Holiday Recap #2: Anna's Birthday

While Laura was here for Thanksgiving, we had the extreme fun of surprising our dear friend Anna with an overnight girls' getaway to Branson on her birthday. These lovely ladies put up with my serious directional deficiency, although we did eventually make it to all of our destinations in one piece. :-)

We talked, shopped, hot-tubbed, sipped Starbucks and ate yummy food. Bliss!

I booked our hotel through hotwire, where you get a great price but don't see the name of the hotel until after you book. Here's where we stayed:

The Welk Resort, as in Lawrence Welk. The geriatric capital of Branson! The parking lot was full of charter buses, and check-out time at the hotel was 10 a.m.... because all the guests besides us had been up since 5 a.m.!

We had a great time celebrating Anna and friendship. We did, however, feel like we were missing a limb without our dear friend Amy with us. We missed you, Amy! The only thing that could have made it better was if you had been there!

P.S. And how could I forget to mention the three fabulous husbands who facilitated this time away?! Jacob and Lucas kept Max and Maggie, and Brian not only kept his and Anna's three munchkins, but he was also super sly and helped make it possible to completely surprise Anna with this little getaway. Thanks, guys!

Holiday Recap #1: THANKGIVING!

Okay, everyone. Time for this slacker blogger to get everyone caught up on Roebuck life and times over the holidays. We've had a GREAT holiday season. Here are some of the highlights, starting with Thanksgiving:

The weekend before Thanksgiving, we were able to get together with my parents and siblings for a great Thanksgiving meal, prepared by master chef Vicki Dees. We were all so grateful to be together, and especially for the fact that my mom was feeling so well that she did all the cooking and hostessing!

Mom checking the temp of the cooked Turkey to make sure my dad knew that it was safe to eat. He gets a little concerned about undercooked food, so she had to put his mind at ease. :-)

Three precious cousins. These two little guys can do no wrong in Max's eyes.

The whole crew!

Lucas and I were thrilled to get to have two of his brothers and their wives in Siloam for Thanksgiving. We had SUCH a good time! Thank you, Jacob and Laura and Keith and Erin for sharing Thanksgiving with us! Our good friend Pam also came to spend the holiday with us, and we were so glad to get to see her as well!

Traditional Thanksgiving Day Football Game

Fun with Uncle Keith and Aunt Erin!

Uncle Jake and Uncle Keith know just what little boys love. They took Max to Walmart and got him a Hot Wheels race track- his first introduction to Hot Wheels. Commander Murray was also with us for Turkey Day and helped show Max the ropes. :-)

Yum!

Two of my precious sisters-in-law. We had some great girl time together.

A visit to Grandma Huckaby at the rehab hospital.

Night out in Rogers with some of the the RoeHucks.

Even though we couldn't be with the WHOLE Huckaby family this year for Thanksgiving, we still managed to get a family portrait via iChat! :-) We still didn't get everyone in this shot... next time hopefully we can get Joe and Tammy and Erick, Brandy, Susan and Jackson, too.

Merry Christmas!

To all those we love, far and near:

Merry Christmas!

Conversations with Maximus

This little gem of a conversation occurred a few days ago when I was at Dad and Mom's with the kids to get some pre-holiday cooking done.

Me: Maximus, would you like to watch a movie?

Max: Can we watch it in the movie weeter?

Me: (chuckling) Weeter? Do you mean movie theater?

Max: Oh, "weeter" is in Spanish.

In Honor of Stephanie

Love and prayers to Warner and all of Warner and Stephanie's family. Stephanie's long and courageous fight with cancer and her young death is a poignant reminder that we live in a horribly and tragically broken world. But it will not be so forever– as Stephanie has now seen with her own eyes.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

He who was seated on the throne said,

"I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

Revelation 21:3-5

Words are not even necessary

"Mommy, Yook at my Stickers."

Conversations between Max and Maggie

Overheard today between Maximus and Maggie:

Max: Maggie, you are shy.

Maggie: I shy?

