Christmas 2011

We had a great Christmas this year.  

So filled with family and fun that I seriously feel like I am just now coming up for air from it all!

I thought about breaking this post up into smaller installments, but I also thought that it would take me near to forever to get them all done.  So, I am just putting it ALL in this one.  There will be lots of pictures, and hopefully I will not be long-winded :)

This was Micah's third Christmas, {and Beckett's first...still cannot believe he is four months old.  Last Christmas was when we revealed the big pregnancy news to our families, and now he's here.  Craziness.} but it was the first one that she was able to start comprehending what was happening.  This caused some serious questioning and decision-making on Chris's and my parts.  Will Christmas be about gifts, wrapping paper, bows, lights, and Santa? Or will Christmas in our house be about the birth of Jesus, our Savior, who stooped so low in order to bring us into deep relationship with him?  That is a hard decision to make in a culture that throws consumerism in your face at every turn, especially at Christmas.

So, we talked very little about presents and Santa and focused on celebrating the birth of Jesus this Christmas. In fact, we talked so little about presents that Micah didn't even ask about the gifts under the tree or act interested until we began opening them. We are already looking forward to adding more ways to make that a special time with our little family.

We did, however, make a visit to the big guy in the red suit.  Micah was so excited and was completely enthralled with Santa and the little castle that surrounded his special chair.  Beckett was his sweet self even after being woken up in the middle of his nap to sit on Santa's lap and appease mommy :)
 
We baked goodies for our neighbors.

We had family over to bake and decorate sugar cookies.  This is the second year in a row that Chris's mom and sisters, our nephew{s}, my mom, and my sister have come to the house the day before Christmas Eve to do this.  I really like this tradition.  It's fun to have some low key talk time before the festivities get going.

And, we are so blessed to have families that get along so well!

Christmas Eve was spent with my family.

My kids were spoiled by their Mimi, Pappy, and LeeLee...not just in terms of gifts but also attention :)

We came home on Christmas Eve, and the kids opened their Christmas jammies to wear to bed that night.

We left cookies and a note for Santa, read the story of the birth of Jesus, and put the kids to bed.

Santa got busy on a sweet pink tricycle for Micah, and an indoor play set for both the kids.

Christmas morning, Micah came out to see what Santa brought her. She was excited.

We played for a bit, then sang happy birthday to Jesus and blew out the candle on the bubble bread.

Then, we headed to Chris's parents' house to do Christmas with them.

We headed to Grandmamma and Grandaddy's house that afternoon after naptime to round out Christmas Day celebrations.  Micah LOVED the rocking horse.

The day after Christmas was spent with Granny and Pops's side of the family.  Sadly, I have no pictures of our time with them.  But, we enjoyed it, and the kids were once again showered with love and gifts.

We really enjoyed celebrating the birth of Jesus.  My hope for our little family is that we can continue to find ways in the midst of the glitz of Christmas to honor our God who gave up everything to be one of us.  That is one amazing gift.

Seven Whole Years

Today is our seventh anniversary.

Seven whole years since I stood at the altar and said I do to my forever love.

Seven years has brought a whole lot of lessons and a whole lot of love.

We were just kids, and we've kind of grown up together.

 

Marriage is a true gift. 

It is one of the greatest gifts because it doesn't stop giving the moment you open it.  The goodness and excitement isn't over after you exchange vows and rings and walk back down the aisle hand in hand.

Marriage just keeps on giving.  And sometimes the giving is hard.  It challenges you and forces you to be selfless and to give in return.  It reveals your weaknesses and sheds light on your inadequacies. It's tough.

But, it's also the most wonderful journey.  It means there is someone with you every step of the rocky road.  It brings someone to share in your joys and in your sufferings.  It means that you aren't ALWAYS the one giving, but that many times you get to receive.

In a world where marriage and love are often just seen as conveniences and not lasting, I am thankful to be with a man who is with me through it all, who believes that I am someone worth fighting for, who encourages me to be better than I think I can be, and who I know will stick with me for the long haul, warts and all.

So, here's to the best seven years of my life with the most amazing person I've ever met. I can't wait for the next seven.  Thank you, Chris Field, for showing me that the fairy-tale, always and forever, happily ever after love still does exist.  I'm proud to be yours.  I love you.

