The Lee Family Top Ten of 2008

#10. Moving to our new house in January! You should come visit us!


#9. Watching Ellie start her career as a professional ballerina. She’s quite natural at it, and so stinkin’ adorable!


#8. Watching Olivia and Ellie be the best of friends…they adore each other and enjoy dressing up together (I mean, Ellie enjoys dressing up Olivia), sleeping in the same room, and cooking in their play kitchen.


#7. Spending most of the summer at our neighborhood pool, playing backyard baseball, and trying to keep cool (lots of popsicles!).


#6. Traveling to Alaska for vacation in August. Mike caught the fish of his dreams…a 215 lb. halibut! We enjoyed everything from the beach to picking wild strawberries, but most of all, enjoyed spending time with Papa & Grandma Midge (Jenn’s parents).





#5. Celebrating Ellie & Olivia’s birthdays together (Ellie turned 4 and Olivia turned 1!) Along with Olivia’s first birthday, she’s mastered many other firsts over the year…including first laugh, first crawl, first word (Papa), first food, first steps, and first favorite song (“Oh, Happy Day”).




#4. Celebrating our 7th anniversary in September…and being still so silly and so in love!


#3. Sending Ellie on her first date…to the “Winter Ball” with her daddy. She’s convinced she’s a real princess now since she went to a real ball!


#2. Spending lots of time trying to perfect the Lee Signature Four-Way Kiss.


#1. Being filled with joy as we look back over this last year and realize, through the high moments and rough patches, God is so faithful and all we have- and have done, is because of His unfailing goodness!

Merry Christmas to you and your family…and may you, too, remember God’s faithfulness as you look towards 2009!

letter to the lady who cried through the whole church service yesterday

I know you are shopping for the ideal church experience, and "trying on" different places of worship to find a good fit.

I met you before the service yesterday, and watched as you left with tears in your eyes...and wondered if you found what you were looking for.

My prayer is that you found more than an entertaining hour and a half display of people singing and a riveting sermon with pops of humor...I pray that you found the answer to the questions you've asked in those desperate hours...why your best friend is dying of cancer and why your family is drowning in this economic slump.

My prayer is that you found more than a crowd of people that stand, sing, sit, listen, stand, and sing again...that you found a crowd of people that left with overflowing faith, unashamedly putting that faith into motion by making the world a better place.

My prayer is that your tears are from a genuine experience with the God of unfailing love, the bringer of peace, and the hope of the world.

And in this winter hour of your soul, I pray those were tears of joy, as you found the promise of life growing under the snow of your circumstances.

stinkin good gift idea #4

ok, this one is a little more reasonable and definitely more meaningful than my last gift suggestion. my good friends and missionaries to Uganda, Brent and Virginia, have some great gift suggestions for you that actually make a difference in the world...

Click here to send an orphan to school.
Click here to order your Elliot cd.

need winter tires?

ellie has become quite the little hula hooper, and so we were doing some research on you tube when we ran across this great video ad for winter tires that i had to share...

clark, is your house on fire?

if you're planning the traditional "travel around the city and see the best of the best christmas light displays", here's a great resource for you (if you live in the Boise, ID area)...look here for pictures and addresses for some of the best light displays in the city, grab some salted signature hot chocolate from starbucks, and enjoy the fact that some else's power bill gives you so much christmas joy!

stinkin good gift idea #3

speaking of space, here's another great Christmas gift idea for that astronomy lover in your family...you can now purchase a ticket for a suborbital trip to space for $95,000 from California company XCOR Aerospace. even though the tickets go on sale today, you'll have to wait until 2011 to take your trip. but hey, this gift would be "out of this world" (wink, wink).

best naked eye spectacle of the year

for any of you science geeks (like me), or those of you that are endlessly amazed by the cosmos...hopefully you haven't missed the "best naked eye spectacle of the year". the last week, the planets Venus and Jupiter have gotten really close to each other and last night were perfectly picturesque with the crescent moon. pretty impressive! this is kind of what it's looked like the past couple of days:

Sky and Telescope
seriously, run outside and check it out...

stinkin good gift idea #2

have you started making your list yet? no, not that one...the list of all your favorite classic holiday movies that you will endeavor to watch in the next 27 days? mine includes Elf, Snowball Express, White Christmas, Christmas Vacation, the Christmas Classic claymation cartoons, and Home Alone (only because my hubby loves that one). oh, and don't forget "A Christmas Story" with all of it's charming humor...and the iconic, eclectic Leg Lamp. so, who on your list wouldn't love receiving this obviously festive Christmas gift?



