Bloggity Blog

So I sorta forgot I had  a blog. That if I want to keep this blog up to date, I am actually going to have to write stuff, post stuff, put up pictures, and so on. My secretary that I had hired to do the job just left, I guess. Well, we will see if I can remember from now on!

Breaking the Fast

Yeah, no White Chrismas for us...

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, filled with love, family, and peace. Seeing as Christmas has come and gone, that means two things for me. One, my favorite season of the year is over with (So sad. But I will not be taking my Christmas decorations down for a while. Noooo. I am going to stretch out this time of holiday cheer as long as I can....). Two, that I am officially done with my internet fast, Lentmas. I'm going to say, it was really nice. I was expecting to experience some sort of withdrawls or sadness with not having Facebook be a regular part of my life, but in all honesty, it was just, nice. I didn't feel this constant pull to be at the computer at all hours of the day or the incessent need to check it at regular intervals. I noticed that I was happier and not as, I don't know, down on myself or whatever, as I normally am when it is a part of my life. I'm thinking that this might be a more permanent part of my life, instead of a momentarily break for a small group assignment.

Moving on...

Christmas was wonderful and nice and sweet to be with my small little family. There's really nothing more that my heart could wish for during this time. Cue the photo montage....

Dear Sweet Kiddos

Christmas Eve

Clara, wearing her pretty Christmas Eve dress, asked where her wand was. Obviously, she's a princess....

My handsome boys

Christmas Eve night, complete with cookies for Santa

Santa came!

Coming down Christmas morning

Stockings

Present Mass Destruction

Tea Time

Diesel Works

There you have it! Now getting ready to bring in 2012!

One last post

Thanksgiving has come and gone. Though I didn't blog much of the many wonderful things that I am thankful for, my heart was at it's fullest-thankfulness-capacity that it possibly could be this past Thanksgiving. We had a quiet day spent preparing for the meal, complete with parade watching, flag football playing (okay, that was only my husband, but it sounds festive if I add it to my list, right?) and turkey eating. I made my first ever turkey and succeeded in completing my two goals- a. having it fully cooked and b. not burnt. It's a fine line, right? With these two things accomplished, I count it as a success. After dinner we scooted off to watch "The Muppets" which filled my heart up even more. (If you ask Dave, he'll give you a different story, but I thought the movie was sweet and dear). I can't really ask for more than that- a lovely, peaceful day spent with my little family. I am blessed. Here is the day in pictures:

We watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade on TV. As you can tell, my kids are doing their own parade complete with giant floating balloons. This went on for quite some time....

Operation Turkey begins....

My little turkeys.

Clara's thoughts on turkeys (doodle doo....)

Operation Turkey complete. You were a good friend, little bird, and very yummy in our tummies.

 

Let's eat!

Cheers!

Throwin' it back, apple cider style.

As you can see, it was a very lovely day. I am so thankful for so many things, and I know I didn't even get to complete my whole list of thankfulness. I'll give it a go now....I am thankful for my dear hubby, whose patience and grace toward me exceed anything I deserve...my sweet little Clara, for blessing my life with such joy and laughter and snuggles...Harry Potter....my health, which often I take for granted....my church for encouraging me in my walk with God in ways that I haven't been motivated in years...whipped cream....my family, including the one I was born into and the one I married into....dear, dear friends both from the West Coast and Mid West who are so treasured in my heart...and that's all for now.

My heart really is so full of gratefulness this year.

The small group that Dave and I are apart of is doing a "Lentsmas" or "Lentsgiving" or "I really forgot what they called it on Saturday night..." Basically, it's like Lent, but between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Each person in the group, as a couple, family, or individual, has to give up something beginining at Thanksgiving leading up to Christmas Day. Each person's thing to give up is an individual decision, and for myself, I decided to give up the internet. Well, I mean, most of the internet. I still am going to check my email, because in this day and age, how can you not? It does mean, however, that there will be no more brilliantly clumsily written posts from me until December 25. I know, it's a hard blow. But really, I think it will be good for me, to be more family focused than computer focused, because let's be honest, it is embarrassing how much time I spend on here.

So happy holidays, God bless, and I'll be seeing you soon!

(Four bonus pictures....)

Seriously kids, seriously? You melt my heart...

What? You've never seen a girl with a backwards football helmet, no pants, and big shoes push a stroller with a snowman in it before? You're weird.

Thanks to Dave (my brother) and Karly for getting me the last HP. You guys rock. I tried to get a picture with Dave and Harry together, but this was the best I could do. For some reason, Dave didn't want a picture with greatness. I don't understand it.

Speaking of...

The Spousal Wars continue...

Poor Harry. He's stuck in a hole in our wall in our walkway. Magic must get him out!

More thankfulness

And the list goes on...

