Well we made it through the Marriage Encounter. It was really intense. The first night went until 9:40 and then each morning started at 7:45 and then there were 10 minute breaks every 2 hours and one 30 minute break after lunch. It was really hard for me so I give Scott a ton of credit for hanging in there. We had some difficulty late Saturday night and so Sunday was a a total throw away. I am still praying that Satan is not able to steal the fruit we were able to collect on Friday and Saturday. I think the information and skills were a real game changer for us. Now we just need to utilize and perfect it. The staff suggest setting aside 20 minutes a day for each other. 10 minutes alone then 10 together to talk. So we could use your prayers that we have the discipline to do that.

The lake was beautiful but we didn't really get a chance to see any of it. The weather was around 55-60 so it was cold especially on the lake.
I'm trying to find pictures of the weekend but this is the only one I can find.
This girl is so cute!

 Not a ton to share this week. The kids are so much fun right now as they have so much fun together. Our house is full of smiles and laughter. Daniel is wanting to be moving so much. He is so wiggly and actually started showing that he wants his blanket when going to bed and eating. Clara is trying so many new sounds. She copies, like most kids, and right now the funny thing she says, which is my fault, "Oh no . . . or shoo (shoot)" We laugh because when Scott gets home she knows he goes downstairs to go to the bathroom and she walks around saying, "poop?"  "yes Clara daddy is going poop" and she knows when we are getting ready to leave and she goes through the whole process, and says, "socks, shoes, hat, jacket etc." She is also very excited about washing her hands WITH soap. She is identifying cars and buses . . . she loves the signing time videos. I bought her some glitter shoes at goodwill and she loves them. She is such a good helper. She gets Daniel his blanket when he cries and toys when he needs it. She is getting more comfortable with the word "mine" so there is some grabbing I need to 'fix.'

Daniel still has crazy rashes that I have no idea what to do with but we will be headed to the doctor soon to see what is up. He also has two teeth now and is figuring out how they work. He bit his own finger the other day and cried. It was cute. He is eating two jars of baby food at each meal and keeping me on my toes making baby food. The Ninja from Dawn is amazing and SO helpful. Daniel loves watching Clara and smiles and laughs at her. He is in 12 month clothes now so keeping the right sizes in the closet feels like a full-time job.

I finished my parenting class so now I know everything about raising perfect kids and how to get them to do everything I want when I want them to do it. I just have to convince them that I am the master. :)

Scott is still working his tale off and doing an amazing job at serving his clients and company. It is a tough time as I am about done at around 5 but he gets home at 6. We still just about pass out around 8 when the kids go to bed but at least we get a few hours together.

I am super excited about moving into our new church building and wonder how our family will fit in to the community. I sure am hoping that Scott can get to a point at work where he is able to enjoy getting involved a bit more. We are still navigating what that means for us or maybe I should say I am trying to navigate that.

We love you guys and enjoy our phone calls so maybe we will try again tonight. (Sunday)

We are doing alright in the Doucette household. Daniel had his 6 month checkup today and I wanted to opt out of his Hep B vaccine but then the doctor came in to explain why it's important and with a completely straight face he said that Hep B is transferred the same way HIV is through sex or needles etc. I looked at him and said, "I don't think my 6 month old son is going to be having sex or doing drugs with needles any time soon." He laughed and said well he has gotten the first 2 why not just finish with this last one. I totally didn't realize I had overlooked this in his previous appointments and it made me sad because I have been feeling like with all the attention that Clara is requiring these days little (Big) Daniel gets overlooked more than I like. Oh well, I'm sure that is how it is in most families. I can't even imagine having more than two kids at once. I am standing most of the day and busy all day long with their needs. Anyway, Daniel also has a rash that I thought was from the detergent I was using but the doctor seems to think it is just dry skin so I need to use oil to moisturize and hope it goes away. He is 19lbs now and broke his first tooth this last week. He is rolling over and rocking on all fours. The doctor said not to be surprised if at the next appointment, 9 mo, he is taking steps and pulling up on furniture. He warned me that second children are usually advanced physically and delayed verbally. I think that will probably ring true for us.

