Friday, December 23, 2011

merry, merry christmas.

we got a christmas gift
a little early this year.


our little L started crawling.
and he hasn't stopped since.
B and i are in absolute awe
and so is L's PT.
L has never started doing something new 
and progressed this quickly.
never.
ever.
and until now, 
he has preferred to go backwards first.
but not this time. 

God is so good.
all the time.
He is so, so good.

and while we have been praying that he walk by christmas,
we will oh-so-gladly 
take and be grateful for this gift.

and besides, K recently told me 
that God spoke to her heart 
and said that He hadn't decided 
if L would walk by christmas or not.

and here is a photo of some snow
(or just dust floating 
through the sun shining in our house)


i will be taking a blogging break for all of next week 
but will be celebrating my blogoversary on january 2nd!
have a very merry christmas 
and may you celebrate the greatest gift 
we could ever be given.
a baby born in a manger 
who would save us all.

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and 
found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said, 
“Go and search carefully for the child. 
As soon as you find him, report to me, 
so that I too may go and worship him.”
Matthew 2:7-8

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, 
and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them 
until it stopped over the place where the child was. 
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
Matthew 2:9-10

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, 
and they bowed down and worshiped him. 
Then they opened their treasures and presented him 
with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11

1706. perfect little gifts
1707. lunch out
1708. too much laughter at meals
1709. a fabulous new OT
1710. the gift of a Savior

Thursday, December 22, 2011

this is not my life.

well, this photo actually is my life.


K and i were finally washing and drying
the last few dishes from a work-related party
we hosted over the weekend.
and it was tuesday.
i just couldn't muster the energy 
to tackle it on monday.

the part that is not my 
(usual) 
life 
is that i got to visit
all by myself.
(that means: without any children).

it was so incredible that i got to go there at all.
and even more incredible that i was there
before i was completely worn out 
(think next week).
i usually don't stop until i get so run down 
that i have a cold and am forced to stop.
you know how that goes, i'm sure.

i put L to bed and then left the big kids with B 
and headed to the spa.
i got to take two showers within two hours,
where i was not:
interrupted.
interrupted even briefly.
interrupted even for a half of a second.

i had a treatment called 
where i was put in a cocoon of loveliness.
i literally was.
the therapist gave me a massage 
and wrapped me up in 
eucalyptus leaves and hot towels.
and then i got to rest.
i didn't do a thing.
other than breathe.

and get this:
i started and finished thoughts.
it was really refreshing.
and definitely not my 
(usual) 
life.

when i came home
with freshly blow-dried hair
(that i dried at 9pm at night
where i didn't wake even one sleeping child up)
B said that i looked five years younger.
and you know what?
i felt it.
and i still do.

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed,
and all Jerusalem with him.
When he had called together all
the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law,
he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.
“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied,
“for this is what the prophet has written:
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.
Matthew 2:3-6

1701. going to the spa
1702. clearly seeing the answer 
to a decision that needed to be made
1703. the cutest little gingerbread cookies
made by one of our favorite friends
1704. a peaceful day
1705. something really grand i'm posting about tomorrow



Wednesday, December 21, 2011

picture me {im}perfectly.the little gifts

my mother-in-law has a lot of 
Christmas decorations in her house.




we were just up there for a little bit this past weekend 
and while the adults were finishing up a glorious lunch,
my big kids found a few little gifts 
that they decided needed to be opened.


yes, they painstakingly opened 
a bunch of the little boxes that 
rested in this adorable car and trailer set,
thinking that good things must be 
inside such small packages. 

no wonder it was so quiet. 
i should have known they were up to something.
to their dismay, it was just styrofoam cubes. 
they sure made a good mess, though. 


and read about her 
bold vulnerability 
in blogland.

picture me {im}perfectly
is a weekly project to reveal that we don't have it all together.

i will post a 
picture me {im}perfectly
blog post every wednesday 
where you will be able to link up to your blog
revealing that:

you are not picture perfect,
your kids are not picture perfect,
your house is not picture perfect,
your crafts are not always picture perfect,

let's 
encourage, 
inspire and 
remind 
other women 
that none of us have it all together.  

add my button to your blog post
until next wednesday
and link up to your direct posting
and feel encouraged. 

