in which the year ends, and we can't help but muse.

december...

~ a special night out with a fun group, with and thanks to mom and dad
~ a special day out, with my 2 special girls
~ being silly in iowa
~ that especially exciting morning (stockings were before church, gifts between services... it was quite a day!)
~ the posters in the background are completely unintentional in their suggestion of the smoking bishop.  and the smoking bishop was excellent, even though not drunk from a bowl.
~ my sweet baby and their sweet baby seemed to love each other very much
~ those two loved each other very much, too (a bit...too much... at times.  pippin fortunately does still have hair on his ears.)
~ learning a new game, then days later
~ playing it ourselves...
~ before (and after) waking eldest for her first ball drop.

it's a new year now, and like many,
we've spent some time looking at life and
thinking about what's important.

we've been stressed out from the hand-holding we've had to do (both literally and figuratively, both with children and adults).  we've been disillusioned and disappointed.  we've been frustrated and sad.  and angry.  haven't we all?

but... we've also welcomed new babies and hung out with old friends.  we've started things and finished things and tried things.  we've grown.  we've had so much fun and learned so much.    we've had the honor of celebrating the life of one of God's saints He has called home, freeing him from pain, after a long and good and serving life (dear grandfather A, we are so thankful for his daily prayers for us).  we've traveled and explored and wandered.

we've worshiped and been blessed.

but we still feel the tug of needed change, those tweaks here and there that could move us forward in how we want our family to be.  we feel more need for focus.  in life, especially in homeschooling life, but more because of the kind of person I am, I see the world rushing by and think about all we're missing.

(that's not the heart-throb pop-singer/reality show/smart phone "world" we're missing... I don't miss that in the very least.  but the "what's truly important that I'm not doing" world.  the world where we take more time to be with the kids and try to figure them out and help them and be faithful Godly parents for them in this weird weird world kind of world.)

so we'll see how this year goes... we're going to try to add a few little things to the routine.  to tweak and improve.  to rest.  to grow. 

we have hope and God's promise of watch-care in faithfulness.

what more do we need?