow and got hers wet, so she is still sporting her shirt with blue pants!! :-)

wow, harper looks a little scared I see now...but I assure you he was laughing!

while our little tomboy (who told me today she was a boy while she was in my tummy, and she isn't sure why she decided to be a girl when she was born) still finds time to give attention and love to her babies. On this day her baby came to daycare with us! Most days her baby stays in bed all day, what a lucky-duck!!

she wanted me to show her 'pretty hair' picture!!

Today Charli and Colton are having a play date while his parents on are a date!! They are driving Harper a little crazy!! I am sure Charli brings out the crazy in Colton!! He is always so reserve!

Maybe they will pose for a few pictures later?!

HOH2011 Summit Class Video

Take 8 minutes to view my fellow Heroes!!!

Rx for worry

My bff emailed this to me this morning...I am not sure where she got it - and I am stealing it to share with you. Take a true minute to read this and soak it in...we can all benefit from this kind of life!

Rx for Worry
Live long enough, and you'll find yourself in a thin hospital gown, crawling up on the table for some kind of test procedure. You'll wait by the phone for the results, trying not to worry but unable to keep from wondering what you'll do if it's bad.

Is there a game plan for this kind of situation?

Let's just say that one of the blessings of living in daily fellowship with God is developing a settled heart. You realize your salvation is accomplished and complete. You recognize how many things are beyond your control. And you begin to understand that trusting him is a lot more effective than fretting and losing sleep. He takes care of you either way. So why waste the nervous energy?

Inner peace is not a formula. It's not treating God like a good-luck charm. It's about spending time reading His Word. Praying when you could be listening to sports radio. Talking to him instead of talking to yourself. Relationship, not ritual. Try it consistently for a month, and you'll look back a few weeks from now amazed at the amount of perspective and security he's given you. You'll be more like a man who has "no fear of bad news," whose "heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord" (Psalm 112:7).

Want to be ready for that next trip to the doctor? Then run your laps, watch your portions . . . and start relying on the Great Physician to get you through each day.

Pray this prayer: Lord, I waste so much of my time worrying about things you're already taking care of. I long for a settled, peaceful heart—one that's ready for trouble because I've been trusting you all along.

snowy days!

these are bibs that Charli got from her great-aunt Janelle when she was this age. This morning Harper and I were playing dress-up from his closet and we decided today was a great day to wear these. I love this picture because my grandpa wore bibs every day of his life I remember! And my "adopted" grandpa wore them every day as well!! Bibs have a special place in my family!! Chad has been busy helping people with snow and with work stuff but was home for a bit this morning - harper stole his hat and he looked just like one of the "been farming long" boys! Some of you have to know what I am talking about, right?!!

When I was taking Harper's picture, he wanted very badly for Charli to sit by him! He kept putting his arm out and saying her name (well, saying it as he says it!!)

oh how quickly they pick up the "silly face" pose!!

the girls came to play on Saturday - which was a lot of fun. They have a lot of fun!! They are busy and go through a lot of food and drink when they play so hard!! On the flip side, this morning Harper woke up before Charli and it was just the two of us for about an hour. I forgot how much different that can be! He was so much fun, and super easy! I got a lot done before Charli woke up!! I love how much they play together, but having them one-on-one is important too!! I hope they always love each other as much as they do 'right now'! Not to mention, it was a breeze when I wasn't outnumbered!!

can't have a nice picture without one of these!

this is posted special for my dad, who while I grew up NEVER let my feet touch the table!! I get it...and as a general rule I don't let my kids either. but...I guess I must have tried it all the time, because the phrase "get your feet off the table" is ingrained in my memory!! Poor Harper will be so confused because when his dad catches him he says "feet off the table little brenda".

breakfast for champions!

such a great helper!!! she got the coat to zip...however the zipper was broke! I know she is only 4, but some mornings she is what makes this house work!! :-)

She is so protective of him and can be such an excellent helper. Today she was an amazing help and so good to him. As a reward she got a few peanut butter m&m's after lunch. She split her last one in half to share with her mom and her brother...because "we didn't have any". Ahhhh....

