this christmas.

we maybe barely pulled christmas off, in the midst of life being full and busy, but we did it.

and the kids had a blast.

i didn't get many photos this year, but are a few (sometimes blurry) moments from our christmas:







we hope you all had a very merry christmas, too!

this last year has been one full of its own difficulty, lots of transition, and so much grace.
as we reflect on the goodness of God that we have seen and felt this year, we are so excited to welcome in the new year, and we are sending our love and warmest wishes to each of you!

love.

12.3.13

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” 

― Norman Vincent Peale

it's official.
christmastime is here.

love.

thankful (it's never too late).

With Thanksgiving just recently passed, I've been pondering a lot on what it means to be thankful, and things that I'm thankful for. In doing this, I've realized how often I can fail to see how much there is to be thankful for, and have even been more conscious in looking for things as they arise.

And because of it, my heart is full.

While looking towards this (favorite) holiday season with much anticipation, I've found myself recalling our life last year--last year was riddled with ER visits and hospital stays.

It's times like this when I'm even more thankful for this little blog and the opportunity it's given me to chronicle our lives. This is from December thirteenth of last year:

so again, we wait. we wait until this works itself out, he gets better and we can go back home. it could be tomorrow, or a few days. with everything up in the air, again, life has been put on hold.

some good news is that we're back on the surgical floor, which means we are surrounded by nurses and NAs that know us well and greeted us as warmly as old friends would. in a way, it's a sort of homey being back here (please take "in a way" strongly for as you know, hospitals and homey are in no large way synonymous) and has been much easier of a transition knowing he is so well cared for, by people who know and care much for him.

although this is not what we had in mind for us right now, we are trusting that this is not in vain, that there is a purpose in this. and again, we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of care, concern and encouragement by you all. knowing there are so many praying for us has been freshly humbling.

what a strange mix of hardship and joy it is to experience so many practical expressions of God's love for us through your calls, texts, scriptures, emails and visits. we are grateful beyond words, and feel utterly undeserving of this love from so many wonderful people.

it has made this ordeal not only bearable, but peaceful. and has made me newly aware of how richly blessed we are.

It seems so long ago that I wrote this. So far away from the reality that we find ourselves in now, and yet this was our life up until just a few months ago.

In reading this, it struck me--if we could be so thankful in such a season, how much more should we be in the present?

Somehow I still find myself lacking thankfulness sometimes. But today, my joy and contentment in this new chapter of our lives has only increased, as I think of all that we have. And that although it is by no means easy or perfect, it is so very full of hope and evident of God's grace.

God loves his children well. For them, there is always hope. And there is always grace.

And that alone is reason enough to be thankful.

love. 

pumpkinspicecookiecakedrops

i love pumpkin. so much, in fact, that i stocked up throughout the holidays and now have an abundance of cans in my pantry. this calls for imagination.

i'm not sure what to call these, really. the've been called cookies, cakes, cupcakes, cake cookies and who knows what else. so, i call them everything. because whenever i choose one descriptive word, no one ever seems to know what i'm talking about.

they're simple. and good[ish] for you. and delicious. at least i think so.*

pumpkin spice cookiecakedrops


ingredients
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 box yellow cake mix
2/3 tsp. ground cinnamon
ginger, cloves & nutmeg to taste
turbinado sugar (or cane sugar)

directions
heat oven to 350 degrees. in a large mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients until just combined. using a tablespoon, drop batter onto a greased cookie sheet. bake for 10-14 minutes. when it seems they are just about done, sprinkle sugar over the tops and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

let cool, and eat. and don't feel guilty. you're welcome.

*i need to add a little disclaimer here--this isn't a decadent dessert by any means. you kind of need to dive into these with the mindset that they're pretty good for you. and, they tend to stay slightly gooey and pretty dense. and wonderful.

love.

thanksgiving surprises.

yes, this is late, but i hope you had a pleasant holiday weekend. ours was full. full of thankfulness (we have so much to be thankful for this year), family, food, and surprises.

i've always loved thanksgiving.
okay, i love thanksgiving because it means that christmastime is here (once it's over, that is). and i really love christmas. i always have. i get pretty excited about it. and can tend to be impatient waiting for the fun and festivities to start.

but even in my impatience, i didn't expect it start so soon.

friday afternoon, nick and ben went out to run errands and left with a cryptic "i need to work on something, so we might be awhile."

away they went, and awhile they were. awhile full of thwarted online christmas shopping efforts and a sick, teething (read: ornery) toddler. as nighttime approached, i even got a little worried (yes, sometimes i'm a worrywart).

they got home just fine. they meaning nick, ben, and this little face.

our reaction? coen was thrilled. i was confused. we had decided that a cat would be much more inline with our lifestyle for this season than a dog was/would be. we also decided that we would wait until the new year to start looking. obviously, that decision was to keep my kitty-loving heart at bay. as in, allowing me to be free from looking at shelter websites for hours on end.

tycho is perfect for our little family. he's fitting right in. and i'm over being shocked. now, i'm in love.

____

saturday afternoon, two of my dear friends showed up with this (minus the decorations):

it's so humbling, and yet so wonderful to have people in our lives who care so much they even think to bless us with a christmas tree, let alone actually buy one for us. and it's a bushy, plump beauty. it's lovely.

what a wonderful start to our christmastime.