Four Months

 Beckett Lucas,

You turned four months old on the 16th, and you just seem to get more precious every single day. I feel like the time is flying by, and it kind of makes me sad. I just want the days to slow down so I can soak up every moment and enjoy you in all your sweetness right now. But, I am trying really hard to take the time to slow down when I can. You are so wonderful, my precious son, and I just cannot get enough of you. I think I could just stare at you and kiss your little dimpled cheeks all day long {and believe me, I do both of those a whole lot}!

This month you added rolling from your tummy to your back to your repertoire of skills. I missed it the first time you did it because you were on your tummy when I went to get a toy for your big sister, and when I got back to you, you were on your back. You have done it a couple of times since then. Laying you on furniture without pillow barriers is no longer possible. You have become a rockstar at tummy time too. You pick that head up so high and just look all around. After a while, you get tired and let us know you are ready to turn back over, but you forget that you didn't like it on your tummy and almost always immediately roll back over. Silly boy.

You are using your hands more and more, and I love watching you concentrate so hard on trying to grab a toy. Toys are definitely beginning to get your attention more, so we pulled out some of your sister's old toys. You love to suck on your hands, and you have a super strong grip! One of your favorite things to grab is mommy's hair, and it takes a lot of work to get you to let go :) You are becoming more fond of your pacifier for soothing yourself when you are ready to go to sleep.

Speaking of sleep, you have regressed a little bit. Your naps have become so short this month, and you rarely sleep longer than 45 minutes at a time during the day, unless I am holding you and can help you get back to sleep when you wake up. Your nighttime sleep has also been a little less predictable. Some nights you wake up once to eat and others you wake up at least two times. Mommy is definitely tired, but you are more than worth it. We are going to try to work on getting you on a more consistent schedule and see if that helps. I try to enjoy each moment in the middle of the night because I know that all too soon you won't be my baby boy anymore.

You are still smiling and laughing and talking all the time. You seriously will smile at pretty much anyone if they make eye contact and smile or talk sweet to you. My favorite is when you see your daddy or sister across the room, and your whole face lights up in a huge smile at the sound of one of their voices. You love to coo, and most nights when you wake up, you don't cry but just talk so sweetly. You love to laugh at your sister, and she loves to make you laugh. The sound of you two laughing together has to be the sweetest sound ever.

You love your bath and will kick and kick and laugh. I love it! You also really like your bouncy seat and will just play in it and kick until you put yourself to sleep. You started sleeping in your crib the night before you turned four months old, and I think it has been good for all of us even though it made your mommy a little sad. You still have the sweetest disposition, and people are always telling us how sweet and laid back you are. We love it!

My sweet boy, you are too precious for words. I fall more in love with you each day as I see your little personality grow more and more. You bring such a sense of calm wherever you are, and your contentment is such a blessing. I know you will teach us so much about being content as you grow, and I pray that it is always a part of your nature. You are our sunshine boy, Beckett. Your daddy and I absolutely adore you and cannot begin to imagine life without you. Happy four months, Beckett boy!

I love you to the moon and back!
Your Mommy

two years old

Micah,

You are two years old, and I can hardly believe it.  You are not a baby anymore but are becoming more and more of a little girl.  I could never have imagined how amazing it would be to watch you become a little girl or just how your heart would capture mine each day.  Staying at home with you and your brother is seriously the best gift ever. Being your mom these past two years has been a bigger blessing than I could possibly explain, and I am in awe of the little person you are becoming.

I can vividly remember the first moment I laid eyes on you, and you have been taking my breath away ever since.  In some ways, the time has passed so quickly that it doesn't seem possible that it has been two years.  But at the same time, I honestly don't remember what life was like before you.  You make every moment more fun and more full.  I can only begin to imagine how much more blessed my life will be over the many years to come.

There are so many things I want to remember about you right now, about two year old Micah, because as I have been told many times, things are always changing.  You are definitely no exception to that, my dear.  So, here goes.

