joy

Joy, unspeakable joy

In overflowing where no tongue can tell

Joy, unspeakable joy

Rises in my soul, never lets me go

-Chris Tomlin "Joy to the World"

Most of my blog post ideas come to me after I get into bed at night. Which is really annoying because when all I want to do is fall asleep, I end up reflecting on the day. And then it's also those moments that make me get sappy and emotional because Isabella is changing so quickly and has an attitude one minute and the next minute is all snuggles, and then there's Isaac, who comes with his own set of challenges but probably has the best sense of humor of any child I know. All of that led me the other night to think about what brings me joy. I know some people who are happy all the time. And that just isn't normal--that's weird. I think joy is something different. Something quieter and softer. Think about it. What brings you "joy"?

These three, are practically sisters...

Isaac ended up with a pretty bad cold and cough. He spent a fair amount of time in his ugly "potato sack" outfit passed out like this...

Christmas was wonderful. Isaac and Isabella had a great time and as always, it was fun to watch their reactions.

"Mommy, I drew a picture of me on your present!"

Isaac's main present was a tool table and he's been attached to this hammer since Sunday morning. We're trying to teach him not to hammer people. An important lesson.

Our house is an explosion of musical toys. If you come over, bring ear plugs.

Isabella's main gift was a camera. She takes a picture and then says, "is that a good one mommy?" Well, the composition is a little off and the exposure...TOTALLY KIDDING!!!

I'm afraid I'll have to order a pair of red cowboy boots, mine just don't compare...

Jesse told me that when she asked Isabella what she wanted for Christmas, she said, "a mommy duck and a daddy duck." She then warned me that one of the ducks was a little weird...

Um, that duck needs a swimsuit cover up.

Love this face!

Ooooooo....

"Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!"

Josh was my "secret person" which meant that he was supposed to give a gift to me. He gave the most thoughtful gift: a framed printout of all of Isabella's funny quotes from my blog. I love it!

Jesse and Josh had big plans for our Gingerbread Village. 

It didn't really work out. Instead we ended up with a very sad village.

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas! We're still having fun celebrating with family!