I'm not one to make new years' resolutions, but I do try to stop and reflect at the end of each year. Here are a few things I'm thankful for this year.

• Delivering Mathis, our healthy baby boy



• Great doctors, including ob/gyn's, pediatricians and hernia surgeons



• We have a great family on both sides



• David and I celebrated 4 years of marriage



• Rachel is Potty trained



• I still have all of my senses



• We have a new closet and bright cheery bedroom



• I realized I can’t remember what it was like to not be a mother



• David's business thrived during the summer



• We made it through the terrible 2’s, and even though there were tears of frustration, there was also lots of laughter



• The Chattanooga Christian School community, who have taken such good care of us time and time again



• I discovered Dansko shoes (expensive, but they have fixed all my feet ailments)



• Our friend Matt Dunmore's willingness to capture the first year of Mathis' life on film



• David had a successful hernia repair surgery



• I weigh less now than I did when I got pregnant with Mathis



• Amazing teachers for Rachel at preschool and church



• A soft warm place to sleep at night



• I made several new friends this year and continued some old friendships



• I got an ipod and started a blog (I'm proud of myself for keeping up with technology) :)



• The study Heart of the Home by Sue Jakes & Priscilla Stewart, which encouraged me tremendously



• We really are able to live in a 2 bedroom, 1 bath with two kids



• I finished the book Jane Eyre



• Even though some days/weeks are really hard, I am thankful for my job/calling as a mother and even more thankful that I am able to stay home with them

Rachel celebrated her 3rd birthday yesterday. We threw her a "pink party" on Saturday, with pink cupcakes, pink balloons and everyone came wearing pink. Here are some pics.

Christmas Quote

He was created of a mother whom he created. He was carried by hands that he formed. He cried in the manger in wordless infancy, he, the Word, without whom all human eloquence is mute.

Augustine of Hippo

For those of you who don't know, we have a raccoon who has been making himself at home in our kitchen for the past several months. He comes in through the pet door into our kitchen and has been eating our cat's food. The first few times it was in the middle of the night and would scamper back out the pet door as soon as it heard us. Then a couple times it came in at like 7:00 or 8:00 at night, and of course I would scream at it and it would run out. So finally a friend of ours let us borrow a trap and after a week and two days, this morning we found it in its cage outside the back door. It doesn't look that big in the picture, but the cage is about 2 feet long, just to give you an idea of how big it was. David read that raccoons are very territorial and that to disorient them, they need to be transported at least 20 miles from your home. So our friend came and took it far far away this morning, to a new home. Hopefully it was a loner and we won't have to worry about any of its friends...

Here is the Christmas photo shoot with our friend, Matt. You can also just visit his blog. My favorite is the one of Rachel kissing Mathis on the cheek. :)

Ponderings...

In reading the story of the nativity in Matthew 2, this year I was struck by verse 16, "When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi."

As you probably remember, the Magi had seen the star in the East and came to worship the new King that had been born. They had stopped in Jerusalem to inquire of his whereabouts. King Herod was threatened by the thought of a new King so he instructed the Magi to return to him, so that he, too, may worship him. Fortunately, the Magi were warned in a dream not to return to Herod so they returned to their country by another route.

What struck me about verse 16 is the casualness with which I have read that story every year. Here is a king who has the power to decree that every newborn under the age of 2 be murdered. It's his edict and it's the law. Anyone who doesn't comply will be punished. Can you imagine! As a mother, I cannot imagine our government demanding to kill our children. Think about that. How horrifying for a parent! And this instance is not the first time an order like this was made. The Pharaoh did the same thing when Moses was a baby. So it must have been somewhat common for rulers to issue this kind of decree. I can't fathom that. I know our government isn't perfect, but I am SO thankful for the democratic system and while I know I can't say, "that would never happen here," - I do feel certain that we are a long way from it.

I love my children so much and am thankful today to live in the United States.

Every now and then, it's good to share some of the books that have meant something to you. Here's my list. (in no particular order)

Books that...

changed my life:
* Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis
* A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis
* The Power of a Praying Wife, Stormie Omartian
* Lady in Waiting, Debby Jones & Jackie Kendall
* Disappointment with God, Philip Yancey
* What the Bible Has To Say About Healthy Living, Rex Russell

affected my parenting philosophy:
* The Duties of Parents, J. C. Ryle
* The Shaping of a Christian Family, Elisabeth Elliot
* Hints on Child Training, Henry Clay Trumbull
* Don't Make Me Count to Three, Ginger Plowman

I've read more than once:
* Hind's Feet on High Places, Hannah Hurnard
* Passion and Purity, Elisabeth Elliot
* Stepping Heavenward, E. Prentiss

I'm proud of myself for completing:
* Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
* Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden

I would want on a deserted island:
* The Bible
* My J. M. Boice Commentaries
* Roots, Alex Haley (only because it's on my meaning to read list and I figure if I was on a deserted island, I would have enough time to actually read it.)

