It's New Year's Day - the beginning of 2008 and the end of a delightful week of vacation with Stephen. This week really has been a great balance of productivity and relaxation. We have puttered away at some projects (school prep, beginning phase one of our flooring project, catching up on correspondence and errands...), yet we have also relished cozy mornings of hanging out in our pajamas and playing games with the kids. I have started some pleasure reading (one of my resolutions for the new year)and have immersed myself in an inspiring homeschool text, The Well Trained Mind.
Baby Boy greets Stephen each morning with the groggy inquiry, "Daddy home? No work?" before he breathes a sigh of relief and settles in to play. He has savored every spare minute with his daddy; it will be quite an adjustment for him when we return to our regular routine.
We have hit a record of OVER 43 inches of snow in December alone!!! Our yard is so deep that the kids can scarcely walk in it. Stephen brought the big kids sledding over the weekend, and they had so much fun. There is a construction site down the road from us where there are MOUNTAINS of dirt that have become the most amazing sledding hills. We figured that it was worth the risk of getting kicked out just for the thrill of a few runs. ;) Lots of others have "trespassed" here as well with their sleds, snowboards, etc. We'll be disappointed if they ever get around to building anything on the land...
We had my parents and Adam over for a 5 course dinner (a belated Christmas gift) on Thursday. I spent a whole day cooking, cleaning and setting up, and it was so fun to put out a really special spread. After dinner we watched "Ratatouille" with the kids. It was such a cozy night and a treat so see Mom relax and enjoy being served for a change. She takes such good care of her 5 kids and (nearly) 12 grandchildren.
On Sunday night we finally made it over to my brother Matt's new home. This time it was our turn to be spoiled and fed a scrumptious meal. They served us Matt's legendary garlic soup, crusty bread, and pasta with venison sauce. He and Renee have done a BEAUTIFUL job refinishing their downstairs. It was fun to imagine the potential that our home will have once we finish our floors and paint our walls.
Speaking of which, I took some "BEFORE" pictures of our construction work. We are so excited to see our mangy carpets disappear and to anticipate beautiful, ALLERGEN-FREE floors!
As we approach this new year, we are so thankful for the big and the little blessings that God has brought into our lives and the time that we've had to slow down and marvel over His creativity. We can learn so much about His nature from the family He has placed us in - the love and security of a God-centered marriage, the giddy delight of kids who play in snow up to their chest, the cuteness of a toddler who learns to sing "Frosty the Snowman," and the precious kicks and squirms of new life growing inside my womb. I treasure each of these moments and praise God for another year to enjoy them.
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