5 Dollars

all that glitters....

We had our first full week of health, and it was wonderful!
Harper had well-check and did excellent, discovered a new tooth coming in (which makes #5 in the past few weeks), and decided that he is (most of the time) the polar opposite of Charli. Harper is doing well!! :D

Charli has really grown into the big-sister roll in the past few weeks. Most of the time this works to our advantage! ;-)

I attended a Relay For Life committee planning meeting this week which means that Relay season is here!! Our kick off is in a few weeks and I am so excited! My speaking engagements as Hero of Hope are increasing, which is exciting. It is neat to see other events run, and gain so much inspiration from their group! I HIGHLY suggest that you find a Relay For Life in your area and find a way to participate. This is an event that, if you let it, can change your life...in the best way possible!

one of those moments when I want to say "STOP", but all I can do is giggle and grab the camera!

another reason we need an extra 10 minutes each morning! they each enjoy picking out their winter appeal. Charli is good at changing things up each day and Harper is good at finding the items that are the best mis-match and going with it!

Have a GREAT week everyone!!

extra prayers please

I have done a lot of praying this week. I had a great friend have her own cancer scare, which had us all shaken up. By the grace of God she received good news today. It seems like every week or two someone I know and/or love is faced with an issue revolving around cancer. And, although all of my education and knowledge tells me that everyone goes through this...sometimes I feel like I am cursed and if you know me...you will have a run in with "c" yourself. How silly is that?! Cancer is a part of this word. BUT, it is NOT here to stay because of all the work we are doing through organizations such as the ACS! We need to keep fighting!

I ask that you take a minute to visit a Hero of Hope alumni who is facing some hard times. I will let her blog tell you her story, because I could never do her justice. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. http://www.mycancerandme.blogspot.com/



and...what keeps me going at night are these faces -- the faces I Relay For!!!

they were having so much fun being pulled on the blanket on our slick wood floor!

I think Harper would have made a pretty (and chubby) little girl!!

having SO much fun watching Charli and daddy move snow on the 4-wheeler before bed!

happy and healthy '11

hoping for a happy AND healthy 2011...so far we have not had the healthy part! We had the stomach flu fly through our house the past week and a half, and I am ready to say good-bye to that for sure!!

My laptop had a snafu and I lost my hard drive. Now that I have it back I am having loads of issues! technology!

enjoy the pictures, hope to post more when I have more patience!

love new jammies!

snow buddies!

daddy * harper

angels are so much fun!! this was #4!

proud!

highlight of the day!

charli had her first, second, third, and fourth skype session today! she had a lot of fun!

proud to build so high...clever because this means he can stand on the chair!!

problem solver

sweeties (at this moment)

fishy kisses

here's to you 2011!

We have really enjoyed the extra days at home. It feels like we have been home forever! Charli got the stomach flu early this week and was home for two days. Coming off of a long weekend, and going into another long weekend...the week went very quickly! She is feeling much better now! Major BIG thanks to Linda for getting Harper to daycare Wednesday, you are a lifesaver!

We got a lot done this weekend, but always wish we could do one or two more things! When I took the tree down earlier this week Charli informed me "but mom, I am still celebrating Christmas!" She wasn't sure why we would ever think about taking the tree down!

big vs. little!

The top bite is Charli's bite, the bottom of the cookie is Harper's bite after taking it from Charli!

they have a little village set up of all their cars, trucks, semis, tractors, people, etc. It is a nice little get away for them to play and think they are hiding!

Charli was drawing a person and wanted to cut it out so we could try to make it into a paper airplane. We were not successful!!

the pictures got out of order here, sorry! This is the after effect of the picture below...

they love to be spun around, Charli will BEG for it! She doesn't think it is a "good one" unless she can't stand up when she is done! What a life :-)

My New Years resolution is to get better at sending "fun" mail, so keep an eye out! I got a few pieces out over the weekend, so I guess I am doing 'so far, so good'! I don't have to go back to work until Tuesday (our holiday is Monday, yay us!), so I have a few more hours of trying to be productive around here! Hope you start 2011 out on a good note!