It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

I love Christmas for so many reasons. And I love all of the nostalgia that goes with it. I love opening up the boxes of Christmas decorations and seeing all of the little trinkets and ornaments that we have collected in our married lives - and finding a spot for them to display their love and uniqueness and the special moments they remind me of. In these past years, we have also enjoyed pulling out poorly cut out and glued/colored/painted things the kids have made. All so special. And the traditional family pic with Santa - looking back at all of my pregnant bellies and/or little ones on our knees... noticing how quickly the boys change in a year. I think it may be the only time of the year that I have such a consistent line up of photos that demonstrate it so plainly. A snapshot at the same time of the year - of all of us. Faces change and mature but the warm feelings that come with this season never do. They return every time. I love that. I love the consistent warmth and goodness that settles into everyone. And I love the power of the true gift of our Saviour being born. I connect with it. Maybe it is this stage of my life - of being pregnant so many Christmases...or holding a new baby so many times. Or. More likely. It is my thankfulness for His birth. The truth that I sense in my heart that I needed Him to be born and need Him today. How amazing it truly is that He came to dwell among us. What love!

And so I enjoy bringing it all out and involving everyone in the process. And. Of course. I take pictures.

So yes, we decorate with pretty things and place snowmen and Santa Clauses around the house. Benjy lifts one of the boys to place the star just right. The snowglobes twinkle and play their song. We hang the stockings and we count down the days to exchange gifts. We do our best to look outward and to focus on sharing with others and giving.

But included in those decorations are the nativity scenes. We remember and we celebrate the birth of Jesus!

"And they found the babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."

And that is what makes it a Merry Christmas and a true celebration of love!

Guess Who Found the Stairs?!

Hudson has a new hobby...

a dangerously, off balanced one.

But he is very attracted to the thrill of a speedy climb.

If you tell him "no"

he crawls faster and gets so excited

that it makes him more unstable.

Crazy kid.

So fun.

Chaser Turns 6!

The boy has had a loose tooth for a long time. But it knew its place...it was waiting for Chase's birthday to finally come out. What a perfect way to make Chase's day - he was simply delighted!!

6 candles on the cake. It happens fast. Everyone says it. And until you have your own kids, you never have reason to believe it. Now I believe it....how can he be 6??

We celebrated with a lego party...and a beautiful snowfall! Thankfully, most friends still showed up. It was fun to watch Chase interact with his friends. We are thankful that he is forming some new friendships.

Chase is a good kid - always has been - but I feel especially proud of him these past 6 months. He has handled our life transition well. He is a happy boy and is learning so many new things. We love to hear him read....he loves it. He enjoys learning and that is pretty fun for everyone involved. He has a very sensitive heart and often says sweet and caring things. I love to see his smile that is so bright and fun. Happy 6th birthday Chase. You are very special and very loved.

Missing Mexico

I can't believe that it has been nearly 6 months since we drove out of Mexico City. I don't believe a day has gone by that I haven't missed someone or something about that place. From the deep and profound to the simplest of simple - there is a whole lot to miss!

Our return visit in October was such a great time to reconnect with everyone. We were there for about 9 days and it really felt like we just picked right back up where we had ended. I could sense it was very good for the boys as well, to be back "home". For the first time in their lives, they noticed the graffiti (isn't that interesting?) It felt so good to be back with our house church - singing together, laughing together, worshipping together, sharing, talking, eating! :) Great fellowship. So good to see so many special people. It went much too fast.

Over the past weeks and months we have had several different opportunities to share about our experience in Mexico. Each and every time it is very therapeutic to do so. It helps to draw out memories and feelings from my heart and communicate them in words to other people.

We spent a few days with Dottie Schulz from Missions Resource Network. She came here to Louisville and listened. And affirmed. And advised. And understood. And listened some more. It was very healing and helpful in our processing and transition.