10. Parks and Recreation. Seriously. This show makes me so happy. It's leaps and bounds above any other show on television right now and can't seem to go wrong. Tonight's episode was no different, and it looks like things are finally going in a good direction for Leslie and Ben. That makes me even happier. I think in some alternate universe Leslie and I are best friends because she loves whipped cream just as much as I do.

11. My sisters in laws. (Sisters in law? Sister in laws? Guh. I'm confused). I love my brother dearly and wouldn't trade him for the world, don't get me wrong. Yet adding these ladies to my life and family has been so wonderful. They have become some of my closet friends and I am so grateful for them in my life. Karly, Corie, Susie, and Sam (I mean, you're practically one, right?) I love you so!

12. The basics. You know, food, shelter, clothing. And by saying it that way, I am not taking any of those things lightly. God has seriously blessed my family with more than enough in those departments, but sometimes I forget that. Even when times have been tighter and we've been struggling in one of those areas, God has always taken care of us, more often than not in cool and unexpected ways.

That's were we stop tonight. Just a few more to add to my list.

While we are on the topic, what are you thankful for?



(Oh, and one more totally shallow thing to be thankful for...When we moved into our new house and got our internet and TV setup, the company somehow messed up and we have cable for a bit now. Yes, that's right, now I can watch Wizards of Waverly Place to my hearts content and Dave has ESPN. Can that could for like 12b?)

Hibernation

It's rapidly getting cold outside and winter is quickly drawing near. Life is starting to slow down and days are shorter and temperatures colder. Just as those bears out there are gearing up (or gearing down, I suppose one could say...) so I feel life is slowing down for us as we prepare for life indoors the next couple of months. Also slowing down is the number of posts I do a month. It seems a little backwards to me- in summer when we are busy out galavanting across the countryside, I have many post swarming around my head that actually make it to my blog. But now, even though life isn't as busy and things have slowly settled down, so has the frequency of my writing and posting.  I don't know why. Oh well.

I am still thinking of things that I am thankful for each day this month. I don't know what day it is, but I am sure that I have at least ten things that I need to write about relating to thankfulness. I am not going to do all ten now, but like I promised, there should be thirty by the end of the month.

1. Hibernation. I am so thankful for the slowing down of my world once fall and winter comes. This is something that I never experienced in always-sunny-California, yet having experienced it these past four years, I know that I could never go back. I love the changing of the seasons, seeing how vastly different the same landscape is between the different calendar months. I love that summer provides the opportunity for lazy days outside and many energetic expeditions, but even more,  I love the winding down of life during winter time. I love how life turns inwards, to my family, my home, my heart. I love the times to just sit inside and talk, curl up with a movie, or just sit and be. I am thankful for slowing down.

2. God. Cliche, no? But seriously. My path with God has gone in various states since college (When looking back, I look to college as "high" for myself spiritually), but within the last couple months things seem to be clicking a bit more, which hasn't happened in a long, long time. Realizing His complete love for me is something that I am trying to grasp once again, and it's a journey that for the first time in a long time, I am actually okay with being on.

3. Francis Chan. Not to be weird, but this guy says some powerful stuff. I know the Bible is the ultimate book, but other books can help to, right? Dave and I are going through "Crazy Love", and being only ten pages or so in, I am finding myself challenged by his words. Every now and then he suggests a video to accompany the reading, and if you have time, here was todays:



He would come and speak sometimes when I was at college during our chapel time, and each time I was left feeling provoked by his message.

4. My James. I am completely and utterly thankful for my little ball of energy and joy. Four years ago I never imagined that I would sit through hours and hours of Thomas videos and have my house transformed into Sodor Island on a daily basis, but here I am. I would not trade any minute of it. He's the best thing that has happened in my life (okay, okay, technically I should say God, or Dave, or something else, but whatever...) and I am so thankful for the joy and insight he brings me on a daily if not momentarily basis. I am thankful for his heart for people, his love for his sister, and yes, even his passion for trains.

5. Mom blogs. I mean, I wish I was as funny and creative as these ladies, but I am not. I am thankful for the reprive and grace that then give me (unaware) as a mom. Most importantly, I am thankful for the laughter they give me during my day. This one and this one are two of my favorites. I also love all my friends blogs too- they're just too many to link to here! But I love them all!

Okay, that's it for today, mostly 'cause James is up now and we probably have to watch a video. A Thomas video. And thats okay, since I am thankful for it and all, right?





**Edit** After I published this post, James came downstairs and  proceeded to spill my coffee everywhere over the end table, the couch, and his toys. I might have got a little upset with him. A little. Does that cancel out all the "thankful" things I said about him earlier? I mean, he was just hitting the side of the mug with a pencil saying it sounded like a train bell, so I shouldn't get too mad at him, right? Oh well. I did. We're better now though, in case you are wondering....