Advent, 2017

Advent is probably my favorite season out of the entire year. There is so much meaning behind it, that by the time we get to Christmas Day, I am overwhelmed with the gift that Jesus' coming is to us. This year, I had a heightened focus on not being the "White Witch" to my kids. For those of you who have read C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, you may remember that the White Witch is the imposter ruler over Narnia who makes it "always Winter, and never Christmas" for the inhabitants of that land.

This year, the Advent season was more about preparing my heart for Christmas. As we walked through the month of December, I had to mentally check myself when I would start to feel out of sorts about things that didn't matter in the long run. I had to choose to not let flour and cookie dough crumbs all over my floors and counter tops not dictate my mood. For my children, I wanted them to sense the wonder that Advent should be different than the rest of the year. We still had our day to day responsibilities, but they were not the focus of our days. We took breaks from school work to bake cookies. We watched movies about Christmas and read lots of stories. We had gift exchanges, and extra time spent with friends. We had LOTS more treats than usual. We stayed up late and played games, or drove around and looked at Christmas lights. I had to remind myself often that the purpose of this season was to point my kids (and more often, myself!) to the expectation of the greatest, and most lavish gift we could ever receive in God coming to live among us. I didn't want to be the White Witch. ;)

We made lots of special memories this year (get ready for picture overload!):

 

Picking out our Christmas tree is always the best thing ever after Thanksgiving Day. We all wake up eager to get our tree!

 

 See the shadow? :)

 

We got this beautiful tree home, and had to saw a significant part of the trunk off before it would fit!

My cookie baking posse was extra enthusiastic this year. My cleaning sensibilities had to undergo an adjustment. ;)

One of the best parts of the season for Olivia was getting to attend the Milwaukee Ballet's performance of The Nutcracker. Getting to go with a best buddy made it all the sweeter.

 The girls even braved the freezing winds to catch this rotating sign out in front of the venue!

 

The performance was wonderful, with a live orchestra, and lavish set and costumes! We topped it off with a hot cocoa date after the show, and Olivia was in heaven.

We made Christmas cards to pass out at a Nursing home during an outreach Olivia's ballet class had. The kids absolutely loved going to town with paper, markers, scissors, and glue.

Such intense concentration!

He was so excited that he'd made a "pop-up" card, and wrote the sentiment himself!

Julia colored a little, but card-making isn't really her jam (yet).

Olivia performed a little ballet dance for the residents at the nursing home, before passing out the cards we made. She was really nervous before the dance, but then she got out there, and her smile lit up the whole room!

She was so proud.

We also made sure we squeezed in a gingerbread house decorating evening.

They had all had significant amounts of sugar by this point. No gingerbread house making session is complete without eating more than you're using on the house. ;)

God was so gracious to me this Advent and continued to remind me - sometimes gently, sometimes sternly, that the state of my heart was much more important to him than the state of my holiday goings on. I am so thankful that I serve a Savior that knows my weaknesses, and left everything to humble himself in the greatest way imaginable. I am praying that these happy memories are infused with pointing to that unimaginable gift we were given in a manger.

It was a blessed Advent, indeed.

Ten Years

My Love,

How can it be that we have already shared ten years together? When people told us at our wedding "you'll blink, and it will go by that fast . . . " I thought I knew better. I mean,  ten years was such a long time. In some ways, it has felt like you have always been here. In other ways, it feels like just yesterday you walked into the radio station office, and Joe introduced me to "his good friend Nate" with a wink and a nudge.

You were tall and skinny, shy, with an infectious laugh, and gorgeous eyes. Over the next few months, I learned that you were fresh out of college, living with your parents, working third shift at a retail store, spent your free time playing video games, and loathed camping, dogs (or any pets, really), and any food with flavor. How exactly did Joe see this playing out?

I am so thankful that God delighted to bring us together. Who better than Jesus to take two people as different as different could be, and bring them together for his glory? We always said we were glad he was smarter than we were. :)

It may have taken some convincing on both our parts in the beginning, but we soon grew to realize the gift we had been given in each other. I, for one, had come to see that beneath your playful, everything-football-loving, competitive veneer, was a man I could follow for the rest of my life.