You can order yours here:)

my thanksgiving

this year was a big year, as I graduated from the kid's table (i'm the youngest of four girls and have always managed to avoid the cooking and have enjoyed joining the children at the kid's table) all the way to hosting thanksgiving dinner at my home! it was a big leap, but i was still able to avoid a lot of the cooking (thanks to mom-in-law)...


...and really enjoyed making the environment of the meal reflective of my favorite fall things...




...ellie helped with the name cards and even added a little decor to the table herself...



although i missed my grandmas, parents, sisters and their families (my first thanksgiving without them), it was a great day as i was overwhelmed with contemplations of God's undeserved goodness to me.

now off to devour the leftovers!

How was your thanksgiving?

stinkin good gift idea #1

I've never been a good gift giver/receiver...but the one thing I truly appreciate in a gift is if it is soaked with creativity and thoughtfulness. This Christmas, I'm trying to think more about how I can say something more than "Merry Commercialism...i mean Christmas" with the gifts I give...something more along the lines of "your friendship has nurtured my life" or "could I adore you any more?". Here is one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever seen...

A husband and wife have decided to handmake each other's gifts this year. The husband wanted to do something that would encourage his wife of small children in this fulfilling and exhausting season of motherhood. He's asking moms to send in letters of encouragement via the blog "The Mother Letter Project". He's going to compile all the letters and give them as a gift to his wife. Isn't that a stinkin good (and super sweet and thoughtful) gift idea?

ellie's first date

this weekend marked a big first for ellie...and along with her first dress shopping experience, first hair and makeup session, first butterflies as she saw her date for the first time (well, i don't know about that part, she said he looked silly in his suit...i guess it was me that had butterflies:), and the first time that her mom realized she, in the blink of an eye, will be looking this drop dead gorgeous and waiting for that poor boy that will never ever be good enough, smart enough, strong enough for our princess...along with all those firsts, she had her first date...escorted to her first official "ball" by the only boy that holds her heart...at least for the next 30 plus years

an explanation for my blogging hiatus

it's been a while...so let me try to recap the last two weeks because i just know all 4 of you really missed me in this here blogosphere:)

...celebrated election day at the republican party headquarters with good friends (an awkward night considering the turnout...but fun, nevertheless, and congrats to good friend Rep. Steve Kren!)

...took ellie to the movie "feater" to see HSM3...and kind of enjoyed it (oh no, I'm one of those moms!)

...celebrated my nephew's 7th birthday party with family...can't believe he's 7!

...laughed as Mike put up our Christmas lights on the house (he's got a little "Clark Griswold" in him)...then laughed harder when our neighbor put their's up a few days later...

...disinfected the entire house since the flu bug is going around...

...got the flu bug despite the clean house, asked ellie if she would take care of me while i was sick, and she just said, "i can't, i'm a kid"...wished my mommy was here:)

...went to an Idaho Steelheads hockey game and sat with the hockey wives/girlfriends...they won! first time i've been to a game and they won, the curse is broken!

...helped ellie get ready for her first date...her daddy took her to the "winter ball" and she was convinced she was a princess and he was her prince...i heard she was quite the "life of the party"...not surprised...

...missing church today:( cleaning up puke, washing puked on bedding, comforting my sweet olive who unfortunately got the flu bug, too...

...getting ready to make some good ole', comforting chicken soup...we could all use a little comfort today:)

What kind of "comfort" things are you craving today?

some fading fall thoughts...

...should i keep my pumpkins until Thanksgiving?

...why are there large, ominous tumbleweeds attacking my house?

