It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

We decorated our house for Christmas tonight and it was so much fun! Technically this is Finley's second Christmas but it is her first Christmas at home. Last year she spent Christmas in the NICU. In fact, Christmas day a year ago was the first time my Mom got to hold her. She wasn't stable enough before that to be held by anyone other than Brian and I but that day was a really good day for Finley and the nurse offered to let my Mom hold her. My Mom cried and cuddled that baby for an hour. She had prayed for so long to be a Grandma and for so long for that baby specifically. It was such a special day.



Here's my Mom holding Finley for the first time...


It has been almost a year and seeing these pictures still brings tears to my eyes. I just can't believe how far we've come since then. Truthfully, most days we just enjoy our sweet girl and live in the moment. Seeing these pictures really reminds me of how freightening those days were. I didn't decorate for Christmas at all last year. I didn't even do any baking (!!! Shock! Horror!) I spent every possible moment in the NICU. God is SO good to us. We are so very thankful to have her home with us this year and to celebrate Christmas as a family.

I've had visions of picking out our first tree as a family and the pictures we would take. I dreamed of decorating and showing Finley every single ornament as we placed them on the tree. Yeah, it didn't happen anything like that. We went to lunch after church and then straight to Home Depot to get our tree. Finley fell asleep in the car on the way there. By the time we arrived, it was pouring rain. I put her in the stroller asleep and covered her up...ran to the lot to pick out a tree with Brian, ran back to the car to get her out of the rain. We got a small tree this year (4 feet) so that it could sit on our side table and off the floor. She's not old enough yet to understand the word "no" so I figure I'd be better off just eliminating the temptation. By the time we got the tree upstairs she had a melt down and had to go to bed, so...I decorated the tree while she was sleeping and can't get a good picture of our little tree to save my life.

I am quite proud none the less. I LOVE any excuse to decorate my house so I'll try to get better pictures tomorrow. I'm officially in the Holiday spirit! I can't wait to start baking!!!

First Post

I've been hoping to start a blog for so long now. In the last year and a half I have felt that I had oh so very much to say. I fear that now that I have started this blog, I will have nothing much to say at all!

So for my first post I'll simply share a line from Leonard Cohen's "Anthem" that inspired me today.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.

I need that reminder today. I spent the day today cleaning my house. I am overwhelmed by how very little I've managed to get done since Finley was born. We live in a very small condo with a very active little 1 year old. She requires constant supervision and has decided that naps are optional. So, needless to say, my house is a disaster zone just about 100% of the time. My Mom watched her today for me so that I could spend the day cleaning. I am ashamed that I have to have a babysitter just to clean my house, but it's true! It was SUCH a good day! I didn't realize how much I needed a day to myself. Of course it would be a dream to have a day to get a pedicure, see a movie, etc. but it was great to turn the music up, and tear through my house with a vengeance! I made great headway and I feel unbelievably better about life in general. So, life has cracks and I'm not perfect and I'm thankful for a God that gives me grace and hope.

Speaking of hope, here's a glimpse at God's gift to us. Delightful!