Merry Christmas!

Though my camera's SD card is mostly empty, my heart is full with memories from our two week trip north.  Refreshed, encouraged, full....those are words I'd use to describe what two weeks with family and dear friends does for my soul.  Full is also the word I'd use to describe our van.  It's sitting in the driveway waiting to be carefully unpacked.  We were blessed with lots of goodies for our family and I'm eager to get everything unpacked and start enjoying them!

My oldest two and Andy are still sleeping.   Judah and I are up enjoying a quiet morning after a long (but SMOOTH!) drive home.  It feels good to be home but I loved all the gifts God gave us these past two weeks....

SNOW!!  Winter weather in general is a treat to us flamingos.  We enjoyed snowy walks on the carriage trail, brisk cold in my face making me feel alive.  A change in weather and scenery always re-awakens my soul to the wonders of God's creation.

FAMILY FAMILY FAMILY.  I told Andy that my love tank was on empty and our families, especially our parents, filled it to overflowing.   We had so many fun moments, conversations, laughs.  I'm reminded once again how blessed I am to be a part of two loving families.

FRIENDS!!   (Well they are like family too!!)   In a week's time we got to see four couples (and their eleven children!)  who are dearest to us on this earth. The Deans, Greenes, Kvernens, and Lynches.  We hadn't seen the Deans since China and our time with the others in the past few years only amounts to a few short visits. Spending time with them was simply wonderful.

A six hour conversation with Andy on our trip home...what he and I have always done best...TALK!   So glad I married that man!  (This also represents the fact that our travels were safe and smooth.  Audio books and kids who are now old enough to enjoy them has been a game changer for us in traveling.)

HOME COOKED FOOD.  Enough said.

Ok, I want to say more....Broccoli Casserole.  Cabbage Casserole.  Chicken Casserole.  Pretty much anything you can think of goes in casserole in my family.  My heart and my belly were full!!!

Reflections on redemption that have encouraged me greatly.  This Christmas more than ever before God has made me aware of his precious plan to redeem both my soul and and my body.  I think it's because this year I am acutely feeling the affects of living in a fallen world on the physical body.  Along with almost losing my sister, we and some of the people we love most are staring things like cancer, stroke, and mental illness straight in the face.  Our bodies are broken. But....we have such a great hope for both our spiritual and physical redemption!  Our savior came to redeem our souls, YES YES YES, and along with them our bodies and every fiber of this broken creation.  The miracle of Christmas begins a journey for our Savior that takes him all the way to the cross.  He willingly took on a broken body only to lay it down in death....all to give us a new heart, a new life and along with that, A NEW BODY which will be completely healed, perfect, and will never again fail us.  This is reason to celebrate!!!!

As I wade through this broken world, I am thankful for all the gifts God gives me that thrill my heart...like friends and snow and broccoli casserole.  And most of all, I am thankful for the redemption God has worked for us and the hope of our  full redemption to come....A redemption that will give us hearts that beat perfectly with our Father's, minds that will think rightly, and bodies that will never fail.

MERRY CHRISTMAS INDEED!!!

Ornament Time!

This year we passed out our annual Christmas ornaments the day after Thanksgiving.  Jackie Boy received a soccer ball, as he played his first season this fall!  He loved it and did a great job.  I'm pretty sure athletics will be a big part of his growing up!  As for Grapey Girl, we got her a school ornament since she started kindergarten this year!  She's been doing great in school and I love watching her learn to read! 

 

 We gave Judah boy a toy ornament since he's blooming into our playful little toddler!  He laughs a ton and brings a lot of joy with his playfulness!

Judah's playfulness includes the "balls" on the tree!  Watch out little tree!  

 Merry Christmas, little ones.  I pray that as our tree branches hang heavier with more and more ornaments each year, your hearts would grow to see and treasure God's faithfulness to you... A faithfulness which is most clearly seen in the face of Jesus.  

 Well, as geese are migrating down our way, we flamingos are leaving the 80 degree days for the snowy hills of West Virginia and the (hopefully) chilly Piedmont of North Carolina!  We borrowed winter jackets for the occasion and hope to put them to good use!

