Christmas Eve/Day

Christmas Eve tradition for us starts out with the Curriers coming over for dinner at 5 - we order pizza from fremont pizzeria. I don't know how that part started, but i sure do love it!! Since we are so involved in the planning and running of the Christmas Eve service, a stress-free dinner is so helpful! The Christmas Eve Service goes from 6-7 and then we come back to the house to have Christmas with the grandparents and the curriers. Me and Adam have the boys open one present that night (pajamas) and then the chaos begins!! It's a tad loud and crazy with 8 kids and all of us adults, but we love it! This year was great and we got the Curriers all patriots shirts - they LOVED them!! Christmas morning the boys get up (adam said they could get up anytime after their clock said 6-they got up at 7. Yay for us!!) They open their stockings on our beds, and then we go downstairs to have Christmas with my parents and my sister mel and her husband Chad. We read the Christmas story, and this year AJ read it! He did such a great job, and we were very proud! While Riley and Nanny act out the story with the Nativity scene. Then we pray and then start opening presents! It was a great Christmas this year all the way around, and there is nothing like just being around family. I feel really blessed and happy this year. Our church family has been such a blessing to us, and we were again amazed at the outpouring of love from everyone! I am looking forward to my brother and his wife coming on Saturday night, and doing Christmas with Adam's side of the family on Saturday morning.

snowed in

things have been crazy here, and i haven't blogged in a million years. 2 thursdays ago, me adam and the boys all went christmas shopping. i thought we might be a little crazy, because i figured it would be packed out. there was probably 12 people in kohls - including the workers. ok, maybe not that bad, but it was so empty!! it was rainy, and i knew that we were supposed to be getting a storm, but it didn't seem bad. i guess i was wrong. we lost power that night at 11, so we brought the boys into our room (since the bunk beds are new, i didn't want them getting up in the dark to try to find their way!) friday was cold, and although my parents have a small woodstove, we don't have any wood! we put a couple picture frames and some cardboard in, but it only did so much! we found out that there were thousands of people with no power so we had to make a decision! my sister (in concord)had power still, so we went there friday. we ended up staying until monday when we finally got our power back!!! i couldn't believe it was so long!! the kids LOVED it, and i have to admit that i felt like i was in high school again, staying up late talking to my sister and enjoying late night snacks! one morning, i went into bri's room and found ali and aj dong their devotions - made me proud!!
we now are getting about 16 inches of snow (on top of the 7 that we got on friday!) so things are so strange...we cancelled church tonight, and it was cancelled last week because there was no power!! it's hard to remember what day it is, and to try to stay focused with school!!
i have so much more to say, but i will leave it at that for now. we are a happy little family and are all so excited for my mel to come on tuesday, then ron and bobbi on saturday!!! life is good :)

not pottery barn

who doesn't love pottery barn? i admit that i have drooled over a catalog on more than one occasion, but realized that i will probably never be at the place where i could justify spending 2 weeks of grocery money on 1 sheet set!! even if we did have that kind of money, i would still find it questionable. anyways...that being said, i still love what the little boys rooms look like in the catalog, and hope that my mansion in heaven will be fully sponsered by pottery barn :) (i know that God's design will be a billion times better!) well, the boys have a good sized room, and we decided to put their beds back in bunk-bed form to give them more room to play (particularly during the winter!!) it came out really great, and i know that no one would put these pictures on display anywhere, but i am truly happy. even as i type this, my 2 healthy little boys (who have already gotten up, brushed their teeth, made their beds and done their devotions) are playing tackle football in their "new" room!! we are so blessed and i am so thankful for the 50.00 football toy box that i got for 5.00 at salvation army, and for the bookcase that i got for free from my in-laws, and more importantly for my relationship with Jesus. for the fact that i have the word of God that teaches me everything i need to know about how to be a godly wife, and how to raisly godly men for God. and i need to remember this feeling of what i really have the next time my pottery barn catalog comes in the mail...or maybe i should just tell them to stop sending them! be reminded of what's really important the next time you start wishing you had more!!

