OH ME OH MY

Oh me oh my, how time does fly!  I went through iPhoto and organized all of my pictures since 2006 - no easy task, I tell you!  After I finished, I rewarded myself by going through and looking at all of my pictures from 2013.

Here's what I LOVE about photographs:  you don't take a picture of it if you don't want to remember it, so if you bothered with a snapshot, it's going to be pretty fun and fabulous, filled with memories you actually want to preserve.

I didn't realize what a truly blessed year our family has had until I looked through our pictures.  There are so many things we get to do - because we live in this nation, because my kids go to the schools they go to, because of the neighborhood we live in, because of our church, and of course our family and friends.

Since we've moved, the time has FLOWN.  We've stuffed in soccer and football, multiple field trips, play dates, multiple Family Fun Nights (to be expanded upon in another blog post), shows and productions, teaching Sunday school, trips to Searcy to see my in-laws, all kinds of fantastic home improvement projects (which I heart and will also hopefully be expanded on later), cooking adventures, and other goodies I can't think of right now.  I really can't believe Christmas is this week, and that 2013 is almost over.

They say time flies when you're having fun, but for me it's more accurate to say time flies when you get your life back :).  This year has kicked my fanny for quite a few reasons, so I won't really be sad to watch 2013 fade back in my rearview mirror, but it's nice to be able to look back and find beauty in the yucky stuff.  I've been praying for growth - that God will give me more strength and wisdom, more dependence on Him, more compassion, more forgiveness, and more grace for others through what I've seen and experienced this year.

Since the year is closing up, and I haven't written regularly in so long, I thought I'd post a few highlight photos from this year (starting from the most recent, all the way back to Spring):

THE ITCH

I have had the itch to begin blogging again for about a month.  It is a welcome itch rather than an annoying one because it tells me that, at least in some ways, my emotions are leveling out and I'm starting to feel more like myself again.

Ever since I can remember, I have loved two things:  music and writing.  Music is still hobbling along for a lot of complicated reasons, but I'm really missing the writing.  Thus, the blog return.

I never knew what a blessing my children are until we all became swallowed whole by the mission we pursued for a couple of years at the local children's home.  I mean, I became a mother for a reason, and I love my children - I adore them! - but I see them with different, thankful, drink-them-up eyes now.  It felt like they were taken from me for a season.  That season was dark and stressful, and no matter how I tried to brighten it or pray it well or cram more time into each day, it never really got easier.

I am so thankful to have had time for Bennett to play football this fall, and watch him at every single game.  I am so grateful to have the time and energy to go to their school parties and field trips and fun days.  The boys are going to play baseball in the Spring and the thought of them both in their tiny little baseball pants and caps is enough to make me squeal :).  We can go to birthday parties, be in church productions, volunteer our time more freely, etc. etc. etc.

I lost a lot, and after six months, I am finally re-making important connections and rebuilding my life.  Friendships are becoming whole and well-rounded again, I am enjoying working part-time and being around other people for a few hours each week.  Things that were a burden have become a delight again.  Thank you, Lord.

So the plan is to blog and post pictures and actually communicate with people again here, especially for extended family's sake :).  If you decide to follow along again after such a long hiatus, thanks for caring and loving us and being so patient with me in everything life changes have entailed.

HOW TO START THIS THING

I understand now why it's difficult to start up blogging again once you've stopped.  Particularly when so many huge life changes have taken place, you can't figure out what to clue people in on.  Our lives over the past few months need to be summed up in bullet-point format, but how do you do that with things that have rocked you, rolled you, and turned you inside-out?  Not sure.

For now I will say that we are on to a new chapter in our lives, where we are once again a family of four.  That seems to be the biggest change.  I would like to expand on this change someday, but I'm not really sure how.  The decision to leave the children's home was best for our family, but very painful, as was our leaving.  It's funny, when you start down a road God has called you on, you don't think about what will come or how it will come in the future.  You keep your head down, your eyes up, and you pray, because that's what gets you through the tough stuff He equips you for.  I knew the leaving would be hard, but it's very different from what I expected.

The truth is, after what we have experienced, I am enjoying so much getting back to living our lives as a family of four and feeling somewhat normal again.  I am soaking in time and words with my boys like a flower who has been in desperate need of rain for a long, long time.  There is so much healing in family.  I am praying that getting back to family, to friends, and to things I have loved and let go of because of the time and energy I couldn't spare, will also heal over time, and that blogging about everything will be a refreshing return to a life I have dearly missed.