Out with the old, In with the new.

 2 Corinthians 5:17 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

As 2012 comes to an end in just a few short hours, there are so many things I'm thankful for in the past year, and so many things I want to do differently in the new year.

I am not a fan of resolutions, most just set you up for failure, but I do think that evaluating where you've been and where you are going is worth it. It doesn't have to be at the new year, it could be every few months, or even weeks, whatever you desire. But it's worth it.

Psalm 139:23-24

Search me, O God, and know my heart!
    Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting!


For me personally,
I want to live with no regrets
I want to make beautiful memories that last forever
I want to pray more often
I want to memorize more Scripture and hide it in my heart
I want to honor my husband more
I want to be more organized, even if I've taken large steps already to get there
I want to need less and give more
I just want Jesus.


I'm looking forward to what God has in store for me this year.

For our marriage.
For our family.
For our church.
For our ministry.
For our friends.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Craziness.

I have to slow down daily and remind myself WHY we celebrate Christmas. 

Unfortunately, this time of year gets busy.

Christmas parties.

Dance recitals.

Birthdays.

Family Dinners.

Present wrapping.

Weddings.

Decorating.

Baking.

And then there's the normal stuff.  



cooking,
 
cleaning,
 
 school.
 
church,
 
dance
 
and making time for family time.

Life gets hectic but we are having so much fun and trying to instill in the kids how much fun it is to GIVE rather than receive and how to enjoy CHRIST in this season.

Happy 8th Birthday Kyley!

I cannot believe my baby girl is 8 years old today.

I have always loved her birthday.

12/12/04 at 12:44



My baby girl loves to create things. Art, drawings, books, crafts, anything she can, she loves it.

She is also learning that she loves reading.



She loves Dr. Who, Merida (Brave), and lots of 'bling'. 



She's so fun of love and life and I can't wait to see what God has in store for her!

Shopping with two of my favorite girls.

As I'm sure most of you are aware, I get the insane but cool pleasure of sampling/writing for the Old Navy Style Council.   This time around we got to sample some sweaters!

So one awesome afternoon, Abi, my best friend and Kyley my main gal gathered up to do some massive shopping and it was so much fun.

We tried on insane amounts of clothes (even Kyley got in on the fun and picked out her birthday gifts from Abi)




 

It was a much needed girl afternoon of fun and laughter.











Definitely a favorite part... Super sheep. haha



There were so many amazing sweaters and we had fun picking the perfect one. Interestingly enough, we picked the same sweater in different colors in the end. (ok so I'm not THAT surprised)

 

I really love the quality of Old Navy sweaters. They are so soft and not scratchy and itchy like a lot of sweaters I've tried on.  They hold their shape well through many washes and they don't shrink. I HATE sweaters that are amazing when you try them on, then you take them home and wash them and they no longer fit the same.

Here's a bonus family picture of the first time I wore it out.
 

I love it and I've worn it several times since I got it. It's the perfect arm length and weight for a light sweater.

*in full discolure, I was provided a coupon for a sweater at no cost to me plus one for a friend via the Old Navy Style Council and Crowdtap. All opinions stated within are my own.

Hallelujah!

I posted a few posts with the same title (part 1 & part 2)

In the second one I included this little gem.



Yes, that's my tiny little Elijah learning to praise his Jesus.   And so without any hesitation I show you the newest installment.



Enjoy the tiny with his favorite word.  He sings this often and when he gets going, he doesn't stop. I love it.

Anticipation

Asher LOVES to wait out front for daddy to get home.



Psa. 27:14 Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.

How many times do the things a child practices remind us of our own Heavenly Father?

Look for the Father with anticipation... seek His face.

Enjoy this short little video of Asher waiting on his daddy. He saw another car and patiently watched it all the way down the road waiting to see if it was daddy....



Are you looking for Daddy today?

Traditions.

This time of year a lot of people start talking about traditions in their family.   So I'm curious, what kind of traditions do you guys hold with your own families?

We only have one that I can think of.




Every year, we pick out a Nutcracker for each of our children and they are one of the only open gifts under the tree for our kids.

We don't do the whole 'santa' thing, so our kids don't need an elf on the shelf.  This year we're trying to incorporate an advent devotional, but um... yeah we made it through two days before missing a day.  That's ok though, catch up is fun too!

I've tried to make it a yearly thing to go take REAL family portraits for our Christmas cards every year, but this year we didn't make that happen, so I guess that can't be considered a tradition either?

So tell me, what do you do with your families?

A thanksgiving trip like no other.

To say I was nervous about this trip was an understatement.   Traveling for 2 days each way with 3 kids didn't sound like a blast at all.

Add in to the mix that 2 days before we left Asher woke up with a stomach bug.  The next day.... Kyley.... and less than 12 hours before we left both Derek and I were down for the count.

I'm so thankful Elijah never got it.

We had a lot of fun though. The kids got to visit with a lot of family they've never met. Heck even I met some I'd never met.

We spent most of our days exploring the little town we were staying in. Going to the park and enjoying the scenery. The evenings were spent hanging out with family and enjoying those times.

Two more stomach casualties later (Ryan and Grandma) and finally everyone was healthy and able to enjoy themselves by the trip home LOL

Here are a few pictures from the trip. There are a LOT more but I just want to share these for now.

Elijah thought he was tough



Great Grandpa



Family Portrait in the hotel Elevator



Ryan and the boys



Great gramma and grampa



Thanksgiving dinner



Elijah and grandpa



We got to spend time with Aunt Betty, Uncle Donny and Tasha



And Aunt Ann



And Uncle Sean

 

It was a great time. I hate that sickness took over for a few days, but so glad the kids got the opportunity to go. They were great travelers, but boy are we glad to be home!!!!

Love Came Down

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11.

Love came down and rescued me

Love came down and set me free

I am Yours

Lord I'm forever Yours

Mountains high or valley low

I sing out and remind my soul

I am Yours

I am forever Yours

The story of Christmas always humbles me.   I think about my own 3 children and how much I cherish them. And I think of how hard it must have been to allow His only Son to walk this earth and die for US.

There's no story greater. No purer love.

 

I absolutely LOVE these pieces from Dayspring and I've already put them all to such good use in sharing the wonders of HIS love this holiday season.

We can't wait to start the tabletop advent devotional this weekend. It's something we've never done before but Kyley especially is counting down the days until we start.

*In full disclosure I was provided with the products in this post to use and help me write about the story of how Love came down. They can be purchased at Dayspring. All opinions here are my own and in no way influenced by their contribution.

Dress Shopping!

Last night, the hubs went with some other men from the church to serve dinner in Enterprise... And I took these 3 cuties to meet GiGi so the older two could go home with her for the evening.


I enjoyed getting to go shopping with the bestie, and I can't WAIT to be able to witness the joining of her and her groom to be on their wedding day!