Merry Christmas! (a few days early)

From our home to your home....Merry Christmas and a Blessed 2009!



Jesus, Born on this Day

Today a child is born on earth
Today the glory of God shines everywhere
For all of the world
Oh Jesus born on this day
He is our light and salvation
Oh Jesus born on this day
He is the King of all nations

Behold the lamb of God has come
Behold the Savior is born
Sing of His love to everyone
Oh Jesus born on this day
Heavenly child in a manger
Oh Jesus born on this day
He is our Lord and our Savior

Today our hearts rejoice in Him
Today the light of His birth
Fills us with hope and brings peace on earth
Oh Jesus born on this day
He is our light and salvation
Oh Jesus born on this day
He is the King of all nations

Today a child is born on earth
He is light, He is love, He is grace



May we remember and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas...the birth of Jesus Christ our Savior! Praise God for salvation, redemption and restoration in the form of a little baby boy! May we never forget!

For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6

Just stuff

I got puked on by Owen in the grocery store yesterday. I wasn't exactly sure what to do. I ended up just putting my hands out and letting him throw up in my hands and then throwing the puke on the floor and rushing him to the bathroom. What is one supposed to do exactly, when they are thrown up on in the grocery store? Luckily, it wasn't a whole lot and we were near the restrooms so I came back and cleaned it up myself after changing Owen's entire outfit and washing my sweater out in the sink. (I smelled really wonderful, I'm sure) This is twice I've been puked on in the past month or so. The last time was while we were out to dinner at Mongolian Barbeque. I now feel like I am a true mom. I mean, baby spit up doesn't really count, right? This was real life vomit. I've been baptized into the real moms club!
Owen is doing better. I think he may have just caught a 24 hour flu bug. He slept last night from 5 PM- 9:30 PM, got up, went straight to the refrigerator, pointed to his yogurt and promptly ate the entire container. He went back to bed at 11:30 (after watching the Colts game with us) and slept until 8:30. This morning he seemed his normal self. I'm really hoping its over. A puking toddler really is so so sad.
I'm at the office answering phones and finishing up work until 4:30 today. Josh is picking me up and we are having an overnight Christmas date downtown! FUN FUN! (as long as we don't get a phone call from the grandparents that Owen is puking again) We are staying at a nice hotel, eating at PF Changs and seeing a movie! Neither of the movies that I really want to see are out yet (Marley and Me; Valkyrie) but I think we are seeing the Will Smith movie. Generally, I like Will Smith. I'm sure it will be enjoyable.
Tomorrow, our Christmas adventures begin. I'm hosting a Grandma Dixie Christmas and then then we have a break until Christmas eve...and the parade of homes begins. Mom and Dad (Barnard), (home on Christmas Day), Mom and Dad (Brown), Nanos Christmas, Meece Christmas...and somehow we still have to figure out a Barnard-Coffey Christmas. Yikes. Wouldn't it be fun if you could convince all of your family to meet together in one huge celebration? This is the fantasy world that I live in. It won't ever happen, but it sounds lovely. Cousins running around, yummy smells coming from the kitchen, games being played, happiness and love exuding from each and every peron. Aaaah. I watch too many movies! At any rate, I love Christmas and am excited about the times we spend with our family. Hoping that our kid(s) grow up appreciating both sides of each family for their differences but knowing that they are loved equally as much! :-)
We are anxiously awaiting the birth of our first niece (Owen--his first cousin)! Caleb and Heather are due to have their baby any day now (well, Heather more so than Caleb). I know I will stand in a long line to get to hold this baby, but I can't wait! (can we say baby fever? Because I have a BAD case of it!) I'm so excited to be Aunt Kim. Can't believe I had to wait until I was 27 to be an aunt...but I guess being the oldest ones in the family, thats the way it goes!
Its windy and rainy here today. Fifty degrees and it looks like a fall day instead of a winter one. Indiana is so weird. No wonder we are perpetually sick!
I'll be back to post more later about our baby niece and add some Christmas pictures...hope you are all well and getting ready to spend some time with friends and family. Its the best time of the year! :-)

"And Lord Haste the Day when my Faith Shall be Sight"!

Inspired by the Selah concert at College Park last night and their powerful performance of this song...I decided to write it out and post it on our blog. This has been my favorite hymn...even as a child. Probably because I've always had a problem with being conent. When I was a child, I wanted to be a teenager, when I was a teenager, I wanted to be a college student, when I was a college student I wanted to be married...you get the idea! Today the lyrics and message mean so much to me for a variety of reasons...but wow, the story of this hymn is pretty amazing. The author, Horatio Spafford wrote this hymn while sailing to be with his wife after his four daughters had drowned at sea. As they passed over the area where his daughters drowned he came up with the words to this song.