...is now too soon to hang our stockings? (i'm just so excited i actually have a mantle to!

...mr. sun, can you please just peek your head out for a minute? i already miss you!

...have you seen a cuter butterfly and candy corn than this?

WHY I'M VOTING...

...i love my country...

...this election will effect my sweet ellie & olivia and their families...

...it's not just about the blessed u.s., it's about the world...

...i'm desperate for righteousness to rule this nation...

...FREE STARBUCKS!! COME ON!!!...

too much fun for a monday...

be forewarned...you could spend hours here! you can design your own room and see rooms others have designed. i'm seriously considering wallpapering a wall in my living room (thanks, simplygrove) and want to see what it actually would look like...so i started with the things that i have currently in my living room, and tried different wallpaper patterns to see which i liked best. plus, it will help convince the hubby it's a good idea if he can actually see what it will look like! i have decided, this is definitely not one of my strong sides...good thing i have amazing design friends as consultants!

the weirdest news story i've ever read!!!

A woman in Kansas refused to get off her boyfriend's toilet...for two years! Her skin was growing around the toilet seat, and her legs atrophied. Her boyfriend would bring her food and water, and would ask everyday if she wanted to come out. Her response was..."Maybe tomorrow". Talk about stubborn! Read the entire story here.

i think i know how annoyed God probably gets...

Tonight, I stopped on the way home to get some nutritious, delicious dinner for my girls...at Sonic Drive In. After ordering the "food", I decided to head home and just feed the girls there (the food was entirely too hot and no sippy cup, etc). Sweet Olivia yelled at me the entire way home...as if I was going to make her starve. She wanted her food, and she wanted it now. I found myself saying, "Baby, I'll feed you, I promise. Just not right now." I had exactly what she needed, but couldn't give it to her because I was protecting her. It was as if she didn't trust me to wait...

So, how annoying it must be when I do this to God. I yell and complain. I too often don't trust him...to wait.

Sure, she's a 1 year old with an ego-centric worldview and no real sense of time...but I'm, unfortunately, not really that much different.

i so had this idea one time...

I would always feel a little jealous when my girls were tiny, all snuggled up in their bouncer, napping through noise that would shake a building. "They should totally make those for adults!"...well they have:


The adult sized Bjorn Babysitter Balance. They actually just made one for a show so adults could see how comfortable they are. So, I had the thought. They should make giant, adult size versions of all baby apparatus', so we can see just how much our child will enjoy it. Imagine, the Adult Bumbo Seat, Adult Exersaucer, and the Adult Johnny Jump Up (steel reinforced door frame required). I'm thinkin' I would dig this!

...it was October 18th, 1978

...the Yankees had just won the World Series. President Jimmy Carter had just passed a law that allowed people to brew their own beer at home...and a ginormous baby boy was born to a poor woman in Eugene, Or (10 lbs 9 oz!). World meet Michael Wayne Lee...so today, the hubby is the big 3-0! He started the day out with his fav...orange rolls and coffee in bed...


Then he opened the first of his 30 presents. He opened 1 present every 30 minutes until all 30 presents were opened...


...we had a yummy breakfast and headed off to the pumpkin patch...






...then he ended the day watching the season opener for the Steelheads. They lost in a shoot-out. But the Red Sox won! Love ya babe, hope you were blessed by your girls today!

this is where i want to be today

Sometimes, living in the desert of southwestern Idaho in a new construction house with baby trees, makes me long for a backyard full of luscious trees, where I could have a tree house like this...


{Point Click Home}

...and just hide away for a few hours and read a good book.

Or a walkway like this...

{Brown Design}
...where I could take a really long stroll and dream about life.



Where do you want to be today?

the dinner table...

"All great change in America begins at the dinner table."-Ronald Reagan

What's happening at your dinner table tonight?

how many of you are there?

go to this website to find out...

saturday morning finds

There's one thing my family rallies around, themed birthday parties. And if you're thinking of a zoo-themed bday party, this cake....well, takes the cake!

It's a poo flinging monkey cake, complete with retractable arm that flings Raisenets! Genius!
Found at ohdeedoh.

