2011 was a good year! I can look back and am so thankful for where God has had us!
Physically, in our current house, neighborhood, city, state and, truly, most of all, our church!
Spiritually, I've been able to finish one study of the Bible (chronological) in one year and moving into a new one (M'Cheyne One Year Plan), which I'm really excited about {and Russell's doing the same one, so we should be able to have good conversations around our Bible study}; Rhys is quoting his weekly Bible verse every morning, just before he gets his yummy vitamin; Caleb gets to hear the weekly verse, for now, as he gums his vitamins. :) And I'm trying to be diligent to read to Rhys most nights from a couple of children's books that focus on Scripture and a moral lesson from the Bible. He typically plays with cars while I'm reading and trying to get him to participate here and there. Both boys also LOVE their Sunday School classes, and Rhys LOVES his preschool (he currently goes 2 days per week), and I see how God truly loves on their sweet hearts when I've picked them up, and they are so filled from their time in those classes. I am thankful!
Emotionally, honestly, I just see how God is growing me more to walk in His Truth, not so much in my fleshly emotions, which I can SEE is so important because that pours into my family...our precious, vulnerable children and my husband who needs a strong, courageous and supportive wife, not an emotional burden! I praise the Lord for His truth and for the reality that we can be emotionally secure and stable in Him!
Mentally, I am thankful that God has impressed on Russell's heart the importance of intentionally seeking out edification in how we spend our evening hours. We've both developed {or realized} a craving for reading! We terminated our subscription to Netflix and have started to read more in the evenings. We slacked in this area during the holidays, but I look forward to finishing a current book and delving into new ones this new year. I also need and hope to be more diligent to read more to our boys so that they will develop a love for learning through reading.
We are just excited and thankful...as individuals, as a couple, as parents, as a family! God continues to reveal His good, perfect and pleasing will to us in His timing and as we seek Him. This new year, I look forward to getting more plugged in through our church in ways of serving and in social ways, just to get to know our like-minded family!
Well, enough of the journaling! Here are some sweet pics of the last couple of months of 2011:
Meet Caleb, our fearless man who gets into anything! :) This is a very descriptive picture of him!
And Rhys, our man who tries to do all things right! Even likes to brush his teeth several times throughout the day!!
This moment is so worth capturing...to remind ourselves years from now how Caleb would sift through our garbage and pick up any boxes or anything else of interest and run around the house with it until we'd catch him and say, "No! No, Caleb. No playing in the garbage." :) Our little garbage man.
We've spent a LOT of COLD days playing indoors:
Warm baths have been a great, clean activity!! :)
Rhys LOVES to play with Matchbox cars/trucks. He gets SO focused on organizing and moving them that he forgets life exists outside of his mind! I love it! It is precious to watch him focus!!
For the most part, the boys play well together, but, like all siblings, we deal with our share of rivalry. I am CONSTANTLY seeking the Lord for wisdom in how to discipline them and for His supernatural love and patience in the process.
Christmas crafts. :)
Fun at meal times...
A family venture to our FAVORITE: Jim n Nick's!!!
Just a cute memory to capture here...Rhys is extremely COLD nature, like his mama, and this is how he likes to travel day or night in the winter months. Blanket all the way to his chin, lovies in hand. :) A man after my own heart! I appreciate warmth, too!
On warmer days, we break away to a local playground! It's been neat to 'get to know' Caleb's personality as he's gotten older. Rhys is definitely more cautious, again like his mama. Caleb is fearLESS! I am fearFUL for him! He just goes and thinks later! 'Reigning him in' has proven more challenging. Whew! It's amazing how different siblings can be!
And more indoor play...
Daddy built a fort over Rhys' bed with an army blanket, which the boys enjoyed one cold Saturday morning.
Rhys is a social eater. He just wants to eat when anyone is eating and pretty much whatever anyone, especially Daddy, is eating! :)
And we've done LOTS of traveling in the last couple of months. Back and forth to Pappa & Grandmom's in Mississippi several times, local visits to friends', my parents' and Granny's, etc.
Another memory to capture. :) Caleb kicks his shoes off, then pulls his socks off first thing when we get into the car! I'm learning to load him up sock-less & shoe-less, even in the recent frigid temps, and just put his socks & shoes on his feet at our destination! :) Thankfully, yet another TEMPORARY phase! Ha!!
More outdoor play when we can! I LOVE the SUNSHINE!!!!
2011 was a good year, and I look forward to living out 2012 with this precious bunch! The last couple of months have gone by super fast. Thus, the super fast 'catch-up' post of pictures! Whew!
