Here is my tree this year. This is the "Momma Tree" with the ornaments that I love and decorated as girlie as I want. The boys have their own tree that they decorated (which is why all the ornaments are in one spot) the way they wanted and with what they want (I found a hanger on it the other day!!) 

The Boy's Treasure Tree 

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow

My boys love to be outside. All of them. They were all so excited to go outside and play in the snow. Our backyard has this great little slope to it and it is perfect for toddler sledding. Caleb loved it when Joseph would push him so fast that the sled would topple over and he would go rolling down the hill in the snow. That child has the greatest belly laugh that he saves for the most fun events in his life. This was one of them. Luke doesn’t love the cold, but absolutely loves to be outdoors so will tolerate the cold. He didn’t love going down the hill quite like big brother did, but was content just to be pulled around. It was a great afternoon of fun for my boys and when they came in Momma was waiting for them with some hot cocoa. Momma doesn’t care for the cold either!

Here's little bear not going too fast 

Here's Caleb flying down the hill in our backyard 

Caleb loved to be pulled fast...poor Daddy was getting tired! 

Caleb thought it was so great to pull his brother like Daddy pulled him. 

And Luke Bear liked it too! 

The Maddry Men! 

The cutest little snow bunny! 

God's in it all

SO the Maddry house has been the…MAD House lately. Starting the day after Thanksgiving Joseph has been studying hard & long for the test and quiz that he had last week. He had 3 case studies due today and has a big test on Friday. Then next week he has 2 finals. So there had been stress and anxiety in our home last week. What finally put me over the edge was on Friday when Baby Bear got sick. He had fluids coming out of both ends and, as all of you with toddlers know, it is hard to hold the sick baby, tend to the mess all over the house AND take care of the 3 year old who is totally consumed with his needs. We had nothing to clean the carpet and I needed medicine for the baby so I HAD to call my Love to come home from school to help me. And of course he came without a complaint. He hadn’t planned on coming home until late in the evening and was planning on studying all weekend. I knew that and felt guilty about calling him and asking him to come home. When he came home I had a total meltdown. I felt overwhelmed by my sick child & demanding 3 year old and felt guilt over needing my husband during a very busy & stressful time in his life. I was a mess! A disaster would probably be a better word for it. So with delay, in order to throw a tantrum with kicking & screaming, I called out to God and without delay he came to the rescue. Our weekend was still hard (Caleb & I got sick, Luke stayed sick and Joseph didn’t get much studying done) but the peace that was over our house was the kind that only God could give. Our priorities shifted. We were once again reminded of God’s role & our place in this journey we are on. God POURED grace & mercy on us. Thank you, Lord, for your gentle teaching, sweet reassurance and much patience that you show to us. I read this this morning and thought it was perfect for me today:

If I’m loving others the way I’m loving myself, we’re all in trouble. May God awaken me to my life so I can help my kids be awake to theirs.
O God of rest and rejuvenation, guide me to find ways to let your nurturing reach me. I need to be healthy and well-rested in order to provide, lead, and inspire. Burning the candle at both ends all the time is hardly an example I’m proud of.
~ A Mother’s Daily Prayer Book

***as and end note…being sick yesterday did give me the time to sleep, rest & relax so thank you Lord for sickness too.**

Our sweet Hashakimana

We got this letter from our Compassion child that we sponsor right before Thanksgiving. It was a great reminder of how blessed I am, how ungrateful I can be and that there are so many people who love Jesus so much and are grateful for what they have even when they don’t have much.

“Hashakimana greets you in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is doing well. He is now in third term of his grade one. He needs your prayers to join another class next year.
At home they are greeting you so much. There is a lot of rainfall and it’s too cold most of the time. It’s hard to walk without a sweater or jacket.
At his place they are weeding crops like maize and beans. It’s hunger season. The only available food is greens and hot water. Beans are scare and difficult to get in the open market if you don’t have enough money so he needs your prayers. He, however, has hope that by November this year they will be testing some fresh beans and some Irish potatoes if the season and the weather are okay. He is preparing for his Christmas and New Year celebrations and he hopes you will share with him in faith to enjoy both Christmas and New Year.
Let the Lord be your guide in everything as they here are told to believe so in Sunday school that he enjoys so much.
God Bless you.”