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea,
during the time of King Herod,
Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked,
“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?
We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Matthew 2:1-2

1696. the last christmas school party. phew
1697. focusing on right now
1698. my little helper elves
1699. a night out
1700. lots of extra chairs

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

wild, wild weekend.

we had a wild, 
wild weekend
(hence the lack of a blog post yesterday).

it was 
filled to the brim and flowing over. 
but it was good.
just very, very busy.

and i am very happy 
that it is no longer the weekend anymore.
and that my big kids don't have school this week.
and that we have just a few things here 
and a few things there on the calendar.

this week is going to fly by.
i just know it.
but i don't want it to be 
filled to the brim and flowing over 
with things to do and see.
i want it to be 
filled to the brim and flowing over 
with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit
as we prepare our hearts and minds 
to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

May the God of hope 
fill you with all joy and peace 
as you trust in him, 
so that you may overflow with hope 
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13


and this little nugget of frost 
was collected from our backyard last week
and currently sits safely in our freezer door.

The shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all the things they had heard and seen,
which were just as they had been told.
Luke 2:20

1691. when God allows things to come together beautifully
1692. a great, great PT session
1693. paint all over my table
1694. receiving christmas cards
1695. Jesus Calling

Thursday, December 15, 2011

my big, little man.

he's 6!


and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
Luke 2:7

1686. half-birthdays
1687. doing something i have been meaning to do since september
1688. face time with my sis
1689. listening to lots of birthday messages
1690. someone choosing to obey


Wednesday, December 14, 2011

picture me {im}perfectly.peter pan's shadow

i don't know if you have seen this on pinterest:

Tumblr_l7kc9i1tih1qaxnt7o1_400_large


but i thought it would be the perfect gift 
for K to give D 
for his 6th birthday, 
which was on monday.

but of course, i left it to the last minute
(which lately is where all things tend to end up).
and i just couldn't get the shadow 
to really show up on his wall.
so i brought in the big guns... 
i asked B to help. 
and he couldn't figure it out, either. 

so here's what we ended up doing:


and you know what?
D couldn't be more thrilled. 

but it's not perfect.
suspects that maybe the pinterest photo was photoshopped.
that made me feel slightly better 
that what i was trying to do was actually impossible.
but it was still something that i couldn't do perfectly 
and something that i left until the last minute to do. 

and this girl 

could have been speaking my own heart 
when she wrote her blog post.

picture me {im}perfectly
is a weekly project to reveal that we don't have it all together.

i will post a 
picture me {im}perfectly
blog post every wednesday 
where you will be able to link up to your blog
revealing that:

you are not picture perfect,
your kids are not picture perfect,
your house is not picture perfect,
your crafts are not always picture perfect,

let's 
encourage, 
inspire and 
remind 
other women 
that none of us have it all together.  

add my button to your blog post
and link up to your direct posting
and feel encouraged. 

He went there to register with Mary,
who was pledged to be married to him
and was expecting a child.
While they were there,
the time came for the baby to be born,
Luke 2:5-6

1681. etsy. enough said.
1682. my sister making a flier for me. 
totally last minute
1683. writing out my to do list
1684. lovely people on the phone 
who really do want to help you
1685. sweet, sweet emails

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

this family.

i got to do a little shoot for 
this completely
adorable 
family.


and i loved it.
and not just because 
i didn't have even one 
of my own children hanging off of me
during the shoot.






or the fact that the weather was 
unbelievably gorgeous for a december day.





but it was simply because this family
was so comfortable in front of the camera. 





the way that these easy-going parents
interacted with their children 
was inspiring.




both of the children

have stolen my heart.



and this little girl warmed up to me in no time

and loved the camera.
which made the shoot even more fantastic.



