Rejoice!

I am so thankful for this time of year. It is a time to just be thankful, to be so so grateful for all that we have. I recently read this on a friend's Facebook page:

Whenever Christmas begins to burden, it's a sign that I've taken on something of the world and not of Christ. Any weight in Christmas has to be of this world. Christ came into this world as grace to lift all the weighty burdens.

What a true statement! And I wonder how disappointed Christ must be when He sees what we've made of Christmas? So many times it's a rush from town to town and party to party; all about the gifts and the money. People get uptight about keeping traditions the way they are and lose sight that it's all about a tiny baby that came to save this world.

I love watching Christmas through Ady's eyes:




I love teaching her about Jesus and His birth. We took her to a Drive Thru Bethleham last Saturday night. She absolutely LOVED it!



She says "Jesus" so very sweetly :) Joseph and I are 'going against the grain' here and beginning new traditions for our family. It's bittersweet, really. But, we have decided to stay at our house for Christmas. This will be the first time we won't be going to church with my family on Christmas Eve. We've also decided to start a new tradition, as our preacher at church requested, that we go "be Jesus" to people on Christmas Day. We are fervently praying for the Lord to place on our hearts exactly what we need to do. We'll wake up with Ady, read Luke 2 to her, open presents, and then do whatever we feel God calling us to do for the people in Lexington. I really can't think of a better gift to give Ady than to show her what it's really all about.

We'll be doing a lot of traveling in a very short amount of time here in the next week or so. We'll have Christmas with Tatay and Biggie, then Christmas with my dad's side in Nashville AND Christmas with Joseph's brothers and their families in Louisville on the same day. Talk about a tired Santa:) I was not all too excited with this at first, especially with a baby, but then I made the choice to be thankful that we have so much family that wants to be with us. It may be busy, but we are choosing to enjoy the ride. We are not guaranteed another year, another month, another hour. And some day I know we will wish for this time in our lives back.

We took Ady to see the lights at the Horse Park with our friends the other night and she had a ball! It was so sweet seeing the magic in her eyes.



We went to Heather's annual Tacky Christmas sweater party Sunday night and it was once again a blast :) I think my sweet husband won the prize for the best sweater :)


I am so blessed to have such wonderful Christian women to call my friends. The Lord has greatly blessed me with them.


"Ralph the Elf" saved Christmas again for Caden. For those of you who don't remember last years' post; Caden was doubting if Santa was real and as we were desperately trying to hold onto his innocence, Brett filled in as "Ralph" last year (who used to call us every year....well not Brett, but another "Ralph"), and saved Christmas. This year he called Caden and he was so excited he immediately wrote him a letter once he hung the phone up:


So precious watching magic in children! Thanks, Ralph for once again saving Christmas for a very, very special little boy! :)


Thank you to those of you who have prayed for us recently. Although you may not know specifically what has gone on, we are thankful for prayers and for a God who knows even when you don't. This last month we have gone on a roller coaster ride of emotions. My surgery was a very successful one and I healed in record time :) While we are still aching and crying out to God for answers and reasons, I can honestly say that I have never felt more at peace. Every tear that has fallen from my eyes has been caught in His hands. I have an overwhelming peace that we are right in the middle of His perfect and beautiful plan for our lives. I am so glad that He is in control, and I am not.


May this season find you and your family rejoicing the birth of the King! And if you are hurting or sad, may you find rest and comfort in the One who came into this world to take on your weary burdens.

Joy to the world!

Picture Perfect

Ah, it's that time of year. Christmas card pictures, pictures made with Santa, the time for your child to shine. Or....be a completely different child.

Ady has been photographed, or as Joseph calls it "the most documented baby in the world", since birth. She smiles for the camera. She even smiled the night she was born. True story. It was when she was looking at Uncle Austin.


But, now, she's on to me. And the sweet little photo sessions have become of a thing of the far, far past. I can get smiles occassionaly, but staged ones at home fall more under the category of, "No, way Jose!" She is a toddler and is busy. And too busy to smile for the camera. I've had my run and it's been fun :) Look at these pictures of her looking everywhere but at me.....






