pictures!

Christmas is coming! We've had a cold snap (ha ha! laugh with me here!) recently. The boys threw our pumpkins in the dumpster and we pulled out our bins of Christmas decorations.



Santa properly introduced himself to Havilah by dancing while singing a goofy song about all his many names: Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Santa Claus, and whatever else came to my, er, his mind.

Lights! John's room has a few strings of colored lights, which he's enjoying.

John's Playmobil nativity set--complete with camel, lambs, wise men in turbans, and the largest shooting star in recorded history.

John really loves motorcycles...but for now, he'll settle for his Radio Flyer quadcycle.

Banana muffins on a cozy November evening:

Like mother, like daughter...? What do you think, does Havilah look like my baby photo from when I was approximately her age?

Family picture day was Friday. These aren't even the best shots (those we are saving for Christmas photos/presents). As you can tell, the kids were more interested being photographed with their dad than with their mom. Oh well.

Vacation plans...

is there anything better? I just bought tickets for us to be in Portland January 16 through 25 (we leave early on the 26th). Ten whole days. aaah. (-:

unlock the fullness of life

Like receiving the same piece of advice from two separate people, reading the same quote twice in a day--in two unlikely places--makes me wonder... coincidence? Here it is:

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow." -Melody Beattie

Funny. I was just talking to the Lord about this last night...about contentment. And then, today, he brings me this. And if contentment is the key to feasts, homes, friends, and peace, what else do I need?

p.s.

Billy's back to blogging again....

a living exchange of ideas

I recently came across this quote as I was working:

W. H. Auden said "I have met great and good men in whose presence one was conscious of one’s own littleness; Charles Williams’ effect on me and on others with whom I have spoken was quite different: in his company one felt twice as intelligent and infinitely nicer than, out of it, one knew oneself to be. It wasn’t simply that he was a sympathetic listener—he talked a lot and he talked well—but, more than anyone else I have ever known, he gave himself completely to the company that he was in. So many conversations, even good ones, are really several monologues which only now and then and by accident relate to each other, for the talkers are more concerned with their own thoughts than with a living exchange of ideas, but any conversation with Charles Williams, no matter how trivial or impersonal the topic, was a genuine dialogue" (David Garrett Izzo, W. H. Auden Encyclopedia, 275).

I don't know who Charles Williams is, but I love this idea of conversation being a real dialogue. And also of it being an opportunity to affirm and build up the other people in the conversation--not directly, but by affirming their words and building upon those words to create a living exchange of ideas. It's something to aspire toward....

twice the fun

Do you like Hava's hat (that is, her pjs getting stuck on the way off)?

What a big girl! Check out those Honeycutt legs....

Whipped cream!!!

going...

going...

gone!

Only in the Northwest

The desert has it's own beauty...

but there's nothing like the good old Northwest.... (These pictures were all taken by us in Oregon and Washington).

Whatever is lovely

Here's my brain on drugs...or needing to be on drugs! John made this creation with his birthday gift from Christina (thank you Christina!):

Explanation of above statement: My schedule is catching up with me. I think my body, brain, and emotions are asking for a bit of rest. I'll try to respect that. Here's my happy thought, a beautiful girl:

And my other happy thought, an adventurous boy thoroughly enjoying his first tumbling class:

I had a great visit with Katie on Friday. The boys stayed home and us girls went to Tucson. Minus the six hours in the car, it was a refreshing trip. Havilah felt right at home on Aunt Katie's lap:

We went for a little walk in Sabino Canyon. The signs said to watch out for mountain lions but we didn't spot any. Maybe next time!

When two people say the same thing to me, it's good for me to listen. Here's what they said I should think on:

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.... Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.... And the God of peace will be with you" (Philippians 4:4-9).

the Mute Boys!

Oh, the fun we can have with the grasp reflex!...

Havilah enjoys her first ice cream cone while practicing self defense moves her daddy taught her:

Me: "John, pretend like you're licking your ice cream cone":

Jadon came to play today. He talks even less than John (who knew it was possible??) so I couldn't help but refer to them as the Mute Boys! (John went to the doctor this week and the doctor assured us that John's speech is still normal; apparently, we should wait until he's two and a half before we worry or start speech therapy). Anyway we walked to the nearby high school so the M.B. could play in the grass but, alas, it was all locked up. (yes, folks, the schools down here gate the children in and padlock their grass...that's the stuff of happy childhood memories, eh?) Anyway...it was good exercise for me and Billy since I had Hava and Billy carried both boys for much of the way.

This is the grass at our apartment, by the way.

nothing much

Havilah laughed last night for the first time. Her brother was being silly at the dinner table and she started giggling at him!

She also took a trip to the doctor yesterday. The baby has gained another two pounds! She now tips the scales at 12 pounds, 15 ounces (90th percentile). And she is two feet tall (95%). The doctor said, "Well, folks, she looks like a million bucks!" He also said something to the effect that we don't need him to tell us she's chubby. Ha! Her grandpa (Honeycutt) would disagree: she's just well-hydrated.

Billy cleaned the house this morning. As he told John, "At least your mom can have visual calm, if she can't have auditory calm." Take that to mean what you will about our weekend (I know, it's just Friday afternoon but our "weekend" is wrapping up since Billy is off work Wednesdays-Fridays). I am very happy to be married to someone who takes more than his share of the load and is an (almost) tireless parent. I don't know how people raise kids on their own--it's quite admirable. For me, I am thankful to have Billy along for the ride.

Enjoy your weekends, dear friends and family!