Upward Basketball 2011

Our boys are playing Upward basketball this year in lieu of playing with the local sports and recreation league. We really like it, too. I like that they have a devotional time at every practice and that they have a Bible verse to learn before each practice session. They pray before each game and someone speaks/shares a short devotion at the halftime of each game. It seems to be a great outreach program, and I hope it continues to be successful in making a difference in people's lives for Christ while at the same time having fun playing basketball.

This is Jonah's first time to play organized basketball, and he's is still learning how the game is played. One thing I can say about him is he is fast on his feet...he might not have the dribbling of the ball mastered yet, but he can sure run with the ball! (During his very first game last weekend, a few people came up to me after his game and said I really should get him signed up for football next year. hehe He got the rebound once, tucked the ball under his arm... just like a natural runningback would do in football...and ran to the outside line and down the court.) It was hilarious! Of course, they blew whistle and called walking on him due to the fact that he showed no intention of trying to dribble that ball. :-) Football, here we come!

And Just Like That...

it was over!

Mary Claire's surgery to remove her adenoids and have tubes put in her ears went great and much quicker than I anticipated!

We arrived at the surgery center a little before 7:00 yesterday morning and

got her little surgery gown and socks on.

 We followed that with a "tickle session" from Daddy,

a little time spent in Mommy's arms,

some time spent playing while Mommy and Daddy talked some things over with the doctor and anesthesia team,

 and then it was time!

A trip through the "Bunny Tunnel" to pick out a special doll with a doctor kit,

and we watched her walk away without looking back or shedding a tear as the nurse led her through the automatic doors and into the surgery area. (I walked back around the corner out of sight, but I stood there for a few seconds listening to see if I heard her cry for me. She didn't cry, but I almost did.)

Then we returned to our room to wait.

And just like that...

she was right back where she should be- 

in my arms!

She's done great so far. She's napping now and had a restful night last night. The doctor said she had a lot of fluid on both ears, her adenoids had mucus behind them and they were large, so I hope this surgery brings her lots of relief from ear infections and possible hearing or speech problems in the future.

She was a great patient yesterday and awoke pretty pleasantly from the anesthesia. I am so thankful for so many things right now...

Thank you, God.

(And thank you to my family and friends for your prayers and concerns.)



Request

This funny little girl...

needs your prayers as she undergoes surgery (adenoid removal and ear tubes) in 2 days!

Thank you!

Frosty the Snowman

was a jolly, happy soul!
With a cowboy hat
and a carrot nose
and 2 eyes made out of Oreos! :-)



We are enjoying our first snow day of the 2011 season and the snow was just perfect for making a snowman today! (Thanks to Mimi for coming over and helping us!)

A hug for Frosty!

Snow Day
January 10, 2011

Last night, we were so excited to see the start of the snowflakes before we went to bed...

Then we awoke this morning to "a white blanket covering everything" (words/description made by John Owen). So, after cinnamon rolls for breakfast, we headed out for some fun in the snow...

Snowball fight!

Mary Claire in the snowsuit from Germany. Mimi bought it for John Owen when we traveled to Germany to visit our friends there. Now all 3 children have worn the suit! It's a little big on Mary Claire now, so I hope next year she can wear it again. It is really warm!

I love this picture of Jonah!

Oops! "I've fallen, and I can't get up in this suit you put me in!" This was one of a few spills she took today as she tried to keep up with her brothers.

(Don't know why this one is blurry, but it shows some more snowball throwin' action. Notice Baby Sister is almost caught in the crossfire! Sorry, Mary Claire!)

We've had hot chocolate, warmed our toes by the fire, played the wii, watched a little of Toy Story 3, and taken a nap. Now, for sno cream to complete our snow day! The best part about today...we just found out we'll have another snow day tomorrow! :-)

Out With the Old

In with the new! New bed, that is! I have to post about this because it is just too darn important to not post.
If you have children, then you'll probably understand just where I'm coming from with this...

For some time now, we have been asking Jonah if he thought he was ready for a "big boy" bed.
Oh, wait! Let me back up a little bit first.You see, when our oldest son, Owen, was almost 2, and we were just weeks away from baby boy #2 arriving, Jan found this great Thomas the Tank Engine toddler bed.

