LILY TURNS SIX

Today marks the 6th anniversary of me becoming a mother, because our precious Lily is turning six today.  Six!  This morning John and I were remarking on how it has gone so quickly, and yet, it feels like we have done a lot of parenting in the last six years.  That is probably due to the fact that we have four children and have for almost two years now.  Amazing.  It's all amazing, really.

But, today is Lily's day.  Our sweet, spunky, caring, creative, energetic Lily is six years old!

(Those eyelashes have always been to die for.  When she was a baby, people would ask if I had put mascara on her.  And I would stare at them blankly, wondering if they had ever tried such a thing with a squirmy baby.)

It's so fun to see her blossoming in school and beginning to get a grasp on how life works.  Yesterday, she was explaining to me that her teacher told them they could wear black and yellow today, like bumblebees.  She said she had no idea why, but everyone was going to do it.  There had been no communication home about this, so around 9:30 last night, I texted a fellow mom who I knew would be in the know.  This morning, I got word that the school spelling bee is today, and they were, indeed, supposed to dress with black and yellow.  Since we were the Bug Squad at Halloween and Lily is pint-sized, she was able to wear William's 2T shirt to school today.  And her antennae from when she was a bee several years ago.  (The pictures of baby bee Bella and Lily are pretty precious!)  That closet full of randomness does come in handy.

It was a good reminder that she is listening and usually has a good idea of what is going on, even if she can't clearly explain it.  In the past couple of weeks, we've had some neat discussions about spiritual matters, and it is exciting to see her start to ask questions and grow in faith.  I love this age and have a feeling it is only going to get more fun with her.

We have a butterfly birthday party scheduled for this weekend and grandparents on the way into town as I type.  I do love a good celebration, and Lily informed me this morning that I still have a lot of work to do for her party, so I better get at it.

We love our Lilynoscerous so very much.  Happy birthday!

THE GIFT OF PRAYER

I didn't receive many Christmas presents this year, which suits me just fine.  Gift-giving/receiving aren't a big deal to me.  We draw names among siblings in the family to cut down on gifts to buy, and this year, my brother had my name.  About 2 weeks before Christmas, my SIL texted me asking what I wanted.  Before I had a chance to respond, she said - "Never mind.  Mike already has something for you."

A few days before Christmas, Mike (my bro) texted asking what I wanted.  This seemed strange based on the previous texts, but I didn't think too much about it.  I suggested some sort of PJs, and he asked for my sizes and preferences.

Christmas morning did not bring PJs.  It brought one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever received.  My eyes immediately welled with tears as I opened it and recognized my father's handwriting.  After my dad died, my brother ended up with many of his journals, including his prayer journals.  Mike found a prayer page with things my father had prayed for me.  Then, Mike hand built - yes, handcrafted - a walnut frame for it.

I knew my dad had prayed for me, but seeing things he had specifically prayed and a verse that he had prayed was really encouraging on several levels.  It made me miss him, of course.  But, it also made me so thankful for the father I had - one that took time to go before the Lord on my behalf.  One that loved me enough to lift me up in prayer to the one that loves me the most.  It is quite humbling.

It was also a really valuable reminder to pray for my own children.  I pray for them, especially as issues arise.  But, this prayer page had specific things that he obviously returned to over the course of several years.  The back side had records on some of God's answers to the prayers, and my life is more proof of the ways that God answered his prayers.

I've returned to the verses he wrote several times in this new year - Ephesians 1:17-19.
 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might.

I hope this year to choose verses to pray over each of my children. It provides so much direction, and you just can't go wrong. This Christmas, I was so thankful to my brother for this extremely thoughtful gift and to my father who was such a wonderful example of what a parent can give to their children - the gift of prayer.  I am forever grateful.

FAMILY FUN DAY

Saturday morning we stayed in bed til almost 9.  That was definitely a gift.  The girls kept piling onto us, and we joked that they should pick out our clothes.  Lily asked which tie John wanted to wear, and when he said he wasn't going to work, she asked if it was Sunday.  What a telling question.  Because of the way things have gone, John hasn't taken a Saturday off since Bella's birthday in October.  But - he wanted to spend time with everyone before Lily headed back to school today, so he initiated a Family Fun Day.