Max: Yes, You are shy. It means you smile when you see something beautiful.

Dress Up Galore!

Here's the story of Halloween 2009 at the Roebuck house:

When we were living in Idaho, I bought Max and Maggie matching chicken costumes on clearance from Old Navy in sizes that would fit them for Halloween this year. They totally loved them, and had played dress up in them a few times before Halloween rolled around. However, I knew that this would be the absolute last year that I would get Max into anything resembling a barn-yard animal for Halloween. And I was right. As soon as he saw the other little boys' Darth Vader, pirate, Spiderman, and soldier costumes, he realized that for a four-year-old boy, a chicken costume is L-A-M-E.

But.... I was so proud of my little guy. He didn't complain or fuss. He did ask if, after Halloween was over we could "return these chicken suits to Oh, Maybe (what he calls Old Navy) and pick out something else?" And then a few days after Halloween, he told me that this year (his imaginary friend) Beedy was a pirate for Halloween.

Well, that compelled Grandmama Vicki to have me take Max to Walmart and let him pick out any costume he wanted from the after-halloween clearance sale. Pure bliss for this little guy! His choice: Pirate, of course! Then a few days later, the costumes were marked down AGAIN to only $1.40, so Maggie got in on the pirate fun as well. They kids have been wearing their pirate costumes every waking minute for the past five days. I wish I had a video of Maggie running around the house in her pirate dress yelling, "ARrrrrrrrgh, Mateys!"

And while Max asked me today if all pirates had to steal, or whether he could strictly look for buried treasure and be a good pirate, Maggie doesn't seem to have a problem with playing the traditional thieving scallywag pirate role.

Aye, I love me lil' pirates!

Conversations with Maggie

Maggie opens this conversation while I'm getting dressed to go out on a date with Lucas.

Maggie: Mommy, you going to church?

Me: No, I'm going on a date.

Maggie: I go on date with Mommy?

Me: Nope. This date is just for me and my husband. When you're 18, you can go on a date.

Maggie: No, I go when I Two.

How We Spent our Sunday Afternoon

Today right before nap time Max took a big spill in the bathroom, falling off the step at the sink and slashing his face on the toilet.

After much deliberation, and a this-is-why-I-love-Siloam-Springs house call from our nurse friend Cindy and then Lucas fortuitously running into our favorite dr. at Zaxby's to talk through what we should do, we made the decision not to take him into the ER.

It was a pretty good gash, and it probably could have used a couple of stitches, but we decided that we would just let it heal on its own. Cindy described to us what the process would be like to get stitches, and it sounded like it would be horribly traumatic for Max. So we butterfly bandaged it and are hoping it won't leave much of a scar.

I found out today how weak I am when it comes to dealing with bloody situations. I had to lie down a couple of times because I kept getting light headed while trying to help Max. I'm so thankful that Lucas was not so squeamish!

And I'm also SO thankful that the gash did not actually make it to Max's eye, although it came VERY close. Thank you, Lord, for protecting our little one today!

Titus Task 5K and Fun Run: This Saturday!

Want to know something about me that not many people know.... not even some people who are really, really close to me? I love adoption. I need to make one of the those t-shirts like the I (HEART) NY shirts, except replace the NY with ADOPTION. That's me, friends. I (HEART)ADOPTION.

I believe adoption is one of the most vivid human pictures of the gospel. God has taken us as His own children and made us a permanent part of His forever family. It gives me chills every time I think about believers demonstrating that aspect of God's love to a watching world through adoption. Not to mention what a life-changing gift it is to the adopted child. Simply beautiful. And I sure hope that there is or will be a child somewhere out in our great big world that God intends for Lucas and I to adopt someday.

So, blogworld, now you know something new about me. :-)

If you live in or around Siloam Springs and want to support families who are pursuing domestic and/or international adoptions, take a little time out of your Saturday (Oct. 10) and come support the Titus Task event in downtown Siloam Springs. There will be a 5K race and a 1 Mile Fun Run, along with lots of fun stuff for your family to do (music, inflatables, food, professional photos, etc.).

