Before the Memories Get Boxed Away

Before Christmas memories are entirely boxed away for another year, let me share just the highlights for our family who was not able to join us ...

Our annual Christmas Eve portrait ...
And our annual Christmas Breakfast ... Yes. That is sugar--both powdered and brown. Yes. It IS breakfast. Yes. It is absolutely just as yummy as it looks. ;)

Enjoying gifts ...

This young man gets so excited about receiving gifts--including socks! :o)

Hannah was very excited about her next installment of the Little House series ... we've already finished reading it together! Thanks, G&G!

Thanks, Great G&G! The John Deere tractor was a definite hit!

Thanks for the Bible cover, Uncle Pat & Aunt Judy!

Guess who's excited about "little" Legos this year? :o)

Emily joined our family ... a huge blessing from a friend at work. Daddy is enjoying his new Irish Flute.

We were blessed to have the week off between Christmas and New Year's, and doubly blessed for G&G to be able to join us. We didn't try to tackle the world (and we certainly didn't take many pictures of it even if we did!), but in the midst of relaxing, Chris and my Dad got the vent holes cut in for the HVAC system we will, Lord willing, be getting installed early this year! (Yay for central heat/air!!!)

Mostly, we just enjoyed being together (and left the camera on the desk.) Here's a few favorites we did manage to capture ...

(I LOVE this picture, Mom!!!)

This was Peter AND Grandpa's first Lego model!

And unpictured is the blessing of lots of good conversation, fun game nights, and plenty of yummy food!

So thankful for your visit G&G! We love you!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Merry Christmas,
from our home to yours!

We are so thankful for the God of Heaven who loved us enough to send His Son
to Earth to make a way for us to join Him in Heaven.

You shall call his name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21

Favorite Things

In Matthew's opinion, your favorite things should all be gathered in one place. Such as a dump truck, a balloon, Blackie, a blanket, a fire truck, a construction book, a puppy ... Yes. All of your favorite things should definitely be in the same place. It's so much more fun that way! If Mommy were to gather all of her favorite things, here's some of what you'd find ...

A little (eh hem) boy with a contagious smile who's fascinated by trucks ...

Has unbounding energy ...

And a good measure of resourcefulness ...

A little girl who's quickly becoming a young lady ...

Who was a fun blessing and HELP in the kitchen this year as we made 200+ dipped pretzels!

A big brother who is (usually) happy to hang out with his little brother ...

Legos ... and the creativity to turn them into all sorts of cool projects ... like towns ...And towers (with Daddy's help) ... (although, for the record, standing on the stool to reach the top of unusually tall creations is no longer permitted due to a concern for Mommy's heart ... among other things ...)

Catching a (sometimes squabbly) brother and sister happily reading together ...

Grandma H's annual set of nativity stickers which continue to work their way into more and more intricate Christmas pictures ...

Monkey Bread and the monkeys who helped me make it!

My first flower, brought to me by Peter, after our tiniest one went Home. The Lord miraculously kept this dandelion open and bright for nearly a week!

Random winter flowers blooming in our yard--also brought to me by Peter. The beautiful bouquet from my husband ...

The pink daisy in that bouquet which made me smile when I felt like crying.

A little girl who loves her Daddy ... And sends him a text to let him know. :o) Traditions like the lighting ceremony ...Simple Christmas decorations, including Christmas cards from so many friends ...

And very dear friends who watched our munchkins for us so that we ...

Could go here ...

And enjoy plenty of this ... ;o)

And that is a glimpse of this Mommy's favorite things ...

:o)

Merry Christmas!

Really, Mom?

Matthew loves all things truck. Truck books, truck pictures, trucks on the road, trucks in the yard (i.e. tractors.) Truck, truck, truck. He loves trucks. Really, anything with wheels.

So one evening as I preparing dinner and he was pointing at the computer and pleading for "truck, truck, truck," I decided to indulge his desire to look at the John Deere slide show Daddy had discovered the other day.

However, Daddy also introduced him to the mouse that day. Mouse + Matthew + Daddy is one thing. Mouse + Matthew + Mommy making dinner is another thing entirely.

However, as he sat at the computer, the mouse quickly became of greater importance than the tractors in Matthew's opinion. So Mommy compromised. And retrieved the mouse from Daddy's laptop and "plugged it in" ... at Matthew's request.

Yes, I "plugged it in" to the lamp.

Matthew kind of looked at me funny when I did it, but trusting Mommy, he decided to put it to use.

It didn't take him long to call Mommy's bluff.

Yep. He called it.

And Mommy is still laughing at his expression. :o)

Thankful for God's Light

The Lord has been teaching us much in recent weeks. Two verses have become particularly precious to me:

If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me night,"
Even the darkness is not dark to You;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with You.
Psalm 139:11–12

My God is light.
If it seems dark to me, it is simply because my eyes are closed.

These are some of the precious blessings for which we are thankful from recent weeks ...

Big Helpers ...

A Big Helper in Training ...

A visit from Grandma and Grandpa ...

A fun family outing ...

Family Photos ...

Crayons ...Creativity ...

Snuggle time with our munchkins!!

Daddy!!!

Big Brother ...

Big Sister ...

Ultrasounds ...

We have been looking forward to sharing as one of our Thanksgiving praises that Matthew would be a big brother in 2012. However, this last week, God chose to take our tiniest one Home, and this picture is both our first and last until we meet him or her in Heaven. So, Matthew is a big brother ... but in 2011, and his little brother or sister has already beat him to Heaven. :o)

We appreciate your prayers. There have definitely been many tears and I'm sure there are more to come, but our God is Good. All the time. And we are so thankful to know that even this is part of His perfect plan for us.

Happy Thanksgiving!