goodbye '09 hello 2010...

this time last year i wrote this.

now, here i am a year later reflecting
back over the year i was looking
ahead to. it's a weird feeling because
a lot more happened in 2009 then i
had planned on. in a good way!

in '09 we celebrated 5 years of marriage

in '09 i began my attempt at 365 days of grace
and made it to entry #164

in '09 we were surprised with another baby

in '09 we bought our first home

in '09 i crocheted A LOT

in '09 my sister might still make me an aunt
(she's due jan. 4th)

in '09 i chilled out (even more) about life
and now have more peace about
everything thanks to my Lord

in '09 i learned more about God's grace

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

in 2010 i will learn even more about God's grace

in 2010 i will be an aunt!

in 2010 i will learn how to sew better and
challenge myself to make clothing

in 2010 i will get toned

in 2010 i will have so much fun with my kids

in 2010 we will buy a bigger vehicle
(eventually)

in 2010 we will be married for 6 years

in 2010 we will have a 5 yr old, 3 yr old,
and a 1 yr old.

in 2010 we will be praying about the next
step in adding to our family for the year 2011
(to adopt or not)

in 2010 we will enjoy our new house and continue
making it our own

in 2010 i will cook more

in 2010 i will reach out more

in 2010 i will write more

in 2010 i want to speak
(this is scary to write)

in 2010 i want to have energy
(i spent most of '09 w/o because of pregnancy
and then a new baby)

in 2010 i want to grow even closer to God,
my husband, my kids, my family, and my friends...

here's to 2010!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

faye louise at...

she has been a joy to our family
and fits perfectly into our lives.
though she has her days and nights
a bit mixed up, i cannot complain.
i'm so glad she's here and i feel so
blessed to be a mommy to
three wonderful kids.

happy one month (3 days ago) faye louise!

more of our 25 days until christmas...

i cannot explain how much fun this
has been for our family.

i'm already looking forward to next year's!



he was so proud of himself because
he had the idea to drive to the lights
a different way and therefore getting
us in ahead of a long line.



3 days till christmas!

what i'm learning this holiday season...

this is our olivia.
she is very sweet. very giving. very loving.
she is also dramatic. bossy. and
currently very emotional...

i don't know how to deal very well with girly
drama and hissy fits. lately she's been weeping
over the little things.

underwear... dance class in the spring...
a potential vacation next year...

anything that has to do with the possibility
of not being home or growing up.

in my family you'd be labeled as someone that
had issues with change. i began feeling like
a horrible mom. i couldn't bear knowing that
i may have unintentionally harmed my child
by making her scared of change somehow...

jess knew this was bothering me and pointed
out that that isn't the problem at all. that in
fact there was no problem. what is wrong
with a little girl loving her family so much that
she doesn't want to miss out on a moment
or leave this time in our lives of simplicity?
she feels content...

and so do i. it was at that moment that i
realized that the reason i wasn't into the
christmas spirit this year is because my
christmas spirit had changed. i'm content
in my life and with our family of 5. i know
there will come a time of change. this year
proves that! but for now, i'm just happy
for what i already have and don't feel the
need for anything more.

for me it isn't about the gift giving or the
decorating or the christmas festivities..
it's about our family/families and spending
quality time with them.

we've really enjoyed our 25 nights of christmas
for this very reason. it puts the focus on family
rather then giving and receiving...

merry christmas!

entry #164 - #365

so this concludes my year of '365 days of grace'...
i didn't make it all 365 days but 164 isn't bad!
a thanks to minismith for posting this challenge
that she found here.

1. finally feeling better. not yet 100% better but
better then i was a week ago.

2. accepting my shifting focus from holiday mayhem
to quality family time. this is a big step for a christmas
fanatic and i feel relieved that nothing is wrong with
me... my priorities are just changing and i love it!

3. faye curled up on my chest napping. especially
when my other children are running around screaming
and fighting because it helps me enjoy the
quiet newborn moments even more...
they don't last long enough!

4. online shopping for a homebound mother
that isn't brave enough to attempt going out in
public by myself with all three...

5. a new year is coming with new opportunities...

a couple of.....

our family nights till christmas

we are loving this!
it's our new holiday tradition
and i'm looking forward to many
many more with lots more ideas!






and of course i had to add a picture of
sweet baby faye!

just a little update...

big brother and sister love their little sister sooo much!

and how could they not? she's precious!

she lets me set her down during the day
during naps and stays asleep! i've gotten
a lot done, shockingly!

she loves to snuggle.
she is so sweet!

at night she sleeps for 3-4 hrs at a time.

she hardly ever cries. she sleeps through everything!

she is a great 3rd baby and the perfect
addition to our family.

this was her first bath.

last night at 10 her cord finally came off.
i found it in her diaper and about threw up.
it's making me nauseous just thinking about it!
so anyways, she got her first bath!

i love snuggling my freshly bathed children.
it's the best!

thank you Lord for blessing our family with yet
another precious child. she is so wonderful and peaceful.
you knew exactly what you were doing when
you orchestrated her conception.

thank you! thank you! thank you!

and thank you to all of you that have been a part of our
lives and have helped us welcome our daughter with
gifts, meals, and prayers...

our 25 days of christmas

this is last year's advent calendar.

every day olivia would get a new item that was
hidden inside the sock. and if the item was too big
i'd write on a card and put that in there and had her
find the gift or do something for it like 'do a funny dance'.

this year, liam is old enough to be a part of it. i didn't
want to just buy stuff for them because they have a lot
of stuff that ends up all over the house that i end up
cleaning up or throwing away.

so, this year i had the idea to do a
'family night count down to christmas'

first i made a list of different things we like to
or would like to do as a family.

then i spaced it out throughout 25 days.

and then we went shopping!
everything cost about $75


then i wrote out 25 cards with envelopes
and sealed them with number stickers

each one reveals what we are doing that night

we are doing things like:

movie nights with dvr'd or rented christmas movies

crafts, coloring, and play-doh

game nights

dance parties

cookie decorating.....

the gifts that we bought go along with some of
the nights so i wrapped them and put them
under the tree. some of the notes will tell the
kids to go find the gift with
that night's number on it.


i am really looking forward to this and i have high
hopes that it will get us all in the christmas spirit
while spending quality family time together.

this comes in handy when adding a new
little baby to the family...

we will take pictures and document each night
and i'll try and update and let you all know how
it's going.

enjoy this holiday season with your loved ones!