For those of you who actually check this blog every now and then, I apologize for my lack of posts. You will be glad to know that I have fully recovered from my burns and have developed a healthy respect for the power of our microwave.

I’ve written several blog posts in my head over the last two months, but now as I sit at my computer I cannot remember a single word of any of those wonderful (they were really great!) posts. So, you'll get my stream of consciousness instead. (Click away now while you can!)

As Bryan noted in our Christmas letter (will open in a new window), we got new living room furniture for the first time ever this year. Here are some pix:




I’m not a great photographer, but you can kind of get the idea from those pictures. We still need to put pictures over the mantle and have our tables made. (I bought these round pieces of wood and now I’m hoping to find a carpenter to create legs and make it all into tables. We’ll see what actually happens. LOL)

Pregnancy is going well. I have felt pretty awful for most of it (9 weeks left now) but this last week I’ve felt much better. It seems that sitting around all day and eating lots of sugar makes me feel worse than eating well and getting bits of exercise. Not a welcome revelation, really. But, I’ll do what I need to do if it makes me feel less crappy. (I’m eating Christmas candy as I sit here at the computer typing this. Maybe I’m not really doing what I need to do.....)

Bryan and I will never be able to agree on a name for this baby. We know it’s a boy. We couldn't agree on a name before Eli was born. My pick was Elijah but Bryan wouldn't agree to it until he was actually born. He decided that the loudness of his cry indicated a good old-testament prophet name (Elijah) was appropriate. (You know your baby has a loud cry when the nurses, who are used to this sort of thing, say, “My, that one is loud.” That’s my boy!) Eli had his name within an hour of being born. I hold out no such hope for this next baby. I fear he will be called “Baby” for many days before we can finally agree on a name. Or at least until I fill out the birth certificate without Bryan’s knowledge. LOL

Here are the current rejected names: Bryan likes Knute—pronounced correctly “Noot” or incorrectly “KaNoot” he doesn't care—he just likes the name because then he can use the nickname, “Noodle.” Ummmmm, yeah. No. I like Solomon or Dominic. Bryan has flat-out rejected both of those names.

For me, the meaning of the name is just as important as the name itself. I think our other boys have really grown into their names. Max is Maximillian Emmanuel which means “the greatest God is with us.” Now, if you know Max you know he is all about the biggest and the best. He has a good heart and he loves other people. But he also really likes to win and be the best at all things. My hope is that we can mold and shape that passion away from himself and towards the Kingdom of God.

Xavier’s full name is Xavier Zacchaeus (Bryan will never be able to spell Xavie’s middle name in this lifetime...) and it means “bright, pure, and innocent.” Now, Xavier is 5 years old. He’s full of everything that little boys are full of. :) But, he has this certain je ne sais quoi about him. He has an amazing imagination that carries him to places most of us will never experience in any way. At his parent-teacher conference this fall his teacher told us a story. One day, during centers, all the children were working quietly when she looked up and saw Xavier across the room. He was doing this very graceful dance around the room. She asked him what he was doing and he responded, “I’m airing the room.” What? “I’m bringing good air into the room.” When she suggested that maybe he do this outside on recess instead, he responded, “But there is already good air outside!” This is typical Xavier in every way. He just thinks differently from the rest of us. I would love to enter his world and experience it with him. So, anyway, back to his name. Xavier is the epitome of bright, pure and innocent. He displays a depth of spiritual understanding that floors me at times. (He asked me once, “Mommy, if God loves everyone, does he love the devil?” We decided that, God indeed does love everyone, including the devil, but that just like us when we sin, God doesn’t like what he does.) My prayer for Xavier is that we can keep him focused on the love of God.

Eli’s full name is Elijah Daniel, which means Jehovah is my God and my Judge. It’s a heavy name for a two-year-old boy. But, he won’t be two forever. (Thank God, because I don’t think I could handle it!) He is a rough and tumble boy and he has the strongest will of anyone I have ever me. He knows what he wants and he is persistent well beyond reason. (This is a child who can throw a tantrum that lasts an hour-and-a-half or more!) I can’t really say for sure yet, but I imagine that Eli is going to to grow into a strong, determined, go-getter sort of person. I predict that he will be a man who grabs life by the horns and doesn’t let go until he gets what he wants. And, just like the other two boys, we hope that we can steer Eli’s tenacity toward the Kingdom of God.

So, who knows what this next baby will be like. But, I want to make sure we pick a good name. (Knute means white-haired. Maybe it should be my name!)

Are you making any New Year’s Resolutions this year? I didn’t think I was until I had my quiet time this morning. (And it actually was quiet as I was the only one awake. It was nice!) My resolution comes from Philippians 4:4 (The Message) Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! I looked up celebrate and revel (Yes, I already know what they mean, I just find that a lot of times I can develop a deeper understanding of the meaning from the actual dictionary definitions. Smart Aleck!)
Celebrate v.
1.) to make publicly known; proclaim
2.) to praise widely
Revel v.
1.) to take great pleasure or delight in.

That’s my resolution—for my heart to take great pleasure and delight in God and my mouth and actions to publicly praise him. This isn’t something I can do through sheer force of will, but rather through surrender and death. Surrender of my will (which wants to complain about the world around me) and death of my old self (which only wants to focus on me to the exclusion of everyone and everything else.) If only we could say, “Spirit, control me.” and it would just happen. But that’s not how it works. So, God and I will walk hand-in-hand into the new year and hopefully I can keep a tight grasp on that hand. That's my New Year’s Resolution. Well, that and not letting clean laundry pile up on the dining room table. ;)

Well, thanks for stopping by. If you have time, check out the new additions to my portfolio. I have several projects that are about to wrap up, so I’m hoping to have more additions soon.

Happy New Year!

Labels: design, God, kids, life of a mom, love