Home for the Holidays!

So it is now 1:45pm.

I am still in my jammies.

I am just thinking about trying to make lunch.

The house is in shambles with boxes, paper and toys scattered everywhere.

And all seems calm & bright for me!

Griff & Ry are outside riding his BRAND NEW RED BIKE!!! & Beanie is taking his snooze for the day. On top of all of that, it's Christmas. The first Christmas I have EVER spent in my own home. And it has been blissful. (and after a call from all my family at Gramee Sapp's house last night, a little sad too) Ry said it best, "a little bitter with a lot of sweet" when "seasons" of life change and staying home this year is definitely a change for Ryan & I as we have both always spent Christmas in Nebraska! We may not do this every year, well just take it one at a time, but we have sure enjoyed the R & R that this year brought and the way we were able to take in the magic of it all instead of scurrying from thing to thing...but we realize that there's magic in that too:)!

I know I have been picture heavy lately, but I guess the pictures tell the story better than I could! We started Christmas off yesterday at our bulletin board with the final sticker on our advent calendar and a survey of all the amazing cards on it! We LOVE seeing all the smiling faces up there of all our loves!! Then we had an awesome service at our church and all 4 us attended the BIG service and loved bopping to the music!

When we got home we tried to get a few Christmas shots, which as you can see turned out, well, not so great...or hilariously well, depending on how you look at it....:)

And here is my Christmas gift...mistletoe & my man!

Our night then started in on a long list of Christmas craziness...starting with these dog houses for Snoopy, which turned out to be a little more sticky (and by that I mean the icing literally could have been used to lay real bricks) than Griffin & I planned. But we mustered through and came up with 3 (although pretty sad) dog houses. Griffin never seemed to notice...so oh well.

Dinner & dessert were delish! Griff set the table...

Bean loved the beans (of course!) and jello the best! And everything else too!

And Ryan & I sprung for beef wellington...melt.in.your.mouth. YUM!

As you would expect, the cake brought nothing but smiles...they are our boys:)!

Next came Christmas jammies, stockings, Cars 2 & popcorn...

In the stockings??? Our new tribe of SUPERS! 2 boys & (1) der.woman!!

And as cheesy as it sounds, the only real bummer of the night was that our little wonder woman wasn't with us (in the flesh at least) to share in our family fun! She did kick the whole time though, as if to say...don't forget about me! Don't worry little girl, we haven't and next year you'll be right in the mix! Can't wait!

Griff & Ry got cookies ready for Santa before bed and I got cookies ready for my 3 favorites!

And the cookies must have done the trick because Santa left some good loot for 2 little boys who made the "nice" list!

We opened & played the rest of the day!

Meet BIG chomp & lil chomp, the newest members of our family. Both boys went to sleep with lil & BIG respectfully tonight.

Last but not least, my favorite gift, hand wrapped & painted by G himself at preschool. So cute!

Love these boys. Love this family. Love spending the day at home with them. LOVE celebrating the reason for every teeny little JOY we have, Jesus, with them!

Christmas with the Richards

Since I was a little lady my family has always celebrated UN-Christmas Christmas. Not "UN" in meaning we didn't celebrate the Christmas holiday, we just never have celebrated on Christmas because we were always headed to or in Nebraska on the 24th & 25th! This year we celebrated the weekend before starting with an all adults dinner downtown Chicago at the ever so chic "Paris Club". It was a fun experience and we all got to try some new and interesting food. Ryan, Ali & Julie all tried (and didn't particularly enjoy...haha) their first mussel.

Ali trying to recover after swallowing that deliciously slimy morsel!

It was so nice to just have some "adult" time with everyone in the fam as it is rare and precious to Ry & I these days!

My cute parents, happy to hang with their kids! And we did a "cheers" to Wayno, the birthday boy, and all shared our favorite memories of him!

Then the next morning we did what all sane people who have only slept 2 hours (thank you Beanie:)!) do...we headed down to the city to run (walk) a 5K in support of this little Christmas Arthritis Elf, Al! She was the poster child for the Juvenile Arthritis Foundation this year and got to start the race! The whole fam, lots of friends and neighbors made it out to walk and grab some Christmas cheer! She had another great year raising money in support of a great cause! Go Ali!