Thanks Given

Today I woke up before the sun and snuggled in for some time in the Word and with my current read, A Thousand Gifts.  (Literally had to snuggle, as our heat is out!) The book is all about the life-giving-joy-producing practice of giving thanks for all things.  So I put it into practice this morning, first in my journal, listing out some of the sweetest blessings of the year and by faith, giving thanks for some of the really difficult providences of the past year.  Then, after my kids ate oatmeal wearing tobagans and mittens, we continued the thanksgiving on cold glass...the back glass door is currently full of purple and red marker, where we've listed many things we are thankful for as a family.  We're trying to scribble out a hundred today.

I decided I should record a few here for us as well.  When I look back on this year, I want to remember God's grace in the small things and in the big as well.  So here is Thanks Given from the Huffmans, 2013:

1.  Topping our list is Katie's health and God's hand on her this past week.  Oh we're so grateful for the timing/events surrounding her post-accident spleen rupture and internal bleeding.  Thankful for a team of ER workers and the surgeons who saved her life.  Thankful that my sister will be OK and has more of life ahead of her.  Thankful, to tears, for this gift.

2.  A sweet little elementary school for my Grapey Girl.  She's learning so much.  Did you know that the letters q and u are married?  I just learned that today.

3.   Hearing Jack jumping on his bed before 7....thankful for this wild boy's energy and the joy he brings me.

4.  A freckled Emma Grace nose...we say God sprinkled her with cinnamon.

5.  Cinnamon. We wrote that on our glass list as well, because cinnamon just makes all things fall better

6.  My bestest buddy Sheryl's new and newest gifts, Lucy and Hudson.

7.  Judah's little eating noises.  So cute.

8.  The colors of my house.  Color gives me life and I am so grateful to enjoy so many of them in my own home.

9.  My friend Brooke.  Talking with her is like coming home.  Her friendship is just comfortable.  And this year she and I have grieved together over dreams left unfulfilled.  Nothing like a friend who knows your pain because she is going through it as well.  What a gift to have her in my life and just a few miles down the road.

10.  Andy.  God has used Andy this year to show me how, in the face of  my brokenness and sin,  Christ doesn't move away from me, as if put off by what he sees, but rather he leans in with all that he is.  Andy's complete acceptance of me in the face of some major brokenness coming to the surface this year has been a light to me on a really dark spot in my life.  Andy, so thankful for the way you keep taking steps toward me and keep loving me with all that you are, living out Christ's love for me in such a tangible way.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!  

15 months

Though our Judah boy can't officially toddle anywhere just yet, he's certainly well on his way to being a toddler.  He's into EVERYTHING and he's super interactive.  He can get his point across though he doesn't have many words.  He's very affectionate these days.  And his messy strawberry blonde hair makes me smile!  

ART GALLERY-for real!

Last time I posted about an art gallery, it was when Emma Grace and Jack created one upstairs after a summer full of art projects.  This time I'm not talking about a pretend art gallery in our home...nope,this time Emma Grace's artwork made it into a bonafide art gallery!  Yep, our girlie's art was chosen for the county-wide art gallery.  Way to go, Grapey!  It looks like we're not the only ones who think you're a great artist!  

How he rolls

Andy is quite the dad.  Actually he's quite the mom too.  I joke with him that he's better at my job than I am!  Seriously, when Andy's in charge of the kids, he manages to play with them and also accomplish a lot!  

 He started Judah on the bike much earlier than this...much earlier than I would prefer.  His helmet finally fits him so I am feeling (a little) better about him being on the bike!

 Yep, this is how Andy mows the lawn most Saturday mornings.  I'm pretty sure our neighbors think we're wacky.  Don't they know that much of the world totes their babe on the back while working??

Andy also straps Judah on his back while cleaning the kitchen.  It's definitely teamwork around here and I couldn't keep up with things without Andy's help.  

Welcome to our infirmary

Life just keeps happening.  I think in this picture I had just finished taking Emma Grace's temperature.  She (along with her brothers) had a two day virus that kept us out of school.  Either that or I was checking out her possibly bruised/broken rib?  Both happened this past week and I can't remember which I was checking for in this picture.  Yep, we've been a sick house this past semester.  We've had a broken/bruised rib, a broken wrist, a black eye, and multiple viruses (I think we're going on number 4 or 5). I'm praying for us to turn a  healthy corner soon!!  Either that or I'm gonna ask Andy to hire a nurse for me!  

Halloween 2013

Pumpkins

The Sunshine state

Florida certainly has a lot of sunshine.  But it also has a lot of rain. Which equals a TON of rainbows.  We love that about this place. Andy and I had a two night get-away recently and snapped this picture of a double rainbow.  Thankful  for a fleet of friends who made it possible for us to get away.  And for our realtor, Carol who let us stay in her condo again!  And for time with Andy...much needed.  

