a light in the dark

I want to be sure and write down my take away from todays Christmas Eve service before I forget it because it was fantastic!

Life can be tough at times.
This world is fallen, it can be icky and confusing and disheartening.
There is darkness in our world and in our own hearts and minds.
And our society tells us that we can find life in dark places.
But Jesus came close to give us light and life in the darkness.
To be our wonderful counselor through it all.
To give us hope.
And what struck me most of all was Andy's point about being a parent.
That at times we will see darkness in our kids.
We will see things in them, sometimes big sometimes small,  that we know will lead to more darkness if not spoken to.
So as a parent it is up to us to shed light on their darkness.
But it can be hard as kids get older to shed light into their darkness for fear that they may run the other way and disregard you.
For fear that your relationship with them may falter.
But God loves us so perfectly and so much that he is not afraid to shed light into our darkness.
He's not afraid of what we might think or what direction we may run.
But his love is relentless.
I pray that Trip and I would have the courage one day to shed light onto our kids darkness.
That we wouldn't take the easier road for fear of them not liking us.
And I'm thankful that God let there be light again in a dark world.

Merry Christmas!

(he turned 10 months last week, he's pulling up and I think his first tooth is about to pop through)

fan the flame

I'm thankful for my husband.
It's easy to get sucked into the ho hum of life and being complacent in marriage.
When you first start dating someone the little things just come easily.
You don't even think about doing the little things... you just do them.
And then life continues to happen and it's easy for the little things to fall away.
Especially with a child in the mix.
So we have to be intentional about the little things that make the big thing of marriage work.
So Trip brought me my favorite flowers home the other day.

And he took me on a date to the Buckhead Diner. And then to see a movie. (so what it they were both on gift cards)

And we left the little man with Uncle Daniel, Aunt Lauren and cousin Lanier

I am so thankful we have family to return the favor with and allow for mommy and daddy time. 

And on our date it felt like the way it was in the beginning. 

So here's to date night....... free of charge!

life in the fast lane

I just had to document this momentous occasion!
Brooks first time behind the wheel at the grocery store.
I felt like such a new mom taking pictures of my son at the grocery store.

This kids not joking around

cruisin' the freezer aisle, no big deal

It made for a great ride, but the cart is freaking enormous! It's hard to make the turns in this thing

simplicity

The basis of Christmas.
The Christmas story is simply a story of an event in history, that is good news. period.
We don't have to do anything with it. it's not a call back to the church, or a call to do better things with your life, or a call to become a better christian or to become more spiritual. It's simply......
good news.
Hear it,
and that is all.
God loved
God gave
We believe
We receive
What do we receive?...... eternal life.
What is eternal life?......... knowing God and having a relationship with him.
John 17:3- "Now this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent"
It's not just living forever and ever...... thank goodness. I don't want to live forever and ever.

This was my take on the message at church last week and I loved it! Simplicity.

standing

He's standing people! Almost 10 months. Not sure how I feel about this. Things are about to get crazy up in here! I need to get some bumpers for the lovely STONE fireplace we have here. it seems to be his favorite spot in the house.

and some lovely footage to capture this milestone... seems he has lots to say about it. does he sound like a boy or what!

somedays....

Do you ever feel like somedays you're not sure if you want to laugh or cry?
Brooks does..........

Deck the Halls

"The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love."

Psalm 145:8

This verse was given at church today and I really really love it. It was a sweet reminder of the tenderness of my God. 

I LOVE this time of year so much. I love the magic of it! I confess I do love the wordly stuff: Santa, gifts, elves, christmas cookies, christmas music, lights, Christmas trees, nutcrackers and all that is so not Jesus centered! It's fun, it reminds me of being a kid and the pure joy and excitement of it all! 

Even though so many people do not truly grasp the meaning of Christmas, I love that our world makes such a big deal about this holiday, more than any other  holiday because ultimately...... it is because of the magnitude of the true meaning of it all. 

Our savior was born, 

a savior for all of us 

who desperately need a savior. 

I know we have a few years but I can't wait for Brooks to understand it all. 

I can't wait to see his excitement for Santa and to see his eyes light up on Christmas morning. 

I can't wait to teach him the true story of Christmas and to celebrate the birth of his savior!

Merry Merry!

first carousel ride

Our niece Maizy was in town and we rode the carousel at the mall with her. Here is some footage of the big ride. It's riveting. I did get a little nauseous standing backwards filming this on a moving carousel. Listen closely to Trip's sound effects.............