 You have deep convictions, and a strong will, which gives you the strength to hold fast to those convictions when it's difficult. You are fiercely loyal, which makes you a steadfast friend, and also a trustworthy confidant. You are a hard worker - when you take something on, you don't give up, and won't settle for anything less than perfection. You are not a man of many words, but when you do have something to say, you are thoughtful and I take notice.

You are patient with me. You "lay down your life for me", as Christ did for his Bride, the Church - and serve our family in ways that no one except God will ever see. You are tender with me - and compassionate when I am suffering. Over the years, our version of romance has deepened, and you continue to show me that you love me in practical, and sometimes lavish ways.

By God's grace, you have been faithful to me through more "life" than I ever knew could be packed into ten years. Through four pregnancies, along with the morning sickness, sleepless nights, and newborn fog that accompanied them. The emotional strain of financial uncertainty, and more recently, the upheaval of living in two states simultaneously, and then learning to live together as a family unit once more. Watching close friends' marriages crumble, and even the grief of tumultuous situations within our church body. Through all of this, your eyes have never wandered, and you have never turned to another.

I am grateful to you, for all the laughter you have filled our home with, and the joy surrounds our family each time you come home to cries of "Daddy's HOME!" For all the times you have collaborated to whisk me away for an evening, a weekend, or sometimes just a moment with a kiss. You remind me that I am your beloved bride, and you still see me as beautiful and precious to you when you come in to a woman still in pajamas, disheveled hair, and crying children clinging to her body.

Our marriage has been more work than I ever thought possible, and has created more growth in me than I ever knew I would be capable of. It is true that marriage is a crucible the Lord uses to bring about his purposes of making us more into the image of Jesus. We are not the same people we were when we walked down the aisle ten years ago, and for that I am so incredibly grateful. Prayerfully, our marriage is also a story for the world to see on display the goodness of God toward two needy, sinful people, who depend on his grace every moment.

We had grand ideas for ways we would celebrate this milestone in our marriage - and we ended up celebrating it in a quiet, comfortable way that left both of us content, and grateful for one another.

10 years later, a family Anniversary celebration

We've only just begun, my Love, and I am looking forward to spending the rest of our days together. May we grow in grace, and in faithfulness toward Christ first, and then toward each other. May we continue to depend on Him to be our deepest joy, so that in turn we can serve each other out of love, and not a desire to have our needs met in anyone besides the Lord. I am so glad you are mine.

"Therefore, throughout life, no matter what may lie ahead of us, I pledge to you my life."

I still do.

<3<3<3

Wedding photos by: Angel Eyes Photography

The Children's Hour

Between the dark and the daylight,

When the night is beginning to lower,

Comes a pause in the day's occupations,

That is known as the Children's Hour.

I hear in the chamber above me

The patter of little feet,

The sound of a door that is opened,

And voices soft and sweet.

From my study I see in the lamplight,

Descending the broad hall stair,

Grave Julia, and laughing Olivia,

And Levi with golden hair.

A whisper, then a silence:

Yet I know by their merry eyes

They are plotting and planning together

To take me by surprise.

A sudden rush from the stairway,

A sudden raid from the hall!

By three doors left unguarded

They enter my castle wall!

They climb up my turret

O'er the arms and back of my chair;

If I try to escape, they surround me;

They seem to be everywhere.

They almost devour me with kisses,

Their arms about me entwine,

Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen

In his Mouse Tower on the Rhine!

Do you think, O brown-eyed banditti,

Because you have scaled the wall,

Such an old mustache as I am

Is not a match for you at all!

I have you fast in my fortress, 

And will not let you depart,

But put you down into the dungeon

In the round-tower of my heart.

And there I will keep you forever,

Yes, forever and a day,

Till the walls shall crumble to ruin,

And molder in dust away!

<3      <3     <3

From: "The Children's Hour" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

(lightly edited)

Our Precious Blessings

In the midst of our crazy life lately, we have had some fun memory making moments too!  While we are hunkered down trying to make sense of our new reality (prayerfully short term), we have been looking for ways to make the most of our time here in IL too.  We have had lots of time to spend with both sides of the family, and lots of new experiences to share with the kids in our new surroundings (both in Milwaukee, and in IL!).

