Christmas 2022

 Christmas 2022, it feels like just yesterday....except no, it doesn't, that's a complete lie.  it feels like forever ago, and it's only the beginning of February...still, there were highlights that are worth representing here.  lowlights too~ like a crazy cross-country winter weather event that kept Joelle in BC for the whole holiday.  she made the best of it, as she typically does, but we felt it for sure as all our plans of togetherness vanished hours before the flight was set to depart.  Hannah made it home later than planned too, but again, she rolled with it and we all stayed thankful that we were safe and cozy and well-fed.

a couple pictures to preserve the memories!

sweet baby C. was right in on the food prep that begins a couple days before Christmas.

Christmas Eve cookie decorating.  we all knew Layla would excel at this, but Jeff and the boys weren't too shabby at it themselves!

croquettes!

this was a new game i tried this year, thanks to my amazing friend Leisha who oozes creativity.  might have to be an annual thing.  it was really fun.  Layla proved to be the big winner here as well, this time by pure luck...

little brother loved having his big brother home again.  we all did.  Hudson is so good with him, and sweet baby C. was delighted by his attention.

new tools with lights and sounds.  perfect fit for this tool-loving kid.

sweet baby Jesus arrived in the manger right on schedule.  the best gift ever.  the reason for all of this.  

and a beautiful new painting from Layla this year.  my word, do i ever love it.  her best work yet i think.  so much detail and time put onto that canvas.❤

all things considered, even though plans changed and dear ones were missed, there was much to be thankful for.  

grateful and blessed.

December cuteness

 this sweet boy just brings such joy in the day to day. i hope this post conveys just the simple bliss, the everyday moments that make us and him happy. 

one of his favourite things to do is play with tools. especially when his daddy is doing the same.

 another is to drive to a local car lot on Sundays after church, where if you search at the back you can usually find a few "smashed up cars".  sweet baby C. routinely asks to go and see them, and he loves the potential stories behind the dents and damage.  one car in particular obviously hit a deer as the animal hair was stuck right there in the front, plain as day.  this fascinated him!!

he also loves loves loves these new Giant Seek and Find books our friends gave him.  he'll spend so long, looking and searching and finding.  we love to do this together.  it's so good for him and he's really good at it.  such a smart boy! 

 he still finds the most hilarious places for his toys. on this day, before baby Jesus arrived in the manger, Iron Man had a nap there.  made my mind drift to all sorts of spiritual analogies and parallels actually...i'll spare you all.

and that's where his Cocomelon action figures went! :)

keep the cuteness coming, dear boy!

Sloan's 2022

 Sloan's 2022

check out the ornament placement in the photo above.  so priceless.  sweet baby C. loved every minute of hanging, and later moving the gold balls.  and then moving again, and again, and again...so cute.  he knew the bottom two feet of the tree was his area and he made the most of his decorating decisions there! :)

 
feels like so long ago already, but it was a beautiful day!

this happened!

 Hannah is officially done her nursing degree!  she completed her final placement at a London hospice this past December.  she's now in that wonderful place of wide open doors and opportunities galore, with just her professional licensing exam to go! 

proud of you, kid!  you'll be fantastic in any role you choose, because you have an amazing ability to bring lighthearted joy to a room, paired with deep and genuine empathy.  a winning combination.  praying God guides you to the perfect place to best use your gifts and live your purpose.  i have no doubt you'll shine! ❤

I'm back

 and whoa, apparently i have some catching up to do.  therefore i'll be dumping some photos over the next while to help me get all caught up on some of the highlights that i hope to etch in the "forever" part of my brain.  sooo, before i dive too far into 2023...first things first.  

this was really fun! an out of town wrestling tournament for our daughter Hannah~ so we packed up and spent the night at a hotel with the two youngest.  sometimes it's all about a change of scenery. 

can you even believe the crossed legs above?! just chillin' with his big bro and loving life at that moment...

we all swam in the pool that we had to ourselves, and thankfully it was really warm, because i'm weak.  it's true.  i also told AJ about my incredible capacity to hold my breath and challenged him to a hand stand competition (which i remember excelling at when i was his age), feeling very confident i'd finally thought of something i could beat him at.  i was wrong, several times wrong.  and apparently my lung function isn't what it once was.  and that's annoying.   

me with AJ~ after defeat~ smiling on the outside and shocked and bewildered on the inside :)

the post-swim shower.  he stood there still for sooo long.  tired and happy and warm.

great weekend!  grateful.

