A Season of Giving

We have been super busy around here lately trying to get ready to leave for a whirlwind trip across four states traveling to see family over the holidays. I am so thankful we both have some time off from work to travel, but I nearly have a panic attack when I think about all that needs to be done over the next two days! Wash the laundry, fold the laundry, wrap the presents, pack the bags, etc. I think I need to borrow an elf from Santa. ;) Well, amidst all the business we have found time to invest ourselves in this season of giving. I often feel guilty about how Christmas is the main time of the year we think about giving when Christ continually calls us to sacrificial giving. However, a few months ago Marc and I decided we didn't really want to spend any money on each other this year and we would just put that money toward sponsoring a teen parent through Youth for Christ. This is such a great program that ministers to teenage single moms and their emotional and financial needs during a very stressful time. I had the best time filling up a gift basket to give to one such mom. I left Wal-Mart that day with an overwhelming feeling of joy! I wish I could have made ten baskets to give!

The basket was filled with lots of our favorite bath stuff, toys, books, diapers, wipes, and an adorable blanket. As you can tell someone thought this basket was for him and couldn't keep his hands off of it. ;) I hope whoever receives this will feel so loved!!!

This is the gift I bought for all of Eli's teachers for Christmas. They are SOOO good with him so I wanted to show them how much we appreciate them. I found these precious candles from Pottery Barn and had them monogrammed to make them more personal. It is hard to see the monogram because of the glare. The candle inside is Pottery Barn's paperwhite scent which is my favorite.

Well, I need to get to wrapping if any of our family plans on receiving a gift this year. Ha! I hope that you all have a blessed Christmas and I will pick up when we return. Here are a few pics of Eli that I took last weekend. I can't believe he will be 8 months on Friday!

Here We Go!!!

Alright so I have FINALLY ventured into the blog world... I have spent quite some time over the last year following a few blogs, and when I began finding myself "composing" my own blogs in my head a few months ago I decided I should probably start one up. :) There are a few things that I hope this blog accomplishes.

First, I hope it allows me an opportunity to see God at work in my life. I used to be very faithful with journaling during my college years and was so amazed to see all the things God was teaching me from what I was reading and the circumstances I was dealing with. I miss having something tangible to read back through to see how great His works truly are. I have attempted multiple times since college to pick this hobby back up but have failed at being successful. I hope blogging might "stick" since it is something new and has some sort of accountability with knowing others are reading.

Second, I have a new joy in my life who is so unbearably cute I couldn't stand to keep him all to myself.... :)





Eli will be 8 months old next week and has been SUCH a joy to love on. He is changing so much that I want to lock all these memories away somewhere to look back on down the road.







Finally, we live far away from most of our family and friends and they are missing us tremendously and want a way to keep up with what is going on in our lives. My family all live in Arkansas and Marc's family are all in Illinois. Skype has been a huge help with staying in touch, but there is only so much Marc and I can do to keep a 8 month old baby entertained while Skyping. :) So, hopefully our families (especially Eli's grandmothers) will appreciate this blog and updated photos of our life here in Kansas.

Well, there it is. I hope that you come along for the journey!