valentine mailboxes

We LOVE our 3 children so very much and I love that Valentine's comes around to show them our love in new and cutesy ways! This year I went back to the Target $ aisle and picked up 2 more mailboxes so they each have their own mail every morning. They also got to decorate their mailboxes with puffy paint/stickers so they're now super tacky, I mean "cool"!!! Every other year, we've written them li'l "love notes" but this year I made a "What we LOVE about _____" (#ed 1-14) chart for each of them so they get one word to add to their chart. I love this because I hear them talking about their sticky notes throughout the day and encouraging eachother with them as well. Simple yet meaningful to them!

And, here is Noah with the first treat... a mini can of COKE! His smile was this huge before the can was even gone at 9am!!!

sissy in her sleigh

awww... Savannah looks so little in her sleigh bed! We had to move her out of her crib before Christmas because my parents were coming to sleep in her room. So, I have been on Craigslist ever since searching for a girley bed. I don't know which "Craig" invented Craigslist but I need to write him a personal "thank~you" note because we have been buying/selling all year!!! Love that my trash is someone else's treasure and vice versa! ;)

We still need to paint this bed white to match her trim and freshen it up but it's still just a tad bit too cold in AK to break out a paint sprayer. So, the boys were thrilled to "help" Kep set up Savannah's bed this week! Now, they'll just get to set it up a few more times so we can paint it this summer.

celebrate February!

Every year I LOVE February because it's time for ...
Valentine's, my nephew's birthday, my grandma's birthday, my uncle's birthday, my #1 hubby's birthday, my birthday and a few friends... also have bdays!!! Just when winter seems to be taking a toll on my cabin "feverness"... there's a TON to celebrate in February!

AND THIS YEAR, I have one more super BIG thingy to celebrate in February... a 9~day trip to Kona with my mom and 2 older sisters!!! 7~1/2 years ago I was the last sibling to get married and I remember my eldest sis, Abby~the~planner, saying, "OK, when us girls are all done having babies... just the sisters and mom are headed to Hawaii!" I remember thinking that was so surreal but it's actually happening in 20 days! woohoo!

I am so blessed by these women in my life and I can't wait to spend time with just THEM in paradise! I am still hoping that my younger sis will surprise us with her presence as this would make our Kona trip... positively perfect! But, if she doesn't it will just be a great excuse to go back as a complete set of "Hogan" women in another year, well probably 7~1/2 years would be more realistic!!!

So, I have 20 more days to; research Kona's options, pack MY suitcase (packing only MY clothes and sitting in a plane without any kiddos is... possibly... my fav part of this trip!!!), work on getting this AKan whiteness... tan, eat less chocolate, start doing my new exercise video religiously, find all my summer essentials AND love on my kiddos/hubby... because I know I will be missing them a TON for 9 days!

this is one magazine I'm ordering to help with the Kona research. Let me know if you have ever been to Kona and your fav thing to do/see!

ps: I know I use a lot of ...'s but... I like them!!! I've never been a big fan of grammar, even though I am a teacher, so the ...'s go in the spots where I am unsure of... my grammar!!! ;) And, I'm OK with being known as the "... blog girl"!!!

Parker's 1st email

Hi magin and it WUZ a good time SYN u at Chrch and IL see u agn at chrch

bye Parker

So, could you figure out our 5 yr. old's phonics? Parker has these 2 adorable and sweet 5 year old friends, who happen to be best friends... Megan and Morgan. Well, Parker had fun chasing Megan around the church gym last night so he wanted to write her a "computer note" today! Ha, he is going to be a heart breaker if he already has the skills to write girls little notes. No worries~ that won't be encouraged until WAY later! ;) They'll always be my li'l boys, right!?!

Before pressing "send", I made sure his note was totally innocent. Parker loves drawing pictures and writing notes to relatives so he is used to ending all his family notes with "love". But he remembered that he couldn't sign off with "love" on "Magin's" note!!! Our boys are true innocent boys... clueless that girls are "girls"! ;) This is why I didn't want to make a big deal of his note AND fortunately he doesn't read our blog, yet! We shall save this li'l note for sure... how stinkin' adorable!!!

my 2010's song and prayer~

Jesus, be the centre

Be my source, be my light

Jesus

Jesus, be the centre

Be my hope,

Be my song

Jesus

Be the fire in my heart

Be the wind in these sails

Be the reason that I live

Jesus, Jesus

Jesus, be my vision

Be my path, be my guide

Jesus

I lOvE this song. The words are so simple but the meaning is so RICH! Our church sang this song on our first Sunday of 2010 and it's been on my mind ever since. It is my goal to make JESUS be my center for 2010 and every year to come. (and the pictures are back from 2007 and I just needed a "blast from the past", ha... short past!)

