My Favorite Tradition!

Tonight kicked off one of my most favorite times of the year...Christmas gatherings with family. When I was a kid we had so many places to be all in the same day, the 25th, so when I got married I set out to do things a bit differently. I don't like to be in a rush to open gifts or rush my time spent with family. I just want to soak it in and fellowship. Thankfully, it's almost always gone my way since getting hitched almost 8 years ago. ;-) This year is no exception...we had Christmas with Jeremy's parents tonight. I so wish my brother and sister in law and nieces and nephew from Arkansas were here to join us, but I am so glad that one brother and sister in law and two nephews are here! Tomorrow evening we have Christmas with the Sullivan clan...and boy are there lots of us! When I first met this bunch TEN years ago (wow time flies!), I was SO overwhelmed by the number of people in Jeremy's family. Ever seen a big flock of black birds flying together? Well, there's like 17,595 of them all at once...I used to tell Jeremy that's what his family was like. Fast forward to today and I couldn't be more thankful to be one of those black birds. :-P Anyhow, Friday morning we will have Christmas at our house with my family and we will visit my dad's side of the family around lunch. I'm so excited for JohnDavid to open gifts this year! I can't wait to see the look on his face when he gets a JEEP and a real beta fish (that I hope I don't kill)! Life is really so much more fun with a kid!

I wanted to share an ornament tradition that my mother started with us. Every year for as long as I can remember, my mom has given us (my brother, me, Jeremy got added to the list when we got hitched, and JohnDavid now as well!) an ornament for something that was significant from our year. For instance, when I turned 16 and got a drivers license, my ornament that year was Santa driving a red convertible (the only red convertible they would buy me). Or the year I got a cell phone, I have an ornament with a mouse and a phone. She's bought us "just married" ornaments, "soon to be parents" ornaments, and SO many other special things. I just love love love this tradition. I also buy ornaments for Jeremy and JohnDavid. Here's a pic of a few ornaments to explain what I mean:

Top left: from my mom to us in 2012 when we both killed a deer. Top right: from us to JohnDavid this year to remember his tractor fascination. Middle left: from me to J in 2009 when he became a deacon. Middle middle: for us in 2011 when we got a motorcycle. Middle right: for J last year when he was on a workout obsession! ;-) Bottom left: J's love for grilling in 2010 and JohnDavid's obsession with Nemo this year from Ma, and bottom right: when J became a teacher at the college in 2009.

This year was a little hard for me to decide what to give Jeremy so I ended up just buying a family ornament. This ornament will always be special to me...it bears the short memory of our second baby. I couldn't decide what to write on the baby's hat so the lady that I bought it from just wrote Sullivan <3 . I suppose it'll do...although I've thought about erasing "Sullivan" and just putting the heart on there. I really am at peace with the Lord's sovereign plan for this child...but I find myself pondering tonight what the gender of our baby would be, what those kicks would feel like, how sweet that round belly would be, how JohnDavid would love this baby so much...

I hope that the Lord blesses my womb again someday, but should He choose not to, He is still good. I'm ever so thankful for the one blessing we have to hold each night and for the one blessing we will get to hold someday. 

What Christmas traditions do you have and love?

She's So Right...

I was reading an article from www.gospelcenteredmom.com just a moment ago and her article couldn't have been more relevant for me in this season of parenting. The saying "the days are long but the years are short" is oh so true. JohnDavid is now 20 months old...that's 4 months shy of TWO! I can't remember life before him and it seems as though I've always been his mommy, and yet it really does seem like he just got here! Anyhow, this stage of toddlerhood for us has it's difficult moments, hours, days, and weeks. As mommy, I'm included in the difficult moments. I'm not always the mother I should be. It takes so much persistence and consistency to parent, especially biblically, and though I'd like to think I'm doing a good job, there are times when I'm not simply because it's easier. I very much appreciate her aspect on disobedience and how sinful we all are, even those tiny precious babies of ours. ;-)

http://www.gospelcenteredmom.com/2015/12/parents-stop-expecting-your-kids-to-obey.html

Happy Friday, friends. We're off to our choir Christmas party.

Book Review

I meant to post this a while back but life happened. I wish sometimes that my brain could type out my blogs for me as I think them. ;-) I like New Years Resolutions (or goals)...I don't have a clue why because I don't keep any of them but I guess in my head new beginnings are encouraging. One of my goals for 2015 was to read LOTS of books (like 30!). Twenty months into this stay at home wife/mom thing and I'm still terrible at realizing how much time I have or don't have and how to use it. I'm going to tame my number down for next years' goal. Anyhow, I did FINISH a book recently and thought I'd review it a little bit.

