I know him! I know him!

Santa Claus lives in my hometown.  No one should be surprised.  I've been saying for sometime that it's one of the best places to live.  This is just more evidence that I'm right.  You may think that Santa lives at the North Pole - He probably has a home there too, but I know that he spends most of his time in Georgia.

I've pretty much known him my whole life.  His family and mine attend the same church.  He is a father and a husband and now a grandfather.  He has a passion for his community.  I've watched him lead many charges that touched lives in ways that we'll never even know.  He was even my Sunday School teacher once upon a time.  He shows love to everyone that he meets, even when he's feeling less than 100%.  I'm not sure if he always knew that he was Santa Claus or not, but most children in this neck of the woods (including mine!) know that he is.

Last night, I took Bo to sit in his lap.  Unlike the phony Santas that you may see from Thanksgiving until December 25th, the real Santa - our Santa - takes his job very seriously year round.  Much like another man from a long long time ago, he is always ready to let the little children come to him.  He listens to them.  He sees them.  He cares for them.  Santa is jolly, but he's also joyful.  It radiates from him.  It is infectious.  It is the joy of someone who knows what the Christmas season is about.  It is the joy of a man who is celebrating the birth of Christ.  I hope to have photos of Bo sitting on his lap for many, many years to come.  

We love you, Santa, and we can't wait until the suit comes out again next year.

Things I am Thankful For Before 7AM

1. Good friends who take great pictures of my little family that I can use as my desktop background.
2. Leaving 3 sleeping kiddos at home and knowing that they get to stay home today and play with their Moma.
3. Doughnuts brought by Moma that made a deeeelicious breakfast on the way out the door.
4. Paying less than $3 per gallon of gas + free coffee!
5. Having a job to go to before 7AM.
6. Knowing that I get to hang out with my Journey Group tonight.

If I can find 6 things to be thankful for before 7AM, then I'm sure to lose count of all my blessings by lunchtime or sooner.  God is good.

Our Christmas Card

I really really really really thought I was gonna make it happen this year.

Oh, well.

Life goes on.

Merry Christmas to you and yours.  From me and mine.

Feel free to print it out and stick it on your fridge.  :)

The only thing I'll say.

I spent the weekend avoiding the news.  Except to post exceptionally cute photos of my little family, I stayed away from social media.  I know that people want to talk about tragedy.  They reach out to one another for comfort and to try to make sense of it all.  I don't blame anyone for coping in whatever way they need to.  I, for one, don't want to see the photos.  I don't want to rehash it and know every detail.

If I start down that rabbit hole, I don't know where I'll come out.  If I began to indulge in the "what if's", there is a very real chance that I wouldn't drag myself out of bed for a week.  I'm kind of sensitive that way.  I use humor and avoidance to deflect the realness of situations that have the potential to cripple me.

When I was in 11th grade, I heard about a school shooting.  It happened in Georgia, and it came on the heels of another shooting that happened farther away.  The school in Georgia was Heritage High School, and I knew a kid there.  The shooting happened in the morning, and because we lived in a time before every high school student had a cell phone, I had to wait.  I waited all day long.  I wondered.  I had NO details, and I was terrified.

It was later in the evening when I finally got to talk to him - to hear his voice.  I broke down and cried for the first time that day.  I never watched any of the news from that day.  I never wanted any more information about that awful day.  This morning as I prayed for the victims and their families in Connecticut, I thanked God again for protecting my friend all those years ago.  I can't bring myself to think about where I'd be if it had gone differently because 12 years after it happened, I finally got around to marrying that guy.

My prayers today are not just for the families in Connecticut, but for everyone who had to send a child to school today.  My prayers are for the teachers who will be on edge all day today.  My prayers are for all the children who are too young to have to know exactly how much evil is in this world.

I win.

Today had a few bumps, but I would like to officially say that looking back, it was a complete and total win.