If you're like me, you might be desperate for a pedicure after a long summer wearing flip flops and being barefoot. Why not consider having tiny little carp eat all the dead skin off your feet? What in the world?????? Actually, this procedure is under question...hmmmm, wonder why. Read the article here.

Found at Rocks In My Dryer.

And last but not least...yesterday proved to be a "rough nap" day at my girls preschool. Four out of the five preschoolers (including my little "nap protester" herself) refused to take naps. So, here's a suggestion to Miss Kate & Miss Kristi (Lord bless 'em for their patience!)...maybe you could hand-cuff them and threaten taking them to jail! Seriously?? Well, turns out this really happened, and what do ya know, the parents are suing.

it's noon...are you praying?

In honesty, this is the first day I've remembered to pray right at noon. I usually remember around 3pm or 8pm...but today Ellie and I dropped our plastic fruit, took off our silly chef hats, and sat down and prayed for our nation right there in her playroom. It was powerful! So, I urge you, join with people all over the nation...and even in some other nations, and pray for our country & our leaders at noon (or as close to it as you can remember). Here are some points from Pastor Ken's blog on the significance of this noon time prayer:

Noon prayer

1. This is a commitment to prayer at noon for at least five minutes each day of the week.
2. Noon prayer was a vital element of every major revival and awakening since 1727.
3. Great Britain under the leadership of Winston Churchill called for noon prayer during World War II to stave off the German air assault on London and England.
4. The Naval Academy has had noon prayer since 1864.

Also, join in the conversation at Pastor Ken's Blog on the creative ways you are finding to insert prayer for our nation into your busy schedules. Go and comment on his post, "Prayer Strategies"...and let us know what works for you!

shout out to JB!

Just a shout out to my good friend, JB...who designed the awesomeness known as my new blog header. If you don't know her, you should! She is an incredible wife and mom, and her devotion to God is inspiring. She has taught me so much, and challenged me to know God more, lead my family with intentional compassion...and not to use bad plastics to store and heat food, and not to eat lunch meat with bad nitrates...among other nutritional wisdom! And she also removed my stitches one time, no joke...she is just a women of many talents! Love ya, friend! Thanks for believing in me...

more tissue please...

Here's two more posts that made me tear up today...from two of my favorite people!

The Hubby writing about a special moment he had last night with Ellie. He is seriously the coolest dad!

Good friend, Tracy (the Abbreviator), writing about perspective.

tissue required monday

So, I'm starting a weekly tradition here at CIMB. Mondays, in general, sometimes require tissue, but I thought I'd start your week off with an inspiring and likely tear jerking story (see previous blog posts "Cardboard Testimonies" and "Audrey Caroline's Story" to triple your tissue requirements for today).

Today's installment comes from one of my fav blogs, 6 Year Med. Read her recent post, "Woven and Spun"...it's worth it.

the sarah palin-name-game

Did anybody else say "Huh?" when you first heard the names of Todd and Sarah Palin's 5 children? Since reading her biography, "Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska's Political Establishment Upside Down", (which made me realize how many similarities I share with Gov. Palin...but that's for a different blog post), I finally found out the reason behind their names:

Track: because he was born during track and field season (Sarah was a track athlete and her dad was a track and cross country coach). The book says,

Sarah's father jokingly asked what they would have named their son if he had been born during basketball season. Without hesitation, Sarah answered 'Hoop'.

Bristol: after the ocean bay where they fished

Willow: after Alaska's state bird, the willow ptarmigan

Piper Indy: after the Piper Cub airplane that Todd flies and the Polaris Indy snowmobile he drove when he won the Iron Dog snowmobile race

Trig Paxson: Trig in Norse means "true" and "brave victory" and Paxson after an Interior lake popular among snowmachiners



So, with this in mind, I've come up with the "Gov. Sarah Palin Name Game"...use the following formula to come up with what you should name your next child:

fav. sport+fav. fishing hole+your state's bird+the kind of car you drive+fav lake

This is what we will be naming our next child:

"Golf Meathole Mounty (Mountain Bluebird) Mitsy (Mitsubishi) Payette"

I think we'll just call him/her Jr. for short.