Daddy Date

Go Knights!  

Milestones and Reminders

Today we marked a special milestone of independence in this little one's life.  I sat in the front yard while she biked around the entire neighborhood by herself for the first time!  She can be trusted to stay on the sidewalk and look both ways at each crossing!  This was her proud, smiling face upon  return.  

In some ways it's a small thing, but it represents a step in the process of  her independence.  She's needing me less and less and can take care of herself more and more. We're slowly launching her out into the world around her. Today it was the neighborhood, tomorrow it will be the world.   Though it feels slow, it's all happening so fast. Soon enough she and Jack will be cruising to the Seven-Eleven on their bikes to grab an Icee.  (and a fountain coke for their mom!)  Before too long, she'll be texting me to tell me what time she plans to get home for dinner.  And not too long after that, I'll be playing the role of friend and mentor, rather than authority, as she ventures out into this world as an adult.   I pray God would give us the grace to prepare her well for each step of independence.  

And I lift my eyes from the daily grind of raising children, what day do I see down the road for my Emma Grace?  In no time at all, she,  like me will fly from this earth and stand before her Holy, Loving, Just, Gracious Creator God.  That day is coming and it's the most important day. Oh, let me keep my eyes on that day, both for her and for me.  And give me grace, I pray, to pour out my all, in doing my part to prepare her well for that day.  

Emma Grace, if you're ever reading this one day, here's some of that "heart preparation" I am praying for in you:  

I'm praying  for you to:

RECOGNIZE 

your sin, your brokenness and your need

LOVE 

his grace

SEE 

his sufficiency

REST

TRUST

ABIDE

in who he is and how he loves you!!

Anchors of Truth

Andrew Murray’s formula for trial – “four anchors” 

1. Say, He brought me here. It is by His will I am in this strait place and in that fact I will rest. 

2. He will keep me here in His love and give me grace to behave as His child. 

3. Then He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends for me to learn. 

4. In His good time He can bring me out again – how and when He knows. 



So let me say — I am   
1. here by God’s appointment 
2. in His keeping 
3. under His training 
4. for His time 

In the various trials our family has faced over the past few years, I'm coming to trust in these anchors more and more.  I pray the ship of my soul  will be steadied by them as we continue to trust him in the storms he allows in our life.  

Judah's new ride...and an ambulance ride

This hand-me-down car is the new hit with my Judah Boy.  

 He looks so big riding it and the big kiddos love pushing him in it.  Aside from their somewhat dangerous driving, this arrangement makes everyone happy.

Andy says that Judah is "salty."  I think that's a good description of his personality.  He's spunky, like his hair.  When he wrestles with his Daddy, his salty personality really comes out....he laughs, squeals, and then goes on the attack, as if he's as big as his dad. It's quite a sight!

Speaking of rides, Judah and I also took a ride in a ambulance this past weekend.  He was having some difficulty breathing due to YET ANOTHER virus we've had so we took him to a walk-in clinic.  Once we got there, his breathing got much worse and they started a nebulizer and put him on oxygen.  His breathing continued to get worse really quickly so they called 911 and we were in a ambulance and off to the hospital in a matter of 10 minutes.  It still blows my mind how fast it went from "a little trouble breathing" to "we need to call 911".  Once we got to the hospital, the meds started to work and his breathing returned to normal within an hour or so.  We were so grateful for how fast the doctors at the walk-in clinic and the EMT folks worked.  So grateful our salty boy is breathing better and praising the Lord for great medical care.

Green Thumb Graper Girl

 When we grew tomatoes, I found gardening to be incredibly difficult. Emma Grace, on the other hand seems to have a natural knack for it.  She grew theses peppers from seed all by herself!  She's my ambitious creator/inventor/dreamer so growing things suits her well.  For the past year, she's been all about finding seeds to grow.  She's planted acorns and beans, wild flower seeds, orange seeds, and just about anything she thought would grow!  She took a pepper from the fridge, cut it open to harvest some seeds, found a pot, planted the seed, and watched it grow and grow and grow until peppers started to appear!  She tried the first one with hummus and she's saving the rest for a salad this week!  Way to go Grapes, I look forward to seeing what else your ingenious little mind and your green thumb will produce!