Recently, one of those fun experiences was a visit to Mom's studio in Chicago (Today Everlasting Photography), to capture some more recent shots of my growing and changing kiddos!  They are changing so fast, and every time they get their pictures taken, I look back and think "how can my babies look so grown up??"  :)

She's the one who made me a Mommy.  My ballerina, princess, ruffly-girly-all-things-pink-and-sparkly-loving, bug whispering, down in the dirt playing diva.  :)  At 5 years old, she's just started Kindergarten, and is learning to write, and will very proudly spout off all the continents and oceans of our globe.  I love watching the world through her eyes!

I love this kid.  My second born, curious about the world - with killer dimples that get him out of all sorts of trouble . . . ;)  He is sensitive and sweet, silly and super intuitive, and loves being a super hero.  Someday he wants to be a fire fighter, and he is constantly telling me all the ways he wants to help or rescue people someday.  Even though he's only 3, he takes his "job" of keeping Mommy safe very seriously.  <3

My sweet little Peaches.  Maybe it's because she's my third, maybe it's just her personality, but she's my little firecracker.  She's incredibly intelligent, is exploding with new vocabulary words every day, and her most favorite song in the whole world to sing right now is "twinkle twinkle little star".  Even though in her little 19 month old voice sounds much more akin to "tinkle tinkle".  She loves babies.  LOVES BABIES.  If we're out and about, and she sees a baby, she'll be a broken record trying to point said baby out to the rest of us for the foreseeable future.  ;)  She sleeps with multiple baby dolls, and carries them with her everywhere.

Speaking of babies . . . 

We have the incredible privilege of looking forward to welcoming another sweet little love to our family this coming Spring.  I am usually taken aback by the timing God chooses to use in my life, and this new little life was no exception!  While only 15 weeks past conception, this baby is already so loved - so cherished - so marveled at, and we are humbled that God would gift us with the task of shepherding and shaping another soul for his glory.

I often get the "WOW!  You sure have your hands full!" comment when out and about with my brood, and I always respond with "Yes!  Full of good things!"  :)  I never want to take this calling of Motherhood for granted.  My children are precious gifts, and even on the hard days, I am so incredibly thankful that they are my gifts to cherish and enjoy.  We are so full of joy, and so thankful.

Praise God, from whom ALL blessings flow . . . 

Our Big News!

I once heard that when you look for growth, you find it in the valleys.  As breathtaking as the view is from the mountaintops, they are barren.  That has been true for our family as God has asked us to walk through this valley of unemployment.  As God has asked us to trust him, more than finances, more than the security of a job, even more in the uncertainty of the future, we have grown more into the image of his Son.  He has been incredibly faithful, gifting us with more of himself, and sustaining us in surprising, and unexpected ways.

Nate's last official day as an employee with Verizon Business was December 22, 2015.  It has been a long, wearying journey to finding a new job!  Preparing for interviews, then waiting with bated breath to hear back, only to be disappointed with no job, has been a very hard emotional roller coaster to get on and off of.  I am new to the corporate interview process, but apparently it is normal to go through two or three interviews per job application.  Again, a very emotionally trying process!  Sometimes we would go more than a week between interviews.  So it could take over three weeks from the application process, to the final interview, and then the "we've decided to go in another direction" phone call.

At some point, I believe God put it on Nate's heart to begin searching for employment in Milwaukee. As strange as it sounded at first, (I mean, what is there in Milwaukee?  No family, friends, or church to attend . . . what's the appeal?) eventually the idea sounded intriguing to me as well.  After one interview "cycle" that fell through, he found another, better company to apply at.  The first interview went well!  Then the second . . . and then he was asked to come in for a third, face to face interview.  Certainly encouraging!

Only a few days after his in person interview, he received the phone call we'd been waiting six months for:  he was HIRED!