Clara is doing great. Her butt sore is healed up nicely and she only has normal diaper rash issues now. She is so excited about her signing time videos and uses even signs I didn't realize she knew. She is a ton of fun right now with her coloring and wrapping her doll up. She puts the dolly in all of Daniels things like his carseat and exersaucer. It's pretty cute.

Scott has started his busy time at work and with getting a ton new clients right before tax season it is a bigger challenge than I think even he thought it would be. He is working 50 sometimes 60 hours a week. I try to have the house in a state of peace when he gets home but sometimes it is really hard. As soon as I clean something Clara destroys it again.

I started back at the gym and also both my mommy group on Wednesday mornings and Connect group on Thursday nights started up again. It's good both groups are every other week and they just happen to be on opposite weeks so that works good for me. Scott is a bit overwhelmed so he stays with the kids instead of going to Connect group. I'm not sure that staying with the kids is a break but at least he gets to be with them. He will enjoy it more when Daniel starts walking and talking I hope.

Our church is moving into our new building at the end of the month and that is super exciting, for me at least.

I am thinking of having Samara help me with some swim classes for Clara. Monday nights for a half hour. I think Stacy might be able to use if for leverage on some chores at home too.

Winter has definitely come to Minnesota. Not so much snow yet but cold for sure. It was 20 degrees yesterday and the weather man said it was "mild." Why do I live here?????

I was hoping to win the lottery so that I could buy everyone a house down south . . . but I would have had to buy a ticket :)

Dawn is now on 4 10 hour days a week so we get to see her more often and it has been really fun. We have been doing some fun crafts and playing a game that Scott bought with his Christmas money. It is called Carcasson. I made a blanket for Daniel out of some left over fleece that Dawn had purchased to make a blanket for her nephew but it was too baby for him. So now Daniel gets it. She also gave me a Ninja for Christmas because she was giving it to her brother for his wedding but he already got one and she didn't return it in time. I am so grateful because the season to make baby food has come again and the thing is AMAZING!!


We love you and miss you so much!
Kari

Of the birthday girl.

I must admit I was pretty bummed Scott didn't plan anything for my birthday when I told him this last summer that I wanted something big. It was my 40th birthday after all but alas a week before I realized my choices were to either do it myself or be sad, disappointed, and hurt. So I planned a painting event knowing full well that most people were not going to be able to come since it was so last minute. We were able to use Groupon, Mom and Dad your gift card almost covered my whole portion- Thank you!!, so it was not too bad. I knew it would be a fun time no matter who was able to come. It was a very fun time. Right up my ally since I love painting. Stacy, Caleigh, Brenda, Dawn, Juanita, and Kalie were able to join.

After Stacy, Caleigh, Brenda, Dawn and I went to Acapulco for lunch.
Stacy and Caleigh were dropped off because they had been in Duluth skiing for New Years. They got a ride with Brenda home. Dawn and I went back to her place because she bought all the stuff to make me a mothers necklace including the stamp sets of the alphabet in multiple sized and tons of shapes in metal to put names and dates on. Like the ones I got for Mom and Lindy. Yes I said she bought it all. We worked on it for about two hours but still could not get it to look or work right. Something is wrong. We have to figure out if there is a specific hammer or something. Anyway, we tried. Then we went to the theater to go to a movie and can you believe that EVERY movie from 7:30-8:30 was sold out. So weird and frustrating. So I went home. Scott and I ended up going to a movie at our local theater which was empty. Go figure. I know that our theater is not redone and fancy with the lounging seats so that must be the difference.

Since we were kinda free without the kids for New Years Eve Scott was able to use his company rate to get us a whirlpool suite at a hotel in Brainerd MN. So I dropped the kids off in Hudson and we left Brooklyn Center around 4. I found a masquerade ball at a local bar on the lake up there for the New Years Eve festivities but when I walked in with my mask that Caleigh let me borrow I was one of two people that actually was wearing one. So I just took it off. We stayed for an appetizer and left at 11 since it ended up being more of a younger crowd looking to get drunk. I wanted to get out of there before they got on the road at midnight. Big bummer since I was excited about the great mask I had put together.