Almost every time as soon as I put my phone or camera down, she smiles or says "Bye bye!" or "Hi!" She's a stinker :)

I was going to wait and take her to see Santa this coming weekend when we are in Louisville and go with Caden, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought it was a terrible idea. Not because of Caden, but because of the crowds. I knew that the days following Thanksgiving at the mall in Louisville would be nothing short of a trainwreck. Now, I, will be shopping until I drop to get the greatest and "latest" holiday sale. But, my sweet Ady will be nestled snuggly at home with daddy. Crowds are no place for Ady. So, I decided to take her by myself to see Santa today. It began a little like this.....


Haha. I think I was 3 in this picture. Regardless, I was not happy to be in Santa's lap. Ady and I have been talking about Santa for a long time. She has a Santa that goes on top of her (that's actually mine!) dollhouse. I wrapped all my Christmas things (almost done!) last weekend and Santa is on the wrapping paper. I have a Santa sitting out 2 places and she says "ho, ho, ho". I thought for sure she would be thrilled. I should have known better. :)

There was nobody in line. It was glorious. The perks of staying home and taking my daughter at odd hours of the day when everyone else "works". The lady was so sweet trying everything to get her to smile. The very first one she snapped were no tears. Then, she screamed. And I mean screamed. I held her and knelt down and we talked to Santa. She just had tears rolling. It was pitiful. I went over the to desk to view the photo and the more I looked at it, the more I just couldn't order it. She looked miserable. She wasn't crying (remember it was the first photo), but she wasn't smiling. And if Ady is one thing, she's like her mom. If I'm not smiling, I look ridiculous and like I'm mad at the world. Haha. The man was so kind and said we could hang around and get used to him as long as we liked since nobody was there. Bonus! After about 10 minutes of talking to Santa, waving to him, offering him her snacks, we decided to give it another go around. But, she still didn't want to sit in his lap.

They decided to do a little trickermaroo and have Santa hide behind the chair. What a brilliant idea! I was sitting next to her and was trying to make her smile. She gave the biggest smile EVER, but the lady missed it. This is what she got and it is perfect.


Joseph laughed until he cried when I sent it to him. He said it's hilarious and creepy all at once. The sweet man at the desk said, "Now next year, she'll just scream". Haha. And as soon as we strolled by she waved and said, "Bye bye! Ho, ho, ho!". We headed on over to the Food Court for a real treat. A Mommy and Ady lunch date. :) We did some nice window shopping too :) And she proceeded to smile at every single passerby at the mall. Until, I snapped the camera:





She's silly : ) Ady hates, and I mean hates my phone. I try to not use it unless she's napping (which, we all know rarely happens), because it makes her get so angry. And I understand why. It is a great reminder to me that I am entirely too connected and at times I need to focus on what really matters!


Speaking of pictures....I swore I was going to keep this a secret. Not sure how I thought so, since they're so darn cute, but my sweet friend Heather offered up a couple hours last Saturday to photograph our little family :) They turned out FANTASTIC. The best part of all? Ady knows Heather (and LOVES her!), so she did make her smile and laugh.










What she really wanted to do was jump in the pond...



Or play with all leaves...



Or sit in the road and eat the sticks. :)


It's life with a toddler and it is "picture perfect".

Hours, Days, Weeks.

Time. It is moving so fast. And there are not enough hours in the day. Somedays I just can't keep my head above water. But, one day I'll look back and wish for this time again. So, dirty house and a list nowhere near completed, who cares? I'm doing what God has called me to do. :)


Ady gets funnier by the day. She is so incredibly smart and I marvel at it. Joseph says it's because the only things I ate while pregnant were fruits and veggies :) Guess it's paid off.

I went out of town for a couple days and my mom got the cutest video of her:



Ady loves to run. :)


Ady loves to eat.