Immediately I started reeling.  Obviously Milwaukee sounded like a promising, exciting idea when it was only a possibility, now that it was reality, it began to sink in that we were leaving home.  I certainly had mixed emotions.  We were out of town when we got the news, so once we got home, it was full fledged chaos!  We wanted to get our house listed as soon as we could, which meant getting all the house "projects" or as many as could be managed, finished.

There was so. much. painting!  haha.  Nate patched up several holes in the walls, thanks to the dog and the kiddos, and we touched up or painted just about every single room in the house.  We also went through closets, moved a bunch of stuff that doesn't get used as often out into the garage, and went through "staging" the house.

We signed the papers to list it with a realtor, and the house went live July 5th.  We left with the kids and took a little hiatus up to Milwaukee, as I had never visited, and we wanted to get a feel for where we will be moving to as a family.  When you only see it as a dot on the map, it's pretty abstract.  ;) It was a whirlwind couple of days driving, driving, driving around the city looking at houses, and checking out neighborhoods, etc.  We did enjoy a little diversion time in the awesome hotel pool with the kids, and Julia's first time in a big pool was a success!  That girl is part fish, I think!  :)

After our one night stay in the hotel, we spent an entire day driving around Milwaukee, and then driving back home.  We were in the van, with the kids, from 10 am that morning until nearly 10 pm that night.  It would not be the understatement of the century to say that the day felt like an eternity.

The next morning, we got a phone call from the realtor's office that they would like to schedule a showing for that afternoon.  The chaos continued!  The day after that, the realtor had hired a photographer to come take pictures of our home.  This is when the phrase "picture perfect" hit home for us!  While ultimately, our trust was in God, and not in the realtor to get our home sold, we still wanted to do our best.  Saturday morning came with another showing.  We had to be out of the house (including the dog) by 9 am.

Sunday came (July 10th), and we thought we were safe for a "breather" day.  We got a phone call soon after church asking "would we be available for a second showing in the evening?"  Wow.  A second showing already?  This is encouraging!  Since we had the dog, and it was raining off and on, we opted to just, um, drive around for an hour?  haha  Since we had no plan, we ended up driving back by the house about ten minutes before the showing was scheduled to finish just to see if by chance we could go back in.  We saw the realtor out front, with a young person and their parents (hugging, no less!).  Definitely a good sign.  This morning, (July 11th) after the house has been on the market for six days, we woke up to a message from our realtor that we had an offer!  We've accepted it, and we will be closing in just over a month.  

It is absolutely clear to us that God has had this planned, and He has been preparing the way for us all along.  Down to our current Pastor who "just so happens" to know of a solid church in the Milwaukee suburbs.  We are thankful!  Talk about a whirlwind two weeks!

Now the process begins of packing up everything that's left after "staging" and finding (QUICKLY) a new home in Milwaukee.  More adventures to be had!

It will be hard to leave behind all the people we love so much, as well as our incredible church family!  We have lived so much life in this house.  We went from newlyweds when we first moved in, to pet owners (with a puppy!), and then we brought home our three babies to this house.

We are so thankful for the way this house has served us well, and for the many precious memories we've made here.  If you want a little tour, you can watch the video below:  :)

God is so faithful!  I am praying for lots of grace during this time of transition, and for the energy to keep up!  Hopefully my next post will involve something about finding a new home!  Until then - 

Grace and Peace,

Amanda

A Year of Peaches

I can't even believe that my baby is one year old today!  How time flies . . .





Look at how much she had filled out by two months!  She was our little chubba wubba.  <3



And this is about the time I started calling her "peaches".  Look at that adorable fuzz!

That round little face melts my heart!

I remember this day . . . she would NOT smile for me - no matter how crazy I acted!  haha!

Another serious picture.  I must look weird with a giant black thing in front of my nose.  ;)

This girl NEVER holds still anymore!  I had to call in reinforcements - and then she wanted to go chat with my assistant.  ;)

She also kept wanting to walk over to where her favorite toy was.  :)

She is the sweetest little ray of sunshine for our family.  We just adore her, and are so grateful to God that he chose to gift us with her life!  What a treasure to be tasked with the privilege of raising her up in the Lord!

Happy FIRST Birthday, my sweet little Peaches!