Speechless...and haven’t stopped talking of it since

Changes

Fri, 1 Jan 2010 10:34:05 -0600

I am making the switch from iWeb to Wordpress.

What does that mean for you?
It means if you want to continue to read my scintillating blog (and pick up new vocabulary words like “scintillating”), you will have to surf over to the new site:
http://absolutelyspeechless.wordpress.com/

Click on it, write it down, bookmark it, or cut and paste. Whatever helps you to get there.

The address is a bit simpler, too, so that helps.

See you there!

DPP 25:09

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 10:37:12 -0600

It has been wonderful having everyone here for the holidays.: ping pong tournament, Settlers of Catan, poker, movies, cookies, coffee. Lots of laughter, lots of food, lots of hugs. Lots of snow. :)

Merry Christmas from our family to yours. May you have a blessed New Year in the light of His mercy and love.

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It was so different than what we are used to. Mary, delivering her firstborn: no drive to the hospital, no wheelchair awaiting her arrival. No medical personnel to monitor her vitals and reassure her as the pain increased in frequency and intensity. No medication, no epidural, no whirlpool bath to ease her discomfort. No nursing professionals to take care of things, while Joseph paced outside and puffed on a cigar. No, none of that; just him, her, and an imminent birth.

And then, He came—bursting onto the scene, not with a heavenly glow like a Renaissance painter’s vision, but with blood and water and afterbirth; and yes, with crying and squalor, despite what some sanitized Christmas hymns may say. There was no nurse to gently hold the baby so that Joseph could tentatively cut the umbilical cord; no midwife to ease Mary’s fears and pain, to show her how to wash him and care for him. Just a dirty, dank barn with disinterested, cud-chewing animals to witness the miracle: God becoming human, gulping his first breath, bellowing his first cry—and receiving comfort from his earthly parents.

Then came the glory and the celebration, far from the birth scene—an army of angels, shouting and singing and praising God, celebrating that God had entered into man’s sin and pain and blood and tears, and was prepared to take the blows for all of his children.

Come, Lord Jesus
come, Emmanuel
into our own dank, dirty, disinterested hearts

DPP 24: 09

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:03:47 -0600

Happy birfday

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:49:12 -0600

Since Anna’s favorite dessert is cheesecake, her older sister Bethany graciously offered to make that for her birthday “cake”--a cappuchino fudge cheesecake, no less.
I’m not sure why she opted for having that instead of one of my famous cakes-from-a-boxed-mix.

On second thought, I guess I know why.

The cheesecake was delicious, and we celebrated the 18th anniversary of the birth of Anna in style.

I made my regular contribution to birthday festivities, by forgetting to purchase birthday candles.
I’ve only been to about five hundred stores lately where I could have bought them.
Ah, well.
It’ll be one of those endearing little stories about how Mom always forgot the candles.
Like we talk about how my mom always forgot to put the napkins on the table.

(p.s. Please don’t leave comments about what an ungrateful and obnoxious daughter I am to make such a statement about my own mother. I already know.)

DPP 23:09

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:42:19 -0600

Yep, things are pretty active around here this morning.

DPP 22:09

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:33:47 -0600

Lots of boys around here.
A few girls, too.
Lots of fun.

Soaking it in....

DPP 21:09

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:03:59 -0600

Santa has been informed that the favorite thing that he brings each year is, ironically, new stockings. Ones you actually wear, though; not the kind you hang in front of the fireplace.

Here is a pair from Christmas Past, modeled by Andrew.

At what age do you go from being disappointed about getting socks in your stocking, to being excited about them?

Probably about when you have to start buying your own socks.....

DPP 20:09

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:20:34 -0600

After church, after supper: settling in, with and without Catan.

I think Theo’s winning.

DPP 19:09

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:25:23 -0600

Grandpa says hi to granddaughter Hansen.

DPP 18:09

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:27:29 -0600

Since I am having an issue with the camera (an error message; I looked it up in the manual, but it has to do with aperture rings and things that I am ill-equipped to fix), I decided that today would be as good a day as any to have a “guest photographer”. Anna nabbed the camera about a week ago, and further validated the fact that I am the worst female photographer in this family.
Since this is part of what we were doing again today, I figured it works.

Her artistic talents don’t end with photography.
I hope I get some of these handmade notecards that she was working on during the snow days for my Christmas gift.