1.  I put together Pioneer Woman's baked french toast last night.  I used up an aging loaf of sourdough bread that was in danger of going moldy.  This morning, I popped it in the oven for an hour.  It smelled delicious and tasted divine.  I think heaven must smell of cream cheese vanilla bean glaze.

2.  I successfully curled my hair with a flat iron.  Thank you, Pinterest.

3.  I got all 5 of us dressed in coordinating colors and out the door on time for church.

4.  After church, when it was pouring rain, I declared that if we were soaking wet in our Christmas card photo, it would be cute anyway and GOSHDARNIT we are taking this photo.   And we did.  But not in the rain.  

5.  I updated the blog.

6.  I'm going to bed - now.

That's what I call a good day.

A little something different today.

More than I'm a blogger, I'm a blog reader.  I put words here on a (semi) regular basis.  This is my place to record the things that I want to remember until I get around to putting together that baby book... *ahem*

Sometimes I read things that are just so awesome that I feel like I need to share.  These are things that touched me or affected me.  These are things that I hope will help or touch one other person as much as they touched me.  So here you go.  Click one, click all, or click none.  It's totally up to you, but these are things that I felt were worth sharing.

Raising children to have a servant's heart:  If you want a child to grow up with the attitude of going the extra mile for others you must be willing to model that behavior while they are growing under your care.  

Advice for moms about raising boys from the GoodMenProject: Batman lives forever.

Something that has been on my heart recently:  Sharing brokenness with one another is a gift.

Oh - also... How to stop your lipstick from fading: Happy kissing everyone! 

A belated 3 month letter...

Dear Bowen,

Last week, your daddy reminded me what we were doing a year ago at this time.  We were praying for you.  We were praying that God would see fit to bless us with you.  We wanted you with us so badly.  We still pray for you now – and we always will.

You’re 3 months old now.  I think you look more and more like your Papa Jerry every day.  Your hair is starting to poke up, and on the top of your head, it looks like duckling fuzz.  It’s so soft.

Your clothes are size 3 months – except footed stuff.  It’s too short and so we have to put you in 3-6 month footie pajamas.  You’re a long guy.  You’ll be taller than me before I know it.

You still love baths.  You have a couple of duckies that you like to kick against the side of the tub.  You've started splashing around more, and water in your face doesn't faze you at all.

You’ve started talking more and more.  You mimic my facial expressions and when I stick my tongue out, sometimes you stick yours out too.  I’m teaching you bad habits, I know, but these first interactions are the most amazing thing that I’ve ever experienced.  You still have a very serious and pensive expression most of the time, but your smile can light up a room. 

You’re still an excellent eater, and I love the time that we’ve spent together nursing. 

You love to wiggle, and this week, you rolled over from your belly to your back – and you meant to.  You worked and worked at it and you almost gave up once you made it to your side, but we cheered and cheered and you finally made it all the way over.

  

You've started sleeping pretty well.  You usually go to bed between 7PM and 8PM and don’t wake up until 4AM or 5AM.  We still have a couple of middle of the night feedings every week, but it’s really just a good excuse to steal extra snuggles.  I miss you so much while I’m at work!

You finally moved into your room and out of ours.  You're sleeping in your crib now, and even though it took a couple of nights to get used to, you transitioned like a champ. 

You’ve started grabbing for things and holding on so tight!  You love to hold your hands!  Mostly it’s people that you grab onto, but there are a few toys that you seem to like.

You were Yoda for Halloween.  We trick or treated at Nene’s house and at Ben and Rebecca’s.  Then we went home to give out candy.

You mostly slept through Thanksgiving, but you’re not exactly into turkey yet anyway.  

You're getting so big so fast.  You're growing up in front of our eyes.  Every day, I watch a new leaf of your personality unfurl.  I pray that you will inherit our best traits, and that you will forgive us our shortcomings.  I hope you grow up knowing that no one is perfect, but you should still do your personal best.  People all have different strengths and talents, but no one will ever be better or worse than you because we are all children of the same loving God.  You have a world of opportunity in front of you.

You are loved.  You are loved by me and by many.

Always,
Mama