Amateur Photography

I'm learning.

I have loved learning more about my camera and how it works.

I have had several gracious friends who have volunteered their family for me to practice on.  

I don't know where God will lead this interest of mine but I am finding that it's certainly something that I do enjoy!

 Here are a few of my favs...

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I have more artistic and creative ideas in my head but I'm struggling to get those to translate.   

It's all a learning process I guess.

Fun fun.

Dear Ava and Judson

Dear Ava and Judson,

I had a great day with you today.  

I know that in no time at all, I will forget the details that are so precious to me today so I wanted to document just a few.  

Today we met some friends down at Zoomar's Petting Zoo and then, just the three of us went to play at the park near by.  

 

Ava, today I want to remember the way you laughed and laughed at me when I was trying to feed the goats.  One of them bit me on the bottom and I screamed and ran for the gate.  You thought it was so funny and you wanted me to tell everyone the story.  I will remember the way you gently pet the animals.  Just a year ago, you would have had no interest.  It shows me how God has grown a spirit of compassion and gentleness in you.  He has done so much healing of what was broken and hardened.  I want to remember how you pulled your brother away from the fence when an animal started kicking.  It was your instinct to protect him.  I noticed today just how long your pigtails are getting.  You are growing like a weed and I wish I could just STOP time.

Judson, today I want to remember the way you laughed and clapped on the train ride.  You went all by yourself!  I thought you might cry or try to stand up in your seat, but you didn't.  How is my baby big enough to ride on the choo-choo train all alone? You are growing up so fast.  I want to remember how you screamed with delight at every animal you saw.  I think you will be the kind of kid who laughs and smiles his way through life.  I want to remember the way you kept trying to sneak back into the "corn pit" to play.  You could have stayed in there for hours.  Today I noticed how much you are trying to communicate.  You point, and mimic and show off.

 

Dear sweet babies, I love you to the moon and back.

Thank you for a special day and for being yourselves.

You give me such joy.

Love,

Mommy

Reindeer-Monkey Feet and Other Randomness

 We're enjoying this month of Advent so very much.

Our home is full of life.

Full of laughs.

Full of thankfulness as we celebrate Christ as a family. 

Extra thankful for our hope in him after such a tragic weekend in our nation.

We've got a baby whose quickly turning into a toddler.

A little girl...a first grader...who is full of joy as she experiences this special season.

Some randomness from our life...

 Can't keep track of this guys socks, so Reindeer-Monkey feet was his name for the day.  

COLD weather around Christmas time...What a treat!  

I usually wear my Ugg boots and scarves this time of year despite the fact that it's 80 degrees out.  

This year I actually need them...FUN!

 We have had so many fun Christmas events this year that I had to get Ava TWO Christmas dresses.  We are blessed!

Sister is blessed with some amazing hair, I must say.

 I organized a girls tea for my bestest friend who is moving :-(

It was a fun day b/c she isn't leaving for another few weeks and I was able to enjoy without crying.

The Christmas Banquet at Church was last night.

It was our first one.

We had a great time with our church family.

Cutest little Shepard ever.  

She got such a kick out of being in the play.

Her first one!

 The tree got decorated.  

Well, the top part did anyway.

Cuddling...fighting...cuddling...fighting...that seems to be how things go around here these days.

I prefer cuddling for sure.  

It's so sweet to catch them giving each other hugs, patting each other on the back, SHARING.

Mama is becoming better acquainted with the manual setting on the camera!  

Starting early on that new years resolution.

So good!

Living in God's Amazing Grace

I was so fortunate to grow up in a home where all my parents expected of me was my best.

I didn't have to get straight A's (thank God for that), I didn't have to finish first.

If I did my best, they were proud.

What a blessing it was to live in that freedom.

How nice not to live in fear that my best may not be good enough.

So why now as an adult do I expect perfection of myself?

Why I am so hard on myself when it comes to parenting when all God's wants from me is my best?

 In fact, Christ died so that I didn't have to live in guilt, in fear, in worry.

Why can't I just grab that amazing grace and hold it so tight?

Learning to live each day in Christ's love and grace can be very difficult

Being responsible for little lives is hard.

These verses, quotes, and songs have encouraged my Mama heart greatly to live in grace, to call on God, to do my best unto him.

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

~Ephesians 1:4

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

 

"Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known." 

Jeremiah 33:3

“The cross is the lightning rod of grace that short-circuits God’s wrath to Christ so that only the light of His love remains for believers.” ~ A. W. Tozer

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31

 

"Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love."

Power of the Cross

 

And my very favorite which reminds me every day of God's love for me and reminds me of his sufficient grace!

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

~Ephesians 2:4-9

Oh Christmas Tree

Picking out the Christmas tree.

It is among the sweetest of my Christmas memories.

The home doesn't feel quite ready for the season until it's picked out, up, and decorated.

This year James and I decided ahead of time that we wanted a smaller tree this year.

Last year we got one that was too big for our space (remember we are trying to simplify things in our life right now.  Less is more!) 

Our place is already tiny and so a HUGE tree just stressed me out and made me feel claustrophobic.

BUT then there is our little 7 year old whose face lit up every time we talked about getting our Christmas tree.  

Certainly the "less is more" philosophy wasn't going to go over well with her 

right?

Wrong

Our sweetie pie is just in love with our tiny tree and we are very much in love with her!

We found a new lot this year and Ava was terrified as she walked through this lit pathway to the trees.

Halloween has ruined her!!!  She thought something was going to pop out at her or something.

Jud man, however, was super excited!

If Ava had her way, we would have gone home with this tree.

We ended up going with this tree b/c of it's size.

We didn't unwrap it.

It's so cute.

Another year of tree shopping in the books.

Another great night with special family memories.

SImplify

We are trying to simplify over here.

De-clutter

Organize

 I would be lying if I didn't say that I am having a complete blast with this.

It's a lot of work (I think we have gotten rid of, or donated, 20 full trash bags worth of stuff)

But it feel so great.  

I like knowing where my things are.

I like opening a closet door without stuff falling on me from every angle.

We've still got a long way to go but so far, I am happy with the progress we've made.

Just finished up with Ava's room.

We got rid of so many toys that go unused.

No sense in holding onto SO much stuff!

The majority of this things they play with are not toys anyways.

Last night our big source of entertainment came when the baby got into the wax paper

And no matter how many toys I throw in the tub, the water spout is ALWAYS his most favorite part of bath time.

So, it's a big work in progress but I'm excited for this life change and hoping it brings less stress and chaos to our already crazy life!

Oh yes, Daddy is also one of our very favorite toys around here.  

We'll keep him.

  

December 1st

She woke up at 6:15.

Her eyes were hardly open.

She bounced out of her room

smiling from ear to ear.

It's December 1st.

Let the Christmas countdown begin.