As my husband noted yesterday, even when our baby smells like baby spit we still love to kiss her because she just smells like her. Today we enjoyed another special Livia odor, the clean baby smell. Love that Baby Magic!
I just can’t get enough of the baby lovin’. Even after a hard day of toddlerness, I love this kid to bits and pieces.
Goodbye, 2005. Hello, 2006!
Jeremy and I greeted the New Year last night under the disguised personas of “Wey” and “Mary” from a murder mystery game. Truthfully, it was one of the most entertaining New Year’s Eve parties ever. While I delighted in dressing up and Jeremy seemed to dread it, we had a great time eating loads of delicious foods and working through the murder mystery scene by scene. Cranium was cracked open a few minutes before midnight, interrupted by a bit o’ kissing, then continued until around 2am. In many ways we are indeed old fogies—but last night proved we haven’t succumbed entirely yet to old fogeyism… I was grateful for good friends and good fun for ringing in ’06.
I spent some time yesterday, at perhaps the longest brunch known to man (or really, woman), reflecting on the last year and looking towards God’s providence in the new one. And as I sat down this evening to type up a blog post, I decided to crack open my recently-neglected journal and survey the year. Well, survey says (!) 2005 had its rough patches. Relationally, it was a year of transition. Friends moved, friends married, friends moved again… and some stayed as neighbors. My best friend and I celebrated seven years together and, in the process, discovered no seven year itch and a definite seven year rut. Suffice to say, many lessons on love (specifially, the five languages of love) have been learned in 2005. In many ways I’ve come into my own as a mother this year, and my relationship with my daughter has stretched me in more ways than I ever imagined. Honestly, I’ve never loved anything as fiercely as I love my little family. Physically, this past year was a doozy. I came into the year having struggled with arthritis for over six months and confident I’d somehow shake the condition entirely. But that was not to be; it was not the cup God has apportioned me. It wasn’t until September that I discovered I had rheumatoid arthritis and with that discovery (I call it a discovery because my dear doctor and nurse had been calling my arthritis “RA” for months without telling me!) I had a lot of issues to work out emotionally. It feels as though the first nine months of 2005 were given in preparation for the RA diagnosis—important lessons were learned in that time, lessons that helped me deal a bit easier with this particular hardship.
So here I am. Still blogging, still sharing life at the Prairie Box, still writing this post because I can’t figure out a decent way to end it. How do you end a review of a difficult year? By reviewing what is true… Excerpted from my journal in March of ’05:
Question: What lessons have I learned in the last year?
- God is faithful and just
- He is close, present, at all times
- He hears me
- He comforts me
- He sustains me
- He sees the masterpiece of me (Joni Eareckson Tada)
- He blesses, continues to give good things
Amen. Welcome, 2006.
Excellent post over on TwentySomeone regarding the Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas debaucle this season. [To all of my friends out there, happy holidays, by the way! I say this simply because I hope you all have had wonderful Thanksgiving, Christmas and/or Hanukkah celebrations and will have a great New Year’s as well.]
While I’m referring folks to TwentySomeone, I’ll make a plug for their book. We purchased it for my sister-in-law and her boyfriend this Christmas and I hope they really enjoy reading it. Doug stood up at our wedding and we feel like we’re getting to know Craig (whose-wife-bowls-at-Christmas) a bit these days, too. So there ya go… Buy the book!
I need help understanding podcasts. In particular, I’m having difficulty finding podcasts I’d want to listen to… like Tim Keller sermons, or Stu’s for that matter. Can anyone point me in the right direction??
**Thanks to my fantastic siblings, today I purchased Patty Griffin’s Impossible Dream (a la Haley’s recommendation) and the soundtrack to Walk the Line via iTunes. Thanks, guys!
My intent for today (my final day of the December Photo Project, I might add) was to shoot some sort of picture that could signify Jesus’ birth, the entry of the Almighty God into this earth in human form. And yet, how in the world could I take a photograph that could carry that much weight? I even re-lit the advent wreath at church in order to take a serene candle shot. It made a nice enough picture, but was trumped big time by the one I got this evening, the one you see above. Considering the difficulty of photographing a symbol of the birth of Christ, I’m thrilled that I caught this hilarious moment during gift-opening with the Lawtons.
It’s been a long day and I’m beat. So let me end this by saying, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight.
Congratulations to the new Mr. & Mrs. Hietbrink! It was a lovely evening for a wedding, and Jenny’s was absolutely beautiful. In this photo we have four reasons why I earned a bachelor’s degree in Middle School Education—their names are Caitlin, Karen, Jenny and Bethany. I was 19 when I first became friends with these girls; they were bouncing off the walls at youth group and I was one of their youth leaders. They witnessed the falling-in-love days of Jeremy and me, as well as our wedding vows a year and a half later. I can hardly express what a joy it is has been to see two in this group walk down the aisle this past year (and to see the other two happily dating, I might add). All four are a testament to what a blessing it is to grow in Christ in one big church family. I love each of them dearly.
Here is one, a red bow. And guess what? All of them are staying put (Pottery Barn expectations be damned!).
We are having the most unbelievable weather today. It’s 52 degrees outside and, though admittedly very unChristmas-like, it feels awesome. I’m a girl who loves to feel sunshine on her skin; my black fleece was literally absorbing the rays outside and I’d love to sit in a warm spot all afternoon, perhpas with a good book in my hands. Yet, here we are, three days before Christmas and my “to do” list looks something like this: wrap all presents (which means I have to find them first), plan side dishes for Christmas dinner, go grocery shopping, and clean, clean, clean. The cleaning aspect is nothing new, but I’ve fallen tragically behind in the level of tidiness of almost every room in the house and it’s high time I get organized.
Other topics for the day include:
- Today is my parents’ anniversary. Happy 34 years, Mom and Dad!
- Tomorrow my little brother comes home for a few days. He’s a real working man now, so it’ll be great to have him around for a little while.
- Livia’s finally feeling better from the nasty bug she experienced Tuesday. I’m hoping she’s operating at 100% for the festivities that begin Saturday night with Jeremy’s folks.
- To all my blogging buddies, keep posting over the holidays! We’ll all need those quiet, introverted moments where we slink off to the computer. Give me something to read… : )
There is something to be said for a beautiful entryway, a door that reminds you of an English cottage, warm and welcoming.
Perhaps this is why I’m wondering whether I should remove the large, slightly tacky, bright red bows from my front porch. My Pottery Barn expectations are highly unsuited to my reality…
