Whittaker Woman

Just A Little Whittaker Love To YOU!

Ditto

Somethings are just worth stealing... 

My man's post for the day, 

 

I took this of my girls yesterday…
And I’m not gonna lie…
Christmas in Los Angeles does not suck.
Los

You Know Your Home When

  

Tamales are in the air. 

 

 

My Love Language

We landed in LA and were headed  home. Carlos was with his dad and said they were going to stop and get some food, I asked where. Bakers was the answer and I quickly said I would pass. But my Love walked in the door with this...

He's a good man! A very good man. H 

Not For Hire (yes she is. for a price. this is carlos hijacking her blog title to let you know that she kicks serious butt and email me if you want her to make your party awesome. )

Soul City had a dinner party tonight, a vision casting party. I was asked to do the food. The past two days I have been a busy bee cooking up a storm. I have to HUMBLY say, I nailed it. 

We had three kinds of meat, cheese plates, tomatoes, veggies and mini bread bowl soups. It was so good. Oh and dessert too. 

 

 

 

 
 
 

  

 

I loved our team. It felt like Church tonight. We were all working together to serve other people! I loved it. 

If it was not for Angela I would still be cooking. She came over yesterday and helped me get all my ducks in a row. Everyone helped so much. What a wonderful group of friends I have! 

 Just thought I'd share what I've been up to! H

He's Still Around, But It Was A Close Call

The girls coming up to see who was at the door. They heard a knock. 

Losiah took charge. Sohaila was cautious. Seanna out of the picture! 

L-O-V-E! This picture. It says it all. 

 

Wait, no this picture is! 
 

And yes this is when she asked " Is he fiction?"  

I can't remember if this was before or after he slammed the elf's head on the table. 

It was a close call. I was not sure if Mr. Elf was going to recover. Thankfully Seanna and the girls sweep through the house all day to find him. My sweet Sohaila talks to him. The other day I heard her talking to someone in the garage. I asked who are you talking to... The Elf. The stories of these years in our lives will last our lifetime. H

Cash $ Gold

Sohaila has a normal kids Christmas List until you get to the "Gold" suggestion. 

Yep she is asking for Gold. 

Why? 

Because we don't have cable and in the morning when they get ready for school they have cartoons on. The channel is called Qubo and it has infomercials in between the shows. YEP! Sohaila is smart. She is asking Santa for Gold so she can turn it in and walla, she has cash! She even went this far the other day, 

I found this on top of my desk.  

I finally asked her, "baby why do you want Gold?" She responded with the most logical answer "So I can get money mama". I think my adult smarts were too much for her when I replied " Then why don't you just ask for money?" She warms my heart! Oh and she also told Carlos that he can grow hair too. H

Christmas Glee

The kids have the Season's giddiness! Seanna was the reindeer and pulling Losiah aka Santa around the house. 

Let the dance party begin. 

LOL! I told you the dance party began! 

I love having my kids! There is always some kind of performance!  H

 

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree How Lovely Are Your Branches, Wait What Happened?

We got our tree at our faithful local spot that we always head to. All but one year in our marriage we have bought our tree at the same place. It's really romantic, it's Home Depot. 

This year the kids did not want to see the tree till we got home.

Seanna ended up being the unwrapper of our mystery tree. 

Round and round she went. 

The other kids played a song and waited to see what would unfold. 

 

She was excited until

it all fell off at the bottomI Carlos told them to do this, not sure if Seanna approved. 

How do you think she felt? She does not wear her emotions on her face at all! HAHA! 

Carlos came in and tried to fix it. 

Then she went straight to work! 

I love my tree. Its the only time of the year that I LOVE country crafty decorations. There are just so many memories that warm my heart as I put each ornament on. I love it.  H       

Me, Bean and Pie

 

 

There is one thing that Carlos and I firmly believe in as we drag our kids all across the states, on our journey we call life. We want them to have their own story. We don't want them to just be a chapter in ours. They need to have their own. We try to encourage their own passions and give them tools to be all of who God has made them to be.  Sometimes it's simple as in helping me cook. Bean has always been by my side when I am in the kitchen. She could probably teach a class to some women out there. You know that you have a  6  year old that loves to cook when you buy her a cast-iron pan for Christmas!

What is your babies story? Their passion? H

Red O Angel

That's the name to our Elf. A new tradition that I thought would be so much fun. If you don't read Carlos' blog I am sharing a post he wrote about Dear Old Red. This is true Whittaker entertainment! 

