LILY'S SEVEN

Today my oldest baby is seven years old.  Right at this moment, she's hovering around me eating goldfish out of a bowl with constant reminders from me to chew with her mouth closed.  Such is the glorious life of a newly crowned seven year old.

First grade is treating her well, and I am continually amazed while watching her grow and develop.  Having a front row seat is such a privilege.

I decided to ask her some questions from year to year starting this year, and she had some further questions she thought we should add - those are starred.

Favorite Color:  Rainbow
Future Career:  Lots of Things
Current Ambition:  To Play Soccer
Favorite Flavor:*  Chocolate
Favorite Food:  Treats and mostly cake
Favorite Book:  Magic Tree House books
Favorite TV Show:  Disney Jr.
Favorite Restaurant:  Marketplace Grill
Favorite Thing to Do:  Playing in the Woods
Favorite Place to Go:  Disney World, Legoland and Silver Dollar City
Favorite Animal:*  Cheetah
Favorite Letter: * "L"
Favorite Month:* January
Favorite Day:*  Saturday
Favorite Number:*  Nine ("because my birthday is on the 9th!")



This age really is so fun and snaggle-toothed.  We are so thankful for our sweet Lily girl and the precious person God is shaping her to be!  Happy Birthday, Lily!

(Updated to add:  how did I just find out that today is also Duchess Catherine's birthday?!?  That's a good person to share a birthday with.)

FINDING THE HOLINESS IN MOTHERHOOD

Seven years ago today I was in labor with our oldest daughter.  I entered motherhood in slow, stilted fashion that included a lot of ice chips and vomit and shivering.  Sufficed it to say, I was not a fan of that particular experience, but the end result was so beautiful.  Baby Lily entered the world and the magic of parenthood engulfed and encircled us.

There was someone that was part of both John and I.  We were mother and father, where before, we had only been Carol and John and wife and husband.  It changed everything.  The opportunities to lay down self when parenting are myriad and endless.  Even last night, I was awakened in the middle of the night by pitiful yelling from a twin, and I was not exactly pleasant about the whole thing.

But oh, there is beauty and joy and holiness found in these halls of parenthood.

It catches me at strange moments, and my breath stops for an instant.  Is this real?  Do I really get to do this?  God entrusted these children to me, and that is staggering.  They are each so unique and have different talents and quirks that we see develop into greater detail as time rolls forward.



The hardness of it all makes it more refining.  There is a monotony that comes with laundry and meal planning and housework and discipline.  But this week, I've seen the holiness reflected in the work.  I'm setting things back to order, just as Adam and Eve did in the garden.  I tend this place and these people, and it is good work that mirrors the great work that God does in this world.  He makes order out of chaos.

Since my house is regularly chaos, I get a lot of opportunities for this kind of work.

I'm thankful for the gift to see this job for what it is - a gift.  I don't always feel this way, so when I can reframe it all to see the ways that God manifests himself in what so many of my hours are made up of, gratitude swells in my heart.

And just as these first seven years of parenting have flown by, I'm sure will the next seven years and beyond.  This parenting gig is forever, but these hard, honed in years are in reality pretty few.  I'm hoping and praying that God continues to give me glimpses of himself through it all as we seek to point our children toward him.

IT'S THE BEGINNING

2016 is here, and I must say, I do love new beginnings.  It feels fresh and a bit foreign to not know what 2016 will hold.  Where will we go?  What will happen, good and bad?  Some years I feel like I have a better hold on what will take place, and while I do have a few (mostly) certainties in mind, there seems to be a bit more blank space than in the past.

I like the blank space and the breathing room it provides.  There is a sense of optimism that sets in, knowing that God will shape us and grow us more this year.  And though that often involves pain and hardship, it is good.  I know there will be laughter and tears and joys and trials.  That is life.

I also feel that the beginning of the year is a good time to re-examine certain things in my life and take stock.  John and I are planning to sit down and revisit some of our family priorities together, and I'm looking forward to that.  And, as far as myself personally, it's a nice time to decide where to make changes or stay the course.

