one year.

Our sweet boy is one year old today! Everyone always says "it goes by so quickly!" but I had no idea it would be this fast. I cannot believe that our teeny (well, kind of... 9.1 lbs) baby is now a little boy! I am so grateful to God for the blessing of Elliot Finn-- I am so grateful that God chose for me to be his mommy! What a gift!

Ellie boy, you are the joy of my heart.

Elliot's Birth from Adam & Megan Triplett on Vimeo.

lately...

1. Elliot learned to scoot backwards! He has since mastered it on his butt and get all over the place. 2. We got our first ultra sound of our sweet little baby a few weeks ago! 3. We went on the annual Elder/Deacon retreat to the beach. It was such a sweet and refreshing time. Elliot came with and was great. 4. Our sweet niece Brooklyn Ruby was born! We haven't had a little niece born in over five years, so we're pretty excited. 5. Elliot turned 11 months old. 6. And learned to use a spoon (semi) by himself. 7. Elliot and his cousin Levi have developed this really sweet and funny relationship. They already love each other so much. It's so funny to see such little guys hug on each other (they're 4 months apart). 8. Our church's annual Women's Retreat is this weekend. I had the privilege of making some of the decorations and it was so much fun. I really, really, love making things and love an excuse to do it. 9. This sweet little boy will be a year old in one week from today. I can hardly believe it. 10. 16 weeks! I love that I am showing already. That awkward "do I look pregnant or like I ate too much?" stage didn't last too long this time around :).





How far along? 16 weeks.
Total weight gain? I think like 5 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Yes. Completely.
Sleep? Really good. I legitimately think I could sleep all of the time.
Best moment this week? Narrowing down our sweet baby's name. Feeling teeny little baby flutters.
Miss Anything? Nope.
Movement? YES. Teeny little baby flutters after I lay down at night or when I hold Elliot a certain way.
Food cravings? Not really.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Doing the dishes. That might be psychological.
Gender? We don't know yet. SOON.
Symptoms? This week has been good. My morning sickness has begun to subside. I am still really tired at the end of the day. Pregnancy brain is in full swing.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time? Happy! I am super emotional this pregnancy, though. Like, a joyful emotional. I cry all of the time.
Looking forward to? Finding out our sweet baby's gender. :)

9.

I have seen a few ladies do these little questionnaires on their blogs and I thought it would be fun for our friends and family who aren't close to read and also a lot of fun to look back on. One thing that I am so thankful I did was a pregnancy journal and a baby book for Elliot (that's obviously still a work in progress). It is so fun and helpful to look back at all of the things that I don't remember too well.

So, here goes... we'll see how regularly I actually do this ;)

How far along? 9 weeks (tomorrow).
Total weight gain? Oh goodness, I don't know. Hopefully nothing yet.
Maternity clothes? Not yet. I am determined to go as long as possible.
Sleep? Good. Maybe, too good? I have been sleeping a lot.
Best moment this week? The realization that we have "two kids" or referring to "our children."
Miss Anything? No, I am so thankful to be pregnant.
Movement? No, unless gas bubbles count?
Food cravings? Nope.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Yes. Most things.
Gender? Too early to know.
Symptoms? Some morning sickness, fatigue and good ole' pregnancy brain has kicked in ;)
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time? The Lord is really drawing me nearer to him and bringing a lot of joy and peace into my heart even through the morning sickness... so, I'd say happy. But also, emotional. I have been crying at everything-- not necessarily sad tears, just a lot of tears.
Looking forward to? Oh my... so many, many things. This coming Friday is our first appointment, I am excited for that. And I am excited to have a belly again. :)

Christmas, a new year, and, oh yeah...

I feel like this week is finally the calm after all of the holiday craziness. The past month is a blur. We had a lovely Christmas. We went over to my sisters-in-law's parents house (that's a mouth full, but I'm pretty sure that's the accurate way to say it... my brother's are married to sisters) for Christmas Day dinner. It was such a nice time to spend together as a family and to have all of the little cousins together. The following morning we flew to North Carolina to spend a few weeks with Adam's family and it was such a special time. We always have such a nice time when we go out there. We were able to spend a lot of time just hanging out, eating wonderful food and just being together. Adam and I also snuck a couple dates in there ;).

Here are a few pictures from Christmas. I probably chose the wrong time to practice with my manual focus, so there aren't many. I also forgot my camera when we went to North Carolina, so I only have a few iPhone pictures.



















Oh yeah, one more thing I forgot to mention...



Elliot is going to be a big brother! We are so incredibly thrilled! We are so grateful for the Lord's provision and timing. Baby #2 due September 2013 :)

Elliot Lately...

This little guy is just oozing personality these days! He is such a goofball and so funny. It's such a joy to be able to watch him grow and learn. He is changing every day and becoming such a little boy. My heart is over flowing with love for this little one!!

Reflecting on the Gospel

We have been doing a lot of reflecting around here lately. Every morning Adam reads an excerpt from Good News of Great Joy by John Piper and then we read a chapter (which are pretty short) from Come Thou Long Expected Jesus and it has been such a joy.

It has really began to reshape and mold my thinking about the advent season and Christmas. I have never really meditated on the weight and glory of Christmas. I have never really thought about just how magnificent the birth of Christ is, just how pertinent to the Gospel it is! That if Christ would not have been born, he would not have been able to live a sinless life and give of himself completely on the cross. Oh, how much more should we delight in Christmas because of this! This is the beginning-- the beginning of God's redeeming work on the cross. THIS is what mankind was waiting for! And now, because Jesus was born and because he lived the perfect, sinless life and because he died a horrific and brutal death and because he rose again, defeating sin, death and the devil, we are able to wait for him to return!

"The whole of Christ's life was a continual passion; others die martyrs, but Christ was born a martyr. He found a Golgotha, where he was crucified, even in Bethlehem, where he was born; for to his tenderness then the straws were almost as sharp as the thorns after, and the manger as uneasy at first as the cross at last. His birth and his death were but one continual act, and his Christmas Day and his Good Friday are but the evening and the morning of one and the same day. From the crèche to the cross is an inseparable line. Christmas only points forward to Good Friday and Easter. It can have no meaning apart from that, where the Son of God displayed his glory by his death. " John Donne The Book of the Uncommon Prayers

Lately.

Kinfolk Volume Six from Kinfolk

I love this little quarterly magazine. It is purposed around a natural approach to small gatherings. It has been a huge source of inspiration for me in regards to hospitality-- particularly in this advent season. It has helped me to embrace old and cultivate new family traditions as we celebrate the beauty and glory of Jesus Christ.