Peace

Well, have you had enough? My absense from the blog has caught up with me, so you're getting a barrage of posts and pics. Hope you enjoy.

A mama loves nap time. It's still and serene. It's peace. And if we're gonna party tonight we need to have some rested boys!

I was feeling so sneeky and clever creeping into their rooms when they were asleep, opening the shades so the light would come in, and then taking their pictures. They can't ever hide from the camera. Poor children.

Home for Christmas

We had quiet the adventurous trip West for Christmas. We passed through the blizzard in the Gorge only hours before it was closed for 3 days. We miraculously got out of my folks' rural snowed-in driveway after spinning out in studded snow tires and chains (we even broke the chains before we got out). The credit there goes to my highly-experienced Father who knows a thing or two about maneuvering his way through some nasty conditions. We spend 24 hours without power (Jenni, we're lucky, i know you went a week). But we made it and had a blast, the best time yet. Well, all for the exception that the weather prevented us from seeing all of my family, of which I was super bummed about.
My mom taught me to knit. I'm excited about it and made my first very imperfect scarf for Colson. Thanks mom!
Colson loves spending time with family. It makes my job as mom really, really easy. He's so distracted with playing he doesn't even think about all of his normal routines or needs. It's great fun for us all.

Ya'll'd Think We Live in Idaho or Somethin'...Ha!

The Pacific Northwest: Oh, How We Love Thee...

Travelling in Daylight



And Travelling at Night

Christmas Blessings and a Happy New Year

You may not see me on this blog until after the first of the year. We're taking a blog vacation to enjoy the Holidays.





Merry Christmas: may it be filled with family, faith, friendship, and of course, food.

Thursday's Gooey

Winter in Moscow

If Only...

...I could hold onto these plump fingers just a while longer....

December Jewels

Looking out for Bad Guys / Colson Quote

The child. He snuck a chocolate into his room. But he's not as sneeky as he thinks. This followed:
"I put a chocolate in my mouth when I was in my room. Now it's in my stomach. But I will protect you from dragons."

This face!!!! I almost can't handle it.


This lens works more like your own two eyes than any I've seen. In real life if you are focusing on Lewis then the tree lights look out of focus and bigger and blurry, just like the photo. If you were to take some steps backwards and take in the whole picture, you would see everything in focus. This lens does both, and a variation in between. So much fun to play with.

It helps to have really cute and sweet subjects to photograph. Lewis, my sweet, thick baby. I'm desiring to stop the time, to slow down the progress. It's going by too quickly. And then there is Colson. His next birthday will land him on the number 4. and Lewis will be walking before I know it. I think I'm in denial that he's not a newborn anymore, but boy, is he not a newborn.

All for now.

The Little man likes sticks. What can I say? There is always running commentary too, when he's out adventuring with sticks.

---------------------------------------------------------

As you can see, there is no snow on the ground. Last year we were already digging ourselves out of it every which way. I'm thankful for this. I've come to a conclusion. I'd rather have a long season of rain than a long season of snow. I think the snow is beautiful and wonderful, but I'm about sick of it when March comes and the snow comes right along with it. So, I'll be glad for the snow, but I'm also glad it's holding off for a time.

All for now.

Brothers

Sometimes Colson can be a little heavy handed, but I'm thankful he likes having his little brother around. I have high hopes of these two becoming great friends throughout the years.

Babies make me swoon!

I did a little photo shoot for some good friends last week. This little girl is just so sweet. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Who Doesn't Love a Freebie?

Enter to win some goodies and check out Rebekah Merkle's site.

So cute!

A Quick Trip

I spent a fast weekend in Oregon. It was great, although short. But I wanted to share a couple pictures of the fam.

This is Solomon. Look at those baby blues. He and Lewis are only a couple weeks apart in age.

And this beauty is Mira. She's a doll. When I started taking pictures of her she was posing for me every which way and when we started laughing at her, she finally gave us this sweet smile.

Here they are, the cousins. Lewis is a bit out of focus, but you get the idea. Pretty sweet little guys.