I thoroughly enjoyed:
* The Love Comes Softly series by Janette Oke
* From Conception to Birth: a Life Unfolds, Alexander Tsiaras (amazing in-utero pictures) - awesome book when you're pregnant, especially in the early days

I am currently reading:
* Women's Ministry in the Local Church, J. Ligon Duncan & Susan Hunt
* Celebrating the Christian Year, Martha Zimmerman
* Keep a Quiet Heart, Elisabeth Elliot
* The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis

I've been meaning to read:
* Anything by J. I. Packer
* Roots, Alex Haley
* More fiction novels and biographies

Magazines I subscribe to:
* Southern Living
* Vegetarian Times
* Cottage Living
* Family Fun
* World Magazine
* Readers Digest
* Prevention

A new tradition...

This morning began a new tradition in our house. Today is St. Nicholas Day and I have been very interested in the traditions of a couple of my friends who always celebrated today. As the story goes - back in A.D. 280, a wealthy man, Nicholas, had a friend who had lost his business. The friend was concerned about being able to pay dowries for his three daughters. Nicholas wanted to help, but didn't want any of the recognition nor did he want to embarrass his friend by offering him charity. So one night he dropped a bag of gold coins through the open window of the eldest daughter's room. Some fell into a stocking that had been hung out to dry. Some landed on the floor and in the girl's shoes. The afterglow of that experience warmed his heart. It drew his attention to the poor and suffering people around his town and he spent the rest of his life caring for the poor. For those of you who want to read more, check out Celebrating the Christian Year by Martha Zimmerman or www.StNicholasCenter.org

So last night we told Rachel the story of St. Nicholas and told her to set her shoes outside her door when she went to bed. When she woke up this morning, she found candy and a small present. I think this is such a great idea. One lady said she pulls out all her St. Nicholas/Santa Claus decorations first and displays them until Dec 6 or 7, then puts them away and pulls out the nativity and Christ-centered decorations. We don't' really have any Santa decorations yet, but I really like the concept...

This is from one of those "getting to know you" emails. Thought I would share my answers with you.

1. Eggnog or Hot Chocolate? Eggnog - I just drink a little bit each day.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? We never got presents from Santa, but all my presents have always been wrapped. We never did stockings, either, but now we do because it's a Young family tradition. We even wrap the presents that go in the stockings.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Always colored, everywhere. Last year we bought a pre-lit tree, which has white lights, but I still string colored lights on it. David thinks I'm crazy, but it's just not Christmas without colored lights. If I had my way, we would have the huge retro-looking colored lights outside, but so far we have only used the colored twinkle lights.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Yes.
5. When do you put up your decorations? The Sunday after Thanksgiving. Since we don't have church that night, that's kind of our family tradition time.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? This sounds gross, but my favorite thing is this "snappy liver dip" my mom makes. It's made of some kind of german sausage and you eat it with Fritos. I LOVE it. That and homemade chex mix. And fudge.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Going to Christmas Eve service, then sitting around the tree, sipping eggnog, reflecting with my family.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? My parents never really emphasized Santa so it wasn't a big deal in our house.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? One year we did this when I was little and then my dad would never let us do it again. This year, I am starting a tradition of buying each of the children new pajamas and maybe letting them open that present on Christmas eve, so they can wear them and look cute in pictures Christmas morning. I haven't discussed this with David, though, and he may object. We'll see. However, we do celebrate our christmas with David's family on Christmas eve day. We have a big late lunch/dinner and do presents with his side of the family. Then we do our small family Christmas on Christams morning, then go to my parents for Christmas with my family Christmas afternoon.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? With colored lights and lots of mismatched sentimental ornaments, some ugly, some not. David has this horrible yellow plastic poodle that was on their tree growing up and he always insists that it have a prominent "front and center" position on our tree. But we also have these really beautiful ornaments my mom made years ago that depict the manger scene. They are one of my most prized possessions.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it.
12. Can you ice skate? Hmm. I think I have been ice skating once... maybe. I would probably love it.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Hm. So many... Does a red headed baby girl count? :) In recent years, my favorite was probably my KitchenAid mixer that David gave me. Also, my nativity set.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Now that I have kids, I would say it is all about them. This is the first year Rachel has really been able to participate and I have loved being able to bake cookies with her, read her Christmas stories, explain the manger scene and advent calendar. I love experiencing it all through her eyes.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Coconut cake.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Hmm. Probably just the whole advent thing. We never did this growing up, but last year we started with Rachel - lighting the advent wreath, reading a page out of "The ADVENTure of Christmas" by Lisa Whelchel, followed by singing of a new Christmas carol each week and praying. I made an advent calendar last year out of felt that you put one part of the Nativity Scene up (see attached picture) each night, leaving the baby Jesus for Christmas Eve. She gets to put the pieces up every night and she loves to blow out the candles.
17. What tops your tree? A gold star.
18. Which do you prefer, giving or Receiving? Both!
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Christmas Canon by Transiberian Orchestra
20. Do you like Candy Canes? Only to decorate with.

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!