Christmas morn

We spend all of December reading books about the cutesy part of Christmas... Santa! So, our boys were thrilled to wake up on Christmas morn to a handwritten note from Santa and to see that Santa ate ALL but a few crumbs of their frosted cookies!

Candy!?! All Noah ever needs is candy, gum or a li'l car! ;)

Then, once the cutesy part of Christmas is over we talk about the AMAZING and REAL part of Christmas... JESUS! All December the kids act out the Nativity scene with their favorite Little People sets so it comes as no surprise on Christmas morn that each of them get 3 gifts... just like Jesus did! So, here's Noah with one of his 3... his first remote controlled car. This thing is indestructible, it will go through the bath and spring puddles!

And, our li'l girl opening her sweet baby from Bap 'n Nan! This baby spends the majority of the time undressed, easier to rip off the clothes then put them on over and over!

family

I am so thankful for the families that God has given us~ we are bLeSsEd! I LOVE that my parents were able to come and spend Christmas 09 with our li'l gang~ it will be a Christmas to remember ;). We had sickness after sickness and one extremely whiney toddler BUT it was still most definitely a blessing to be with my parents. God knew what HE was doing... especially when HE designed 'the family relationship'!

"one of these 'sledders' is not like the others"... yep, li'l sissy was indeed miss fussy ;)

LOVE you mom and dad! and miss you, too!

again... "one of these 'sledders' is not like the others"!!!

the pink sledders

there's Noah clarming the camera~ AGAIN!

our brave sledder!

tennis shoes, sweatshirt and working gloves... I guess he's a true AKan, no need for all the gear!

the boy and his board! LoVe this shot of Parker

Savannah's actually smiling on her sled! woohoo

And, God also knew what HE was doing when HE designed sunsets and winter wonderlands! Can't beat a view like this... it was fun to show off God's beautiful "wintery" AKan creations to my parents! Thank you Lord for fAmIlY!

bonding with bapak 'n bunnies

I know the title sounds cute and then cruel! But, it was a memorable afternoon with Bapak... full of adventure and gorgeous scenic pix to bring home to show off to Nana and mom!

Parker's perfect snow angel...

This li'l guy tromped through snow for 4 miles and was still grinnin' from ear 2 ear... like father like son (def... not mother!!!)

AMAZING!

This one above will always be one of my fav... the dad, the sparklin' snow, the gun and one of his fav boys!

I don't know how they even spot these perfectly camouflaged BUNNIES, the boys call them "rabbits" but the woman in me... still feels sorry for these "BUNNIES".

merry CHRISTmas!

Our FIRST Christmas in Alaska with Bapak & Nana! AND... we are all having a blast with them! The boys have been JAZZED for 24hrs. straight... ever since their arrival! Even though, Noah was just diagnosed with a double ear infection and pink~eye, this afternoon, he still managed to find the energy to play outside in the snow ALL DAY and help Bapak and Parker build our igloo on the back deck! More pix to come of their finished product ;)

Our first day started with sugar... frosting the cookies (even though most were tossed as we were unaware that Noah and Savannah have...had pink~eye!) ;) AND ended with our first~ever attempt at homemade donuts! mm mmmmmmm This combination of sugar~hype made for an interesting time at our advent devotional, tonight! Looking forward to more "sugar~y" memorable times tomorrow as we eat Jesus' birthday cake and celebrate His birth with family! Thank you Bap 'n Nan for making the trek up here!

AND Merry Christmas to all of YOU!

Here I sit... it's 4 am, I have a whole list of to~dos before my parents come on Wednesday (woohoo!), I have a head cold and body aches (boohoo!), I can't sleep to get rid of my cold AND I can't start crossing off my to~do list b/c all the babes and hubby are fast asleep! hmmm, what to do!?! So, I read today's Proverbs 31 Ministries email and again I was humbled and inspired by today's message:

So, in the midst of this busy week, will you stop? Put down the tinsel; discontinue the decorating; forgo the mending on the pageant costume and cease stirring the cookie batter.

Turn down the yuletide carols and get completely alone and silent.

Can you hear the angels' magnificent melody? Deep within their chorus God is calling out to us; humble, common you and me. He longs to interrupt our daily routine to introduce us to Someone extraordinary; the Christ-child who has a perfect place planned for us in His-story.

Will you pause, ponder, and then, like the shepherds, go tell others about this remarkable Babe? You'll be helping to restate the timeless message: "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord" Luke 2:10b-11

Thank you, Lord for your priceless gift... may I remember to make YOU the focus of this Christmas week. AND remember that a "fully checked off to~do list" is not nearly as important as... memorable precious times with family and with YOU!