One more night

Just one more night until we get to meet this little girl, this alien like thing (as Josh sometimes calls her) that makes the skin on my belly jump, roll and move like something totally unnatural :)

It's been what seems like a long time coming. Always still a few months, weeks, or days away but now it's here and we are so excited. 

The past few days have been filled with conversations at church, school, work, bible study, chance meetings, etc... Always someone giving us well wishes, written out words from the Lord, and telling us how much we are prayed for this week! We genuinely feel covered in prayer from near and far. We are so richly blessed and I almost feel near overwhelmed. 

I have been studying James this year and I find it no coincidence that my study lands me looking at the latter verses of James 5 over the past week...talking about the perseverance of Job and the prayer of faith. From the beginning of all this last October Josh and I have always stated that this is His story to tell and as a friend recently reminded me, "we don't get to write our story, we just get to come to peace with it."

Here are some words from my study that resonated with me today: 

"Our sufferings etch engraved invitations to intimate places with God. A pair of hands clasped in earnest prayer is the best means we have this side of Heaven to hang onto Jesus for dear life. Fellowshipping with Christ in our suffering guards it from purposelessness...Prayer can prime the well of our souls to a bath of His beautiful presence." Beth Moore

So, as we journey into the unknown of the next few weeks I find myself just resting in the purpose and plan of Jesus.

God knows how everything will turn out. And, for every single person who belongs to Him, it turns out well.

"I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes- I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" Job 19:25-27

Thank you dear friends for lifting us up and walking through these circumstances with us.

Snow + Boarding

A couple weeks ago we finally had some snow that stuck.  Jack was having so much fun in the backyard sledding while standing and so we said...You're uncle Scot needs to teach you how to snowboard! And so, three days later My brother taught both Jack and Josh how to snowboard on a small little ski hill. The same hill that Josh learned how to ski on over 20 years ago! Scot was a great teacher and they had so much fun. I hope it's something they get to do more of. 

And then I realized we hadn't taken any snow pictures yet this year. It's harder than you think when the lens keeps fogging and the snow flakes are falling on it etc... but I think there are some cute ones. 

I love when you can see the different personality in each one of them

February 13

I wanted to take a few minutes to give a little update and details on what's ahead for us this next month. 

Christmas Palooza 2012

I think that 5 months off is enough. And now back to posting...

Christmas Palooza is our day over Thanksgiving weekend where we celebrate the start of the Christmas season. I love this time of year and all that comes with it.

We started the day heading to the tree farm mid-morning. I love walking up to the Christmas music playing, hot cocoa and marshmallows, a fire down the hill, the sound of the machines binding the cut trees, the truck and wagon making loops around the property...It's all part of the tradition. The farm is owned by extended family members and we love having that be part of our day

It's just a tiny one this year

Wagon ride with cousins

We usually spend the afternoon decorating. As we are still living at my moms, It didn't take much to decorate. A very small tree, one strand of lights and I managed to find a small box of ornaments in the storage unit. 

Borrowing my mom's old fabric Angel that we used as I was growing up. 

We end the night with Christmas PJ's, books and watching a Christmas movie. Just like Eleanor to not hold her own book. She loves anything plush and found this old bear in my moms basement...

The past few years my cousin Kate has created her own version of Christmas Palooza for her family in Colorado. I always look forward to her posting and sometimes to even get new ideas. I love they started the day with a special breakfast and opened their Jammies in the morning. I'll definitely do that next year. We've always just woken up and had an unofficial start to the day whenever we left for the tree farm.