Ady loves to read. Loves, loves, LOVES to read. She curls up so sweetly in your lap or in a chair.




Is a whole lot like mommy....:)

Ady
still doesn't love to nap much, but I love her just the same. I love every second that I am given with her and pray that she will grow up and continue to have this precious and sweet nature about herself.

We are so looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. I am so thankful for Ady. So, so thankful. It just really doesn't get any better. I can't wait to see her face on Christmas morning just light up. Not to mention, spend Turkey Day with the cutest little turkey around :)



Thank you to those of you who follow our blog and offer encouragement. We are going through a very difficult season in our lives and have remained very private about it. But, we would covet your prayers. For now, please just pray for us to have peace through the chaos and that which we can not grasp, strength to endure the pain, and for our hearts to remain steadfast after Jesus. I confided in a very close friend and she responded with such wonderful advice:

"The Lord is not punishing you, rather there is an Enemy who is out only to steal, kill, and destroy. Don't let him win. Your Savior has already fought this for you and will use you for His glory."

Many people get wrapped up in so much, so much that just doesn't matter. For this season, just be so thankful that you are in "such a time as this."

Time Marches On

I know every mother out there reading this will relate. There are many days, far too many to count, when I find myself overwhelmed. Keeping a house clean (for those of you who truly know me, you know this is no simple task). Taking care of the hair that two dogs leave and trying to make a house clean enough to appear no dogs live here can be quite exhausting. Dishes pile up. Laundry multiplies. Groceries need to be restocked. Meals planned and made. Bathrooms cleaned (I prefer this several times a week, but yet that doesn't always happen). Toys picked up, the list goes on and on.

I have learned over this past year to let some things go. But, this week in particular I have been overwhelmed with one thought. Time marches on; whether I'd like it to or not. Ady has been experiencing some serious "mommy clingy" issues. I wish I could tell you there are times she will sit contently apart from me, but rarely does that happen. I was researching online to see if this was common (which by the way, is, between 14-18 months). And, one mom had posted "enjoy it now. Someday she'll be running from you." I lost it.


I realized that what breaks my heart now are things that I silently wished away previously. Like the nights I wished for sleep, and prayed she would just sleep through the night. Oh, how I miss the tenderness of those late nights. Or the times I couldn't wait for her to be mobile. Or the times I wished she would learn to eat independently. I've observed that this baby I couldn't wait to watch grow up, grew up right before my eyes. And my heart is heavy. Please know that I enjoy in more ways than I'll ever be able to express into words, the time I spend with her. And while I look forward to milestones she will experience, I have learned the hard way it just happens way, way too fast.

This baby, this 6 lb 4 oz baby, has become a stranger to me.


How did it happen? And how can I make it slow down? I heard this last week and it struck a chord with me: " In the history of man, there has never been an epitaph that read, 'she was great at keeping home,' but there are 'great mother' and loving wife." So, I'm no longer sweating the small stuff. Because, y'all, it's all small stuff.

My job is to prepare her for heaven. Have you ever truly thought about that in great detail? I heard this today, from the book Intentional Parenting:

"we must recognize that a few hours a week of consumer-oriented church events cannot successfully compete for the hearts of young people if those hearts are not being attended to spiritually in the home. The spiritual fates of children must be placed as a matter of primary importance back into the hands of the people who have the greatest opportunity to influence them for the Kingdom of God- their parents."

Do I want Ady to look back on her life and think the most important thing is to complete a to do list? Or do I want her to remember seeing her mother drop to her knees each morning with a Bible, pen, and paper in hand? You see, what I feel many Christians today do is complete a "to do list" of church. Go on Sunday, check. Donate things to the poor around Christmas, check. But, if my lifestyle is not uncomfortable, then I'm not doing what God has asked of me. You see, Ady needs to witness what I do, what we do, with our money. It's really not our money. Where we spend our money each month will show where our value is. Do we value giving God back what is already His? I am convicted this week that Ady needs to witness a mother that is always like Jesus. Because what she watches me do will say a lot more to her precious little mind than what I say to her will.

