most enjoyable of 2011

{see 2009 and 2010 posts}

january. we begin to seek and ask and wait to hear from the Lord about a lot of things.

snow fun!

february. clarity.

preparing for a new brother and loving the one they already had.

 

march. beginning to flesh out faith and trust in a whole new way.

will is here! 

 

april. we wait in obedience and watch as the Lord provides in ways that blow our mind.

and the boys initiate will into their brotherhood. 

may. life seemed to all come together for a bit.

celebrated these two guys turning two and four. 

june. new light shed on old things.

oh the beach!

july. a hard month all around. the start of a new beginning.

the boys and i shared LOTS of time together while daddy traveled.

august. better understanding my role with my boys.

finishing out the summer!

september. a beautiful season of restoration and endurance.

and the boys both start school! grey in a 4 day pre-k and tuck in 2 day MMO.

october. quiet moments lead to big decisions.

lots of fire pit evenings.

november. experiencing tangible grace.

attempted instilling gratefulness into our boys. spent some good time together.

december. reveled in the greatness of God and His activity in our hearts, lives, and family this year.

enjoyed the season celebrating our Savior's coming to earth as a baby. "it's good news!!!!" as tucker has exclaimed all month. it truly is. very good news.

i reflected on 2011 here. only 10 months in to 2011. and i was right, the last two months matched the rest of the year. 

we sat around a table with coffee and dessert the night that matthew turned 31 and talked about highlights from the year. all i know is God is working working working to make Himself famous in our hearts. sometimes it really stinks and is really hard. other times we bask in joyous circumstances. He's using all sorts of avenues but when it comes down to it, He just wants us to obey Him. to know Him and to obey Him. 

i can't wait to see what's in store for 2012.

it's not christmas until it snows

according to the grey bear, it isn't going to actually be Christmas this year until it snows. and until grey can throw snowballs with his cousins. he still thinks Christmas hasn't happened. you know, because it hasn't snowed yet. he's really caught up on this and cannot get past it. i guess that's what happens when the first Christmas he can actually remember was snow filled!

really though, we had a wonderful Christmas. it seemed to be the year of the superhero for grey and tuck. we are batman-ed and spiderman-ed out over here. they are loving it and i, in turn, am loving it. Christmas was a bit more simple this year and i hope it gets more simple in the years to come. that's the way it should be.

 

i'll let the pictures tell our 2011 Christmas story.

craft paper, cookies, and gifts

i decided to take the traditional, simple route this year and use craft paper to wrap all of our gifts. i also used yarn to tie on homemade "pom poms" as the boys like to call them. my mom gave me this idea. she used to make these when she was a youngster to attach to her boots :)  i also had the opportunity to make all of the tags when she came up for the day last week. we have loved the simple look under the tree and it was all so fun to make! 

we have also been using the craft paper to roll out, tape to the floor, and let the boys color the day away! you can't beat a gigantic roll for $10! it's going to last for quite a while.

the boys got to decorate their big gingerbread men yesterday morning and had a blast. they even gave them a kiss at the end.

our next to last advent box was exciting. the boys got to open their gift from us! after breakfast we sat by the tree and they took turns opening their gifts. grey got a double spin wheel spiderman toothbrush. he was so incredibly thankful! it was precious. tucker got a hexbug habitat which both boys played with all morning. willster got a wooden car carrier which they all also enjoyed.

matthew and i just sat back and thoroughly enjoyed watching the joy on their little faces.

we all sat by the tree this evening before bed time with all of the lights off (except for the tree of course) and sang "silent night" together. then matthew reminded us all of what is on top of our tree, the star. that Jesus is the light. that Jesus has come to earth. that He is our Savior and He is alive today! amen and amen. what a season to celebrate!!!

december highlights

{out take from our christmas card photo session} 

december is flying by. just a snapshot of a few highlights.

1. christmas viewings. the boys love charlie brown christmas. even daddy joins in!

2. christmas baking. tucker, for one, has thoroughly enjoyed himself.

3. multi-tasking. tuck even fell asleep up top.

3. family walks.

6. christmas party. two grown men in their jammies.

7. a mid-week visit from marmie and gram! 

 

8. christmas performance at school. oh, this was the greatest! and will was in awe.

9. paper chains. 

10. christmas picnic by the fire. with LOTS of lights.

11. being together more often than normal.

12. a christmas baby and a tired gus!

happy decembering to you!