Can't wait to see more of you all at Christmas.

Sufjan Stevens: Put The Lights On The Tree

Fleet Foxes - Tiger Mountain Peasant Song (Cover)

Advent: The Coming of Christ into the World

JOHN 1:1-5
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

When this Spoken God, this Word, comes into the world, He shines in the darkness of this world. And as He does so, the darkness cannot comprehend what is going on. But fortunately, the darkness is not there to be persuaded, but rather to be banished by the arrival of the Light.

And so this is what we anticipate every Advent, and this is what we are privileged to see celebrated yet again. The Word was with God; the Word was God. The Word is with man; the Word is man.

Prepare the members of your family to think of Advent and Christmas in very material terms. This is not a season that celebrates vague spiritualities, but rather the season that celebrates God taking on flesh. The instinct to give gifts, to eat chocolate, to cut down a tree in the woods to bring it home, is therefore all very healthy and in line with the holiday. Matter enables us to give, and not just to grab.

—Pastor Douglas Wilson, Christ Church

This is taken from an advent devotional/study put out by the pastors in our denomination. To read it in full, click here.

Reach for the O's

Colson Quotes

Me: Colson, are you ready for some breakfast?
Colson: Some breakfast? or....a cookie?

hmmm, trick question?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Colson: You're a lollipop, Mommy. I could eat your face off.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I served alphabet soup for lunch. He asked me what letter I saw on his spoon.

Me: That's a P.
Colson: Good job Mommy. I'm very proud of you.

make a lesson of it.

I'm having a ball with my new lens. Thanks KC. Now I can record my favorite Christmas memories all season! This one has kinda captured our hearts. I can't wait to see his personality mature.

I told Colson I'd give him a chocolate raisin if he would hug his brother. So, I bribed him, ok? And no, they aren't usually sitting in my living room together like this. ha.

Flying Planes. He loves to pretend.

Look at that toothy grin! I think he's got a top one trying to poke its way through as well. I'll keep you updated.


Today I spent some time with Colson reading in Luke about the Angel Gabriel coming to Zacharias and then to Mary. I'm going to try to take time everyday this month to spend time looking ahead to Christmas. We don't want to just celebrate presents for presents sake, we want to celebrate the greatest story in the world!

Today I was talking to a girl friend and we were talking about joy in parenting. Your children will love what you love, if only you take the time to share it with them. If you want them to love church, do you? If you want them to love the Bible, do you? If you want them to love Jesus and his people, are you? Does it show? Can they see it in your facial expression, in your excitement, in your quiet joy, in your solemnity, in your diligent work, in all that you do? What a calling!

Do you love Christmas? Why? If you want this season to be meaningful for your family, take the time to sit down with your children and talk to them and read with them about what it's all about. Some of you, I know, have youngsters that won't get a whole lot. But still try. Get creative. Last year we made just a couple ornaments to hang on our tree that told of a story that lead to Jesus. We kept it very simple. Let them glue something. Let them help you bake and make a lesson of it. The bread we eat is a picture of bread from heaven. or, let them help make cookies and talk about eating sweet things during this sweet time of year, because of Jesus' entrance into the world, to save the world. Give them to a neighbor and help them to see the joy in giving. Last year we hung lights up in our home and we emphasized that Jesus is the light of the world. He shines his light into dark places. Our Christmas tree (that children are fixed on), we used to teach about the tree that Jesus hung on to take our sins from us and to give us life.

Start simple, start small, but start something. But don't do it if it's too frustrating for you because if they see that it's not a joy to you, it won't be a joy to them either. Don't have too high an expectation. Do something simple enough for them to enjoy. Get creative and do something they can participate in, more than just dig into presents. Presents are great, but they are only great because of Jesus. And if we're thinking about Jesus today and tomorrow, the presents will be all the more great in light of God's gift to us, in His Son.

Deut 11:18-19 "You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking to them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

May God bless these efforts!

Colson Quote/

KC: Colson, it's time to give me your ears.

Colson: I can't give you my ears because they can't come off.