Miracle on 34th Street

This Christmas we have filled every minute.  It's been memorable at times and pure chaos at others but let's start at the beginning shall we?

So about a month ago something unexpected happened.  I found my little dream house.  After more than a year of internet and in person searches I had lowered my expectations and decided that when it came to our first home buying experience I would probably be settling for something less than ideal.  I love it when I arrive at that place because I'm learning that's usually when God is going to step in and blow my socks off.  So as I look back I'm not at all surprised that things easily began to fall into place.  I think I was afraid to believe that it could actually happen so I didn't talk about it very much.  I even tried my best to distract myself with Christmas.  In the back of my mind I think I thought things might not work out and I didn't want to be disappointed.  So Emme and I kept ourselves busy with things like a scavenger hunt for baby Jesus...

And the whole family made a memory with a walk through live nativity (I don't think we'll go back but it was interesting!)...

But then they put a sign in the yard at our rent house and I think reality began to set in...

And then we had a garage sale which was the moment it really hit me...WE'RE MOVING!

Carter took full advantage of the entrepreneurial opportunity and I love her for it...

It was exciting and a little crazy and I found my thinking a little bit more about the sweet house we were leaving behind.  I had watched my girls do so much growing up there over the past few years...

It had been a cozy home.  A place where they laughed (and made us laugh)...

 A place where they became friends...

And the place where they recently learned to love riding bikes...

Home is a place where little people spend so much of their time and it had been a good one...

But new places bring excitement and we were all feeling it.  Emerson asked me almost every morning if we were moving to our new house today...  

I was thrilled when I could finally say YES!

I'll be the first to admit moving at Christmas can be a little challenging.  I was determined to still have it feel like Christmas and that wasn't always easy.  But amidst the chaos of boxes and packing some of our favorite people arrived for a visit and that served as a welcome distraction from the mess of moving.   Claire and Emme had one of the sweetest reunions after almost 6 months apart...

I think they're destined to be best friends forever...

We were all thrilled to spend some time hanging out with some of our favorite people...

I've learned over the years absence really does make the heart grow fonder...

It was perfect because there were a few nights where we literally had nothing to come home to but boxes and beds.  We spent those evenings out and about making Christmas memories.  For the first time ever we headed out to La Cantera to ice skate and check out all their festivities...

We were joined by our buddies...

And everyone loved it!  They had really decked their halls and gone all out...

There was caroling and storytelling...

And then we wound up in our very own winter wonderland...

Complete with snow!

And of course there was a visit with Santa...

Apparently third time is a charm because this was the first year Emme didn't shed a tear...

There were also a few other activities filled with holiday cheer for the girls.  Emerson's Christmas party at school...

Followed by Carter's Christmas party at school...

And a Christmas painting class with friends...

I told you it was crazy.  :)  And then, just like that, it was finally here.  We walked into a building, signed a few papers (ok make that A LOT of papers) and bought our very first house.  AHHHHHH!

It was like my very own little Miracle on 34th Street...

It was empty at first...

But that quickly changed and before long it was already beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...

I was a little overwhelmed at how much we had to do...but even more overwhelmed by how much we had to be thankful for...

As Christmas morning arrived...

Followed by family fun...

It took no time at all for our new house to start feeling like a home...

I can imagine this being the place my kids grow up.  The place they will remember.  The place they will tell their kids about one day.  Maybe I'm jumping the gun or being a bit idealistic but a girl can dream.  I've been waiting 10 long years to lay down some roots and settle in so I'm going to enjoy every second of it.  There's no place like a new home for the holiday's...

Happy New Year!

Take Heart

Today two sleepy eyed girls woke me up.  Today they ate cereal, brushed teeth and got dressed.  Today I slipped two little arms into backpack straps and we climbed into the car.  Today I looked back (as I do every day) on our way to school and said, "I love you baby."  Today I stopped.  As her eyes met mine I went there...just for a moment...because it was impossible not to.  I thought about what I'm sure all mother's of tiny people (and especially sweet faced little first graders like mine) have thought about over the last couple of days.  I thought about what it would have been like to say, "I love you" and watch her hop out of the car and have her never come back.  I went there because it seemed appropriate to honor those 20 mothers unimaginable loss with all the empathy and compassion it deserves.  I went there and then I quickly left because the thought is too much too bear and that's no place to dwell.  But even as I type that I realize there are those that have no choice but to bear the weight and to dwell in that place this morning.   My prayer is that you will find peace in the middle of the darkness.

I have never been more grateful that we live in a place that is not our home.  We are dwelling in a fallen world, full of evil and tragic things that no one can explain.  There will never be a sufficient answer to the question everyone is asking..."Why?"  We are surrounded by heartbreak and pain that cannot be stopped but neither can our almighty God.  He stands with the broken hearted.  He brings comfort and peace into places it shouldn't exist.  In this world we may have trouble...

A thief comes to steal, kill and destroy but our God stands with us against a powerful enemy.  He came to give us life.  I am comforted by knowing that in this battle He fights for us and His weapon is love.  

Where the Wild Things Are

Last week I let Carter play hooky and we loaded up and headed to Temple...

She had an important date with fun.  She was playing Elf with Kim and Bryan for the Temple Christmas Parade...

 Christmas will make you Jump, JUMP...

They were very official with their "parade marshall" sign and pageant waves...

 Emme and I took it all in from the curb...

Along with Pops and Roxi who indulged her with cotton candy and souvenirs...

Having a famous Aunt can be pretty darn fun...

The next morning the girls took their reindeer for a spin...

Did a little fishing...

 And walked Mitzi and Abby...

It was a successful 24 hour excursion.  Back home we've been busy cleaning up and clearing out...

Did I mention we're moving?  Yep.  T minus 10 days and counting so we held the obligatory garage sale and Carter also made the most of the entrepreneurial opportunity...

With moving, Christmas and a plethora of other things on the horizon I've found myself feeling busy lately.  It's those days when I'm trying to accomplish a lot that I sometimes look at my girls and one word comes to mind...wild.  Black feet, crazy hair and dirt underneath their fingernails are becoming signs of happiness around here...

It reminds me of the hours I can remember spending outside exercising my imagination when I was little.  I'm so glad they are beginning to get a taste of that in spite of the electronic craziness we live in.  I hope that kids being outside and running free will always have a place in our home...

I love my little Wild Things...

But there is nothing better than a nice warm bath to clean them up at the end of the day...

Hi Emme...

I'm also happy to report that even though we are moving 5 days before Christmas I am bound and determined that it will still feel like Christmas around here!

This week our Christmas activities included a family date night to a live nativity...

And Emerson and I also went on a search for Baby Jesus...

I'm happy to report that we found Him...

She insisted upon Him having a place of honor with the rest of our friends...

Our Christmas spirit is also getting a boost from the weather this week.  We had our first freeze last night...

Hope you're feeling jolly, merry and all that good stuff!