Last week I was eating some sun chips and dipping them in a hummus dip. I had finished the dip and put the top back on it before throwing it out. She was sitting in my lap and I watched her reach her hand in the chip bag and take her chip over the top and beat it up and down, as if she were dipping it. Just as I had previously done. I realized, she is watching; really watching. Every second counts. It is my responsibility to set an example for her in truth and love. To love people I don't really want to love. To show her how to love people who have deeply hurt me. I am learning so much more about how to love like Jesus now that I have a daughter whom I am raising to hopefully one day come to accept Him as her Savior.

As many of you know, conceiving children is not our "forte", so to speak. It doesn't come simple for us, not the old fashioned way, not the way it is "supposed" to be. My deep, deep desire is to have more. Yet, I serve a God that can choose to do with my life whatever He sees fit. "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed"-Proverbs 16:3 We do not, not even for a second, take for granted the gift of Ady. All else said, "no". But, the Lord so graciously answered our prayer and said, "yes". But, it wasn't without a fight.

I can't see the road laid out before me, but I do trust and believe that "no good thing will He withhold from those whose walk is blameless."-Psalm 84:11. Praise His name for my sweet Ady. A gift I do not deserve, but am more grateful with each passing day that I have been entrusted to raise. And if I never, ever get to experience the sweet little milestones like Ady's that I already wish could come back, then I will still praise Him. God is good...all the time.

Watch out, moms. Time marches on.

It's Fall, Y'all!

Ady has become a new baby this month. It's like I blinked and once again she's growing way, way, way too fast. Last Friday, (October 7), she took her first "for real" steps. I was sitting on the floor playing with magnets on the fridge. She was over by the pantry. I looked up and she had her daddy's old Snuggle bear in her arm and she was walking! I started to scream and clap. She was giggling. She just kept coming. I kept scooting backwards. It was one of the most precious things I've seen. I will never, ever regret choosing to stay home with her. I have not missed one ounce of these milestones. Such a sweet, sweet memory I will cherish forever.


Last week we went with Gramme and Caden to the pumpkin patch. Ady has been obsessed with pumpkins since we see them at the grocery so frequently. She loved waving to them, being outside, and seeing all the animals.


She sure does love Caden :)



She loved swinging!


She loved the apple cider slushie :)


I love how sweet her expression is here!


At 13 months she's into everything! She loves to talk...all the time! She's a true girl. And...for those of you out there who were predicting she'd make the choice to get rid of the bows. She actually likes them :) She will sometimes cry when I take them off her. But, she did practically come out of the womb with one on :)


Ady loves to eat goldfish, graham crackers, chicken nuggets, fries, peaches, pears, cheez it's, carbs, carbs, and carbs :) I can't get her to eat her veggies well, so we make up for the veggie intake in the Puffs sweet potatoes :) She still loves her Bible. It's her favorite. She's starting to let me read to her now. Somedays she wants to rip the book up, but on a good night I can get her to listen :)


She really loves stuffed animals. Our house is being overtaken by them.


She has truly mastered the art of climbing. Everywhere. And she's FAST!


Did I mention she loves pumpkins? :)


The fall fun continued last weekend as my lifegroup went to a pumpkin patch and Monday night we decorated our pumpkins :) I am very, very blessed to know such Godly women. The Lord has been so good to us!


As we enter into this fall season, this season of thanksgiving, my heart is overflowing. Ady brings my life so much joy. The Lord has answered many prayers for us and many times I am overcome with emotion as I hold my sweet little miracle. This gift that, after two painful surgeries and assurance would never be possible, will always bring me such joy. God has pulled us out from the bottom pit. "Weeping may endure for the night, but JOY comes in the morning!"-Psalm 30:5


"Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout triumphantly to Him in song. For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. The depths of the earth are in His hand, and the mountain peaks are His. The sea is His; He made it. His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care."-Psalm 95:2