Happy New Year's Eve Eve!!!

Oh it's so nice to get back to my blog which means our lives are returning to some kind of normalacy!!!  I hope you all had a very blessed Christmas.  Ours was perfect!  Everyone was healthy, everyone was home, everyone was happy with their gifts and I got to take a nap at 10:00 a.m.!!!  Doesn't get any better than that!

Spencer is always in charge of Santa's meal.  PB&J with trailmix for Santy and carrots for the reindeer.  Yum!

Cole woke us up at 6:00 a.m. Christmas morning.  Guess he forgot the "sun must be up before you wake us up" rule.  Ha! 

The boys get three gifts from us...baby Jesus got the same!  One of Cole's requests was some fancy nerf gun.  Now, the boys have at least eight nerf guns but what's one more!  Everytime the boys have friends over, our upstairs becomes the nerf war zone complete with forts & booby traps.  They are so funny.

"Some assembly required" even applies to teenager gifts!  The gaming chairs we got for the playroom required more assembly time than we expected.  Glad B was in charge of that project!

The "babies" were sent outside until all the wrapping paper was picked up.  Doesn't it look like Kobe is taunting them?!

B got me an Iphone for Christmas.  So nice.  Now, if I can just learn how to use it before it becomes obsolete!

Cole had his last show of "A Christmas Story" Sunday night.  What a fantastic experience for all of us, but especially for a 12 year old.  He's already getting calls for more projects in the future...should be interesting to see what becomes of this acting thing!  

Ralphie with his "older self" Jason Harper.  Two fabulous actors.

So, the 4th annual Ewing New Year's Eve party will be taking place Friday night.  If you're in town, stop on by.  You can expect a ping pong tournament, Wii or Xbox tournament, board games, nerf gun wars, food and maybe even some fireworks at midnight.  Always a fun time!

My hope for this coming year is that I will be able to be more focused on the needs of others around me.  For many years, my focus has had to be within my own family but with everyone being healthy, I am prayerful that God will show me other people we can help who may be struggling.  What is your hope for the coming year?

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."  ~ Matthew 11:28-30

Fun Week

I LOVE when the boys are out of school!  I love it when they are home and we're playing games or just hanging out...I know I need to enjoy these times now because before long, they'll be headed off to college.  Shutter to think it!

We caught up on some movies this past weekend, went to church, did some shopping...nice, normal things.  Everyone is feeling good.  Cole has had a cough (two people in the play have had the flu-yikes!) but nothing serious and Spencer is slowly but surely regaining his strength.  We have a check up with our pediatrician today.

Brad took some pics of the boys last weekend for us to use for our Christmas cards, which will probably be late.  Oh well, better late than never.

So handsome.

Brad said it's like pulling teeth to get Spencer to smile.

We hope you all have a very Merry and blessed Christmas. 

We love you.

Plate Crazy

I think one of the things I love most about this time of year is that I don't feel guilty when I'm crafting instead of cleaning the bathrooms!  It just seems to me that this is the time of year to take time and have fun instead of doing the things your supposed/have to be doing...I really should take that approach the rest of the year as well!

So, I'm decorating chargers to give to friends and family.  Every year, I make cheeseballs (using my friend Tracy's recipe...FABULOUS!) & we share them with our doctors at ACH, our neighbors, hairdresser, etc.  This year I decided to add a little something different and use my puffy paint and decorate the plates.  If you do this, make sure you cover the plate with plastic wrap before you add the food so the food does not come in contact with the paint.

Funky tree with high heels!

Love the square chargers.

Spencer said he likes my "Whoville" trees!

If only...

Can you tell I like trees?!

Spencer is feeling much better.  I think he and I might try to get out tomorrow.  He has one last present to buy and I know he's going stir crazy since he was in the house all last week with a viral infection and now this week recovering from surgery.

Cole is doing great...one more final tomorrow (history) and he's DONE until January 3rd!!!!  Party time!  He had a matinee show this morning and a show tonight so I think Spencer and I are going to watch a movie.

Hope ya'll have a great Friday. 

Surgery Update

Even though Spencer's surgery was two hours behind schedule, everything else went according to plan and he came through with flying colors.  Dr. Richter was very pleased with the result and feels that Spencer's voice will be much stronger, although he's not too optimistic this will aid in Spencer being able to eat & drink by mouth.  I explained to him that we KNOW God has a plan and a purpose and that those plans will come to fruition in HIS time, not ours.

Waiting to go to pre-op.

So, Spencer is on voice rest for the next couple of days which means he will be quieter than usual...really drives me crazy!  He will have a follow up appointment with Dr. Richter in four to six weeks.