And I couldn't have asked for a smoother transition from crib to bed for Owen. The first night we put him in it, he did not cry, he did not wake in the night, he did not even ask about going back to his crib. Whew! That was a relief for a mommy who's next baby needed that crib soon. Jonah arrived next, and he stayed in the crib until he was 2 1/2. Then, lo and behold, we had to make another shift because baby #3 was due in a matter of months, and I just wasn't so sure Jonah would take to the change as swiftly as Owen had. Owen got a big boy bed upstairs, and "Thomas bed" worked it's charm again in making Jonah feel excited about moving out of the crib and making room for one more baby in our house. He loved that bed!
Now, Jonah is five (and a half) and after much discussion and a little debating, we decided it was time to move to a big boy bed like Owen. Jan's mother had an antique bed room suit at her house in the spare room, and the furniture is probably almost 100 years old. Jan's grandfather, who was born in 1900, slept in the bed as a young man and then Jan's mother and brother used it as children, I think. It has character, and it is just what Jonah needed! He loves it and has asked us repeatedly, "How old is the bed again, Daddy?"

Because Mary Claire will actually be the first child of ours to have the opportunity to use the crib as a toddler bed, I decided to put the Thomas bed on Craigslist the other day just to see if I could sell it. Do you know I sold it in about an hour after listing it? I couldn't believe it! (Of course, the money wasn't in my hand until 2 days later, but you get the point...) Thursday night was when they came to pick it up, and we said our goodbyes before the people arrived. I videoed our good-bye because I wanted us to remember Thomas bed and then something I never expected to happen happened as we sat there explaining that the people who were buying the bed were on their way over...Owen started crying!!

Jonah had this "I'm about to cry" look on his face, too, and my heart almost broke.  As Jan started taking the bed apart, Owen clung to the smokestack and little tears ran down his face. He didn't throw a fit, he just cried softly to himself. We hugged and I held him for a minute on the floor of Jonah's room. When the people pulled into the driveway was when Jonah started crying. He walked into the kitchen where I was, and I immediately picked his "heavy-weight" little self up and hugged him tightly as Jan greeted the people at the door. I was trying so hard not to cry for fear that the buyers would see me. I think it was more upsetting that my boys were feeling sad than anything else. Jonah was fine after a little hug from Mommy and a reminder that he was getting the extra special big boy bed! I waited until they were gone with Thomas bed, and then it was Jan's turn to hug me as I cried. :-) I know it sounds silly, but it's something that means alot to us...which is why I think "Thomas bed" deserved his own post on our family blog.

This is Mary Claire reading with friends, Faith and Sam. Taken this past September, this is the last picture I could find of one of the children in Thomas bed.

"We'll always remember you, Thomas Bed. Thanks for the memories. I hope the little boy who gets you loves you as much as my little boys did!"

Christmas Memories of 2010

7Well, today I have worked, worked, worked on taking ALL of my Christmas decor down. After our pancake breakfast and clean-up this morning, I got busy. Mary Claire likes to watch Sesame Street, so I used my time wisely while she giggled at Elmo and while the boys played their new Wii game. It always amazes me how fast things seem to come down...much faster than they went UP! I bet I set a record today! I almost hesitated when I thought I might be the first person on my street with no more Christmas decorations, and I'm the only one here with small children! Here were my thoughts as I swiftly pulled down ornaments, stockings, ribbon, and threw out the un-eaten candy...yes, I threw it all AWAY!

"Is this terrible? Am I subconsciously wishing Christmas away with this action of getting everything down and put away so quickly? Christmas was just the day before yesterday! Do I really want to just leave this stuff up for another few days?"
(I wrestled with these thoughts for only a moment and then thought about going back to work in one week, and spending time with my children this week. Then I worked even faster getting it all down.) "I will not procrastinate! I will get it put away and then clean up and spend the rest of my week off enjoying time with my children. After all, we made some wonderful Christmas memories this year, and now it's almost a new year! I want to start the year off with no clean-up of Christmas."
And tonight, the big tree goes in the attic before I hit the sack! (Thanks, Jan, for your help in meeting my deadline.)
Here's some memories I'll treasure from Christmas 2010!

Making our gingerbread house! (No it's not homemade gingerbread. Look, my life does not allow time for the making of homemade gingerbread...the $9 box set at Wal-Mart works just as nicely and with less effort on my part. And we had a great time putting it together which is the most important thing, right? :-)

 Owen at school for his Christmas program. These are some of his friends from his class sitting beside him. Don't you just love the look on his face? Cutting those eyes at me...

My sweet Jonah with his class performing at their Christmas program.

Only Jonah would spot me in the crowd from across the gym and wink at me while pointing! :-) "I see ya, Momma!"

 Oh, the excitement for Mary Claire when she saw the larger-than-life globe with snowmen and Santa at Jonah's Christmas program...

 And oh, the disappointment when we told her she couldn't go over to touch it until after the show! (This became a struggle that lasted pretty much through the whole program. Gotta love 2 year olds!)

 The excitement of waiting in line to see Santa! Thank goodness it wasn't too cold that night! Too bad Mary Claire didn't like Santa. But...it's a good thing Santa liked Mary Claire anyway and brought her some exciting gifts! 