I don't think anyone can know how to deal with grief until they have been confronted with it; I also think that while Mr. Spafford had a wonderful reaction to grief in the form of this song, he and his wife most certainly had some very low moments. In my own life I can find myself dwelling on the hurts and losses that I and my loved ones have suffered, BUT I love that at the end of the day I know that my victory lives in Christ and in the way that he has saved me from this world of sin. Knowing that life is hard, painful and messy at its best, I want so badly to get to the end of my life enjoying what the Lord has brought me through...and saying that whatever losses I feel that I may have sustained..IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL! :-)

(There ya go...I never post stuff like this anymore, so this should hold me over for awhile!) :-)

It Is Well With My Soul

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Flip Flops, TSH, Pumpkin Pie and New Tires

So, I think this week marked the end of flip flop season for me. I wear them until it snows. Well, it snowed this week. I have really sad feet...I can't wear cute shoes because my arthritis bothers me in my feet this most. So; heels, stilettos...anything with any style is generally out for me. So, I wear flip flops. Sure, they aren't the most supportive thing and they probably aren't doing my feet any favors, but they don't bother me and I'm comfortable, AND they generally go with anything I'm wearing. Good story, huh?
My flip flop wearing has prompted the last two doctors I've gone to see to ask me what on earth I could be thinking wearing flip flops in 40 degree weather....well, I just don't get cold. Ahh yes, they have replied. You have hyperthyroid. Correct. That I do. My thyroid is actually out of control...you could pray for that. My last lab values show that I am at least ten times above the normal TSH range. So, the medicine I've been on is doing nothing...nada...zilch. I'm not getting better, I'm getting worse. My thyroid is trying to destroy itself. So I'm always warm, I can't sleep and I just don't feel right. The answer to my problems is ultimately surgery. (removal of my thyroid) I'm not really willing to do this until I'm done having babies...which I'm not...I'M NOT I say! Unless God says I am. But I have to get my thyroid under some kind of control to even be able to get pregnant again. Who knows when that will happen. So...when you think of us....pray for my sad little thyroid....my Dr. has increased my medication, so hopefully that will help. And when you see me dressed for spring/fall-like weather in the dead of winter...just remember, I'm hardly ever cold. :-)
In other news, we are well. Owen is recovering from bronchitis, Josh was named Marion County's Coach of the Year (a very cool honor, article to follow in a different post), I've been Christmas shopping and cooking....and dreaming up new things to make for Thanksgiving and Christmas...YUM. (what do you think of chocolate covered cream cheese pumpkin pie?!) I think I might try it.
Lastly, we have new tires on our Saturn. It drives like a new car. However, spending $300+ on tires right before Christmas doesn't make me feel very Christmasey. Ah, the game of life.
Happy Wednesday all.

Basically...how cute is our kid? :-)










Picture People....November, 2008.

Fall Pictures

Our wonderful friends, Amy and Brian Grissom of www.rogueartphotraphy.com, did a wonderful photo shot for us....thanks guys! We love our pictures!

Overdue pictures...

I'm finally gotten some more of my pictures together....here are some random ones...some from our trip to Dayton, some just random cuteness that I thought was importnant to post. :-)

Top of the slide at the fabulous park in Xenia. Owen actually went down the slide with Pete several times :-) Too cute!



Runnin' around in the leaves...



Owen and the Gross boys (Sam on left, Jon on right of Owen)! HOW FUN! Hopefully we can get together enough that our boys feel like they are friends :-)



Sam and Owen...(I may have posted this one already. Whoops)

Swingin'....

Aaaaah!

Swingin' with Momma...

Baby Gap Model. (Don't think I haven't thought about it...) :-)

Come on guys...no comments? Have you not SEEN the pictures of the cutest little Yoda ever? Ok, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt...you've been preoccupied with the McCain/Obama drama. But now that all of that craziness is over...you'll have time to tell me how cute my kid is :-) Ha ha. Just kidding.

Is anyone finding this Daylight Savings thing incredibly hard? I can barely keep Owen up past 7:00 PM. His naps are shorter, he gets up earlier. Really, my life was a lot easier last week. How long will it take him to adjust? Because honestly.... I enjoyed having a kid who slept until 8:00. I kind of want that back. Is that being greedy? :-)

I also thought it would be important to inform you that Owen is now bilingual. That's right. He can now proudly tell you where his "cabeza" is. And, he's really learned it. I taught him last week and he still remembers. It amazes me what he can learn. I need to be more pro-active about just sitting down with him and teaching him things...because he really remembers and understands more than I give him credit for.

