Holly Jolly Days

"And it is after all, a season for babies. It makes sense to me in a new way that God chose to wrap his divinity in baby bones and baby skin. I always thought maybe it was to demonstrate vulnerability, or to identify fully with each phase of humanity, but now I think it was something else. I think it was because babies make us believe in the possibility and power of the future.

It's genius that the Christ, the Messiah, came as a baby, not because of his helplessness, but because of the possibility every baby holds. We have a regular baby, a non-Christ, non-Messiah baby, and when I look at his sleeping face, all the world seems new with possibility."

-Shauna Niequest

Cold Tangerines

We had a wonderful Christmas. It was really full of all the Christmas staples...food and family and presents and travel and fun. It was also full of time spent thinking about what we were really celebrating. I couldn't help but consider it every time I looked into the boys sweet faces, especially this year, having a baby in my arms again. I don't think I have mastered (nor will I, I am afraid) the ability to wrap my mind around what this past month is fully about, but I have been considering the Christmas story in a new and tangible way since I became a mom. When I read this part of Cold Tangerines, I totally identified with the author (who as a side note is quickly becoming one of my absolute favorites) as she considered the way Christmas struck her the first Christmas she was a mother. I remember how differently I thought about the whole story that Christmas after I had Griffin and each year since, it only amazes more.

I love getting to share holidays and family nights and special times with my kids. The wonder of Santa, presents and traditions is so magical. Even more though, I love to be able to share with them who Jesus is and what he means in my life, and in theirs. I am amazed that those two things are major components of my job description. So as we start making memories and celebrating this time of year as a family I am not only thankful for all the tinsel and hot chocolate and lights but mostly for 2 little faces that always seem to bring me back to knees in awe.

Here's some highlights from our 2010 festivities:

We celebrated Grandpa Wayne's birthday

and got in a visit with an adorable Santa who promised Griffin a fire truck, and boy did he deliver:)! This was part of our December family night (and attempt #2 at seeing the BIG guy...success) and it was such a great night for the 4 of us, complete with a trip to Noodles!

We celebrated early with the Richard family, and it was a really nice low key way to start off the holiday! Next year the boys will have a cousin to celebrate with...yeah!

The boys both got cars to "buzz" around in and Griffin has been loving the chance to cruise while it is too cold to get outside.

Then we made our trek to Nebraska! I of coarse didn't get my camera out enough as I have no pictures from some of the celebrations but we had a great time at each stop! We spent Christmas Eve day with my mom & dads side and Christmas Day with Ryan's parents, grandparents and siblings. We are so blessed to have so much family to welcome us in and celebrate with us.

We really did have some holly jolly days all the way through New Year's and now I am sitting in bed dreading the fact that Ryan has to go back to work with no vacation days in sight but feeling full of wonderful holiday memories and excited at the opportunity that this new year holds! 2010, we thank God for all you brought us (espcially this little face) and 2011, here we go......!!

Christmas Love from the boys:)

We took off tonight to go look at Christmas lights but 3 minutes into the drive we looked back and Griff was sleeping...so Ry & I are now sitting on the couch snuggling Beanie and enjoying the tree and the funny moments of Christmas in our house thus far! We've had our ups (decorating and wrapping and shopping and talking Santa) and we've had our downs (opening presents while I am in the bathroom (but it is hard to wait...I totally get it), leaving the Santa line, and lots of "naughty/nice" talk that ended in being ok with naughty....haha!)

Here is a Christmas shot of our adorable little Angels....

...and here is what the previous 100 shots looked liked before we got that precious pic above, Ryan almost gave up...but I was determined and much to the chagrin of all the males in my life, we finally got something that looked like they were both some what loving matching shirts and reindeer antlers...bahhahahaha!

Here's some sweetness...see Santa they are so so so nice...

and here's some shots of the other side of things...

me: Griff, are you going to be naughty or nice for the rest of Christmas??"

Griff: "Ummmmm....a little naughty and a little nice I think!"

This is the face of our little stinker!

...and this face is saying...really???

Is this what I have to go through for a Christmas card for the rest of my life?

and the answer to that sweet Beanie, is yes. The other men in the family have given in, you might as well too!

Here are the boys lighting up a room full of Aunt Ali's friends in more antlers for her arthritis run!

Love you Aunt Al, you light up my life like a Christmas tree! Griff was the mascott for

Ali's A-List!

and here is "Wayne" giving our little tree a ride to the party!

...more Holiday happenings to come, it really is the MOST WONDERFUL time of the year, especially with these kiddos! Could it be any more fun than through the eyes of a 3 year old!?? We are loving watching Griff through it all...both naughty and nice!

Our Christmas love to you!!

Our 2010 (in a nutshell):

The first half of 2010 in our house was spent watching Abbi’s belly GROW and GROW and wondering how on earth another little person would fit into our life & hearts….and if we’re being honest, if/when Griffin would ever become potty trained. We ran/wattled like crazy from gymnastics to church to play dates and on a few trips. We watched Griffin turn 3, get his tonsils taken out & start talking up a storm. We loaded our house up with diapers and wipes and busted out more baby equipment than one creature weighing under 10 pounds should ever need, and to Ryan’s chagrin, with more than 3 months left in the pregnancy. We soaked up time together with just Griffin and we wondered and dreamed about baby #2.