Cole is doing great.  He had his English final exam this morning, spent the day at the hospital with us, studied for his science exam this afternoon and is now at his ACS show tonight.  Can't wait until Friday when he will be done with all exams and will be out of school until January 3rd!  Funny story...Cole and I were at Academy Sports yesterday afternoon and this guy walks past us then backs up and says, "Are you the actor?"  Cole says yes sir and then this guy starts yelling to his wife who is three aisles over, "Debbie, Debbie come over here.  I've got Ralphie!"  The wife comes running over and they are talking ninety to nothing to Cole about seeing the show and how much they loved it.  I, on the other hand, was hiding in the shoe aisle laughing my butt off.  Cole found me after they walked off and we had a good laugh.  Must be what George Clooney goes through when he goes to Academy!!!  Ha!!!

Thank you so much for all your thoughts and prayers.  We love you all.

Hop on the Crazy Train

I have been thinking of my post all day today.  I had it all planned out...the great pics I would share with you along with my witty prose to keep you entertained.  Then...life happened.

So, after attending a Board meeting, taking one child to basketball practice while picking one child up and then taking that child to Academy Sports and dare I say it, W-A-L-M-A-R-T (need I mention it is 12 days until Christmas), then picking up the child at basketball practice AND Coach Welchmen so I could give him a ride to his car at the elementary and then going to Kroger at 5:30 p.m., only to get home, fix dinner, have the neighbors over for a quick visit (thanks for the potstickers, Mary!!), eat nachos, have a glass of wine while doing laundry and watching Brad ready the boys for the Christmas picture....oh my, I'm done.

So, my only update is to say that Spencer's surgery to build up his left vocal cord is set for tomorrow, December 14th at 12:15 p.m.  The surgery should take about an hour and Dr. Richter is planning on an outpatient basis.  I will send an e-mail, post on Facebook, update the blog and send up smoke signals as soon as I have an update.  We are prayerful that this surgery will help Spencer to begin to eat and drink by mouth but we know that whatever the outcome, it is God's plan.

We drove through Burns Park Saturday night for the Christmas light display and this was the last display before we left the park.

"For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. ~ Philippians 4:13

Family Friday Fun

Even though it's been a busy week, it has been a good week.  I think we must be getting used to the craziness of Cole's schedule because it really doesn't phase us anymore that we have to make a couple of trips a day downtown or that we leave at 9:00 p.m. to go pick him up.  We may all go through withdrawals when his show is over (NOT!).

So, Cole had a show last night and since Spencer has not felt good this week, we stayed home, ordered chinese food and watched Christmas movies.  Brad and Spencer started playing Connect Four and considering they are both very competitive, the games got pretty intense.  Brad won two games....out of 10!

Notice Max making sure everything is on the up and up!

Kobe's reserved spot in front of the fireplace.

Whenever Kobe is not lounging in front of the fireplace, he's stalking the train under the tree (you can see the headlight of the train).  Crazy cat.

Cole is already wondering what he is going to do after A Christmas Story ends.  I'm thinking sleep.  Sleep.  And maybe sleep.  I don't think that has crossed his mind.  I'm sure he will come up with something.

The cast of kids for ACS.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Tuesday Already?

I can't believe it's Tuesday already and the 7th of December!  The older I get the faster time seems to go but especially this time of year.  I wish I could slow it down, just for the month of December, so we could enjoy the smells, the sights and the sounds that make up Christmas.

Spencer has been a little draggy lately so I took him to the doctor this morning.  I love Dr. Paulus because although he is quick, he is thorough.  A blood test showed no bacterial infection or mono but he definitely has a viral infection.  He sent us home with strict orders for Spencer to rest and get plenty of fluids.  So, I have the feeding pump going full time while he is awake.  In between his food, I am running Gatorade and Pedialyte.  He's going to be so hydrated he may float away!  Thank goodness he's not on supplemental oxygen or running a fever.  That is definitely a good sign with him.

Cole's shows are going great.  He said the audiences have been very gracious and almost every show has been sold out.  He had two shows each on Saturday and Sunday so in his two hour break between shows, I picked Cole and Damon up, took them to Subway for dinner and then they worked on homework.  

Adorable!

The show received a great review in last Saturday's paper, although Brad was upset that the critic said, "...Ewing has great stage presence, although at times he spoke his lines too quickly to be understood."  I thought he was spot on and if Cole wants to be in the spotlight for a living, now is the time to improve and hone his acting skills without taking the criticism personally.

I know that so many of you pray for our family but especially for Spencer and for that we are truly grateful.  He is going through a very difficult time right now as it is the holidays and he is not able to eat.  It really makes it almost impossible for him to join his friends since almost everything revolves around food.  Next Tuesday, Dr. Richter will be doing surgery to permanently build up Spencer's left vocal cord.  We are prayerful that not only will it make his voice stronger, but that it will also aid in his ability to eat.  I can't even tell you how important this is to Spencer.  Please keep him in your prayers and ask God to give us the wisdom and the knowledge we need to deal with whatever the outcome is of this surgery.