What will your next child's name be?

pimp my pony

Here's a trip down memory lane...it was 1985 and my neighbor and I spent hours with our "My Little Ponies"...combing the mane and tail, braiding the mane and tail, making them go swimming in our hot tub...for hours.

So, you can imagine my excitement when Hasbro brings 'em back...for my daughters to enjoy! Man, those toy companies are smart. Of course we'll buy stuff for our kids that we played with when we were kids. But why make them have the big googly eyes?

Anywho, this is pretty cool. For the 25th Anniversary of My Little Pony, they decided to invite 25 designers, celebrities, and artists to design and one-of-a-kind pony, all blinged out. They will be auctioned off to be given to the charity, Give Kids the World Village.



So, what favorite toy from your childhood do you wish they'd bring back?

crayons in my bathtub

I can't get away from them!


I probably enjoy these bathtub crayons more than the girls...the bathtub is a blank canvas and brings out the artist in me!

mrs. potts (and the economy) take a spill

Here are some lessons we can learn from poor mrs. potts about loosing our footing:

1. Even though you might fall down, the show goes on...
2. It seems as though you are powerless when you loose your footing, but the reality is, there are people who really care all around that will help you get back on your feet.
3. It's not the falling down that matters, but the strength and passion that you exhibit when you get back up that will carry you and define you.
4. People will cheer for you and support you when you get back on your feet!

Ok, maybe I'm reading a little too much into this video...but with the economy taking a spill, and many people loosing their footing in their personal lives during these hard economic times, I hope this speaks volumes.

Pray, people, pray...when that's all there is left to do. It might seem like we are powerless since we're not raising our hand in the Senate to vote...but our God is all powerful. Go to Pastor Ken's blog for updated information on how to pray for our nation.

how 'bout them apples?

Sorry about the seasonal confusion, but back to fall...the girls and I and some good friends went to an apple orchard, in celebration of the warm Indian Summer (86 degrees on the last day of September!). Here are some things we are dreaming of making with the apples we brought home:

Hubby's famous apple pie (disclaimer: not his own recipe)
Apple & Cheese pancakes
Apple & Crab Coleslaw
Apple Noodles
Apple Gumbo...(actually, these all just sounded really interesting. We'll probably really only make pie...I mean Mike will make pie).



UPDATE: For those that are interested, go to this website for a list of apple orchards in the area. There are a few in Emmett that look fun, but we ended up going to Williamson Orchards in Caldwell, just before you get to Marsing. I might try one of the Emmett ones in the future, because you can pick your own apples in the orchard. We wanted that whole experience. They wouldn't let us go into the orchard because of liability reasons at the one we went to...but still fun, nonetheless.

i'm dreaming of a white......

i know, you've heard over and over that i love fall...but doesn't this just get you in the mood?

Pottery Barn Kids

buhl barbie

I received one of my fav emails today..."Idaho Barbie" with slightly offensive but really humorous descriptions of what Barbie would be in different towns around Idaho. I was surprised that someone had made the addition of "Buhl Barbie".




'Buhl Barbie'
This tobacco-chewing, brassy-haired Barbie has a pair of her own high-heeled sandals with one broken heel from the time she chased beer-gutted Ken out of Mountain Home Barbie's house. Her ensemble includes low-rise acid-washed jeans, fake fingernails, and a see-through halter-top. Also available with a mobile home.

Awesome! What reputation does your hometown have?

worry, much?

Our senior pastor, Ken Wilde, has referred to the recent crises our nation is facing as "the perfect storm". The phrase-perfect storm- originates from the 1997 book "The Perfect Storm" which refers to the simultaneous occurrence of weather events which, taken individually, would be far less powerful than the storm resulting of their chance combination. So, what are our options when faced with the possible catastrophe in the economy, and rumors of wars? Freak out or faith....

