2011 Year in Review - Part 4 - Daddy, Mommy, and the Rest of the Story

Well, Seth and I have had a good year. The Lord is so good to us, and we are thankful! We often look at each other and wonder how in the world the other one does it! And we're both thankful time and time again for the other one's love and support and help and hard work!

We became "aunt" and "uncle" for the first time this year - twice! First with the birth of his sister, Hannah's baby boy, Tomas, and then with the birth of my sister, Lyndsey's baby girl, Emilee! We're still getting used to the phrases, "Uncle Seth" and "Aunt Lynae."

We closed a chapter in our lives when we decided that Caleb would be our last baby, and it has been a bitter-sweet process for me, as we move into the "next phase." It has made me think about our kids' future more than ever before. What will it be like when they are all in school and there are no more babies in the house? What will it be like when they are all teenagers? Anyway, just a lot of crazy thoughts!

Yes, it is crazy around here with three small children! But The Lord is gracious to us, and Seth and I are a great team. We've come to realize that there sure isn't a whole lot we have in common, but we do see eye to eye on the most important things, and we are a great team.

One thing that the two of us DO have in common, though, is that we love to throw parties. This year has been full of some pretty fun ones, too!

In May, we had the "Milk and Cookies" themed party in our back yard for Josiah and Norah's 2nd birthdays.

In July, we had Ryan's birthday party here, and we went all out on a "Survivor" theme. Seth transformed our front porch into an awesome hut kind of thingy. Ryan was the host, and he planned all kinds of great contests and games for us. It was SO fun!

In September, I had the awesome privilege of hosting Lyndsey's baby shower at our house. While Seth wasn't actually here for the party, he sure helped me pull it off - did all the "heavy lifting" (literally!) .... and hanging decorations for me, etc... and it turned out beautiful!!

In October, we had an outdoor movie night in our back yard with my dad's projector and big screen. We watched "National Treasure." We had TONS of popcorn, candy, soda, and James and I made homemade lemonade and CUTE mason-jar sippy cups!

And this month we got to host the friends Christmas party.

All of the parties were a great chance for us to work together and do something fun for our friends and family. We're so thankful for my parents, who usually take at least some of our kids off our hands for the day, or overnight, so that we can work on party planning and preparations together. We are also thankful for a rare group of amazing (and such FUN) friends that we can share these times with, too!

Each and every party was a reminder that Carrisa is gone, and it was strange putting them on without her. I missed her most when I was decorating and setting up. There were times when I wanted help, but no one could help like Carrisa could! I think that she is the reason why I enjoyed hosting so many parties, though, this year. It was a way of remembering her, and honoring her love of beautiful and festive and "going all out" kind of parties! A whole year has gone by already. I still can't believe it! 

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My Husband....

Seth is such a hard worker. He is so faithful. He doesn't complain. He just wakes up each day with an attitude of service, a heart that wishes to please The Lord, and a willing spirit. Both at work and at home. I am thankful that The Lord has sustained him this year, has given him health and strength, has given him a heart and focus that is even more dedicated to his family (me and the kids), and has continued to provide consistent work for him in this ever-so uncertain economy.

Praise God for his faithfulness to us!!!

Thank you Jesus for the gift of my husband, a rare man indeed!  

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Looking forward to 2012....

With Carrisa's life and sudden death in mind, I look forward to 2012 with this passage from the book of James guiding my thoughts:

James 4:13-16

 ¹³ Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” ¹⁴ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them."

The Lord knows all things, and He knows the plans He has for us. Nothing is sudden or unexpected to Him. I am thankful for this truth as we enter a new year!!

I don't want to make a bunch of resolutions that may or may not be important in His mind, so I will just write out a few random thoughts that I have as I look forward to 2012...

WOW. Is it really 2012 already!!? I can't believe how time flies! It is so true that we are "just a mist." Oh, how we cling to this life and all of the things that are of the world. Oh, to have a heavenly perspective more of the time! That is what I want. 