Overall, we are doing well. We are slowly settling, and yet continue to miss what had grown to be "normal" for us. We have had some difficult days, and yet lots of good days too. The most difficult times have seemed to happen with family milestones (birthdays) or holidays...but then there are also a million other little moments that just seem different in this context of "away from Mexico"

Through all of this, I realize that when you live and love, there are consequences. It hurts to be separated from what you have grown to love and care deeply about. But I am thankful that we lived and that we loved. I am thankful in ways that I don't even yet understand - because our experience in Mexico has become so intermingled into who we are today that I am not sure we can assign specifics to what those are. I do know that our friends, neighbors, brothers and sisters, teachers, classmates, teammates - have been friends to me, to my husband, and to my boys. They will forever be in my heart for how they have loved and changed us.

As the calendar days pass on and time moves forward, we continue to hold that place, those people, that experience very highly. We continue to wait and watch as God slowly unfolds His plan before us. Many things are uncertain about which path we will walk down, but I am certain today, that, regardless of which one we choose, we were blessed to live and love in that place and at that time. There will never be another set of circumstances exactly like those, and it is okay to miss it.

I made a small video - with a song of prayer - and pictures of very special people. It helps me to be thankful when I watch it and realize how blessed I have been to have lived and loved in that time and place... and I do pray that our lives helped our friends to love Jesus more...

Our First Snow

The day after Thanksgiving I woke up to a great surprise. SNOW!!! The whole household was fast asleep and I couldn't justify waking them up for the light dusting that lay outside....but I did run down the hall like a little girl to share the news with Benjy.

Truth be told, the snow was not much in abundance, but we have been, after all, living in Mexico all of these boys' lives. So even a little snow was a big deal to experience.

When the older boys did wake up they were as excited as I was...and dressed quickly to get out there. So cute.

Pierce didn't want to get out there just yet... so he marvelled from the window.

Reece picking his first ever icicle!

We are enjoying this a lot...so snuggly and warm.

Outsmarted By A Boy & A Dry Erase Marker

I have been listing the boys daily activities beside their name on a big dry erase that we have in the kitchen. It has worked well because it allows us to adjust things daily to what is most needed and what is going on during the week.

Here is what happens when Smarty Pants 5 year old Chase gets a hold of the dry erase marker!

Hudson Turns 1 - His First Year Flew Bye!

It is hard to believe how fast time flies! Hudson is now 1 and his first year in our family just all flew bye so fast......

We celebrated him with an airplane themed party. Oh, believe me, I had so so so many cute ideas, but.... he is turning only 1, and won't remember any of this anyway so I was sort of forced to bring it down to reality and leave things a little simpler.

It was not the easiest few days for him...or all of us for that matter! He was pretty much not a happy boy during all of the festivities. He cried a lot and just wasn't feeling great, although the whipped cream did interest him :) I decided to portray the honest side of the birthday celebration rather than edit out the crying pics... Enjoy!

The cake...

The crier...

Tasting the cake calmed him down and he actually did enjoy the whipped cream...

The kids had fun painting airplanes, but Hudson, in classic kid style, preferred playing with the box!

And then we had a small family celebration again on his real birthday, the 16th.

My big boy!

It was another fussy day overall, but we did find a few happy moments scattered in with the birthday blues.

Another chance to see the candle...he wanted to touch it, of course...and then he had a small taste of sugar again (he didn't even touch the cake, just cared about the whipped cream)

The boys had fun decorating airplane cookies in Hudson's honor...and Hudson simply ended the day crying.

Oh, and how could I forget? In all my efforts to make my sweet boy's birthday special, I had decided to give him a simple gift - a long and fun time in the bath (see, he is the 4th and usually gets a quick dip, if lucky, and only for cleaning purposes...but he loves, loves, loves the bath - poor boy!) So I lovingly decided to give him that - and I get him all happily into the water, and within minutes he POOPS in the water!! Grrrrr..... Happy birthday sweet Hudson!!!