Thanksgiving

The Maddry Thanksgiving was a wonderful one this year. Caleb and I have spent weeks getting ready for it and talking about it. We made napkin holders, place cards, table decorations and a centerpiece for the table. They all turned our adorable! Our best friends the Zeigler’s came and our Aunty Hannah flew in from Montana to spend time with us. We have MUCH to be grateful for and the people around my table were at the top of my list.

We are so thankful for our friends the Zeigler’s. It has been awesome having friends that have shared in the journey of marriage, kids, air force, and many moves. They have seen us through some of our hardest times and we have also laughed our way through vacations with kids, road trips while pregnant and many, many, many meals! They are an amazing family and I’m so excited at the thought of many more adventures & meals in the future. Our conversations are full of laughter and when we leave their presence we feel rejuvenated. Words cannot express how much we love them and how grateful we are for their friendship.

We are also thankful for our Aunt Hannah who has once again gone out of her way to make a long trek to spend time with us. It is a joy to have her around and watch her play with the boys. She has always been faithful in visiting us even though it’s not always convenient for her. Hannah is almost done with college and we are so proud of her. Not just for her accomplishments, but also for her servant’s heart and the quiet acts of love that she shares with others. You are amazing Hannah and we love you.

Caleb prayed at the table this year and thanked God for his family and the yummy turkey mommy made and then ended his prayer with thanking God that “Jesus died on the cross for us.” So many things and people to be thankful for but at the top of it all is Christ’s sacrifice for us.

Family! 

Joseph and his little sister Hannah with the boys! 

my cute little turkey 

my cute table! 

Here come the (future) bride and groom practicing walking down the aisle! 

Here are the table decorations that Caleb, Daddy and I made. These are the napkin holders and place cards. 

Daily Prayer

Dear God, for another day, for another minute, for another chance to live and serve you, I am grateful. Please keep me free from the fear of future, from anxiety about tomorrow, from bitterness towards anyone, from cowardice in the face of danger, from laziness in my daily work, from failure before opportunity, from weakness when your power is at hand. But fill me with love that knows no bounds, with sympathy that reaches all, with courage that cannot be shaken, with faith strong enough for the darkness, with strength sufficient for my tasks. Be with me for another day, and use me as you will. Amen.

~The Pilgrim's Prayer Book

Our Nana

One of the things that I love about my mom is how much Caleb loves her. She is a fun, crazy, silly grandma that is totally in love with her grandkids. Caleb loves to talk to his Nana on the phone because she tells crazy stories and makes him laugh hysterically. Here are a few pictures to document their relationship.

"My Nana tow (so) tunny (funny) mom" 

Luke Bear is thinking..."I wish I could talk to my Nana and hear what is so funny!" 

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

The word “love” has been so butchered in the English language. I’m working on a study of God’s love for us and one of the exercises was to rewrite 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and insert the phrase My heavenly Father in place of the word love and the word he in place of the word it. It was awesome to revisit Father’s agape love that he has for each one of his children. After doing this little exercise it reminded me how personal Father’s love is for my life. ~s

"My heavenly Father is patient, My heavenly Father is kind. He does not envy, he does not boast, he is not proud. He is not rude, he is not self-seeking, he is not easily angered, he keeps no record of wrongs. My heavenly Father does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. My heavenly Father never fails."
1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Remembering what it's like to be a kid...

Below are some pictures of our leaf raking afternoon. One of the many things that I love about having kids is how you can live vicariously through them. Remember how much fun leaves were as a kid?!? I have never seen as big of a pile as we (or should I say Joseph) raked. Caleb really got into it this year and would run down the hill in from of our house and jump into the leaves. He had a blast! Luke Bear on the other hand wasn’t too fond of the leaves. I actually have a picture of Caleb when he had his first adventure in the leaves…it was pretty much the same response as his baby brother. We also got a chance to teach Caleb how we can share God’s love with others by raking leaves for the elderly lady next door. He actually got it too! I’m glad that my boys are helping me find ways to show God’s love to others.

My boys working together! 

Caleb thinking about it... 

running... 

And landing! 

Daddy takes a break to have some fun with Caleb 

Caleb wanted to make sure that Luke enjoyed his first experience 

After I snapped this happy shot Luke Bear sunk to the bottom of the pile and you couldn't see him anymore...you could only hear his muffled cries! 

And here is Caleb...enjoying his first experience in the leaves.