Owen can also give eskimo kisses (one of my favorite things passed down to me from my Grandma Dixie) and he can tell you what a bear says. "Grrr" with raised arms and curled "paws". :-)

Thats all for now. I'm heading off to bed early tonight. Last night I spent most of my sleeping hours dreaming about the election...seeing big boards of the USA with multi-colored states. Really glad all of that is over. Really glad that God knew who our next President was going to be long before we were ever born....and really glad that NO-ONE can thwart His plans! I'm moving forward and praying for our country and for our new President. He at least deserves our prayers and respect. Thats all about that! Night everyone!

"Let the words of my mouth...

and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer."
Psalm 19: 14
With Owen becoming more and more verbal as the days go by, I constantly find myself in need of a vocabulary check! Not that I'm a big potty mouth or anything :-) But there are some things that I definitely don't want my little guy picking up on.
One of the sweetest things that started today has been singing...I've been singing around the house tonight (probably because I'm finally feeling MUCH better after fighting off a flu bug!) and Owen has been trying to sing with me :-) It really is good for the soul! Love it! So we've been working on this song tonight (See below)....and its really lifted my spirits and brought me closer to Jesus as I've gone through the mundane of dishes, laundry and bath time tonight.

My Song of Praise. David Huff
Oh God of my salvation you are the rock that moves me you are rain that fills my soul
when ever life seems heavy i know your more than ready to come and make my spirit whole
and this is my song of praise
oh Father of heaven your glory fills the earth
with your power and majesty nothing compares to your worth
oh God of my salvation you are the rock that moves me you are the rain that fills my soul when ever life seems heavy i know your more than ready to come and make my spirit whole and this is my song of praise
oh God of my salvation you are the rock that moves me you are the rain that fills my soul when ever life seems heavy i know your more than ready to come and make my spirit whole and this is my song of praise
i come to worship i come to praise you for i know the strength of your name and if the earth should pass away you oh lord will remain the same
oh god of my salvation you are the rock that moves me you are the rain that fills my soul when ever life seems heavy i know your more than ready to come and make my spirit whole and this is my song of praise

Yoda...and Our Very Happy Halloween Party!

Wow

Today I filled up my SUV for less than $30. Gas was $1.98/gallon. Friends, (at the risk of sounding like John McCain) this is exciting, exciting news. Just had to share.

Hello...

So, I know I haven't put more pictures on yet. I'm sorry. I haven't forgotten, our computer is just very very slow and it takes forever to load them on. I will get to it...promise!
So, what have we been up to? Not much during the week...its been great! I've been cooking up a storm (we needed some good home cooking after too many meals at the concession stands!) and having a great time trading recipes with my friend Heather! I think together...we may have a fantastic collection or recipes!
This past week was Josh's fall break. Josh borrowed the Nintendo Wii from his school over break and we had a fantastic time playing...and throwing out our shoulder from too much tennis. As soon as we come into an extra couple hundred dollars...it very well could be our next purchase:-)
Josh and I went to Brown County (Nashville) on Saturday and spent a couple of hours walking around (doing a little Christmas shopping) and then headed to the Outlets in Edinburgh ( a little more Christmas shopping ). It was a fun day which ended with a birthday party for our little friend Kate Hassenzahl.
On Sunday I got to meet up with a bunch of friends from my women's bible study and we all went to Beef and Boards to see the Sound of Music! It was a great time...especially since I LOVE the sound of music. I'm sure my parents could tell you that between that and Annie our house was pretty much filled with musicals when I was a child! Anyways, it was so much fun except for the way the stage preformances are different from the movies...um...they sang "My favorite things" in the beginning scene when Maria is meeting with the Nuns! WHAT! So wrong! :-)
We tried to enjoy a bonfire with the Brown's on Sunday evening after our small groups, but the wind was INSANE and Owen had had it with being outside so we headed home. So much for hotdogs and smores...maybe next time! :-)
So, I'm getting through my work week and looking forward to our big Halloween party on Friday (in which Owen will be extremely cute in the event that he chooses to actually keep his costume ON) :-) and Sunday night Josh and I get to go to the Colts/Patriots game....which I was hoping would be lots of fun, but in light of the very sad way they have been playing...it could just make for a long, rough night! Either way...we'll get to go to the new stadium! FUN!
Anyways...better go. Hope you are all well, and I know the lack of comments doesn't mean that you don't LOVE ME! :-) Happy Tuesday!

Pictures....

Not done adding pictures...just have to leave for church....will finish tonight! :-)

"I love to play ball"!


"Mom, I'd really like to CLIMB the slide"


What a great pictures of Sam!


Sam Gross and Owen playing at the park...I think they might be friends now!


Hangin' out in the swing....


This boy LOVES to slide...


Wearing Daddy's Barcelona jersey


If someone even thinks that he looks like a girl....they are gonna get it! He's a surfer boy! Gotta love those beautiful locks!


How cute am I in my supportive Southport Cardinal sweatshirt?! Its says "Coach's Wife" on the back. :-)