Out With the Old...

Well here it is friends, the new kitchen. We are so thankful for it and can't wait to share it with our friends and family. Bring on the parties!

We had to let the kids take part in the destruction. Here they are coloring

on the walls and taking a hammer to it. Great memories in the making!

Before...After...

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After...Before...

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Happy Birthday Christian!

Celebrating our 3rd child's first birthday was very sweet. Instead of lots of people and elaborate plans, we had family and homemade cupcakes. Wonderful memories!

Siblings and cousins ready to partake in the bounty of a birthday party. Of course, they all enjoyed the cupcakes and presents more than our little man.

Don't get me wrong, Christian loves a yummy treat as much as the next kid. As hard as it may be to believe, like most 1 year olds, it took some convincing for him to get this messy.

We love this little man!

Another memorable moment...Joshua held Christian while he drank his last bottle.

All Done Dance

There are 3 things that I have learned about Christian during his first year.

1. He is not interested in doing something he doesn't want to do no matter how much you want him to do it. This became most apparent in teaching him his baby sign language.

2. He loves music.

3. He loves even more to dance to said music.

In order to combat #1, I enlisted our whole family to combine #2 and #3 to teach Christian the sign for "all done." Which, if you are unfamiliar, it is shaking your hands above your head. Here is what we came up with...

Shadows

This is my new favorite song from David Crowder *Band. It is beautifully poetic, but also speaks so much to the way I am seeing the world be experienced by so many dear friends around me. The experience of shadows in life seem to overwhelm the light. The sorrow feels like it is engulfing the joy. BUT, O the memories of God's faithful provision. We are just like the Isrealites who continued to forget and were commanded to remember. At the foundation of our memories we see that the shadow is yet another memory of God's greatest provision at the cross.

Life is full of light and shadow
O the joy and O the sorrow
O the sorrow

And yet will He bring
Dark to light
And yet will He bring
Day from night

When shadows fall on us
We will not fear
We will remember

When darkness falls on us
We will not fear
We will remember

When all seems lost
When we're thrown and we're tossed
We remember the cost
We rest in Him
Shadow of the cross