Christmas (part 1)

What a whirlwind it has been lately. Christmas has never been so busy for us! So fun, but extremely exhausting! Here's a quick recap...



We were blessed this year to get a fresh perspective on the birth of Jesus. We volunteered (or I should say we were roped in...and later showed excitement) to play the role of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. Thankfully there were no speaking parts! Our church did a first-ever live nativity scene. It was really cool how it turned out. People entered the church, where there were live animals and shepherds who led visitors on a short walk to get to the manger scene. On the way, they told the story how an angel appeared and told them the news that Jesus was born. Greg and I were to simply act like typical new parents. We offered scraps of food to our visitors and chatted about what it must have been like back then. Little girls and boys ran up to offer baby Jesus (Kensie) little leather bracelets they had made at the craft tents. It was such a precious time for us. I kept thinking just how dirty everything must have been for Mary and Joseph. And why on earth did Joseph stick around when he had absolutely no part in creating this child? Was Mary's delivery a hard one or easy one? How much did Jesus weigh? And how did it really feel for Mary to look into the eyes of this amazing child of God?? So neat to see it in a fresh new light.

Kensie was such a little trooper too. We were there for about 3 hours. She was happy when awake and slept in the actual manger for like 45 minutes! Of course when we got home, she showed her true colors :).

Hope your Christmas was grand!

More to come...Christmas parties and another family wedding!! Stay tuned!

How do you get out of a funk?

Hey there. Havin' a pretty bad attitude over here, and just can't seem to kick it. Everything has been bugging me lately. You know, when it just seems like no one can do anything right? And every time you're around people, you just want to tell them to stop being so annoying? And even when they aren't annoying, you still want to tell them to just stop? And then the minute you think you've had enough of yourself (and your bad attitude), you start to actually enjoy the negativity you've been in?? I've been really frustrated with just plain stupid stuff these past few days. I've been impatient with people I love. I can't stop saying negative things. And well, I'm just in a funk. How do YOU get out of it?

On another note, Kensie has been my happy place lately. She is getting so much more expressive, and seems like she is doing something new every.single.day. I love watching her grow and learn the simplest of things (like finally being able to hold onto her toys!).

Even when she interrupts my Sunday afternoon nap because she blew out her diaper so bad she needed a bath....I seem to have SO MUCH patience with her. No matter how little sleep I get, or how much she demands, I can never be mad at her for very long. :) Maybe that's a little taste of how God loves me? Even when I have my pity parties, he just can't seem to get enough of me. Now that's some crazy love.

morning snuggles

**Also, notice the small birthmark on her arm? It just appeared one day. The doc says it will get bigger and bigger until about age 9 and then will fade. I think it's kinda cute :)**

Brought to you by the number 3...

3 more weeks 'til Christmas!

3 easy steps to a fun homemade dove ornament copied from Ballard's Designs (again)

1) Use Christmas piano sheet music to cut out doves --glued to cardstock for extra sturdiness.
2) put a thin strip of glue around the edge and sprinkle with glitter.
3) hole punch top and secure a piece of raffia to hang on tree!

3 things little miss Kensie likes to do A LOT lately:

1) smile

2) sneeze

3) smelly toots

3 month chair picture!

You're gettin' so BIG Kensie!

1 year ago...

We moved into our first home! What a journey it has been...




We started out with a few remodeling projects...


(opened up the entryway)

(opened the space between 2 living rooms)

Learned what it means to snow plow our own driveway...
(no pic sorry)

Did LOTS and LOTS of painting (thanks to my patient and talented hubby!)...

hutch before

hutch and dining area after

Endured the "Flood of '09"...

And welcomed our first baby into this home!...

How thankful we are for this place, and can't wait to fill it with more memories!

Thankful

This whole week I have been thinking of what I'm most thankful for. It seems hard to pick just one, as there are SO MANY things in my life that I am eternally grateful for....a tight knit family, faithful friends, a precious new baby, a loving husband, a home to call our own, and on and on...

But, I would like to focus on one word. PURPOSE. I am so thankful for purpose in my life. I have not always felt this in my past. For a long time I thought my purpose in life was to be the best at sports that I could. Once I thought I attained that, I felt empty. Then I thought my purpose was to look the best I could on the outside. The moment I thought I reached that, I felt hollow and ugly. My box in life was so small, and all I could think about was me, myself, and I.

So getting back to the point. In the last 2 years, I have seen a new purpose begin to blossom. There have been numerous "coincidences" in my life that have led to new and meaningful relationships. God has placed other people in my path when I needed it most, and vice versa. He has shown me that my purpose in life is not about me. Rather, His purpose is all about Him. And, His purpose is to use whatever circumstance I'm in to encourage others toward Him.

So, for now (in practical terms)....my purpose is to be: a faithful and loving wife to my husband, a caring and prayerful mother to my child, and an encouraging and intentional friend to others. And for that, I am thankful. Thankful that my life has meaning because it affects others. Thankful that "coincidences" don't just happen. Thankful that there is a God behind everything that happens in life. And most of all, I'm thankful that He cares enough about a spec like me to rescue me from my sin.

What are you thankful for?

Stubborness = Stupidness

Yes. Yes it does.

Day #1 (last Wed). I woke up feeling under the weather. A low grade fever, a headache and a stuffy head. Took some Motrin and Sudafed (both safe for breastfeeding btw) and stayed home all day in my robe, trying my best not to touch or breath on Kensie.

Day #2. (Thursday). I went to watch a high school volleyball game. You know, cuz I thought I was feeling better. Bad idea. Hardly slept that night from what felt like fire in my throat.

Day #3 (Friday). I swear I was swallowing pins and needles all day. I rotated from the bath to the couch to the bed....all the while drinking cup upon cup of tea and sucking on cough drops like candy in between. By the end of the day, several people thought I had strep and should get checked out.

"No, not me. I've NEVER had strep in my life, let alone been on antibiotics. I'll be fine gargling my salt water 2-3 times a day. I can fight this thing" -- I realize that I basically think I'm invincible at this point.

Day #4 (Saturday). I'm pretty sure this is the worst of it and it WILL be better by tomorrow dag nabbit! So what do I do? Go to ANOTHER volleyball game that night. Nice Shannon. Like that's gonna help.

Day #5. Church. At least I was smart enough to stay home from that....starting to learn my lesson maybe? By the afternoon, I knew there was no way I could make it through another night, and it was time to head to Urgent Care.

So....after 4 miserable nights and 5 looooooong days, I took a 10 min trip to the hospital, where the doctor didn't even bother swabbing to test me for strep. She took one look in my mouth, and said, "oh that looks bad". If a doctor says it looks bad, that must mean something right?

A quick trip to Walgreens and 10 min later I was home with my prescription, feeling a mixture of emotions. Was all that torture over the last 5 days worth proving that apparently I can fix my problems?? --good reminder that God is the only one who can conquer ALL things. And secondly, why did I not listen to good advice?? -- another reminder that stubbornness = stupidness. And most importantly...thank goodness for drugs! -- reminding me how thankful I am to live in this day in age.

2 birthdays, 1 great time!

Happy birthday to my sisters Lauren (nov. 13th) and Katelyn (nov. 14th) !

You girls always make it a great time!