A taste of the first snow?? Yes, please!!

M & D:)

And to continue on with the fun, we headed home, warmed up, took naps, showered and had a little Christmas celebration at GG & Wayne's house with the little boys (only for one more year...next year they'll be a little lady, and a few pink things already showed up under the tree for her!)

the "kids"

Red TOMS shoes for 3 little boys from their amazingly cool Aunt! Not only did they donate another pair to a child in need, but these boys piggies will be quite in style for Husker games! (Ryan got brown ones from the boys & I!!...and on Baby C's list...the RED ones with sparkles...I can't wait to purchase them!!!!)

Boys & Aunt Al in RED!

ADORABLE cousins, matching jams!!!!

Grandpa time!

And, snuggles with Coop! He always has a smile, isn't he so sweet! It's so fun to see your siblings kids...I can see Julie & Andy in his little face! We all love having a cousin to share the holidays with!!

It was a LOT packed into 2 short days, but that's the way it always is with the holidays. We left feeling so thankful for family who love us no matter what and work hard to make each member of the crew feel special! Ry & I are both lucky to have parents who work so hard to make what little time we all have together memorable and special for everyone!

Meet 'cha back here next year Richards:)...

Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

XOXO,

the ecclestons

What Mary (& baby C) has been teaching me...

This morning I am up before either of my boys. I can't fall back asleep, so I am just sitting here nestled in bed enjoying the boxing match that's going on inside my tummy. I feel overwhelming bliss (and sometimes a little ouch! too) every time I get knocked. The anticipation of another 3 to 4 months to just hold her and have her in my arms seems way too long, yet I know in a blink of an eye, I'll be laying in this very bed (God willing) nestled in with her.

I SERIOUSLY CAN'T WAIT!!

And that statement is more than true. I am not a really good WAITER. Patience is one of those fruits of the spirit that I need to go pick and eat more of. There seems to be nothing "I" can do to make things go faster, BUT while I am waiting for things I have discovered I can create a lot of fear and worry. I can sit around and concoct detailed scenarios where this pregnancy ends in death and destruction for both of us. I can make myself sick with worry about not feeling kicks at the same time, birth defects that go along with having diabetes or the risks of having a 3rd C-section. It seems to me that part of this lies in just being a mother. It's our instinct from the beginning to protect and want our children to live full and happy lives with us.

I've been thinking and praying through this pregnancy for these feelings to subside though, even if just a little. I have a feeling this could be the last pregnancy for me, the last time I get the outrageous joy of feeling a baby inside of me. And even though I am not a person who just LOVES being pregnant, I do LOVE the privilege of it and behind all the challenges it presents to me, I feel overwhelmed at the fact that I was able to have children at all. I don't want to look back on these *short* months and realize I wasted the whole miracle happening inside of me, by letting fear consume it. I have found in 0 out of the last 3 pregnancies, that none of this worry has come to help me at all or change the outcome of the lives of my children. But old habits die hard I guess.

Christmas this year has landed smack dab in the middle of this pregnancy, right where I needed it (imagine that). Every year since I have been pregnant with Griffin I have found a whole new fascination with the details and amazement of this story. And this morning as I picked up my bible in the quite and started to reread that story over again I am overwhelmed at words and actions I have read thousands of times, yet seem to be new and meant for me in this season. The posture that Mary takes through the whole thing is such a smack in the head for me...

Luke 1:30

"But the angel of the Lord said to her, "Do not be AFRAID"

and then the angel goes on to detail out the plans the Lord has for her, and she responds...

Luke 1:38

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be as you have said."