Click here for more information. Lucas and I and the kids will be there: hope to see you there, too!

Cry Out to God

Sunday afternoons are nap days at the Roebuck house. Even grown-ups take naps on Sundays. Today I put the kids down for naps and was finishing up a couple little jobs on the other side of the house from where the kids were sleeping. Just as I started to lie down, I faintly heard Max crying, so I got back up and went to check on him.

I found him in the bathroom, on the toilet, tears streaming down his face. He was stuck on the toilet and couldn't get down because he needed help wiping. I looked around and saw how he had made several attempts to wipe himself and get down, to no avail. The place was a mess and he was covered in dried poop. He had been there for a while.

As soon as he saw me, his eyes brightened with hope. He said, "I was crying and crying, and then I just cried to God. I asked Him to send you to help me."

As we worked to get him cleaned up, we talked about how God had answered His prayer. Max looked away, as if in shame, and told me quietly, "Even after I asked God to send you, I still cried some more." His tender little heart was already aware of a lack of faith.

Oh, I feel ya, Buddy. Crying out to God, but then not sure if he's really coming with the help He's promised. Today Maximus reminded me that when we cry out to God, He will always hear and answer. Every time.

And the sweetest part? I know that the Father whispering this to my son today: No matter what mess you're in, I am here, and I will help.

Psalm 57:1-2

² I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who fulfills his purpose for me.

³ He sends from heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me;
Selah
God sends his love and his faithfulness.

Conversations with Maximus

Insights into the imaginary friend Beedy continued today while riding in the car.....

Max: Hey, Mom. Beedy is a grown up man now.

Me: Oh, really? How did he grow up so quickly?

Max: Oh, well, he ate all his food and so he grew up really faster than me. Now he is a grandpa.

Me: Does he have a job?

Max: Yes. He works at J-B-fa.

Me: Hmmm..... is that sort of like J-B-U?

Max: Yes.

Me: Well, what does Beedy do for his job at J-B-fa?

Max: He works to earn money for toys. Toys for me AND for all of his grandsons.

Me: That's very generous of Beedy.

Max: Yes.

Conversations with Maggie

Maggie is sitting in the living room floor writing on her Magnadoodle.

Maggie: Momma, Yook at Dis! (Look at this)

Me: You drew a circle! It's a nice circle.

Maggie: No-oo (in her we're-joking-with-each-other-voice). It's not a circle, silly!

Me: Oh, well what is it?

Maggie: A Dress.

Me: Oh, it's a very pretty dress.

Maggie: Huh. (Yes)

Tea Time!

Yesterday Grandmama invited Maggie to have a tea party with two of her grandmothers. I got to come along, too. :-)

Maggie LOVED the entire tea party, which probably had something to do with the fact that Grandmama let her put as much sugar as she wanted into her tea. :-) Maggie called the sugar "salt" and kept asking for "More salt, please," in her most lady-like voice, of course. Grandmama and Abuelita were all smiles.

We used a very fancy tea set that Maria gave as a gift to my mom when she first met her at our wedding six years ago. It was special.

Thank you, Grandmama, for a very special tea party!

Mmmmmmm. "Salt"

"Oh, yes. I'll take one of those, thank you, ladies."

So dainty.

On the way home, after a lovely time. :-)

Max's Birthday Party!

We had such a great time celebrating Maximus' 4th birthday this week! We had his party a little early (his actual birthday isn't until Sunday) while his Grandpa and Abuelita are here visiting this week!

Max's cousins Jackson and Susan came to help us celebrate! They kids had fun playing speed Lego-building games:

Grandpa and Abuelita made their famous Carne Asada for dinner. It's the best food you can imagine. Seriously. Yum.

Opening presents. So many fun new things to play with!

The LEGO cake.

Maggie REALLY enjoyed the cake. :-)

All the party people! Except Uncle Russ, who came to celebrate but had to leave before we took this pic.

Silly String!