EA, meet Grace

This is my new friend Grace.  She is my funky, interesting, SMART, outgoing college-student friend who invited herself over to my house to clean and help me.  YEP, she invited herself over to clean up the left over crumbs from last night's dinner, wash my windows, fold my clothes, help with homework and play UNO with my kids!  And she's been coming each Wednesday for the past couple of months.  She's a delight to be around and I'm enjoying getting to know her more with the passing weeks.  I've learned she has about 10 varieties of mint growing in her back yard and she introduced me to something called coldwater coffee, which is brewed for a day or so before you drink it.  Like I said, she's interesting.

But the main thing I wanted share about Grace is her heart in coming over to clean.  Grace saw my need.  READ: Grace saw my distress.  She noticed that keeping up with three kids and a house was more than I could handle so she asked if she could come over and help on Wednesday afternoons.  But more than wanting to help, she wanted to be with us. Grace told me that cleaning my mess was really her way of getting to hang out with me.  Grace just really loves our family.  And we love her too.

Actually her name isn't Grace, it's Jenn.  But as I've reflected on what Jenn is doing for my family, the word that circulates in my mind is grace.  Jenn's Wednesday visits are giving me fresh reminders of what God's grace is all about.  Here's what I mean.

Grace is God's free unmerited favor for us sinners.  Like the mess in my kitchen that Jenn chooses to come and clean up each week, Jesus came into my mess, by his own choosing to clean it up.  Like Jenn seeing me in my distress, Christ saw my bigger distress of ultimate separation from God, caused by my sin....and he came to clean it.  Of his own choosing and because of the kindness of his heart.  Jenn is not put off by our mess.  In fact when she sees it, SHE LONGS TO HELP.  What a picture of our Savior's heart.  He is not pushed away by what he sees, but instead HE LONGS TO HELP.  Lesson one.

And secondly, and this is the part that has touched me so deeply...Like Jenn, Christ's motive is ultimately about relationship.  Yes he came to die for me and forgive my sins.  But his heart in going through all that suffering was to be with me.  Like Jenn, his motive in cleaning my mess is RELATIONSHIP.  Cleaning my mess, which cost him is life, was the costly, painful means to being with me for eternity.  WOW.  Jenn is willing to get into the gross parts of my house, just to be with me.  How much more so Jesus enters the ugly black mess of my heart to make me clean...just to be with me.  Lesson Two.

And finally, here's what I have been thinking about my own response to Grace, um, I mean Jenn.  The prerequisite for receiving grace is need.  Actually it's better if it's desperation.  GRACE can only clean my mess to the degree I am willing to expose it and admit I need help.  OUCH.   In years past I wouldn't have admitted I needed help, and NEVER would I want to appear desperate.  I would've likely said no to Jenn's offer, all because I didn't want her to see my need.  The old EA was self-sufficient and wanted to make myself and my house look good before others entered, even though the messes were there.  The more I've exposed my need to Jenn, the more she's helped.   .

And like the old EA would've refused Jenn's help, how often I have said no to God's grace in my life.   I want to hack it on my own.  I want, so badly, to be good enough on my own.  In my pride, I've been unwilling to expose my spiritual needs to him and to his people.  Pride has kept me from receiving his help many times.  But more and more, God is showing me that his heart is full of love towards me.  And that gives me freedom to expose my mess and receive his help.  My need+his sufficiency=Grace at work in my life.  And I'm so thankful for this change in my heart, becoming more and more needy and desperate, seeing my sin for what it is and allowing Christ more and more into my mess to clean it.

I am so thankful that three children has made me desperate and needy for help with my house, as it's given me a deepening friendship with a really cool chick.  And I'm thankful that I'm growing more and more needy and desperate for help with my sin and brokenness, as it's given me a deepening friendship with a really cool God.

Lord, thank you that my desperation and neediness draw you to me rather than push you away. Would you continue to show me your heart of love for me.  As I see your love, would it give me  more freedom to expose, both to you and to others,  the dark places of my heart that desperately need your grace and help . Thank you that you are not put off by my mess, but you love entering in and helping...and thank you that your ultimate goal in entering in and cleaning is to be with me for eternity. How kind you are, Christ.

Lavish Provision

Andy was out of town for 5 days this past week and I was amazed, again, at the way God took care of us through his people.  I was so blessed and was reminded how awesome his people are and how lavish his care for his people is.

