GRATITUDE 5 Sunday thanks

No pictures today.  Just a few things I'm thankful for...

Being back at our church as a whole family
A pastor who loves to teach God's word
A big Sunday lunch with friends and fancy napkins
Seeing both my big kids conquer the monkey bars

GRATITUDE 4: Christmas with my family

So thankful to be able to spend Christmas with my family! It's been five years since we've been with them on Christmas.  So I'm super thankful for these precious memories!  

My Brother and Chayton

Cousins

Happiness!!!

All together...this rarely happens

Extended Family on Christmas Eve

Gratitude 3...A wedding!

Since Andy works with international students, we get to meet some really fun people from all over the world!  Today we got to attend the wedding of two of our favorite students!  Zeno and Liu Yi love our kids like they are their own.  They are constantly bringing over gifts for them and spending HOURS playing and laughing with our kids.  We are so grateful for these two precious friends and we're thankful we got to celebrate with them today!

Zeno and Liu Yi, We pray God's richest blessings on your marriage and that you will grow in love for each other as you grow deeper in love with Christ.  May he sustain and give wings to your marriage!

Gratitude 2

A yard that's starting to take shape

A man who works hard

Cold weather!  

Chicken Chili on the stove

Gratitude: A Year of Naming My Gifts

After Andy returned from a week-long work trip he gave me a 24 hour retreat.  After a week of almost non-stop childcare, I really needed a break.  My plan was to spend the evening reading and journaling.  Instead I fell asleep at 6:30 and slept a whopping 13 hours.  I guess I really was exhausted.  I did manage to spend some time reflecting and praying in the morning.  I wanted to come up with a word for the year.  A year that would set the tone for the year and give me a goal to reach for.  I have been praying a lot for joy lately, a joy that is apart from circumstances.  So I really thought about choosing the word JOY for the year.  But as I reflected further, I realized that the root of joy is GRATITUDE...As I SEE all that the Lord has given,  and I thank him for it, joy naturally arises in my heart.  So I am choosing the word GRATITUDE this year.  I am praying God would give me eyes to SEE his gifts, small and large, and that as I pronounce thanks,  joy would naturally overflow!  From things like 3 kids happily banging pots and pans in my kitchen (currently) to a husband who continually shows me the love and acceptance of Christ, God's gifts in my life are abundant.  I am praying 2014 would be a year of seeing God's gifts to me, small and large, those delightful and those hard.

One of the ways I want to count his gifts is to post a pictures regularly that capture a moment I am thankful for (or write a full post about it)..  So here's to a year of GRATITUDE, that overflows into JOY!

3 kids happily banging pots

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!