I'm reminded of the story in Matthew, where the disciples follow Jesus into the boat, Jesus falls asleep, and a ferocious storm begins to torment the disciples. They freak out and wake the big guy up. Jesus rebukes them for their lack of faith, but doesn't allow the storm to destroy them. He calms the waves, and settles their fears.

Maybe a little fear is good, because it arouses our faith. It makes us realize that nothing is in our control, not the economy, not our future, and not storms. Let's turn fear into faith and worry into wonder. Let's humble ourselves and cry out to the only one that can calm devastation and heal our land.

Read the rest of Pastor Ken's call to prayer here...

just call me and Hillary "Fieldmarshal"

Thanks to my good friend, Meagan, I retreated back to my early college psych classes and took a personality test...the Jung Typology Test. These things are always quite humorous. According to Carl Gustav Jung, I am Extraverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging (or ENTJ)...heavy on the Intuitive and Judging. What this means, are these things:

Of the four aspects of strategic analysis and definition it is marshaling or situational organizing role that reaches the highest development in the Fieldmarshal... Hardly more than two percent of the total population, Fieldmarshals are bound to lead others, and from an early age they can be observed taking command of groups. In some cases, they simply find themselves in charge of groups, and are mystified as to how this happened. But the reason is that they have a strong natural urge to give structure and direction wherever they are - to harness people in the field and to direct them to achieve distant goals... Superb administrators in any field - medicine, law, business, education, government, the military - Fieldmarshals organize their units into smooth-functioning systems, planning in advance, keeping both short-term and long-range objectives well in mind. For the Fieldmarshal, there must always be a goal-directed reason for doing anything...

Some famous people that are/were also ENTJ:
Hillary Clinton, Napoleon, Margret Thatcher, Carl Sagan, Bill Gates, Golda Meir, Edward Teller, George Benard Shaw, and General George C. Marshall

Seriously?

Take the test. And let me know what your personality is!

...conversations with a 4 year old....

Ellie: "Mom, so how DID I get in your tummy?"

Me: "That's a really great question...that you should go ask Daddy."

Ellie: "Maybe you just ATE me..."

here's to 7 years

7 years ago...I married my best friend.

We decided this year we would celebrate our anniversary, not by rewarding ourselves for "making it this far", but rewarding ourselves for the fact that we can't believe it's already been 7 years. We know that 7 years is a drop in the bucket of a lifetime...so we celebrated by re-evaluating our goals, vision, and a whole lot of being silly. Here are some of the silly things we did:

-tried to recite every cheesy love line from movies, like "You complete me", "If you jump, I jump", and "You had me at hello".

-for old times sake, wasted 3 bucks on scratch lottery tickets, then ran away from the grocery store when we saw one of the elders from our church

-pretended we were staying at a hotel, by putting mini shampoo & conditioner bottles on the bathtub

-stayed up til 2am watching movies

-our anniversary tradition, eating pizza from Chicago Connection and drinking sparkling cider (as we did on our wedding night)

To my Hubby,

These last 7 years have been more than we dreamed of, and if we do as much laughing in these next 7 years...who knows where we could be! I love you...

we've all got a little prodigal...

This weekend at church, Pastor Krist threw down a great message on our personal calling, with reference to the prodigal son (Luke 15:11). Some of the things I took away from it:

-prodigal=wasteful

-we all have a little prodigal, when we waste our lives on our own plans

-we sometimes would rather fail and get our own way than flourish in God's way

-God's love is so irrationally generous...He likes to waste His grace on sons that waste their destiny

-there are things that are loved because they are worthy, and things that are worthy because they are loved

-everyone has a calling, specific design, possibility, potential, destiny...

goodbye pool days

We celebrated the end of summer and the last day at the pool this week. And started a new tradition...all moms must jump in the pool on the last day! We really threw our kids for a loop, they all thought we couldn't swim. Ellie was in tears because she thought I was drowning when I dove in. Of course, we had to have mommy olympics...with JB winning the 10m freestyle, and yours truly winning the "swimming the farthest under water with one breath". And let me just say...it was worth chlorine in the hair, braving the world in a swimsuit without cover-up, and smeared make-up. Thanks, friends, for a great memory!