In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree 
that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 
And everyone went to their own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, 
to Bethlehem the town of David, 
because he belonged to the house and line of David.
Luke 2:1-4

1676. very understanding family members
1677. not having to pick up D from school in the rain
1678. a shopping date with my girl
1679. cold soda on the road
1680. a snowman drawing

Sunday, December 11, 2011

ten on ten.december



1- 5 sweet stockings
2 - blocks
3 - dancing because he beat me getting dressed
4 - B picking the perfect tree
(like always)
5 - merry christmas
6 - tree hangings
7 - our reading machine
8 - yummy, yummy
9 - "snow flakes" in our backyard
10 - our tree

When Joseph woke up, 
he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him 
and took Mary home as his wife.
But he did not consummate their marriage 
until she gave birth to a son. 
And he gave him the name Jesus.
Matthew 1:24-25

1671. falling asleep on the couch
1672. seeing christmas lights with the kids
1673. two little ones who sleep the same way in the car
1674. birthday festivities
1675. the Judd's christmas album

ten on ten button

Friday, December 9, 2011

that night.

remember when i posted about thanksgiving?
well... here are some of the the details.


my sister made the most amazing appetizer 
they are a must.
a must, i tell you!
i am still thinking about how delicious they were.



who doesn't love cranberries doused in syrup and sugar?
now i sound like Buddy the Elf.


yum.
yum.
yum.


and this little man dressed himself.
just as delicious, right?


my other boys.
(and somehow i didn't snap a shot of K or me.)


the busy bakers.


and don't you just love the piano bench seating?
love.


the other fun of thanksgiving was that my parents' dishwasher broke.
yes. 
it was broken for the thanksgiving dinner.
and there were lots and lots and lots of dishes to be done.

He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 
He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 
to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers." 
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
Luke 1:53-56

1656. the most thoughtful UPS man
1657. a delivery of the perfect DVD for date night
1658. a much needed date night
1659. christmas performances
1670. talking about the nutcracker

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

picture me {im}perfectly.christmas shopping

it is december 7th
and i have not started my christmas shopping.
i know.
totally not like me.



every year, i attempt to get 
all of my shopping done in the early fall
and have it all wrapped up by halloween.
and every year, i fail.
somehow, i forget that fall 
(or really, all the time) 
is a busy time for us.

we have new schedules, 
new schools, 
two birthdays 
and life going on 
every fall.


but this year, 
oh this year.
this year is oh so different.
i think that i have been in survival mode for a while now
(i haven't yet been able to stop and assess the situation).
every time i leave the house, 
i fear that i have forgotten to
bring something that i needed to bring.
or do something that i was supposed to do.

sometimes this life is just so hard.
and i just can't seem to get it together.
it's like my time goes into some sort of void 
and i wake up 
and am somehow further behind 
than i was the day before. 

but we have our first of 
five.
christmas.
celebrations.
this weekend, 
so i must get my act together, 
at least for that first celebration.

check out 
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and how she is dealing with her 
human-wrecking ball.

picture me {im}perfectly
is a weekly project to reveal that we don't have it all together.

i will post a 
picture me {im}perfectly
blog post every wednesday 
where you will be able to link up to your blog
revealing that:

you are not picture perfect,
your kids are not picture perfect,
your house is not picture perfect,
your crafts are not always picture perfect,

let's 
encourage, 
inspire and 
remind 
other women 
that none of us have it all together.  

add my button to your blog post
and link up to your direct posting
and feel encouraged. 


And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord 
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 
for he has been mindful 
of the humble state of his servant. 
From now on all generations will call me blessed,

Luke 1:46-48


1651. working outside
1652. a walk that warmed me up
1653. getting a bite from whole foods
1654. time to clean out my purse
1655. meeting another believer at L's school

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