DECEMBER 26, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our Nathan. He is now ten years old and in the "double digits". Almost a teenager (gasp!).
Christmas was wonderful. We had some family over for Christmas Eve. One of my brothers and I surprised my Mom with a Kindle. She was surprised and excited.
Nathan kept saying thank you over and over. He told us that it was the best Christmas and birthday EVER. So, you see, children don't need a lot of presents to make them happy.
Nathan wanted to do Japanese for his birthday dinner, so we went to a local restaurant here in town. When we started to head out the door from home, Samuel started complaining about his stomach hurting. I was somewhat concerned, but wasn't sure if he was getting sick with the virus that's going around or not because he normally has stomach problems that can mimic a virus and he wasn't running a fever. I really got concerned when he started dozing off, which is SO not typical of my youngest son who is a very active child. Needless to say, when I noticed that not even the "show" that the Japanese cook puts on while preparing the food didn't faze him, I took him out to our van. He promptly got sick, everywhere. I am seriously thankful to the Lord that I got him out of the restaurant before it hit poor Samuel. On the upside, he felt much better and wanted to go back in and eat. But by the time my mom and I got him and my van cleaned up (thanks, Mom!!), everyone in our group was coming out. My husband made sure that he got our plates "to go" (after he picked out some of my steak and shrimp!), which made Samuel happy.
But, all's well that ends well. Samuel is much better today.
All in all, it was a great weekend. I enjoyed my family time to the max. I'm looking forward to this next coming up weekend, which is another three-day weekend for me! Whoo-Hoo!
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
The Boyds :-)

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS!



What a busy, busy month December has been! Between sickness, school and church, it's been a whirlwind.
The boys are now out of school for Christmas break. The school Christmas program was awsome. It only included K-4 through third grade, so Nathan got to sit with us in the audience this year since he's a "grown" fourth grader. :-)! Although I thoroughly enjoyed all of the songs, my favorite one was "Isaiah 9:6". Their music teacher put the verse to song. It was wonderful. I couldn't get enough of seeing all of those children singing their hearts out!
Then it was time for our church play, which was this past Sunday night. A lady in our church wrote it. It followed Jesus from the time that He was in a manger through the point where He called His first two disciples. She entitled the play "Where He leads I Will Follow".
This Mom couldn't have been more proud as Nathan sang a solo, "Silent Night" and also portrayed Jesus when He was twelve years old in the temple. Samuel sang with the "angel choir". OK, I have to tell a little something about Samuel. As you know, things often happen when children are involved in a play. Well, Samuel was supposed to sing the last verse of "We Three Kings" by himself. When his turn came, the two little girls next to him started to sing the verse as well. He stopped singing and frowned at them. Now, mind you, I am leading this little angelic group in their songs (how I got to be the leader, I really don't know, since I seriously CAN NOT sing!). I sternly looked at him and whispered for him to keep singing. He turned to them, puts his finger to his lips, shushing them. I whisper, a little louder, for him to KEEP SINGING (picture, if you can, this very loud whispering while trying to keep the other children on time with the music). He turns back to his page and sings, but the expression on his face was not very "angel-like".  It was definitely not humorous to me, as a mom, at the time, and I have had a talk with my child. But now as I look back at it, I chuckle, JUST a little.
Well, now we are preparing for our Lord and Saviour's birthday. Then Nathan's birthday is the day after. I can not believe it, but he will be ten years old!
My husband and I finished our Christmas shopping Monday. As we started having children, we really wanted to keep the focus of Christmas where it should be-on the birth of Christ. So we decided that we would only buy three presents for each. This reminds them of the three presents that Jesus received. We also encourage them to clean out their toys each year and give them to children who are in need.
We had a chance to visit a local Mennonite church Tuesday night for their school Christmas program. They do not use instruments in their worship when they sing, so I was wondering how it would sound. It was BEAUTIFUL. The harmonizing was awsome. The program was God-centered and lifted up our Lord and Saviour. The church members were so very friendly and welcoming. You were not a stranger there. We have definitely made some new friends!
Have a wonderful and blessed Christmas. Christmas is on a Sunday this year. Don't forget to to to church and celebrate the real reason for the season-Jesus Christ!
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS!
The Boyds :-)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM THE BOYD HOUSEHOLD

We would like to tell all of our readers "Happy Thanksgiving"! Don't forget to thank the Lord for all of the blessings that He has given you.
Have a blessed day!
The Boyds :-)

ROASTING MARSHMALLOWS

You know, when the weather cools off, there's nothing like building a fire in your backyard (or using the grill) and roasting marshmallows! Yum, yum!

Our cats joined in on the fun.



Have a wonderful and blessed day!

The Boyds :-)

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY! 11/11/11



My family and I would like to take the time to say THANK YOU! to all of our veterans, past and present, for all of the sacrifices that they made and make so that we may have the freedoms that we enjoy here in America. God bless all of you!
The Boyds :-)

OH, NO! SLINGSHOTS!

My mother and father-in-law went on their annual trip to Mount Airy, NC a couple of weeks ago. If you remember the last time they went, they brought my two boys back some chocolate rocks:

Very cute, very tasty, very SAFE. Hmmmmm.........

Well, this time, they brought back these:



Yes, slingshots!

Very cute, very "boy", but, safe? Now, I have to tell you, I really do think that these are kind of cool. I mean, come on! How many kids have slingshots that look like these? But the rules were laid down VERY quickly for Nathan and Samuel. They are absolutely NOT to go out and use these without adult supervision and they are definitely not allowed to aim them at any animal or person. Pssst! Guess what? I even shot them a couple of times. It was pretty fun! You might want to try it sometime. :-)

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

The Boyds :-)

NATHAN'S FIRST BUCK!

Well, Nathan was one excited boy Saturday! He shot his first buck. It was what we call a "cow horn", which is a deer whose antlers are just spikes. One shot brought it down on the spot. His daddy and I are proud of him. Samuel's reaction to the news was, "Oh, boy! More meat for the freezer!"
We have found many ways to cook deer meat. My husband likes to make jerky, hamburger and cube steak. He really IS a very good cook and I am SO very blessed! :-)!



Have a wonderful and blessed day!
The Boyds :-)