Happy New Year!

Hello friends, and happy new year!

I'm quite embarrassed over what little attention this blog has received in recent months. But, I gotta tell ya, this has been one of the busiest seasons of our lives! It seems the older our kids get, the more complicated things become. Our awesome kids, Jeff's work, and the fact that I returned to school has made for an exciting, but busy, semester.

There are many times when I think,"I should totally blog about that!" But, I don't.

I want to thank all of you who continue to be so sweet about sending us Christmas cards even when it is not returned. I soooo want to! We love catching up on your families and seeing how children have grown and reading about how your lives are changing. We feel blessed beyond words to have so many amazing friends from every place we've ever lived.

Some of you who sent cards have also been to see us this year! Our house has been joyfully full and we have loved seeing so many old friends. Colorado, apparently, is quite the vacation destination, and we totally understand why. This place is awesome and we love living here. The house we ended up buying happens to have an apartment in the basement and we prayed that God would allow us to use it. We think He's given us some great opportunities to do so! If you are a friend that  hasn't been here (or if you have been here), know that our home is open to you anytime!

Our living room on Christmas Eve. 

Our kids are growing like crazy and changing fast. Sam is 11 now. What?!?! He is quick to remind us that he is a "pre- teen." One day I was the coolest mom ever, and the next, not so much. Sam adores his Daddy and Jeff can do no wrong. I'm OK with this because I think his dad is pretty cool, too. Sam recently wrote a paper for school about his hero. It was all about Jeff. It's one we will save forever. Sam is a thinker and asks hard questions. There's been some very deep questions lately- questions Jeff and I do not feel we are qualified to answer. Perhaps, Sam will turn those questions into songs since he is now in his very own band- "Mustash Cash Stash." They performed in the school talent show. They were amazing. To me.

The one and only "Mustache Cash Stash"

Silas still has big blue eyes that take up half his face and we still get comments from teachers and authority figures about how hard it is to discipline him when his eyes fill up with tears. I get it. Silas has a heart for people and is drawn to those who are hurting. He is a faithful, loyal friend. He is also, what we refer to, as our "random child." He says the most random, hilarious things that leave us in stitches. We've been having to have many talks with the boys about girls and how are bodies work and all that. We came across a poster with a girl in a bikini that was advertising a car or something like that. Always looking for teachable moments, I asked the boys why they thought that girl was dressed that way and had that look on her face. Silas looked at me with a "duh, mom" look on his face and said,"Because she hands out trophies, of course!" Needless to say, Silas will probably never live that one down.

Sam and Silas- Man, they look so grown up to me!

Selah- oh, my Selah. My heart swells when I think about this girl, not flesh of my flesh, but who is my heart. The joy she brings to us can't be described. I am forever indebted and grateful to her birth parents who allowed us to parent her. She is exquisitely beautiful. She is thoughtful, witty, and, most importantly- artistic. The girl is rarely seen without a pen and paper in hand. I have dozens of notes from Selah telling me how much she loves me. We have hundreds of drawings and paintings laying around the house, each one showing more and more detail. For Christmas this year, her gift was an art room- a big closet under the stairs that we transformed into a creative space for Selah to do what she does most often- art. She, also, makes us laugh with her quick responses. The other day, we sat around the table talking about childhood memories and Jeff mentioned how much he used to hate going to the fabric store with his mother as a child. Selah piped up and said, "Because it smells like old lady."

       

Selah and her art room, her big Christmas gift that she LOVES!

   

     Selah and her Daddy who she LOVES!

And mama LOVES, also!

I suppose the biggest thing going on in my life is my return to college to become a nurse. For so many years, I have told myself I was not smart enough. But, I am proving to myself otherwise. College is so different as an adult and I appreciate the opportunity to learn so much more than I did when I was younger. I love what I am learning and really look forward to being a real nurse some day. I continue to love being a mama and am so proud of each of my kids and love the honor of being Jeff's wife. I have been blessed, once again, with some amazing friendships- from our church and also in our neighborhood.

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 My very favorite Christmas gift from a preteen who I didn't think liked me anymore.

It's hard to condense our year into a few paragraphs and I fear I have already written too much! If you have made it this far, bless you. Thank you for being our friends and loving us and our kids over the years. As I look on our "Christmas card wall" and see faces of friends old and new, I am reminded of how truly blessed we are.