Love is in the Air...

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Whether you enjoy the rampant commercialized barrage of candy, stuffed animals, and dinner reservations, take a more off-the-beaten-path approach, or spurn the whole "love" thing in favor of "Singles Awareness Day," the fact that Americans have devoted one day a year to nothing but gestures of affection to those who mean the most to us is an interesting thing.
Many people seem to either love or hate Valentine's Day based on their on romantic relationship status, or lack thereof. Happily, I am not one of these people. As long as I can remember, my dear mother would make the day special for my brother and I. Many years she assisted us in planning a big sledding party for all our friends, and we would make scores of valentines notes and goodies to go along with it. Long before a certain man became my sweetheart, Mom had instilled in me a love for love.
Now that I have a husband and sweet baby, I like to think that I am continuing that tradition of plain and simple love. I don't decorate our house to the hilt, and we don't go out anywhere fancy, (maybe someday) but I do love spending a lazy day with my boys (since Ridge got the day off) doing whatever we please. This year we are planning the drive around the big lake to seek adventure, then come home and have lobster soup for dinner, followed by this cake.
Wishing you all love, in one form or another- I'm off to make a lit garland.

All's Jolly

I hope you all had a beautiful Christmas and a happy celebration of the new year.
We went to the Mallery residence for Christmas Eve. There was dancing, visiting, singing, lots of little children, and lots of glorious food which I unashamedly gorged on.
This is our family Christmas picture. Beg pardon the caffiene-fueled cheer. It's hard to muster all that festivity without a few cups of joe.

The next morning, we had such fun giving Sean his presents. He especially seemed to enjoy the jingle bell ornament from the Takahashis.





Then we got him all duded up in his fancy suit, which, incidentally, he was bursting out of.

See his little paunch puffing out? Yeah....
We don't have any pictures from New Year's Eve, because we spent it quietly at home, with pizza, a pint of ice cream, and Get Smart (Steve Carell is Ridge's favorite comedian).
That's all for now; unfortunately, the plans with the house are taking longer than expected.
Catch you later!

I Count Myself Blessed

Will become, becoming, became. Promise and fulfillment at once.

In this season when we celebrate the incarnation of our Lord, I have found myself more and more surrendering to introspect. It would seem that marriage and motherhood takes the simplest of women and renders them either hopeful philosophers or bitter cynics.
I purpose to be the former.

When I look back at the few past years, I have to marvel at all God has done in our lives. In a moment that feels like yesterday, we pledged our love to one another for this lifetime, and since then, the love that shone between us has been polished to a brighter gleam. A year ago at this time, (by my best calendar estimate) our dear Sean, though known only to our maker, had become a soul destined to join our family and bring us such joy.

Motherhood inspires such a passion for life that I fail to articulate. I love to gaze at my baby boy's face, in wonder at every intricate facet of his sweet form and dear personality. Cupid's bow is pressed gently into Sean's rosebud lips, while his eyelids flutter with the wind of his dreams. Every diaper I change, every wail I soothe, every load of soiled laundry I wash and fold, brings me a step closer in this task of forming a future man, and that reality leaves me in awe of the beautiful responsibility Ridge and I now carry.

My husband has loved me so well. His provision, protection, companionship, and devotion are more than I could have ever imagined in girlhood daydreams. Ridge asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and I've had a difficult time deciding. Of course, there are myriad lovely things I might desire, but all pale in comparison of what I already have: him. His voice cheers me, his smile warms me, his presence comforts me tenfold of what it did before. We have been through what I consider quite a bit for just over a year of marriage, and though the actual honeymoon may be over, I am happy to say that my heart still races when I get his call on his way home from work, and I look forward to every morning that brings us a new day together.

I am so thankful to have such a wonderful husband, a beautiful baby, a dear family and family-in-love, old friends, new church, and.......
(drum roll)
a house that, if all goes well, we close on December 31st.
Just another blessing I thought I'd mention. :-)

But most of all, I have a Savoir.
Not a pompous and arbitrary god, but the Almighty Creator who lowered himself to give us what we would never reach for, a salvation from that which we neither knew nor cared was our destruction. Quietly he clothed himself in our mortal flesh, to live among us and call us his own. He is the gift from which all others stem.

Let heaven and earth rejoice, for our Redeemer and King has come!

Photo Shoot(s)

The other day, before we took our walk down to the mail, I bundled Sean up in a fluffy suit Aunt Kathi had given him. It's a little too big just now.
Then, last night, while Ridge was editing video footage with Rem, I decided to take some more pictures of Bug in the bedroom. For not having much of a clue as to what I was doing, some turned out surprisingly well.
Why yes, I am obsessed with my baby- why do you ask?

p.s. to Mom and Dad: I'll give you guys copies of these tomorrow. :-)