Jesus was that, too.

 This precious boy is here with us this Christmas, and what a joy it is.



As he gains more independence, it has made this mama rather reminiscent of days gone by, when his cry was a faint quiver, and his skin was too big and rolled like folds of velvet over his perfect arms and legs.

And then I think:

Jesus was like that, too.

I nurse my little one, kiss his scratches, bathe, clothe, and care for him every day. He is needy, and during this Christmas season the thought has been inescapable:

Jesus was like this, too.

At the time of his greatest humiliation, his greatest glory was shown. Completely vulnerable, yet heaven cried Victory! 

This Christmas, as I hold my own sweet boy close to me, I've treasured up in my heart that that victory is sure. Because nothing like the weighty responsibility of caring for your own child makes you feel so desperately needy.

"And you shall give him the name Jesus, for he shall save the people from their sins." Matthew 1:21

The world groans in pain, tears fall in bucketfuls. Hearts ache. Minds hurt. Bodies don't work like they should. Men steal and cheat. They murder. Men, women, and children die - some ripe with old age, and season with a good life. Others, too soon - some, much too soon - and thousands, daily, before they even had a chance to take a breath. Always, it hurts.

We need a rescuer. A healer. A comforter. A friend. Someone to cry with us, and to hold us. Someone to fight for the wrong, to make all things right. A defender and protector. A conqueror. 

Then Christmastime comes, and amidst the bustle, we can look to that child in the manger and know:

Jesus is all that, too.

Easter Day 2012

Easter Sunday was full of great times with our two different church families. We're still in a transition of sorts as far as worship goes. Neither of us felt ready to leave our Charlotte church when work in Rock Hill started full time, and since Hill City only worships in the evenings at this point, we've been attending both for the time being. This has allowed us to say goodbye, and let our old church meet Ralphie a little more.

Ralphie was baptized in Charlotte (post to come), and we had our Easter meal in Rock Hill, followed by an egg hunt for the children of our neighborhood, and church. 

"What do I do with it?"

 

This little guy, Thomas, was so adorable. I watched him scamper across the grass, grab a handful of eggs and then plop down and begin happily eating his candy. He didn't seem to care that there were dozens of more eggs to be had, he just wanted to eat the candy as soon as possible.

comparing :) 

searching high and low 

counting 'em up - and looking for "prize" eggs!

We had a "little kid hunt" and a "big kid hunt" - we made the big kids look extra hard for their eggs!

Southern Gentlemen - complete with seersucker bow ties

  

the seersucker crowd

Spending Resurrection Sunday worshipping and fellowshipping seems just about right to me.

"Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!"

2011

I know this is a week late... but we can celebrate 2012 all year long, right?

This year we have been so incredibly blessed. We're not the party-it-up type (did you guess?? :P). We actually did have plans for a party(New Years Eve), but ended up not going for various reasons. Instead we spent our New Years Eve together, playing Mario Kart on our new Wii, and watching The Cosby Show. I fell asleep well before midnight, and even though Daniel assures me he gave me a New Years kiss as the ball dropped I have no memory except for waking up at 12:15 and asking if it was 2012 yet. :)

We are especially excited for 2012 because we will get to meet our sweet baby face to face, but as I reflect on 2011 I'm aware that, baby or not, we have been incredibly blessed. It was a great year!

The first week of January Charlotte got dusted with snow, and we enjoyed a "real" winter... for about a month.

We celebrated our first Valentine's as Mr. and Mrs. by stuffing our faces :-P at the Japanese steak house (so good!)

And at the end of the month our home was full of visitors!

Jonathan, Chloe and Oliver - then still in utero. :)

and Mom and the five youngest kiddos.

By March spring and love were both in full bloom. We got to see two of our best friends fall in love, while the daffodils popped their yellow heads through the dirt. [Cue Audience to "Awww"]

We began thinking and praying about post-seminary plans, and Daniel buckled down on his last few weeks of classes.

By May, he officially had his masters, and we celebrated with his mom and sister, and my sister.

My sister also spent a week with us in May, and we had a ball just being sisters again. (Well we're always sisters, but we don't live together anymore - that's what I mean) :)

And for better or worse this feisty mutt joined our family. We think we'll keep her. She was pretty darn cute, huh?

June 5 we celebrated our 1st anniversary. I was sick so it was rather low-key, but we were both thankful to have made it through a year together.

A friend and I threw a baby shower in Ohio for my sister, then 20+ weeks pregnant with twins

I spent several days in Michigan with my family the second week of June.

I nannied these crazy kiddos 9 1/2 hours Monday -  Friday and had a blast of a summer!

July 3rd, 2011  we found out Baby was on the way!

And we celebrated the 4th of July with my family in Michigan

Towards the end of July we took a road trip down to Tampa to spend some time with Daniel's family.

We also used some vacation time to visit the beach and soak up some rays.

In August Daniel celebrated his golden birthday. :)

September and October we dipped into some different cultures and visited the Greek Festival...

... and the Renaissance Festival (which were not on the same day, even though Daniel is wearing the same outfit... whoa!)

September 28th, we became Aunt Ashlee and Uncle Daniel for the second and third time as our first nephew and second niece made their entrance into the world! (We can't wait to meet them face-to-face this summer!)

and in mid October we got to see this sweet lil face for the first time.

 Thanksgiving we spent here in Charlotte with friends, and traveled the following weekend to visit Daniel's mom for her birthday.

Then Christmas season hit!

... and here we are in 2012.

God Bless!

Christmas Fun - Part Three

Then there was the rest of the week. We most just relaxed and spent time together, which was, of course, nice. 

Zoe was a big hit with the little girls, and even Mom and the boys warmed up to her. Dad tolerated her because he loves us. :) After she got used to the fact that there were over ten people in one house (and two cats!) and that things weren't going to slow down any, she managed alright. The excitement was a bit much the first couple of days, but by Monday afternoon we were mostly proud to call her our dog.

We dressed her up :)

Snuggle time!

"What's this cold wet stuff, and why does it make me sneeze if I try to snort it?" 

Tuesday night we went bowling!

comparing the bump to a bowling ball... 

<3 <3

Noah and Anna

Nevin, Nolan and Nev's friend Nathan

Baby liked bowling, too!

No trip to see Mom would be complete without a visit to Goodwill or Salvation Army, so all the girls headed out Monday morning to see what we could find. I scored big on some silk flowers for our room - pictures to come!

Nicholas has always said having a birthday 3 days after Christmas and the day after his older sister's is a recipe for no birthday celebration at all. So, since the college freshie was home, we thought we'd celebrate a lil. 

After a nice dinner Dad took all of the guys out to see Mission Impossible 4. Then, we had cake and icecream when they got back. Talk about the perfect bedtime snack! ;)

Thursday came so fast. We packed up all of our things, as well as the nursery set that each of my siblings and I used to use for Baby, and prepared for goodbyes. It was sad to leave, and the drive home was not as exciting as the drive there, but it's good to be home. We'll be busy over the next two months planning and preparing for the baby's arrival, and it's a blessing to have things to do.

I have a New Year's post in my head, but in case I don't get to it until January 3rd -

 Happy New Year!