Christmas is here

 the Christmas season is upon us.  like looming large.  gulp.  and i start with a confession.  this year i have not done the best job at "advanced preparations".  lots of reasons, lots going on, and simply to say that it's come so quickly i feel a twinge of regret that i haven't had more time to be still.  more time to lean in to the beauty of it.  more time to soak up "The Gift"...

one thing i have done, and always do~ i have a steady stream of Christmas music playing from mid-November on (just ask my kids haha).  and as always, whether i've been painting walls or running around shopping or baking festive treats, this has helped so much to keep my perspective tuned in to the real reason for the season~ Jesus.  so while i haven't been as still and rested as i'd have liked, i am trying to soak up all that Christmas means~ so tangibly in my life, this year more than ever.  

and in that light and desire to share what i wholeheartedly stand by as the BEST GIFT EVER, i offer a couple treasures....

The Chosen, Season 3  Episode 1 is out now, with new episodes coming weekly.  

i know i've mentioned it before, but it's worth mention again.  totally that good. the timing of this dramatic series in my life was impeccable.  quite literally it gripped my heart and made the story of Jesus and his disciples come to life in a visually fresh and renewed way that has 100% carried me through 2022.  if you don't yet have the app, get it and stream it on your device, but start at the very first episode of Season 1.  i can confidently say you will love it.  

and another.  an old song that i grew up hearing and loving~  Amy Grant's version specifically.  it's called Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song), and this year i'm really enjoying Hannah Kerr's rendition.  

for some reason, it's lyrics jumped right out to me this year, new and relevant, and i've found myself contemplating the place Mary found herself in as she carried the future Saviour of all mankind, the Son of God, in her womb.  the fears, the anxiety, the judgement.  the feelings of inadequacy, the desperate need for strength in the circumstances, the paradox of wonder and inevitable weariness of the literal and figurative weight she carried as the chosen mother of Jesus.  yes, she was also chosen!  a bit of a theme here, are you getting that? :) isn't that so like God though?  He so often calls out to the unexpected ones.  the marginalized.  the poor, the young, the old, the weak, the lost, the sinful~ and He uses them, His chosen ones, to accomplish the life changing transformative work that impacts the world forever.  love that!  to be sure, we are all called, but God never dismisses those typically overlooked by society's standards.  it seems in scripture that He saves some of the biggest roles for exactly them!  think of Moses, Abraham and Sarah, David, Rahab, Jonah, Peter, Paul, and the list goes on...how refreshing.

here are the lyrics, which may have echoed in Mary's heart as she considered all that was to come...

"i have travelled many moonless nights.  cold and weary, with a babe inside.  and i wonder, what i've done, holy father you have come and chosen me now, to carry your son.  i am waiting, in a silent prayer.  i am frightened, by the load i bear.  in a world as cold as stone, must i walk this path alone?  be with me now.  be with me now.  

breath of heaven, hold me together, be forever near me, breath of heaven.  breath of heaven, lighten my darkness, pour over me your holiness, for you are holy.  breath of heaven...

do you wonder, as you watch my face, if a wiser one, should have had my place, but i offer all i am, for the mercy of your plan.  help me be strong, help me be, help me.  

breath of heaven, hold me together, be forever near me, breath of heaven.  breath of heaven, lighten my darkness, pour over me your holiness, for you are holy, 

breath of heaven, hold me together, be forever near me, breath of heaven.  breath of heaven, lighten my darkness, pour over me your holiness, for you are holy.  breath of heaven, breath of heaven.  breath of heaven..."

i so hope these lyrics meet you exactly where you are at today.  sure did speak to my heart.  i pray that this Christmas all of these treasures help you see Jesus as relatable, approachable and tending to our hearts in a very real and present way each day, even outside of this beautiful season.  in the grind, in the yuck, in the loss, in the hard.  wishing you moments of pure joy and wonder this Christmas, and maybe a deeper than ever understanding of The Gift~  "Emmanuel, God with us!"

Merry Christmas!

  Also, i'm going to be intentional to change my pace over the holidays so that includes a short blog break as well.  see you soon! ❤

little speedster

 sweet baby C. (he's 2 1/2 now actually! :)) is becoming quite the little speedster at the monthly Road Runner races.  he runs the full 1 km with Jeff (only sometimes distracted by a squirrel or slide :)) and it's so cute seeing him cross the finish line as he takes in all the people cheering for him. he also appears legitimately excited when they call his name for a ribbon.  plus the free Timbits and play equipment are a fun post-race reward. 

yep he's the only fastest two year old there! in this particular race some other kids in the under 5 category ran a bit faster, but they weren't two!  way to go buddy!

a great way to start a Saturday!