I am blown away at her ability to just accept. Accept what is. Accept what is put before her. Trust that God has a plan. And I have way more to work with...ultrasound pictures, heart beat checks and the rest of the New Testament which lays out in great detail God's perfect plan for our lives and salvation. She also is a great example of knowing and living the fact that our children aren't ours but on borrow from the Lord, hard as it may be for us mother's to accept that sometimes. Think of the miracle she would have squandered away if she would have sat around analyzing and worrying. Now I am not carrying the son of God, but I just don't think I can afford to waste one of the biggest miracles that will ever happen to me on worry and anxiety either. I am so thankful that Mary's response was recorded in the midst of this huge event going on, and I am going to try and keep her faithful spirit as I journey through the rest of this pregnancy and mother the 3 little darlings I have. I am working on NOT letting fear consume this part of my life...and besides I should as least enjoy my nice thick head of hair, bigger cup size and the fact that I don't have to suck in my belly:)! There's lots of joy in this waiting season and the biggest one is probably RE learning to put my delicate heart in his hands and trusting that it is safe there.

Little Baby C:

Seriously, I CAN NOT wait to hold you. Dress you in pink ruffles & snuggle your newborn days away! The anticipation is killing me. Soon we will get to all this and more. You have already changed my life, and now you are teaching me and reminding me about living a life that isn't full of fear but confidence in God's plan. I hope that I can instill that back to you someday. I love you more than words could ever express already.

mom

Romans 8:15

December this year...

Christmas has already been so many things this year and we still have 2 weeks to go. It has been magical in a way that I haven't yet experienced with these two!

Decorating the tree in Griffin's room, you would of thought it was the one in Rockefeller Plaza by his face:)!

Griffin has been absolutely delighted by the whole Christmas hoopla this year. From decorating, to Santa, to Crafts at school, to talking about baby Jesus "in the swaddling clothes"

Baby Jesus in SWADDLING clothes made at church & his own "tivity" made at school

...he finds the up most magic in each shiny detail, each lyric of each carol, each sip of Christmas coco. Every year since he has been born this time of year has seemed to get better and better but this year with him taking the reigns on the excitement, it seems like we have hit the top. He's our little holiday CHEERmeister, and we could not love watching the THRILL anymore! Living it yourself doesn't quite seem to compare to watching your child experience joy!

As for little Beanie, don't worry, he's having a great time too. Anything that brings delight to Griffin is sure to summon a laugh from our little red head as well. He also loves de-ornamenting the tree and running around the house with the glitter ribbons that I strung around it, making the vacuum even closer to my heart (which is pretty close already)! One thing he did not really cherish...Santa. The photo below was taken right before he stuck out his lower lip and the tears began to flow...

Beanie mostly just "tolerated" the whole Santa experience this year. Waiting 45 minutes in line and then sitting on some guy with a beards lap wasn't his idea of a good time:)!

Although, he had some moments, like when he tried to escape from us and dart back through the line that he did love!

As for Ry & I, we're enjoying (& trying to stay sane through) all the details and planning that go into making a holiday sweet for your family! This year is our first Christmas to stay in our home and have it be just us. I feel SO GROWN UP all of the sudden. I am on my 3rd child though, so I guess it might be time! I ordered meat from the city meat market yesterday for our meal, and made a meal plan for the 2 days (a la "Grandma Richard") and it just got me so excited to share this year with my boys. We know we will miss our extended family though, so were doing a lot of cooking to keep them close. My Grandma Sapp always makes these little bites of gingerbready goodness, called Peppernuts...

and my Grandma Richard always had these on her cookie tray at Christmas...

home made snickers! YUM! And we are also going to try some carmel rolls of hers, that she made for Christmas morning and a pie recipe of Ryan's Grandma Benne! Don't worry, we are sharing the sweets, not eating them all ourselves! And I just have to say that my dear husband did a lot of the baking so far and plans on tackling the pie himself. At 11 the other night when we were still cutting and baking Peppernuts I asked him how glad he was I was dragging him into these traditions and he told me he really enjoys it. (Sometimes it's the little things that remind you that someone is perfect for you)!

And who knows what other new & silly things will pop up in this little family!

There are presents I can not wait for the boys to open under our tree and play with...hopefully with video camera in hand so I can remember those faces...

Thankful this year for little boys, a mom who taught me the importance of making holidays special, time with my family, the means to do it all, the delight that this time of year brings to everyone, my husband who I seriously adore, a new baby on the way to us and the baby that came all those years ago for us.

We are blessed!