I was not interested in doing that much outdoors because it was around 20 degrees the whole time and I wanted to sleep. So on New Years day we did some returning. Which was great because I find it impossible to do that with the kids. I had things from the past 6 months that had to go back to Kohl's, JCPenny, Target, and Walmart. Scott does not return his own stuff and he doesn't try things on in the store if I'm not with him so that leaves me with quite the load. And it was fun to just tool around the small town. We had a nice breakfast at a local hole-in-the-wall and just took it easy with hot tubs thrown in before dinner.
Then for our last meal we went to a local steak house that was full loud people and teenage girls. They were all a hockey team from Buffalo MN. The moms were at one table the dads at another and all the girls taking selfies at another. Pretty funny. When we got back to the hotel we realized it too had been taken over by teenage girls from the same tournament. It just so happened that Grand Torino was on TV so we got to finish the night with a good movie. Not too shabby!
Over all it was a very nice time. It was especially nice that we didn't have to worry about the kids. Lindy kept us up to date with pictures each day and they seemed to be having a blast.

 

We are home together and it felt like we hadn't seen the kids in a week. It was nice to get them back. They were both sleeping within 5 min of being in the car. Thanks Mr. and Mrs. D!!!

I didn't get a chance to reflect on all Christmas meant to me this year before the holiday but I wanted to take some time and just think about how God came to earth as a baby. The significance of that is not lost on me as I remember my experience this last year.

My son was born in June which is the month that some say is the actual month Christ was born. I did not have to take a journey on a donkey. I think about how big Mary must have been, and uncomfortable, as they arrived in Bethlehem. This is how big I was trying to make my way around the zoo. My water broke the next day and Daniel was born.

We had all the help we needed. I can not imagine giving birth in manure with animals around, no running water, really no help at all. Not even her mother! When I look at the pictures of the stable with Mary having a halo I think, "So true and so false at the same time. She is amazing for doing that but probably was a hot mess!!" Did she complain to Joseph for not planning well enough and reserving a room? Did she get bitter that God couldn't even provide a safe, clean place for his son to be born? The savior of the world for crying out loud!! Ok, I digress, that is what I would be thinking. Thank goodness He didn't pick me for the job.

Did she know even then that her son was born to die for the sins of the world? When she looked at that face and felt the love that was going to burst from her body, was she full of hope for what was to come or overwhelmed at the responsibility she knew was entrusted to her. Was her mind full of all the things she would need to teach him and protect him from as well as how to allow him to learn things the hard way?

I remember when they called and said Daniel had tested positive for the Cystic Fibrosis enzyme and we needed further testing to know if he had it or not. I did some research on CF since I was totally unfamiliar with what that was. I learned that a few short decades ago children only lived around 5 years with it but now amazingly life expectancy was all the way into the mid thirties. And my heart sank! That was not long enough. This baby that I couldn't love more and was so, SO precious to me needed to have a "full life."

Yet our savior was put to death at the young age of 33!! Did Mary know that was going to happen???

 

What would my response be? If I knew that this little man in my arms totally dependent on me for life would need to die so others, people I don't even think deserve it sometimes, could live.

She knew the promise and maybe she knew all of this but I have to believe that she also was just a mommy of a new baby boy and that she would have given her life if she could to save his. Just as I would give my life if I knew my son were destined for a short life. Or my daughter of coarse!

My prayer this holiday season and for this next year is that I will accept what God has chosen for us. I will be a strong mom and wife that will not accept less than my greatest effort to build a family that loves Jesus with all our hearts. I will learn to humble myself in a greater way to allow peace to reign in my house. That my life will be an example to my children and husband that faith in God is worth it!! God is alive and not dead. He can not love us more or less than he already does. That no matter the circumstances we will give glory to God who so greatly deserves it. His sacrifice was greater than anything he will ever ask of us.

Mary knew on that day . . . Jesus knew his whole life . . . and still they were faithful up until the cross and after.

Lord, let my faith be even a fraction as strong as theirs. Help me live in such a way that is worthy of the great blessings you have given me.