The Elf On The Shelf, My Parenting Manual, and Near Death

POSTED ON 03. DEC, 2009 BY LOSWHIT IN AUTHENTICITY, FAMILY

It started as innocent as any Christmas tradition.
But somehow Heather and I figured out a way to scare the hell out of our kids.
That cute/creepy bug eyed elf at the top of this post…
It’s his fault.
And mine.
Let me explain.

Heather had been telling me about this Christmas tradition that our friends Stephanie and Mark are doing.
Basically, an elf comes from the North Pole and your kids tell it what they want for Christmas and he also keeps track of Santa’s “Naughty and Nice” list.
CUTE!!!
I love it. I’m sold. Let’s buy that junk.
So it’s about 7 pm and Heather has the brilliant idea of knocking on the front door and leaving the elf there with the book about him as she is sprinting back around the house.
KOCKKNOCKKNOCKKNOCK.
“What was that?” the 5 year old says.
“I don’t know? Go check the door.” I reply.
Nope. She can see through the window on the door that no one is out there and she’s not about to open it.
So the 7 year old offers…
Door opens…
This dude is sitting in front of it.

When I tried to look into his eyes and he never looked back I even got a bit creeped out.
I turned to the 5 year old…
Petrified.
I could see her mind spinning…
“What the #@$! That scary bug eyed elf just knocked on my door!!! I’m out…”
So I read her expression and tried to lighten the mood.
“Look!!! It’s an elf from the North Pole!!! Maybe Santa sent him!”
The 3 year old walks out the front door to pick him up.
“NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He Will Lose His Magic Powers!!!!!” The 5 year old screams.
Huh?
“No he won’t baby. Who told you that?”, I said as I picked him up.
She was not having any of this.
A stuffed elf who magically appears and knocks on the door harder than her daddy was not welcome in her home.

We tried. Nothing. She was not having it. She was scared of it. And I don’t blame her. Just look at it.
“Is that a fiction elf?” she asked.
Heather is now giving me the “Be Careful How You Answer This” look.
“Um. Well. Baby. Don’t worry. Sure. It may be a fiction elf. But we won’t know until we read the book”, I said.
I opened the book and started reading.
She kept freaking out that we had touched the elf and he’s probably lost his magic power.
To the point of tears.
I said that was nonsense. Nothing we can do can take the elf’s power away. So I thought I’d show her.

It all happened so fast. I don’t even remember why I did it.
But for some reason I quickly grabbed the elf and slammed his head 3 times on the table.
“See baby? He’s just fine.” I smiled.
Her eyes were as wide as the Atlantic.
Heather’s eyes were as well.
Bad move.
Move on quickly…

As I continued reading the story explained how this elf, whom we are supposed to name, will fly to the North Pole every night and tell Santa what’s up with the Whittaker kids.
Then he will fly back every morning and the kids were supposed to find him.

Then I turned the page and my mouth dropped…
“Do not touch me or I might lose my powers and not be able to fly to the North Pole and tell Santa all the nice things you are doing!”

Crap.

“SEEEEEEEEEEEE! I told you!!! DADDY!!!!!!! WAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Now we won’t get anything for Christmas from Santa!!! WAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”
The 5 year old was hysterical.
Not only is she freaked out at the walking and knocking and flying elf in her house, I also all but killed it in front of her.
Then I saw the last page.
It was my safety net.
It was a certificate with a place to write the elf’s name, our family name and the date.

“Baby! It’s not official until we sign this…THEN you can’t touch him!”
She wanted to know if I was sure, I promised I was.
She wanted to know what happened if a friend touched the elf, I said it only counted if one of our kids touched it.
She wanted to know how the elf was going to get out of the house that night, I said maybe up the chimney.
I think she basically wanted to know if she would wake up that night and see that creepy elf staring her in the face.

They reluctantly went upstairs after I placed the elf on the shelf above the fireplace.
A few minutes later I took it down, hid it, opened the door, and went upstairs.
“Who left the door open?” I said.
The kids ran down and the elf was gone.
“The elf is gone!!!”, the girls yelled
“See kids. He didn’t lose his powers! He’s on his way back to the North Pole to tell Santa how amazing The Whittaker Family is!!!” I triumphantly exclaimed.

“But daddy, you almost killed him. I don’t think he will think that is amazing”

Where did that parenting manual go?
Los

Does anyone else have an Elf in their house? H

You Have To Eat Your Veggies

Chicago

I can't believe that next Christmas this will be home. CHICAGO! I am so nervous about living in the city, but I am also excited for this next chapter in our lives. After our move to Georgia I have learned to respect and capture all the good in every season in our lives. I was so grounded in Cali and at Sandals that I could never picture living elsewhere. Now that I am elsewhere, I love being able to experience where I am at for however long I am there. 