The book was "Paper Towns" by John Green. I read "The Fault In Our Stars" and really liked it so I assumed I'd like this one too. WRONG. I really liked the plot but it didn't go anywhere at all. And the language was SO awful. Every word imaginable was used...GD, F, etc. and very crude sexual statements. I wanted to read a few more of his books this year but I'm really not getting in a hurry to do so after reading this one. I can't say that I won't give his books another try but it'll be a while!

I'm currently reading "See Me" by Nicholas Sparks. So far it's been great but Nicholas Sparks has a way of suckering me into these books that end terribly tragic. :-)

Your Grace Is Enough

I had an outpatient test done today and found myself increasingly nervous while on my way to the hospital. I'd shared my appointment with a few family members and a few friends a few weeks ago and asked them to pray while I myself have been praying as well. I asked those same people today to pray for me today before my test since I was nervous. I dropped JohnDavid off with my mom and continued on my way to the hospital. I wanted to sing to the Lord so I hit play on the CD player not knowing what was on there and every song I sang (5 in total before arriving at the hospital) was spot on to my heart, His glory, His will, His love, His peace...and by the time I arrived in the room awaiting my test I found myself no longer a ball of anxious nervousness. Jesus is the Author of Peace; He is Peace and I had peace today because I have Jesus. What about you? I'm so thankful to have a husband that prays for me and sends me encouragement straight from Scripture. I'm so blessed to have a godly man that always points me to Jesus. I'm so thankful for all of my family and friends that prayed for me today. I'm so thankful that the God of this Universe not only heard my petitions and the petitions lifted up on my behalf but He answered them! Doesn't that astound you? That the Creator of all things we know hears the prayers of His people and He answers them. I received very good news from my test and I'm also thankful for that, but like I shared yesterday: if God took everything I have away today He would still be good because of Who He is. I want so badly to be smitten with this God that loves me and you SO much. Christmas is a beautiful season and I love to spend this time of the year pondering more of Christ the King. Overwhelmed with thankfulness once again.

To God alone be the glory for the things He has done!!!! With His blood He has saved me, with His power He has raised me! To God be the glory for the things He has done!

THANKSGIVING!

We had an absolutely wonderful relaxing Thanksgiving and I hope you did too. We went to Lake Guntersville and stayed in a GORGEOUS lake house. It was so fun to have all my nephews and nieces, my sisters & brothers in law, and in-laws all in the same house. I am glad to be back home because all those kids together is pretty loud and eventually we'd need our own space! ;-) lol. All kidding aside, it was a great trip and I'm looking forward to the next one...which won't come nearly as soon as I'd like it to. The guys and kids loved fishing off the dock and the girls enjoyed the guys not being too far away! Our fishermen like to spend all day doing their hobbies so it was nice to be close.

I've been trying to get our Christmas tree up all week with not so much progress. I love this time of year but it takes a lot of time and energy to put up a tree(s). I'm not sure how those of you who go all out do it! 

I've been overjoyed with thankfulness to God this week for allowing me to stay at home with JohnDavid. I had someone tell me a few months ago that they'd never seen someone enjoy motherhood like I do. While I'm certain I'm not the only one who enjoys motherhood, she is right that I very much enjoy it. For as long as I can remember I've wanted to "just be a wife and mommy." I know I am so much more than "just a wife and mommy," but I don't desire anything else. And I owe it all the God. He's the Giver of all good gifts and I've certainly been blessed. I have to address Him being the Giver of good gifts though, if He took it all away tomorrow, He'd still be good because that's Who He is. 

I let JohnDavid "decorate" his tree today nstead of doing it for him and the outcome is indeed precious! He didn't want the ornaments hung on the tree but rather stuffed IN the tree. So, there's one side FULL of balls and an upside down snowman and another side with only the ornaments I hung. :-) I hope I remember the way he got so happy over this tree and how proud he was of himself. I hope I remember so much about this toddler stage...the way he signs "more" and "please", the way he says "I wuv oo", the way he runs/waddles, the way he squeezes our necks so tightly, the way he holds my hand, the way he belly laughs and squints his eyes when he's laughing, how tender hearted he is, how silly he is, how much of a jokester he is (and is going to be!), and oh those priceless kisses. Lord, please let my memory not fail me and let me soak all this in! 

Anyhow, time to go finish our tree *hopefully*!!! Happy Advent Season!