A look into our world

Well, it finally happened. I've used up all my free storage space on this blog, so no more pictures are to be uploaded. Seth and I decided instead of buying more storage space, we'll take this as an opportunity to create a new blog and a new look.

I'm trying out Wordpress, just to try something new, and you'll have to bear with me, as I don't really know how to work it just yet. There's lots to figure out, so it will take some time. The blog is currently pretty bare, but I wanted to continue our updates so I don't get too behind.

For now, I've created a "Playing in the snow, Part 1" post complete with fun pictures, so jump on over there and take a look!

Click here to go to our new blog.

Oliver's room has been a mess, to say the least. And when things get disorganized, rather than have the motivation to get it organized, I freak out internally and want to avoid the disorganization at all cost. Not the greatest strategy in the world.

A few days ago I'd had it. Enough with the mess. So I went in and rearragned, finally added Oliver's big laminated World & US maps to the walls, and organized. It felt good. It feels good. And there has been a lot of playing going on in there since. And oh how I love keeping clean, organized rooms clean.

This year will be our very first year to be home at our little house, with just our little family, on Christmas Eve & Christmas morning! We are excited and embracing the newness of this year with joy. With Seth being a Worship Pastor, you would think it would be common for him to be involved in our Christmas Eve services at Fellowship, but since there are 3 Worship Pastors, Seth's boss has been so kind as to encourage us to travel to spend Christmas with our extended families each year. After 5 years of this, Seth decided this year it was time for us to be involved here. Plus there was more of a need for it this year than in years past, and I think the Lord has really prepared our hearts for this new year.

Christmas has always been my very favorite time of year, and Christmas traditions and nostalgia are a big part of what I love. Up until this year, I have still thought of myself as "the kid" at Christmas. Remembering the magic of Christmas through the eyes of "Joy-as-a-child", which makes it hard as things change, traditions change, etc. In years past, the thought of spending Christmas here at our house without extended family has sounded so lonely to me! I was just not ready for it.

This year I have finally embraced being the "Mother" at Christmas. And it's been a really neat thing for me. I am embracing the fact that I now have my own family, and it is up to me and Seth to make Christmas what we want it to be for our children - to form our own traditions for them. I don't know why it's been such a long process for me to get here, but it's such a wonderful feeling to embrace this with intentionality! We have really really enjoyed our Christmas season here at our house, and I am so grateful for the Lord's gentle grace and love in helping me to embrace this new mindset and live intentionally.

One of the fun traditions of the Christmas Eve service at Fellowship (so we've heard...we've never actually been to one!) is that all the kiddos come in their Christmas jammies. So the boys and I loaded up and headed to Old Navy to see what we could find. We're really excited about the outcome! I sure am going to have some cute Christmas monkeys on Christmas Eve :)

Upon returning from our wonderful Thanksgiving week in Colorado, Seth got the Christmas boxes down from the attic, and the boys and I began decorating! Oh how I love this time of year.

I thought Sullivan was going to be a mess with the tree, but so far so good!
Oliver took his stocking out of the box and immediately began finding toys from his bins to stuff it full with :) Seth's parents got Oliver this singing/dancing squirrel a few years ago, so I was excited to pull it out and see what Sullivan thought! Oliver wasn't too sure when he was Sullivans age....but Sully loved it! His face lights up with a big smile every time we turn it on, and after it's over, he whines sweetly to hear more. The boys listening to the nutty squirrel.This was hilarious -- I held the camera up to Sullivan and said "smile!"...and he actually did! This is immediately what he did :) Cracked me right up!Another funny.... Before we even had the tree decorated, Oliver had brought out several toys and lined them all up in a row under the tree. I love his meticulous little mind!Oliver was so excited to decorate his very own tree in his room! It was fun to use the little snowmen ornaments that he made with Grandma Lou over Thanksgiving holiday.Another of Oliver's favorites... we got this wonderful keepsake from Seth's parents a few years ago for Christmas. It plays music and a train rides around it's track. Oliver loves sitting and watching it.When I pulled the garland out of the bottom of one of our Christmas boxes and laid it all out to get ready to hang around the fireplace, Sullivan quickly climbed in and got settled right in the middle of it. Such a little dear. And here is the completed tree! I haven't done ribbon before, and Seth and I both are really happy with the addition. I think I will experiment even more with it in the future. I love all of our personal ornaments... several from my childhood, Seth and mine from before we had children, and now the boys' special ornaments... those personal touches are my very favorite part about a Christmas tree!And this little ham... what a joy he is to our family!