Out with the old...

Dear Reade,

It's New Year's Eve. 2010 has been quite the year. Full of fun. Full of frustration. Full of...okay, it's a good thing that I have written records of some of the many things that happened this year or I fear I mightn't remember.

The year our little girl turned one. Learned to walk. Started talking. Today she said, "Sit in box. Boat." The year she had her first salon haircut. Her first pee on the potty. She's a perpetual helper, adorable and funny and lisp-y and wonderful. And she removes my keys from my purse most everyday and puts them somewhere clever.

The year our boy turned four. Started practicing on an Early Rider for his two wheeler days. Started pre-school. Wanted to sleep over at someone's house without us. Started saying how much we didn't love him because we wouldn't give in to his demands. And this very day sat on my lap facing me, wrapped his arms around my neck, ran his fingers through my hair and let me enjoy the sun beaming on him and I as we rested at the table after lunch.

This year you finished your final full time semester of your degree. Wow. I'm so proud of you. Amazed at the work you've done to get through courses and assignments and exams while still being present to the kids. And to me. While still being in touch with your friends and keeping up on assignments at Springboard and taking out the trash. You've been swamped so many times and come up for air and kept going. I'm proud. And grateful. And glad to celebrate being done this phase of our family life.

This year I resigned my position at First. Fourteen years of being on staff at one church or another and I'm so glad not to have to juggle all of that with parenting our children and being a hub for our family life. I'm glad to be able to be with our kids day by day. To be here to send you off in the morning and welcome you home at night.

What a year. What a life. I'm in love. With you. With our kids. With our lives right now.

Love, Jenn

He's four!

Dear Reade,

It's hard for me to believe that four years ago at this time we had never met Adoniram face to face.

Here we are, four years into his life and he's wrapped around my heart and yours and evidence of his presence is everywhere...

He's four. He says he feels different today. Taller. And he spotted a contrail this morning out the bathroom window. A great start to his fifth year.

Love you,

Jenn

Still

Dear Reade,

It's the middle of the night and I'm awake again. For a few weeks now I run out of energy and the ability to be awake by the children's bedtime and fall asleep in that process. And there's a great deal of delight in being snuggled up with one or the other or both of our kids.

The corollary to falling asleep at 7 p.m. is that by the wee hours of the morning I am awake.

By the time our children awaken at 5 a.m. I am sure I will be more than ready for sleep. :)

As I sit quietly in these morning hours I read and look and dream. Cooking and baking ideas. Crafting. Beautiful knitting projects. Emails from our family and friends. These still moments are so needful for me. I crave quiet and still and so I am grateful for this space.

Rest well my love,
Jenn

Permission

Dear Reade,

A quiet Sunday afternoon consisting of chocolate chip cookies, milk, sumo wrestling practice, book reading and tower building. Boy-o just asked "Can Daddy have permission to come feed the fish with me?"

Yup.

Hope it was fun.

Love, Jenn