Christmas Pics 2012

 Merry Christmas!  

Mine and all the kids' first Christmas ornaments.  

Living with an eternal perspective

Eternity.  

It matters now.  The question is:  do I live as if eternity matters now?  Is living in the presence of God only reserved for my quiet times, or Bible study, or can I actually live in His presence and see His hand working, even in the middle of dirty diapers and messy floors?  This is something that God has been speaking to me personally about.  Intertwining the reality of life here on Earth with the reality of eternal life, a life to come.  It's more than intertwining, though.  More than overlapping.  More than just including.  It's really like they are just one life.  The life God has called me to.  A life that I want, more than anything, to be lived for the Glory of God.

I just started a Bible study a couple weeks ago, and we're in the middle of studying Hebrews.  The opening paragraph for Hebrews 11 says this:  "Elizabeth Barrett Browning expressed her faith when she wrote, 'Earth's crammed with Heaven and every common bush afire with God.'  She suggests that those who have such perception are blessed by the awareness of 'hallowedness,' which others never dream of.  Such faith can lift us from the mundane.  Those we read of in Hebrews 11 'saw' beyond earthly tasks and trials.  They are among the blessed--as we, too, can be."

Wouldn't that kind of perception make a difference in the dailyness of life?  It would change the way I respond to my kids when they don't obey.  It would change the way I approach the mountain of laundry or cleaning the kitchen.  It would especially change the way I reflect Jesus to those around me.  For my kids to see how Jesus loves them because I respond to them and teach them with an eternal perspective?  All day, every day?  What a difference it would make!

So, I'm including pictures of bath time.  Lets just say I have never liked giving the kids a bath.  I certainly have never viewed it with an eternal perspective.  I used to cry every time I had to give the kids a bath when I was pregnant.  I hated it.  But, oh, what a difference a change in perception makes!  There is life, there is joy, there is beauty, and most certainly there is fun going on in this bath tonight!  And to think, I almost missed it:)

Boaz is 11 months old!

Getting so big!

I could not get a picture of you laying on your back next to the 11 month sign:(  You are too fast!  The more I rolled you back over, the more you giggled and thought it was a game!  And boy, do you like to giggle and laugh!

Here's a little bit on how you've changed since last month:

*You are eating a lot more "table" food.  I guess you just had to get used to it.  You eat bits of bread, cereal, beans, green beans, corn, squash, or whatever else I think you might like.  I've even given you cheese and it didn't seem to bother you.  Maybe you're getting over your dairy allergy.  That would be awesome!

*You are pulling up on everything, all the time.

*You are doing the real crawl most of the time, instead of the scooting/army crawl.

*You have been in size four diapers for a few months now, I just never recorded that bit of info.  And you have been wearing size 12 month clothes since you were 9-10 months. 

*You sleep with a pacifier and blanket.  You always grab and snuggle the blanket as soon as you lay down.  I switch up the blankets so that *hopefully* you don't become attached to one like your sister.

*Your sleeping schedule is changing up a bit as you grow older.  Lately, you've not been going back to sleep after waking up at 5:00 for your bottle.  You just play and squeal in your crib, waking/keeping everyone in the house up!  Then, you've also decided that maybe you don't always want a morning nap.  You are getting to the age that the girls started taking only one nap a day.

*You are still the most content, easy-going, loves-to-have-fun baby!  I love walking into your room to get you and I see you holding onto the bars of your crib, bouncing and smiling and full of excitement!

*You get THE.MOST.EXCITED. about baths!  You squeal and splash and have the best time!

*You are still the biggest cuddle-bug.  It doesn't matter who is holding you.  You love to cuddle.

*You just started getting disciplined when it comes to touching things you shouldn't.  You are quickly learning what "don't touch" means!  

*I can't believe you will be 1 soon.  That just doesn't seem right.  We love you so much, sweet boy!

 Your big sister, Rylie, let me take some pictures of her too.  I couldn't pass up that rare opportunity!

God brings us friends

Sometimes God brings people into our lives when we least expect it and aren't even looking for it.  Yvonne is one of those people.  We met last September while her son, Evan, and Rylie were in the same gymnastics class at the Y.  I wasn't out looking for new friends, but it happened as if God threw us together.  Yvonne was fairly new to the United States and still in the process of plugging in here.  We became instant friends and have been hanging out nearly every-other week since.  Evan calls Jordan and Rylie "his girls" and has the best personality of any little kid.  So, a year later, I had the privilege to *try* and capture my beautiful friend and her family in photos.  I told her that she better have a back-up...that it's not too late to schedule a real photographer!  She was very gracious, as I had no idea what I was doing...we even joked that I should be watching the other photographers out at the nature center that evening and do what they were doing!

Here are just a few of Yvonne and her family.  I especially like the way her face lights up when playing with Evan:)

Boaz at 10 months

I know this is looking like a blog dedicated to Boaz, but it seems his monthly update is the only thing I'm *trying* to stay caught up with.  Last week, Bo turned 10 months!  

Bo, this is getting quite redundant, but I must keep saying what a great baby you are.  I have been the most spoiled mom:)

We've discovered this month that you are extremely social (wonder who you get that from?).  You and Jordan are a lot alike with this.

You are the most cuddly little guy.  You show affection even at this young age by cuddling and "kissing" whoever is holding you.  Kisses = chewing on another's chin/face.

You do not seem to be partial to mommy or daddy (or anyone else for that matter).

You do not like to be left alone in a room.  You're content, though, as long as someone is with you.  You squeal with delight at seeing other kids play, as if you can hardly contain yourself!

You love to laugh and are good at copying someone else when they laugh.  You are also learning to mimic sounds, one of which is da-da.  Daddy might just be your first word:)

You seem to get scared fairly easy, so that's a lot like Jordan, too.

The army crawl is your mode of transportation.  You know how to crawl, but just don't prefer it...again, just like Jordan:)

Right after you turned 9 months, you started moving from a laying down position to sitting.  You are also pulling yourself up.

At your doctor's visit a few weeks ago, you weighed 18 pounds (below avg.), were 28.25 inches (below avg.), and had a head circumference of 18.5 inches (86%--above avg.--like Jordan).

I'm beginning to see a pattern of you being a lot like Jordan as a baby:)

You are slowly starting to eat more regular food, but mostly it's been cheerios and peas.  You just don't like it that much.

You take two naps a day and sleep fairly well at night--usually in bed by 7:00 and up by 5:00 (Yeah, still way too early for me!)  I put you back to bed in the am, but you're usually awake by 7:00-7:30 anyway.

I love you so much and so do your sister's and daddy.  We are blessed to get to have another month with you sweet boy!