Andy was so kind to take the initiative and set up people to stay with me each night.  It was so fun to visit with friends and also have their help getting my kids and myself ready and out the door.  So it was a week-long sleep over for me with the Ways, the Anans, Brooke and Carissa staying each night!  That's a lot of adult conversation in one week!

My Bible study ladies really stepped up to help as well.  Shelley and her hubby came over and brought a meal and had dinner with us one night.  Jenn spent the afternoon here cleaning and hanging out and helped me take the kids out for a quick dinner. (She deserves her own post as she's been coming over once a week to hang out and help me clean)  Brooke even worked on setting up other people to help me but I had too much help!!  What over-the-top, lavish provision.  I'm so glad to have my husband home but I am also so thankful for the company and help each one of these dear friends provided.

Building Forts

One of my kids favorite things to do these days is build forts in the park.  We grab the mini rakes, a shovel, (thanks Tim and Kathi) and our buddies and head over the park.  We are so blessed to have a park right in our neighborhood.  It's very shaded and has lot of leaves-so there's plenty of work to be done!  

These cuties, Brooke and Ivy, are both in kindergarten with Emma Grace.   Billy and Jack, when not building forts, are busy playing football, archery, and basketball. So thankful for buddies and a park! Finally having some cooler weather here so it's been really nice to get out and enjoy !

Make a mess

While Judah is still firmly in the "make a mess" stage of life,

 Jack and Emma Grace can actually help clean one.  Sometimes they get in a cleaning mood and decide to go to work.  Today it was the bathroom.  (I'm thankful for the cleaning moods because cleaning isn't always on the top of their list of fun things to do, needless to say!)  Overall they did a pretty good job.  Overall.  In the end we had one mostly clean bathroom, one dirty mirror, two nice washcloths ruined (not meant for cleaning) and one broken light switch.

So I guess Emma Grace and Jack have one foot in the "clean a mess" stage and one foot in the "make a mess" stage!  .

On the mend

At this rate, Jack is averaging a broken bone every two years.  He broke his collar bone when he was two and this time around it was his wrist.  He fell at the SAME EXACT PARK where Brooke's Kaelin broke both her wrists.  Kaelin was with us when it happened and I had just said "no broken wrists this time" when five minutes later Jack came running.  From the way he was crying and the immediate swelling I knew it was probably broken.  We packed up and within a couple hours we had it braced with an official "broken" diagnosis.  He got his blue cast a few days later.  It held up til the last week and then we began taping it to keep it together.  He was hard on his cast!  He got it off yesterday and is doing great...He played his first soccer game today and SCORED HIS FIRST GOAL!!  Judah is over his case of German measles and a double ear infection so it's looks like we're on the mend!

Soccer Time

We found a great little soccer league where Jack and Emma Grace can be on the same team.  They practice for thirty minutes and then play a game.  We're the ThunderStorms!  Last week we played the Ovens.  This week, the Ovens.  You get the idea. Last week the Ovens took us 4-0.  This week we won 5-0 and Emma Grace scored a goal! I am amazed at how competitive she is about this whole thing.  I love the picture below from practice.  How typical that two of the kids we're playing with the cones rather than paying attention.  We've got a ways to go, I guess!  

 

 Jack participated in the practice but sat out during the game because of his cast.  But Ovens, watch out because he'll be burning up the field next week!  He gets his cast off on Friday.

A Retro Blog...Graduation

Emma Grace's half day kindergarten graduation!  What a sweet school and a great fit for our Grapey Girl.  Now we're on to public school!

Sibling Fun

Jack and Grapes spend lots of time together and they really love each other.  There's A LOT of "working it out with words" to go around, but they also are at an age when they come up with plenty of silliness.  Here are a few fun sibling moments from the past few months....

Slide Fun

Rodeo Days at School 

Super Heros??

Jack's Carrot Garden

The "fruit" of his labor!  

Birthday Boy...and Girl

At some point in the past few months, we've had birthdays!   They're noteworthy enough that I thought I'd retro blog them! 

EG chose a princess them and I scored a prom dress for the occasion.  

 Judah didn't really have a theme, or a party, really....just a cupcake.  To be very honest, we were just glad we made it to ONE!!  Judah is one cute guy but he's been a tough baby.  So we're celebrating that we finally made it to solid foods and sleeping through the night.  This mama is tired, but thankful.  Very thankful for these two little gifts.

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY LITTLE ONES!