Kimberly's Expressions

This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful to have Tim's parents from Wyoming visiting with us for several days. Unfortunately, we don't get to see them often, since we live so far apart, but I'm glad they are here now. I found some ideas to promote thankfulness that I wanted to share. These ideas are (mostly) taken from a book by Lynn Bowen Walker called Queen of the Castle . o Find Bible verses that focus on praise and promises from Jesus. Write the verses on small slips of paper, roll them into tiny scrolls, and insert them into homemade rolls before baking. At Thanksgiving dinner, have each person break into the roll and read his "thankfulness fortune" out loud before the blessing. (Paper with ink on it inside a dinner roll works just fine - I've tried it!) o Take Thanksgiving guests one at a time into another room, ask them what they're thankful for, and tape-record or video their responses. Play back the tape/video for everyone between dinner an...

"It takes so little to make a child happy, it is a pity grown people do not oftener remember it and scatter little bits of pleasure before the small people..." - Louisa May Alcott, Under the Lilacs

Now almost 17 months old, Ava is changing so much, so quickly, that sometimes I have to stop and reflect on all that she is capable of doing, communicating, and understanding. These are very fun days as she explores and learns new things constantly. So, here is a little update for you... AVA LOVES... - Back scratches - Bath time - Books, books, books - Brushing her own teeth - "Cedarmont Kids" action songs video - Coloring - Dancing - Feeding her dolls and rocking them - Greeting everyone she sees with a friendly "Hi!" - "Mediak" personalized cd (this has been wonderful on long trips!) - Playing with her tea set - Playing with daddy and mommy - Pointing out all dogs, birds, and butterflies - Pulling dvds out of the media cabinet and my books off the bookshelf (it's making me crazy) - Putting lotion on her own hands - Relocating everything! - Taking walks - Talking to family on the phone - Throwing her ball - Un folding laundry - Unscrewing lids and c...

While I was selecting a CD to get my sleepy head going this morning, I came across a christian CD my dad put together for me before I left home to go to college. On the CD, Dad put my favorite songs at the time. I don't recall realizing then that the songs all had a similar message, but today when I was listening to it again, I noticed an underlying theme of conviction, strength in the Lord, and God's power. It made me smile this morning to reflect on my new discovery that these messages were my favorites when I was coming out of high school and entering college. Needless to say, I enjoyed the songs today - almost ten years later - and I was encouraged by their words, just as I was then. One of the songs on the CD is Aaron Jeoffrey's "He Is". I found a video of it online to share with you...