thanksgiving

this year we decided to make a trip to our beloved lynchburg and enjoy thanksgiving with adam's aunt and uncle and the rest of his family (minus sarah). back in our college days we just made the trip all at once, but now that we have 2 boys, (and 2 aging bodies) we decided to break it up a bit. we stopped at mel's on the way down and ron's on the way back. the way down was ROUGH. it is normally only about a 5 hour drive, but we thought it would be fun to get a really good look at the tappanzee...so we stayed there for about an hour. then we thought, hey, let's go towards albany! i mean, i know there are only exits every 700 miles, but no big deal, right?? and we really didn't NEED to get to mel's right away even though it was nearing 8 and we hadn't eaten supper yet!! ok. a little sarcasm there, but we finally got to mel's at 8...just in time for charlie brown's thanksgiving! the boys were thrilled. it was so warm and welcoming with candles and the smell of a dynamite shepherds pie!! it was a quick visit to say the least, since she left for work before we got up in the morning!! anyways...we left the next morning and made the 8 hour trip to virginia. it was very smooth and the boys did great!! we got there and were escorted into the huge, beautiful home of the gordons. we stayed there from wednesday until sunday. it went by way too fast!! we all had such a great time together!! if me and adam could have a second home, it would be in lynchburg...we really love it there. anyways...i loved watching aj, jeremiah, riley and lilly playing so great together, and there was LOTS of laughter...can't say enough about it. we got up sunday morning (my birthday) and aunt jackie had made cinnamon rolls and even had a candle in one for me. she is so sweet :) and we went to thomas road for church - loved it - then left for pennsylvania to see ronnie and bobbi. we stopped at panera on the way...yummmmy. we did get stuck in some traffic on the way, but got there late sunday. bobbi had made me an awesome cake, and they had amaaaazing balloons :) and a couple presents. it was really great. well...that night ry got up throwing up and so did i. grr...it was a ROUGH night, and an even rougher day the next day! we decided to stay an extra night so i could recover. i was much better by tuesday and we made the trip home. well, i just kind of went on and on and i didn't do anything justice by what i said, because it was the best to see so much of our family in one week...we miss them all so much! here are a few pics of our amazing week!!

turkey trot

here are a few quick pics of the boys running their big race this morning! it was about 38 degrees!! aj finished in 8:21 and ry in 8:47. we are so proud of our big boys!!

friends

several years ago, adam and i met a great couple - josh and ann. you know how hard it is to find a couple that you BOTH like BOTH of?! it's kind of like, what are the chances that both wives will get along and both husbands will get along? well, they were one of those couples, and we really enjoyed getting to know each other! they moved away from us, and we kept in touch here and there. but you know how crazy schedules can be, so we really didn't get to talk that often. well...i got a phone call about a month ago from ann, saying that they were moving back to NH!! we were so excited!!! i love when you can have a friend that you can pick right up where you left off and it's as though they were never gone!! they have 2 girls (5 and 3) and we have 2 boys - obviously (5 and 7) and we have alreay really enjoyed spending time together again! the kids have a fun time playing together, and the girls LOVE aj!! they keep calling him their brother....it is sooo cute! anyways, here are a few pictures from last week. wow, that was a lot of rambling. all i had to say was here are some pictures of the boys and some of our good friends kids :) but then it wouldn't of been very rachelle-ish! you know how i can be!!

chores

the boys have really loved doing their chores around here, so i thought i would post a couple pictures of them working hard! they are so sweet, and they really do help me out a lot! i know that by teaching them how to do laundry, clean windows, and do dishes now - there will be a happy little wife in the future! :)

God is always faithful.

it's that time of year again! cold weather is coming. of course that means that the boys need all new winter stuff! i guess that's what happens when you feed your kids! :) natalya told me that old navy was having a half off outerwear sale, so we went and got riley a new coat (aj's were a little much price wise, so we will be getting him a new one somewhere else this week!) and all the fleece hats were 1 dollar! riley loves his new coat, so i thought i would share a little picture! also, it was so cute. yesterday, aj was on the couch, and i heard riley say "aj, can i get my warm blanky and thnuggle with you?" seriously, the cutest thing ever. he really does have the cutest voice in the world, and i was reminded of how blessed i really am! i have had a little bit of a rough few days, for many different reasons all unrelated to the other, but i was needing something from God's word to just get me through yesterday and i came across 2 Corinthians 5 and 6. wow. it was amazingly just what i needed! a few that stood out to me were - "our hearts ache but we always have joy" "we serve God whether people honor us or despise us" and i loved how this one was worded in the nlt - "God...encourages those who are discouraged" 2 Cor. 7:6. isn't that GOOOOD!!!???? then fbi was amazing last night reminding me of what i am in Christ, how i am secure in Him and i just love the picture of Jesus interceding for ME! i am just so thankful for the Word that can lift me up and keep me going! can i get an amen? :)

revolutionary war days

i have this great book called "Revolutionary War Days". i don't even know where it came from. either erika, or a yard sale :) anyways, we just started it today, and it takes you through the war days through the eyes of kids. it has games, projects, recipes and other activities you can do as you go through it. today we made a hunter's bag to keep ammunition in (imaginary, of course). the boys had so much fun sewing it together, and they did such a great job! it took a little longer than i had planned, so the schedule got a little off, but it was worth it! also, i had gotten a "service opportunities" chart from doorpost to put a list of chores. i have to admit, that i have never really given the boys certain "chores" (i know at least half of the people reading this just gasped in horror, and the other half breathed a sigh of relief...so, hey - ya can't impress everyone :)) anyways, i love the idea, and both the kids are THRILLED with it! it really cracks me up, because aj was just saying, mom...i really want to do chores. and i want to do all the chores on the list. i said, well...i will break them up and you and ry will do different ones each week. he said, mom. i really want to do all of them! am i blessed or what?!?!

