January 2018!

Welcome, welcome new year.  Many times I have felt the burden of the unknown lying ahead of me as I enter the new, blank calendar year.  I have felt the need to somehow grab hold, slow down the passage of time and call by name what is present before it all flows down that rapid river.  But this year? It snuck in, we made friends before I even knew it had begun, and the river carried me away swiftly through the succession of events & activities.  I do not begrudge the river time it's rushing, but I will decide that today is as good a day as any for me to declare the goodness of the Lord in the year past, and in the year to come! Amen.  Thank you Lord for the gift of a new year, 2018, in which you will never cease to surprise me with all you make out of all the little I bring. Amen!

Winter in Florida is often a sneaky guest, staying only a few days only to retreat into some hidden lair waiting to surprise us again with a 3 day cold snap.  Not this year!  This year we experienced an actual, cold season.  We had more than one freeze, and some hard freezes that killed plants previously undeterred the last 6 years.  I personally enjoyed it, and I loved the change of pace that winter ushers in.  The lingering in a place of warmth, the wonderful renewal of a hot meal on a cold day, the extra layers of clothes are all welcome in my house.  How lovely to have a cold January.

The new year helped us start some new traditions.  David transitioned to his toddler bed one month before his 2nd birthday.  It came with the swift loss of his paci as well, and my baby grew by leaps & bounds in that month.  He's officially a big boy now, and our crib that he crawled out of one-too-many-times now stands empty.

Calvin is buried in a giant pile of twin sized down comforters because our PBK closed it's doors and put them on sale!  I bought 5, haha. We began sleeping with big sized blankets in their beds in addition to their crib sized blankets from when they were babies.  This FL winter actually needed a blanket!

I'm so thankful for this fresh anthem for our new year! I pray that for Today. That TODAY, we will hear His voice.  I pray that when we do, that we will not harden our hearts, but listen & move in obedience. TODAY.

My Calvin looking like a grown man in his hunting hat, dress clothes & flip flops!  What a Florida boy; I love him so!

We get to celebrate Zara's birthday the day before James', so its always extra fun for us!

I loved going to lunch with our birthday boy & my best friend.

I had such fun wrapping his gifts this year- the brown paper that keeps on giving!

What child asks for breakfast in bed when they turn 8!? Well, James came up with it all by himself, and his awesome Daddy gave him the best spread I've seen!  His favorites: pancakes with syrup, chocolate milk, & lucky charms cereal. He got the inspiration from watching me get something in bed for mother's day I think, the previous year.  That kiddo hung on to his dream, but in the end, he said it was too hard to eat in bed! haha. "it was too wiggly'. True words.

Birthday celebration for James was a Ninja party!  His favorite, Lego Ninjago, was his theme.  He really wanted to take karate lessons, but I did find a karate instructor to come to our house and give a lesson for the party!  But, turned out that he got sick and had to cancel.  We had a last minute stand in, and boy oh boy did our boy have a great time.

I made candy sushi & peanut butter&Jelly sandwich rolls for our snacks. They turned out super cute!

Introducing.... Bobbi Karate!  Our good friend Zac stepped in to lead games for us at James' party, and it was a huge success.  It may not have been karate lessons, but it was a ton of fun!

Mimi made probably my favorite cake of all time for James.  Gosh my buddy looks so big standing up on his chair.  I'm so glad he still likes having me make him a 'number' shirt for his birthday.  I keep asking if its something they each want, and they always say yes! :-)

Who can pick up the most mini marshmellows with chopsticks in one minute??? haha, the kids who stab the marshmallows on the chop stick and pull them off with their fingers.  Or maybe the ones who just grab a handful... hahah! Such a fun game.

A fun crew to celebrate with!

Our Jacksonville Jags were in the playoffs, so we had to show some spirit!  It was a little harder than I thought it would be to find t-shirts for them to wear, but oh well.  Go Jags!  They didn't make it to the big game, but we were proud anyway.

Young Life club for Orange Park High- first club of the year was donut club!  Who doesn't love Krispy Kreme??  What an awesome group.

I had to document this moment with a photo; Hayden offered to share his ice cream with me!  He loves ice cream almost as much as I do, so I felt very honored.  I tried to decline, but he insisted. What a sweet kiddo.

We got a sweet visit with some of our Michigan friends! the Jundts!  I don't have as many friends with kids who are my younger ones ages, so it is always fun for them when they have their own playmates who come over.  Even though at this age, they don't play together but rather around each other. haha!  They are as cute as they can be.

Thanks for always making time to come visit & catch up!

Lord, thank you for days gone by that we can look back on with gratitude.  No matter how long it has taken me to finish sorting and organizing the pictures, no matter how short the words written, the preservation of our memories is worth whatever I can manage.  Thank you for energy to go back and pick up where I left off.  Thank you for a new year that I get to spend with my children.  Thank you for the one life you have given each of us; help us to use it for your glory.  Thank you for how absolutely beautiful my one life is in my own eyes.  Full of your grace and the little gifts you give, Lord. Amen.