I don't like making "resolutions."  The reasons for this are many-fold and probably a bit silly.  I have a natural bent against doing whatever everybody else is doing.  My drive to be original and do things my own way is overly developed and can sometimes railroad my better self.

That said, I am resolving a few things this year.  Towards the end of last year, I began changing some of my eating habits for the better.  Nothing drastic, but basically - less sugar, more vegetables.  I wasn't a horrible eater to start with, but I could be considered a lazy one.  I'm also trying to trickle this down to the kiddos to set us all up for success.  This will always and forever be an on-going battle, because there are so many of us and so many meals in a week.  It's a bit overwhelming when I think of it like that.  BUT, one day at a time, we will be eating moderately better.  That's about the best I can hope for right now, and I'm good with that.

Another thing that I would really, really, really like to have happen this year is a re-organization/de-cluttering in our home.  Again - we are not hoarders in any sense of the word, but there are things that could stand a tune-up and spots in our home that would function better with some time and attention. I often read the Modern Mrs. Darcy blog for book recommendations, and on her advice, I downloaded the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.  I'm not naturally the best organizer, so I'm hopeful that getting a better game-plan will help my cause.  I'll also recruit John, because he is fantastic at cleaning and organizing.

On a personal/spiritual note, I think that one of my mantras this year will be "Live Lower."  Last year was a big year to realize how much injustice there is in the world, and how often I am receiving the good things.  Life is unfair, and I am a beneficiary of that system in many ways.  While I do understand that many of the perks that I enjoy are blessings from the Lord, I want to do a better job at examining my heart and motives in decisions I make.  I'm not at all sure what this will look like or how I will know that I have made any progress whatsoever.  However, I'm trusting that God will guide my heart, and I am hoping that it looks more like his at the end of this year.

I hope that 2016 is dawning well in your part of the world!

COLORADO CHRISTMAS TRIP: HIGHS & LOWS

We drove over 2,000 miles in the past week, most of it with our children.  I certainly am glad the driving is done, but I do miss Colorado.  It's so very beautiful.  Here are the highs and lows of spending some holiday fun time there.

Low:  It takes a very long time to get to Colorado.  The twins are not the best travelers, and it makes for long days in the car together where I feel like someone who is waiting on completely illogical, unreasonable people for hours on end.  That part is not necessarily enjoyable.

(Violet and I held hands A LOT this trip.  She has a pincer like grasp, even while sleeping.)

(We cleared out a restaurant this night #subtletyisourspecialty.)

Low:  So much of the driving is across Kansas, which is notably un-notable.




High: We did our third Christmas upon arrival, which was a delight to my children.

(I gave my MIL a nativity necklace that matched mine, and we twinkied at church the next day.)

High:  We drove into the mountains for an afternoon of sledding fun for everyone.  It didn't take too long to get to the snow.

Low:  You may or may not have noticed that the twins are not pictured in the snow.  We got them out of the car and got them mostly suited up.  However, they were not the least bit interested in wearing hats or gloves.  Which meant that their little hands were turning bright red with cold, and they both began freaking out.  They screamed and screamed and no amount of coaxing or even a warm fire at the bottom of the hill could convince them to be outdoors.  It was pretty awful.  They spent the rest of the time in the car with an incredibly gracious Grandma who did end up with a warm front row seat to the fun.


(happy to be in the car after John and I each carried a screaming twin up a hill #pleaseneveragain)



High:  The kiddos loved time with Grandma and Grandpa!

High:  We had dinner at my favorite restaurant in town.



Low:  It was frigid cold for the entirety of our visit.  This meant much more time indoors, especially since the twins did not exactly do well in winter gear.

High:  Game nights and other fun with John's parents.

High:  We did have a lot of sweet family moments together, and I'm so thankful for those.



(photo cred to Lily)

High:  I got to see two out of three of my sibs which was brief but fun.



Low:  Our final drive home was probably the worst.  Everyone was pretty much over the driving.  We did get to witness first hand some of the flooding that is taking place across our state.



All in all, it was a great trip.  Thanks, Lenny and Sharon, for being such excellent hosts- we love y'all!

It's good to be home.  Now, if only all of the laundry would do itself.