I'm off to taxi Cole to The Rep for this evening's show.  I hope you all have a great week.

Christmas Decorations

Oh my, it's been a busy weekend.  Friday night was opening night for The Rep's A Christmas Story and it was a sold out show.  My friend Tracy and her kiddos came in town to see the show and we all had so much fun.  After the show, Brad drove one car and took everyone home while I stayed at The Rep so Cole could go to the cast party afterwards.  We got home at 11:00, stayed up until 12:30 a.m. talking and finally got in bed only to be woken up at 6:00 a.m. by Brad's alarm on his phone that he forgot to turn off!  Fun times.

The Thomas' headed back to Shreveport Saturday morning because just like us, this is a busy time of year for them.  Cole had two shows and Spencer wanted to go to the Eagles' basketball game.  Two more shows today for Cole, a good cleaning for the garage by Brad, outside Christmas lights installed by yours truly and we find that the weekend is almost over.

I did have some free time to do a quick little craft project.  You remember the Thanksgiving cutouts I did in the frames?  You can see them here.  Well, I used the same frames and even the same background material and switched them out to Christmas decor using buttons.  I have a ton of buttons that Gigi gave me and I love the look of them in something unexpected. 

Christmas ornament.

Fun candy cane.

Snowman with a button on his hat.

Nothing fancy, just fun.

I hope you all have a great week!

Ralphie Comes to Town

If any of you have picked up the newest copy of Sync Weekly around central Arkansas, you have seen a picture of Cole and the rest of the cast for A Christmas Story.  The show is drawing huge crowds and many shows are already sold out!  We have been in awe of this whole experience...from the rehearsals to the interviews to all the publicity...just a tip of the iceberg to what Hollywood stars must go through.  Honestly, I wouldn't want that life for me but Cole has absolutely enjoyed every second.  I hope we have done our job as parents to instill God's love and God's desire in his life so if he does get the opportunity to pursue his passion, he will make wise choices.  Isn't that what every parent wants for their children no matter what their chosen profession might be?

The famous leg lamp.  The cast named this one "Maria"!

Since we have not been home together as a family to decorate the Christmas tree, last night's shift was Brad and Spencer.  They actually decorated the entire tree and left off Cole's 2010 ornament for him to put on when he got home from the play.  It looks beautiful!  It is so much fun to reminisce over each ornament as it is unwrapped.  So many wonderful memories.  All I have left to do is put the garland over the front door and hang the wreaths on the gate and we're done! 

Notice the very large ladder necessary to decorate the top of the tree!

The completed project.  Love it!

My friend Tracy and her kiddos will be coming in town tomorrow to go to the opening night performance of A Christmas Story.  I can't wait.

I wanted to share today's Bible verse from my devotional...

"And whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you shall ask anything in my name, I will do it."  John 14:13-14

Such comforting words to know that God is always there for us.

Love, M



Grateful and Blessed

Why is the most precious time of the year also the busiest time of the year?  As much as I try to slow things down and remember what the season is all about, forces beyond my control are constantly pulling me in twenty different directions making me as harried and crazy as everyone else.  Any of you have this problem?

Cole had his first preview show last night for The Christmas Story.  We were able to get two tickets (thank you Lisa!) and Brad and I sat in the audience and held our breath, and held hands, and looked in awe on this adorable and talented twelve year old that we gave birth to and wondered how on earth we had anything to do with the magic that comes from him when he is on stage.  Granted, we may be a little biased but from all the comments around us, I think he's pretty good!

Spencer had basketball practice until 6:30 and got a ride home from one of the guys.  Being at home with just two dogs, a wild cat and a tv with basketball games is all he needs to be happy...he was home by himself until 10:30 and he did great.  We are so thankful that he is able to be independent.  He will be having vocal cord surgery December 14th and we are praying, praying, praying that the surgery will aid in him being able to start eating & drinking by mouth.  I keep reminding myself that God's timing is perfect.

Since we can't seem to get everyone together at home at the same time, we will be decorating the Christmas tree in shifts.  Cole and I will do a little decorating this afternoon before he has to be at The Rep, and then Brad, Spencer and I will do some more decorating tonight while we are all home.  Although it's not my choice to decorate at separate times, it will be fine and I'm sure we will look back on this Christmas season and have fond memories.

I thought I would share a few more Thanksgiving pictures.

Sorry for the sideways picture...I have been messing with it for 30 minutes and I give up!  But aren't they adorable?!

Cole and Izzy.  Do you see a pattern here with Izzy in every picture?  The boys just love her...I don't know why Brad won't let us have another one!  Ha;)

Dwayne with "his" baby...we had to keep an eye on him so he wouldn't monopolize all her time!

I hope you all have a good day.

Love you,

Marilyn