You are talking nonstop.  There is no way I could list all of the words and phrases you know and say because you add more every day.  You talk in complete sentences most of the time, and your daddy and I can {almost} always understand what you are saying.  Between 21 months old and 2 years old, you began saying your name correctly.  You used to say "cacah," and it was slightly sad to me when you started saying "Micah."  I feel like that each word you begin to say correctly is another sign that you are growing up.  So, I will probably continue to mourn each "ook" that turns into "milk" for quite some time.  I honestly think we talk almost all day long, and I love it.  You got your talkative side from your daddy.

Two other great things your daddy passed on to you are your friendliness and your passion.  You love love love people, and even if you are having a bad day, I know that you will cheer up in an instant if we go somewhere with lots of people and especially people you know and love.  I hope you never lose your ability to be kind and loving to ALL people.  It is one of the ways God has gifted you, and I love it.  You are one passionate little girl.  You have been intense since the moment you entered this world, and most of the time, this is a great thing.  I pray that your passion will serve you well in your life and that you will pour into something with great passion for the Kingdom.  However, your passionate side can make things difficult when you are upset.  We are learning to love you through it :)

You are becoming more and more creative and imaginative in your play.  I absolutely adore watching those precious moments unfold when you are playing so contentedly and creatively.  You still love to do puzzles, and you love to read books.  You generally find one book that you love for a couple of days and only want to read it over and over and over.  You enjoy coloring and having mommy and daddy draw all kinds of things for you {and you make us feel very good about our poor artistic abilities too!}.  You can count to 13 in English and to 10 in Spanish, thanks to your current favorite shows Dora and Go Diego Go!  Your brain is constantly absorbing and soaking up everything you see and hear.  It is amazing.

I love watching you as a big sister.  You love to make Beckett smile and laugh, and I know you look forward to the day that he can play with you.  Anytime he cries, you tell him that it will be okay, and you are quick to let me know he is upset.  You are almost always gracious about sharing my time and energy with your brother, and I am so thankful for that.  I pray that your relationship with your brother is so strong and important to both of you.

There are so many more things I could write to you, but no words could adequately express all the love that is in my heart for you.  You are the greatest gift, and you bring me immeasurable joy.  You teach me about Jesus everyday.  I am honored to be on this journey with you.  I pray that I will not be consumed by my desire to protect you in every way from everything but that I will be most concerned and burdened by teaching you and guiding you to love the Lord passionately and serve Him unabashedly.  Praying that justice and mercy would abide in your life, no matter what that looks like.  You are such a beautiful little two year old girl, and I am so thankful that you are my daughter.

I love you to the moon and back!
Your Momma

Two Sweet

For Micah's 2nd birthday party, we went with a "two sweet" theme and had lots of yummy sweets and treats.  It was the perfect party for Micah because she inherited a sweet tooth from both of her parents!

I had lots and lots of fun planning and decorating for Micah's party.

Most importantly, I think the birthday girl loved it, too!

 

These little jars were the party favors.  Everyone could fill up a jar with candy to take home.

 

She definitely really enjoyed the balloons.  Her face lit up when she saw them.

 

I got the idea for making a 2 out of pictures on pinterest, and I just used different pictures of Micah over the last year.  I loved making this and all the memories it brought up.

 

Micah was blessed with many friends and family that joined us to celebrate her sweet life.

All the kids decorated cookies to take home with them.

Micah LOVES the "Happy Birthday" song and sings it all the time.  Every time we asked what she would do at her party, she would talk about singing the "Happy Birthday" song.  So, we knew she would be excited about that part.  But, I never could have predicted the sweetness of her reaction.  She sat and looked all around the room while we sang with the most precious expression on her face.  It was like she was just soaking it all in.  I never want to forget that sweet look.

 

Blowing out candles is a tough concept for a 2 year old :)

She, of course, loved her cupcake.

Our little family of 4 celebrating our sweet Micah Elisabeth.

We had a great day and are thankful to everyone for loving our girl!

So Are You To Me

As the music

at the banquet

As the wine

before the meal

As the fire light in the night

So are you to me

As the ruby

in the setting

As the fruit

upon the tree

As the wind blows over the plains

 

So are you to me.

 

Happy 2nd Birthday, Micah Elisabeth!  I did not understand many things before you were born, like how to truly love sacrificially and to always put someone else's needs before my own.  

My life is so much better for it.  I love you so very much, precious girl!