ironing

who in the world ever had the bright idea that clothes look better if they are ironed? for one thing, it's not even realistic because after wearing something for ANY amount of time, it automatically has wrinkles! seriously, i am physically unable to iron. i am not even kidding. i am fortunate, because i really only iron once a week. adam wears a dress shirt and dress pants on sundays, and other than that it is only if there is a funeral or something that he needs to dress up any other time. but for real, every saturday night when i start ironing, i just get so frustrated! i mean i iron the sleeve. then, thinking i have just accomplished that, i turn it over and find that there is now a HUGE crease in the other side. so i then iron THAT side. well, then i turn it over again, and see another crease in the previously ironed side. and this goes on for a while...you get the idea. pants are a whole nother story. i mean, for real? a crease down the FRONT??? not in the natural place, like where each side is sewed together? and then how in the world are you supposed to get the back side ironed? it doesn't even fit on the ironing board...aaahhhhhh!! ok, am i the only person who was born with this disability, and is there a name for it?? ironitis, or ironexia? well...i guess i will just keep thinking that everything i do i have to do it heartily - as if i were doing it for the Lord. but then, he chose to wear robes, right? i'm sure they weren't ever ironed!!

pastor's conference part 1

last week was an interesting week. i will break this into 2 parts (maybe more...) so that it doesn't seem like i am going on and on! :) my parents and me and adam were going to word of life in new york for a pastor's conference. because it was from tuesday - thursday, we were really having a hard time figuring out who we would trust our boys with. my sister, erika is always willing...but i thought that 2 added to her 6 may just be the 2 over. i would not do that to her!! my other sister, melanie said that she would be more than happy to, and of course, i trust her 100% with my kids. i know she treats them just like i would, and they absolutely adore her! but because she lives in new jersey, it wasn't exactly the easiest for her! she was so incredibly helpful, and met us in albany to pick up the boys. it was so weird as we drove away...i thought to myself, those are 3 people who mean more to me than just about anyone else in the world!!! the weather wasn't great, so i pryed more than ususal the rest of the trip! they made it safely to new jersey. they had a great time with her, as i knew they would! i thought they might ask to just keep her as their mom by the time it was over! it was a really great conference. we had such a good time, and the preaching was amazing. i still have not had time to let everything sink in, and figure out where i am going to go from here! some decisions i made had to do with how i am as a mother. some had to do with how i am as a wife, and others had to do with ministry. as some of you know, me and adam are very involved in many different ministries at church, and there have been some hard times with some aspects of some of the ministries (how's that for being vague?! :) anyways, too many times i focus on the very few people who are hurting me, or the few people who are not committed, and that is exactly where satan wants me to be!!! i don't want to be there anymore. me and adam have decided to take the verse in timothy that says to invest your life into faithful men and really run with it. we are going to do that. we are discipling a newly married, newly saved couple, and that has been so encouraging. i love to be with people who love the Bible, and are so hungry to learn more! isn't that what it's all about?? we have decided to choose the 2 teenagers who have the most potential, and who have the most sensitive hearts for God and disciple them. i am beyond excited to see what God is going to do. i can't wait to post in a few months and share what God has done. i have to have faith and believe that he will do more than we can hope or imagine!! one of the millions of things that i took from the conference was the thought of having intimacy in your prayer life with God. have you ever thought about that?? how serious are you about not letting your time with God get interrupted? try thinking of your relationship and prayer time with God in that light and see how it can change your thinking. just a thought :) i am going to bed, so goodnight for now!

halloween

just wondering what people's thoughts are on halloween. leave a comment and let me know! :)

rachelle's rambling...