We have been asked so many questions about our move... why, when, where, did you know it is cold there? On and on and on. The best part is, WE DON'T KNOW! What we do know is that we are a part of this community that we love. Soul City snuck up on us without us ever knowing it was going to capture our hearts and now we are moving to be a part of it's vision. If you have not seen this video it's great at sharing what Soul City is about. 

One thing that we are working hard at is getting everything ready to start. Soul City is starting in the City in 2010. There are lots of things to get done to get started and I wanted to see if any of you could help. I know I have occasionally asked for help from you, my blog family. I never share something on this blog that I do not 100% stand behind, I am not in this blog world to advertise. So when I ask you about sponsoring a child from Compassion, or helping Angie pay off her house after Mark passed it's because I am passionate about it and it is in my soul. And just like I would share with you  if you were at my house having coffee with me, I sit here on the other side of the screen sharing my heart. 

So since Soul City is in my heart I wanted to share a great way you can help your self and Soul City at the same time. We are looking to raise enough start up cash to actually have a Soul City Church. (Don't you love church planting!) Anyways the number is big but I am going to try to tackle something more tangable. I want to work towards raising $11,000 to kick off the Soul City Kids. Will you come along side of my family and help support our new Church. We want to have a place for the kids of Chicago that will not only help them grow in their relationship with Jesus, but ultimately help there families grow theres as well. This goal is a chance to ask a little of a lot of people... Lots of streams make a mighty river. 

So I am asking you today. Right now to BE a part of launching this with me  www.yearendstart.com.

Grown-Up's Take Over

The kids came in saying there was a Circus happening down stairs. Carlos decided to grab the camera, by the end of their Circus the grown-ups took over and we were all JUMPING! 

 

 

 

 

  
  

 

And this is what the kids thought of us...

And that's a night with The Whittaker's. What's a random night at your house like? H

Just Waiting!

If you know Sohaila at all, you will know she had loved a sweet little piggy her entire life. She was given piggy the day she was born and has been attached from about 3 months on. Lately I have found piggy here,

Waiting patiently. Looking out the window for Sohaila to get home. When she wakes up in the morning she will put him here to wait for her. I love how sweet and innocent she is. I love that she is still such a little girl! H 

Catch Up... So-Go-Grab-Some-Coffee-Cause-This-Post-May-Drag-On-And-On-But-It-Will-At-Least-Catch-You-Up!

After my trip to El Salvador, emotionally my life was on pause while the rest of my life kept going. I had a wonderful visit from my Step Mom Sherry. She was married to my dad when he died when I was 16years old. She has been a wonderful addition to my life. I remember the day when she told me that she did not just make a vow to him on their wedding day, but to me too. And just because he had passed does not mean she was leaving. She has stood my me ever since. We had a great visit! She helped so much with the kids! I even got to go away with Carlos on one of his trips! We went to Memphis and were spoiled by those who he was working for!

Sherry arrived 15 minutes before I arrived from El Salvador, and she was here a week. She left on Friday and then on Saturday we headed back to the airport. Talk about No Vacancy! I love it! 

We took the train to meet our friends! We were giddy with excitement!

 

We were ready with our Southern Hospitality. Hehehe. What a week! I was so excited back in September when Angie called and said she wanted to get away for Thanksgiving and wanted to see if we were open for her and Nolan to visit. 

It  did not take long for them to get back to being BFF's. It was so cute! Nolan and Sohaila were joined at the hip while Seanna and Nolan fought like brother and sister. 

  
 The kids did lots of this.

We took them to our favorite Atlanta spots! The Varsity. 

I was excited that there were still some fall leaves for them to see! 

We took them to our favorite Atlanta History Spot... Martin Luther King Museum and house. 

This is in-front of the house that MLK was born and raised in. HOWEVER I can't help but see that Sohaila and Nolan look like twins! 

We took a road trip up to Nashville, and what trip to Nashville would be complete without a visit to our Amish Friends! 
  
 

We also got to hang out with some of my favorite Nashville peeps! Pete and Brandi! 

Angie was introduced to Corn Hole... Which by the way is what I want for Christmas!  

Then we went to Nashville for a quick jaunt down Music Row. It's fun, but if you are not there to drink there is not much to see. Angie was able to go to Hatch Print Show and get some goodies! 

Such a cool history to it! 

We headed home to Atlanta to spend Thanksgiving at our friends! 

It was such a great time but really, where in the world did November go? I seriously have not stopped! I have been in my jammies for the past three days straight. Recovering. But I loved every second of it! Thanks for following this random crazy life of mine. H