This year, our school had a Christmas shop set up for students to buy gifts. Owen took his own money and bought presents for his grandparents, parents, siblings, 2 great-grandmothers, and even his special friend, Shelby K. (Yeah, that is something I'll have to post about later. Seems I have a hopeless romantic on my hands in my 7 year old son!) I was proud of him for picking out the gifts, wrapping them and presenting them all on his own. Sniff, sniff...he's getting so big.

I think Mimi liked her ring, and Daddy Nick loved the tape measure.

The live nativity scene in town. (The little angels up top were so funny!) Mary Claire loved it!

Carols and candlelight service at church on Dec. 22 when the children and I sang "Away in a Manger" with Daddy Nick. Don't Mary Claire and Jonah look excited? Actually, Jonah sang very loudly, and Mary Claire blew kisses at her friend in the crowd, then waved really big. John Owen was the only reserved one. (Can't say I am too surprised at that!)

This is probably not the best picture, but it's the only one I have of the whole group. (Plus, it shows Mary Claire waving to her friend.)

Christmas Eve with cute cousin Wesley!

(I know Ms. Sue would have loved seeing how big he's gotten. We missed her terribly this Christmas season...it just wasn't the same.)

My handsome boys so excited to open presents at Mimi's house on Christmas Day!

"I'll help you, Granny!" Mary Claire helping Granny open her gift whether Granny wants help or not! hehe My grandmother came from Jackson and spent the 23rd and 24th with my parents and us since this is the first Christmas without my grandfather. 2010 has brought about many changes for our family.

Well, I guess that's about it...

Santa was very good to the Hensley children this year. The boys' favorite gift from Santa was their Star Wars collection, and Mary Claire loves her indoor trampoline. You should see her jump!

(Since I videoed the discovery of their gifts under the tree, then somehow neglected to take a decent still picture, and since the video won't print in this here "scrapblog" book of mine, I won't be posting the video. hehe)

We hope your Christmas was full of cherished memories as well.

Now, we march on to 2011...Happy New Year to everyone! 

Wherever You Are,

My Love Will Find You

(by Nancy Tillman)

(NOTE: This is one gift that will be under the tree from Jan and me to our 3 little ones this Christmas. I can bet that right now it won't be the gift that "WOWS" them, but I hope one day they'll appreciate it as I do.)

I found this book a while back and ordered it because it's one of those books that I just can't read without crying...you know, like when I read books such as Love You Forever and Love You Like Crazy Cakes, etc. I'm just a mess before I ever get to the end of the book. The book emphasizes feeling loved and knowing you are loved no matter where you are. I highly recommend it!

On the same note with feeling loved, my hope and prayer this Christmas is that everyone knows the love of Christ. I think as a child, I took for granted the story of Christ's birth. I didn't truly understand what all Mary and Joseph went through, and the super special responsibility bestowed upon them by God. I try to remind myself daily that God has given me a super special responsibility in being the mother of the 3 blessings He has given me. I may not be the mother of the Messiah, but I am mother to Owen, Jonah and Mary Claire. And God has a plan for their lives just as He had a plan for Jesus. I pray every night as I put them to bed that God will help me to guide them, to raise them up to be servants of Him, that he will protect them from any disease, destruction and injury, and that He will guide their paths all their days. I pray they will always know they are loved...not just by their parents, but by God. Wherever they go, whatever they do, they will  never doubt that they are LOVED. 

My Christmas Wish For You:

Dear John Owen, Jonah, and Mary Claire,

I know that one day you will read this. Perhaps when you are grown or maybe one day when you feel troubled and need to hear it most. (I will probably need to read this again one day as well as a reminder for myself.) We all need to hear it said more often than not... "I love you!"

I love you with a love that will never end, no matter what you do or what you say. I love you even when you are angry with me or feel you don't like me because I won't let you do something you think you are big enough to do. I love you when you are learning from your mistakes. And guess what? I am still learning, too. :-)

 I love you enough to tell you no when you need to hear it. I love you so much that I will do my job as your parent to teach you how to live in this world. The world needs to be loved, too. There are so many people who do not know what love is or that they are loved. The world needs to know God's love. My Christmas wish is that you, my children, will know God's love and return His love by believing in and accepting Him. I know that you are still young right now, but I pray there will come a day when you realize God's love for you. He loved you before I even knew you. It brings me comfort and happiness to know that He fit you for me before I had even dreamed of you. He knew we would be together. Only He knows our future together.

His love for you is never-ending. No matter where you go in this world, I hope that you will always feel my love for you, but more than that, God's love for you. 

 I am so thankful for all of you and that God gave each of you to me.

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Momma