i am in the mood to ramble, so i am just warning you before you even get started reading this!
i have a really bad memory, but one thing that i can remember very clearly, is when i was about 13 years old i was sitting on the couch in our little trailer with my mom. i was crying and she was praying that God would bring a friend into my life. for some reason, there was never any other girl my own age around! there was always someone a couple years older or a couple years younger. in my 13-year-old world, it was very hard for me, and i remember crying and praying about it many times. most of you know that i was homeschooled until the 8th grade. when i started going to a christian school my freshman year, it was not exactly what i had hoped for. i remember thinking...finally!! i will get to have friends my own age!! well, as with probably most christian (or any) school, there was something we like to call...cliques. lunch time was the worst, because everyone was talking about last year and all these things that had happened, and of course, i wasn't there! although there were a few girls who were friendly to me, i did not make any friends in highschool who were like "best friend" material. no offense to anyone, it just didn't work out that way for whatever reason. of course, i started dating my husband in the middle of my 10th grade year, so that made things a lot easier during school, but still, i just never really clicked with anyone, or fit in around there. i'm not bitter or anything, i am just making observations. i think there was 2 girls that i actually hung out with a little bit during high school outside of school (i was invited to one party in 4 years, and i'm pretty sure it was out of obligation!!) my senior year, me and one of my friends would just say to each other "all new" - we wanted to make all new friends, and just forget all the other people in our lives!! anyways, i started going to liberty university (the world's most exciting university - for real!!! it rocks!) and i loved it. i became really good friends with my 2 roommates, carrie and tracy - both of who i still keep in touch with 13 years later! it was really a totally different thing for me...actually having girlfriends to hang out with and who had a lot of the same goals in life as me. carrie and i are totally on the same page as far as our relationship with God and family. my second year i found myself in a room with 2 girls....who...how should i say this? they were the meanest girls i have ever met. and i have dealt with a lot of mean girls in my life, trust me. anyways, i really still have no idea why they hated me so much. they really didn't have many other friends, and they were so unbelievably hateful. during that time, God put these 2 girls sherrie, and cassie in my life. they lived a few doors down, and honestly - i don't know what i would have done without them. i basically lived in their room and after 1st semester, i had to go home because i didn't have enough money to pay tuition. when my parents came to help me get my stuff, we walked to my room, and ALLLL my stuff was piled up outside the door. it was unreal. i still don't know what i ever did, and i probably never will! anyways, all that part to say that sherrie is still a great friend, although she lives soo far away and i know God put her in my life as a gift. then there was my junior year. i had 3 new roommates. it was an interesting start (i have a good story about this girl, colleen, if anyone is ever interested :)) anyways, amanda (http://www.ryanamandaoliver.blogspot.com/) was so much fun and we had a lot of really great times together. in fact, if it wasn't for her, i wouldn't have been able to afford going back the 2nd semester!! and my lindsay. we became really close
2nd semester and are still best of friends. she lived with me for a while, and we have gone through so much together. after i got married, God brought another friend (http://www.boisverts.blogspot.com/) who really shares my passion for mothering and ministry! now, as i look back over where God has taken me...i am amazed at how many friends God has given me. i don't mean that in a boastful way, like i have so many friends. i just feel like God was just saying to me "rachelle, just be patient, be content where you are, make friends with who is around you" i also really feel like i learned how to be a friend to anyone of any age. i feel like that is a gift that God gave me. i now have really close friends who are a lot older than me, and a lot younger than me! i guess God showed me how to befriend anyone, does that make sense? i know that i am rambling but i just love where God has brought me. i think that has helped so much in ministry too, because me and adam are involved in so many different types of ministry that involve people of all ages, and i love where God has brought me. i didn't even mention my family, who are all my best friends. just last night we had some great friends over. jeff and natalya, and josh and ann, and it still felt weird! i just still feel like i am not used to having so many people around me that actually care about me!! i have had some friends in my past who have really really hurt me. (haven't we all??) and you know how that can make you feel??? like, i just can't trust anyone, and i just don't need anyone and blah blah blah...anyways. sorry to go on and on. but i just feel really really grateful right now. grateful that God got me through hurt, disappointment, and being discontent. i love the church family God gave me, and how he has brought so many people into my life to love me, pray with me and be there for me. my mom taught me to claim the verse about having friends starts with showing yourself friendly. i love how God's word is always true and trustworthy. it is so worth living by. all of this and i didn't even mention my husband and my boys...that's for another rambling. i'll warn you before the next one too! wow. i really did ramble. well, those of you who lasted through reading this whole thing, go get yourself a cup of coffee or some ice cream. you deserve it! :)

my life

sometimes God will just give me something that i need. today, i was sitting at the piano singing and aj came and joined me and started singing his precious little heart out. it was so cute that i just started laughing (i think to stop from crying!) i am so thankful for what God has given me. He has made me glad!!!

all that matters

today has been a little hard, a little discouraging. but then i realize that i have the most amazing family, and i realize that nothing else matters. i have a relationship with Jesus, i know for sure where i am going to spend eternity. i have the best husband. i have 2 incredible boys. i have 2 amazing sisters and 1 awesome brother. my parents are amazing. do all those other things really matter? and last night was a reminder of some truly wonderful friends who care enough to pray for me. i will choose to be thankful. :)