And it was so fun to just be together and not have anything major we had to accomplish or celebrate.

We headed to Flying Fish for an early lunch, and everyone enjoyed their fish and fries and crackers.




It was cold and rainy and generally yuck, so we opted for the Museum of Discovery, which turned out to be a delightful choice for all involved.  The kiddos all had a great time, and it really is fun to see the twins start to enjoy the things we do together.

William was having so much fun that he didn't want to leave.  He is perfecting the art of the silent protest where he just throws himself down on the floor and lays there pitifully.



We swung by Community Bakery for a few treats on our way home for a late nap.



Quality time is certainly one of my top love languages, and it was good for my soul to have unhurried, unscheduled time with everyone.  The rest of the weekend brought packing up Christmas, watching the first two Back to the Future movies (they travel to 2015, and it was really funny/fascinating to compare to actual 2015.  side-note - where are all of the flying cars?) and working on photo books.  It was low-key.  We did take away the babies' pacifiers, and they are doing okay.  Actually, Violet hasn't skipped a beat, but William is acting like he's in serious withdrawal.  The car is the worst place for this.  I've had to remind myself that he was screaming even with the paci, so giving it to him would not be the answer to all of our problems.  He disagrees.

I hope your new year is off to a great start!

2015: LET THE RE-GROUPING BEGIN

As I mentioned in my Adios, 2014 post, we are a bit on the worn out side.  I feel like we are starting out 2015 at a crawl.  For the first time ever, midnight on New Year's Eve found us in bed, sound asleep.  We watched the ball drop in New York (and by "watched the ball drop", I mean that John saw the ball drop and I slept through it with my head on his lap) and then headed for bed.

We were wild.

A quick glance around our house would reveal that we are about a quarter of the way through cleaning up Christmas.  We've been at home a lot this week, and there are toys strewn about in odd places.  There are returned Christmas cards that need to be re-sent, but I haven't mustered the resolve, especially since we are way past Christmas at this point.  I went to the grocery store with all four kiddos and managed to *not* get bread, milk or eggs, all of which we needed.  Violet and I have been doing her breathing treatments 3 times a day, which is no fun for anyone involved.  That's what this week has held.

As we look ahead, we are hoping for a bit more "stability" in 2015 - we will be trying not to add anything more significant this year.  In 2013, we added two more children to our family.  In 2014, we added another restaurant.  In 2015, we would like to add nothing.  I know that we do not get all of the say in this - I know that we are at God's mercy for all things, good and bad.  But - I do know that we will not be actively seeking anything out.

We will be trying to regroup.  Actually, as I look at what I hope 2015 holds, it seems like it will be a lot of "re"-doing.  On the shallow side of life, I'd love to redecorate some areas of our home.  Some things feel a bit tired and are wanting a refresh.  This house is the first place that we have lived long enough to get the chance to re-do parts of it that we already did the first time.  Our free-standing restaurant will also be getting a mini refresh - though, thankfully, we are not in charge of it.  I can't believe it's been open almost 8 years!

On a more personal note, John and I are looking to reconnect a bit this year.  The last couple of years have been exhausting and leave us needing a refresh, and we will get to celebrate our 10th anniversary. We already have a trip on the books, and we are very much looking forward to it!  We'd also like to slow down a bit and re-align our family time.  John and I both have a bent toward productivity, and it might be nice to get slightly less "stuff done" and have slightly more time together as a family.

Spiritually, I'd like to reapply myself to God's word.  I think that the fact that I've been a Christian for most of my life helps me take the Bible for granted.  I'm praying to see it in a fresh light this year and spend more time studying it.

Honestly, I really don't know what all this year will hold.  I'm sure there will be healthy doses of good and bad, like most years.  At the end of the day, I really want to serve God more with my heart and life.  I'm hoping and praying that he will work in and through our hearts and lives to make us more like him.  I realize anew each day how selfish I really am.  I love myself, and rooting that out of my life is a daily battle that I often lose.  Only God can win it, and I'm praying that in 2015, there will be a few more victories.

Let the re-grouping begin.