And yet it is difficult to say that in some ways, because I know that this heaven-mindedness comes most often through struggle and pain. 

But I say it nonetheless. 

Let it rain, if need-be. His will be done in my life.

In 2012, I hope to spend more time in prayer. I don't bring my cares to Him first. Instead I often just "think them through" or vent them out to whoever is listening, or worry and fret, or get all psyco-controlling. I don't sit at His feet to hear what He has for me for the day. Instead I make my plans and I don't want to deviate or bend. I want what I want. 

But what does HE have for me? 

Will I listen? 

I hope so! It will be so much better! 

Soften me, Lord....

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On a lighter note, I have a few things that I am looking forward to in 2012. 

I look forward to our "Weekend to Remember" marriage conference trip this spring. It was a Christmas gift from my parents. I think we're going to be going to Incline Village near Tahoe! Can't wait! 

I also look forward to James' "Make a Wish" trip sometime this coming year. We're still not sure where we are going, but I keep praying and praying that whatever decision he / we finally make will be the perfect one. Only God knows the perfect vacation for our family. My prayer is that James will have the time of his life, be healthy and full of joy on the trip, and that we will all make memories that will be with us for a long, long time. That's what it's all about - enjoying each other! 

I hope that Seth and I can have some "dates" with each of our kids individually this year. James has appointments in San Francisco next Friday, and we are talking about he and I possibly staying the night in San Francisco at the Family House on Friday night after the appointments, and then trying to do some fun things together on Friday evening or Saturday morning, like maybe a museum or aquarium or something like that. 

It sounds funny, but James likes shopping. I'd like to have a shopping date with him when he is invited to a birthday party or something like that. 

I think it would be fun to take Josiah to the water slides this summer without his brothers, so he can be a "big boy" and just have a blast! 

I also want to take Josiah to the movies. Maybe on a Monday night when my parents are having "James time." 

I look forward to planning the kids' birthdays this year (of course!) -- and I'm thinking about doing one BIG combined party for all three of them in early May. Possibly an old-fashioned carnival theme. I love themes, and especially "old-fashioned" anything! 

Emilee can also have her first birthday party here, too, if her momma wants her to  :-)  SO fun!
 

This might sound weird, but I look forward to not being pregnant this year! I feel like I've been pregnant or nursing pretty much non-stop for five years now, and it will be nice (LORD WILLING) to have my regular body back, my regular energy back, and be able to keep up with my husband and kids, and have fun with them, and not be so fragile and helpless!! Hahahahaha. Sounds bad, but it's true! Pregnancy is a beautiful thing, but NOT being pregnant is beautiful in it's own way, too!!  :)

I've been thinking a lot lately about children in other parts of the world who are sick and orphaned and hungry and suffering in ways that we can't even comprehend. The Lord has softened me to this reality in just the last few months, and it is one of the things on the forefront of my mind lately. 

I don't know if God has a deeper meaning for softening me, but for now I think a good start would be to just start sponsoring a child through Compassion or an organization like that. I've been going to their website and looking at each of the children, and just praying. I showed the kids. They were distracted and uninterested. I want to try again, though. I don't think that they are too young to understand. I think that kids get it better than we do a lot of the time. 

In a world where we are saving up for an i-pad, and they will never know what an i-pad even is... because their families are saving up for I-don't-even-know-what ... something they need for survival ... like food, clothes, a net to keep the malaria-infested mosquitos away.... something is wrong. 

Anyway, maybe after we have a picture and we start writing letters the kids will start to see? I don't know. It is something that James can participate in, though! His favorite thing at school is the "imagination station," where he writes letters to people...

It's going to be a process.... for all of us. But it's something I want to start this year.

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This year I've learned to "let go" a little bit more. This life is almost never what you expect it to be. When you learn to accept that fact, and begin to trust the only ONE who does know what's coming up right around the corner, you can be a lot calmer in the midst of all of the crashing storms. And you will find joy there. 

Still HIS work in progress....

Christ in me, the hope of glory!


Happy 2012!