The second half of 2010 brought our family our very own “little something!” He is a small, red headed, bouncing ball of baby bliss that we lovingly call Sawyer or more often than not “Beanie.” To say that each of us adore him and who we are as a family now is an understatement. We have found it is true that love does only get bigger, our hearts have effortlessly made more room and our life is now much more FULL….of shenanigans and brothers and permanent marker on our walls and tiny baby clothes and going to work on very few hours of sleep and precious baby snuggle time and hysterical 3 year old chit chat and songs (such as chinkle chinkle little dar) and figuring out life all over again. Griffy started preschool, gave up diapers (YEAH!!) and also naps (bummer). Beanie smiles, topples & rolls, cries in his car seat (Lord help us) and is just starting to laugh (we can’t wait)! Right before our eyes our boys are becoming brothers and we are savoring the everyday miracles that God is providing!

Now that we are sliding into the home stretch of this jam-packed year we are stopping to awe at all God has done. Most specifically the “little something” he sent over 2000 years ago in Jesus us to SHOW us how BIG his love is. We continue to look up in wonder!

May you be filled with BIG LOVE!

Ryan Patrick . Abigail Elaine . Griffin Andrew. Sawyer Richard

5 Fabulous Months of Beanie

Happy 5 months to you Beanie!

December 10th marks 5 months of YOU! I wish I could stop you right here, because I absolutely LOVE everything about this age, but every age has amazing things, right??!! Your smile and cheeks are just too delicious.

....so they all rolled over and...

I made it!

On December 14th (Grandpa Wayne's birthday!) you rolled all the way over! You have been working so so so hard to get that head over and now you finally can! You also smile, giggle, laugh and are thoroughly entertained by the antics of your brother. I am pretty sure that if "all you want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth" then you may just get your wish...those bottom teeth are poking right through. Oh, and you started cereal too, and to no one's surprise, you are a great little eater and caught on very quick!!

Fresh from the bath, you boys are quite the brothers! Griff loves to grab and pull on your arms, which always freaks dad & I out...but you mostly just smile in adoration for your big brother!

In month 5 we will celebrate your first Christmas, first New Year and I am sure many others...it's a big one! I am trying to soak up every second buddy, it's going fast!

Old Abe was right!!!!

"The better part of one's life consists of one's Friendships."

Abraham Lincoln

Sometimes God blesses your life in ways which there are no words, or explanations or reasons why things are so right in an area. I definitely feel this way about my college friends. I couldn't explain them to you if I tried, but there are times that I "play" my college days back in my head like an episode of "friends" and just enjoy the sweet sweet memory. Ryan & I met sophomore year of college so we definitely have friends who we met prior to each other but for the majority of college we all ran around in the same little herd together playing intramural football, basketball & softball with our "OGR" shirts on, doing bible studies together, meeting at the snack bar on way to many nights to admit to order ice cream and pretzels with cheese, shopped, went to football games, took trips, went from friends to roomates to family without ever even realizing it.... i was enjoying it at the time, don't get me wrong but I had no idea how truly blissful those days were. As adults we all have moved (like to Africa), and gotten married (in a lot of cases to each other) & added to that family with kids, so the time to even chat on the phone seems limited at best. Sometimes I seriously ache to be in Lincoln living in Alpha Phi or at the "girls house" and have someone call over the intercom that Ryan is there to pick me up or argue about having an answering machine and then finally making a message declaring it's all single girls in the house (which to this day I still think is more adorable than a safety hazard, but you know me)! I treat those memories like precious breakables...and "bubble wrap" each one until I am having a down day or need a smile and then think about the "nun house" or crazy A Phi events with matching shirts, or watching Ry MC Crusade, or getting gas station coffee with Case & know that the memories couldn't be any better if I had scripted them out.

I would like to thank the town of Lincoln, the college of UNL, the state of Nebraska, the sorority house Alpha Phi, Campus Crusade & Navigators, the dorm Sandoz, the Crew Team at Nebraska and of coarse God for orchestrating my path with all these amazing people. Sometimes you look back at something and know that there is a God and he is working and these people and their role in my life is one of the reasons I KNOW.

Last week a few of them came to stay....such a treat! We sat around reminiscing and eating and talking baby and marriage and life and it was good. Friends, you are like a breath of fresh air in my life and I am SO SO thankful for you.

The next generation playing together....Bean & Libby!

They had so much fun together! (side note:we had so much fun seeing Libby's outfits and accessories every day! ADORABLE!)

Griffin playing with a toy all the way from Africa

2 of the best things that ever happened to me, Case & Beanie:)

They are mostly far far away, but we can pick up where we left off at...isn't that the best?? I have such an appreciation for real friends who know you and love you and grow with you. And the best part of my life seems to be wrapped up in a lot of them!

distruction in the play room...tears for me

Pictures don't do it justice, but I thought I would take a few.

