We came home from running some errands recently to find Ed and Mary (the kind, generous owners of the house on loan to us) filling our front yard planter with an amazing selection of succulents.
(Ed and Mary don't even understand how hip they are.)

Selma had a close encounter with one of the succulents yesterday.
no worries, though.
she's good.

speaking of worries, (seamless transition)
Sometimes I get so consumed with my own fears and hurts,
that I forget that people all around me
hurt too.

It's horrendous, I know.

So this week, my desire is that I would be attentive to the world around me;
that I would talk less about myself.
That I would ask better questions
and listen more keenly;
and that my prayers would be filled with the needs of others; not just my own.

do you have a hurt or a fear this week? can I pray for you?
seriously.
send me an email,
or give me a call.
really.

I don't know why

first off: thanks to the seven people who checked my blog this week; you're awesome.

next on the agenda:

We went for a walk tonight. I thought about my blog as we walked; I thought about why I haven't been writing. I'm not entirely sure why.

Maybe because the path before us has often seemed confusing;

maybe because sometimes I feel too overwhelmed to write;

maybe because God has placed sweet friends in our lives during this season of life and our nights are often spent with them - - talking and listening and wrestling through life together over good food, a cup of coffee, or a game of cards.

it's been a good time of pause.

but

I think I will start up again;

there are things I want to write about.

under my tree: angry birds

There have been a lot of secret meetings and whispers and giggling behind doors lately. Christmas morning revealed the source of it all:

Joshua was the mastermind behind it all:
he found a job for them to do

to earn 99 cents

to buy me angry birds.

The awesome bit is that I get first dibs on the game every time.

even awesomer - - is the pictures they all drew for me

I peeled my eyes open at 8:30 this morning. I hadn't heard the kids yet so I thanked God that they had slept in. I came out of my room and found out that Ginny had been watching them since 7. So then I thanked God for such an amazing mother-in-law.

As I proceeded to ease my way into the waking world, Ginny lead the kids in a rousing game of domino's (what I like to call "fun math" - - yep, that's counting towards school work); I found a sunny corner and flipped through cooking magazines and had cheese and jalapenos on Triscuits, and coffee - - all at the same time. I thought that maybe my breakfast seemed a little ghetto, but felt redeemed since I ate it on Spode (Ginny's Christmas china) while wearing ballet flats (one of my amazing Christmas gifts from Ginny)

Thanks Ginny for watching my kids and keeping me classy!

the best gift. ever.

Jesus, son of God, creator of the universe,
born as a man
to carry out the most incredible rescue plan known to mankind.

crazy.
breathtaking .
beautiful.

We had the loveliest sort of Christmas morning with Jim and Ginny; we had eggs and bacon and fresh squeezed orange juice, and read that amazing story about God becoming man - - in Spanish and then in English (did you know that the Jesus Storybook Bible is finally translated into Spanish? this makes me so happy. I have been doing some shady on-the-spot translating of our english Storybook Bible for the kids for the past few months; I'm glad to have someone else do the translating for me!)

And we spent hours opening our pile of gifts; because gifts must be opened one at a time, and talked about and passed around. I'm convinced that it really is the best way way for a gift to be given and received. I wonder how you open Christmas gifts with your families? please tell me!

Josu strategizes

Joshua reminded Josu that it was his turn to play.

Josu pounded his head with his fist and told us that he knew that it was his turn, but that he had two possible tiles and was trying to decide which one he should play to give him a better play next turn.

aaahhhh . . . my boy - - thinking more than one step ahead; this is like a rite of passage in my book.

remembering

We've been up to San Francisco and come back again; we spent four beautiful days remembering Grandma. There were picnics and walks and the Golden Gate bridge. And there were cheese platters and beautiful flowers, and family - - of course, family - - sisters drinking coffee together, cousins snuggled up on the couches together, everyone taking turns holding the baby or reading to the kids. We spend four days doing exactly what I think Grandma would have had us doing.

my heart is glad: I truly believe that Grandma is with Jesus. She knew Jesus and enjoyed him on this earth. but now . . . oh yes, now she knows him like she never did on this earth; and now she is unhindered in her enjoyment of him! this is a sweet, fresh, genuine comfort to my soul.

my heart is touched by a lingering sadness: This world is not the way it was meant to be; God - - the designer and maker of our world did not make it this way . . . sin perverted his masterpiece; death is perhaps the most poignant reminder of this. Death reminds my heart to long for the day when Jesus will come back and make everything right.