Griff, you did a number sweetheart!

I am not quite "laughing" yet, but I am getting close kiddo. You didn't miss a spot, and I am hoping this is just a preview of all of your creative masterpieces to come(on paper please, not the walls or furniture, please)! I did cry when I first saw it (i blame the hormones) but luckily Ry was very calm.

A doodle for your table...

a scribble for the carpet...

a decorative doodle for the train table...

markings for the wall & bins...

thank goodness you didn't leave out the Pottery Barn bookcase or the books in it...

and here's main masterpiece...our very own little Picasso:)

So, cross your fingers that Mr. Clean Magic erase works for us, and that with some new paint and a few hours work, she'll be back to new. For now though we are enjoying our custom art piece and shaking our heads at our little curly haired boy. Please keep in mind this was all done within 5 minutes while Ry and I were loading up to leave for Thanksgiving!

Oh Griffin! (I say that a lot these days!)

Nutty November

This month seems to have reluctantly slipped through my fingers, not gone at all the way I invisioned in my head. Maybe it's because we have been just going going and we are tired. Maybe it's because Griffy is going through quite the little (please God) phase. Ryan has been working a lot. Beanie isn't a sleepy little newbie anymore. I might be the biggest mess, because of the "post" baby hormones my emotions and hair are just falling right out. I had expectations for November and the ironically it was because it was soposed to be "low key"....and it turns out it's a lot more work than originally thought to make "low key" happen the way you want...haha! Thanksgiving has really grown in my heart as my favorite holiday. I love the Fall, the red, brown and gold, everything pumpkin flavored, no stressing about money & presents & parties, just family, food, and for us no traveling. We love to get to our family at Christmas but it's hard on all of us to travel especially since we have several places to be in just 2 days. For Thanksgiving we have just stayed put since we have had Griffin, and spent the weekend putting up Christmas decorations and watching movies and enjoying the R & R! So I envisioned our first Thanksgiving with Sawyer and the moments leading up to it to just be flawless and fun and relaxing...did I set myself up or what...go ahead and laugh now, you know what's coming:)!!

The boys enjoying a family night taco salad dinner...Ry is thrilled I am documenting this:)

It started with our family night the week before. I spent the day trying to get what we needed to tuck in and enjoy the night together. It was super hectic and by the time I got home we were exhusted. While I was getting dinner ready Griff grabbed a bottle of carpet cleaner off the shelf and sprayed the walls and a train table full of toys in his play room. Ok, so not exactly the start to the night I envisioned. Got it cleaned up as best as I could, ate dinner, and it was almost bed time...and we still had a few other things on the line up. This year we decided to do a box from each boy for Operation Christmas Child. It was really really fun, G & I shopped and talked a lot about "our boys" all week. I am not sure how much he really understood, but it was a great start to talking about "giving" with him. We filled the boxes with soap, candy, toys, bandaides, a wash cloth and some other little treats. (As a side note, this was an awesome way to give we loved doing it and hope we can continue each year!)

All was going well until we sealed up the boxes and then the tears ran like a waterfall...part because it was now past bed time, and part because it is really hard for a 3 year old to pack up little cars and then give them to someone else! So, we skipped the movie, got the boys in bed and fell asleep halfway through the movie we rented for us. Family night seemed a little tedious. BUT I had high hopes for the following family celebration.....

Then Thanksgiving weekend just went from stress to stressful on a lot of levels....including being hit in the forehead with Griffin's helicopter and acquiring a large "egg" on my head, Griffin using a Sharpie (pics to come) to decorate his play room, the green beans spilling all over me on the way to dinner, Maci checking out at the vet for $260 with a "fungal rot" on her...I won't keep the list going. For a while I just pouted. I am not going to lie. I cried when I saw the toy room, I got mad at Ryan over nothing, I wasn't loving or happy or thankful towards anyone, especially my boys who should have been at the top of my mind over the weekend.

I have to tell you though, as I look back through these pictures from this month, I can't help but smile and feel overwhelmed with thankfulness. I can truly forget all of that...and be content to remember November 2010 as...

making turkey PB & J's,

and watching boys become brothers,

and picking up Griff from school and chatting on the way home about his projects,

(side note: his turkey says he's thankful for family, turkey??:), Sawyer, Cars & School)

and going around the dinner table every night telling each other what we are thankful for while holding the "turkey of thankfulness" and then praying together over our days,

and spending time with my mom doing some holiday decorating,

and for a year that brought us this happy, healthy & perfect little baby (wearing Griffy's Thanksgiving onsie...I finally got a pic!),

and for precious friends who have taught us about taking each other for who we truly are, and for our health & home & mostly for me this year....all the work that the Lord has been doing in my heart. I can honestly say I have never had a more drastic construction site inside me than in the last year and a half and I can finally look back and say...oh, that makes sense God, and thank you so so so very much. Perfect moments and holidays and blog posts are nice but reality is that life isn't always colored coordinated (although God knows I try!) and that's how we come to understand what "thankful" really means.