Three for tree

This season we went to Trinity Tree Farm in Issaquah with three families. Three for trees! Such a fun new discovery; like Joe said, "can't beat the ambiance" and he was right. Praying our pretty tree does not die while we're in Costa Rica (count down 4 days...yikes!) Here's to starting off Christmas with those we love, hot cider, and a tree.

Thanksgiving 2012

Pic stitch style...

Family Shots.

We had a short session with Andi today to capture a couple quick shots of us a family, turned out to be like 15 minutes, but we got a few good ones! Enjoy...

Bemusings: Beginnings, Ponderings, and Grateful. God, so grateful.

Beginnings are sort of a theme in this season for me. It's largely due to the fact that many new things are happening for the Bells this year and I'm doing a year-long study on the book of Genesis, which of course is the beginning of my faith. Looking back through my blog, every year around this time my posts go kaput. Theoretically, it's one of the busiest times of year for us and with no exception this year because, wait for it, wait for it...we are headed to Costa Rica! In T-minus two weeks. As you can imagine the work to get ready to leave is almost more than it's worth, but it's the trip of a lifetime and we just could not say no! There's laundry, packing, preparing, subbing, calling, switching, calculating, emailing, sending, and buying to do before our plane can even depart. That said, I'm not complaining. In fact, I'm feeling VERY grateful. For added blessings. For what words have a hard time describing. Tis the season of Thanksgiving, and the older I get: the more grateful I am for the larger, more existential things and the smaller, more genuinely significant ones. Less about the things in between. On a grander scale, I'm understanding more and more the work Christ has done on my behalf, grafting me into His body of believers, for my children, for legacies of faith, that I'm still here! For His easy yoke and peace. For these enormous blessings that continue to reverberate in my life; I have a need to pass them forward, but the how is hard. Which leads me to the smaller things as a place to start, and I am trying to live in the moment more and more as I lean into the Holy Spirit. It's a nearly Herculean task to train your spirit to SHUT UP and hear the still, small voice of God speak. For His words bring INTO existence. What he calls out of nothing can become something and since he's created me in His image, my words call out too. They create. And I'm wondering where I take them now, but it's a desire that is becoming greater than the need to hear myself. In short, enough about me, and more about Him. I think I'm finally coming to a place in my life where the small things count toward a greater purpose and at the same time cause a greater divide. In that vein of thought, I am currently asking these questions of myself. Where do I need to get out of the way? What am I willing to begin? What am I willing to let go of...hard questions deserve well-thought out destinations to land. I am working on a post about using talents, being created and called by name and it's got me in a tissy because there's much to unpack there. For now, I'll leave it at this. I am grateful that He has begun a good work in me and He's a promise keeping God who is faithful to complete it.

30 Day Mom Challenge

These past few weeks I've been participating in a photo challenge started by one of my new friends Bre. She's a mama and a photog and her goal was for us moms to be IN the picture with our kids for 30 days straight. It's been fun! And a definite challenge on those days where I put on a hat with no make-up. But I do it anyway, because that's the point; me with my kids in the small, quiet, and everyday moments in this life. And it's going by quick, so I'm happy to take a time out and remember my most important job. Here are a few of my favorite. I'm 2/3 thru so I might add one or two this week. Thanks Bre! xoxo, to you...

Halloween 2012

This year the girls are flowers. A complete garden created by hand by Aunt Andi! An amazing feat of sewing and time. We are grateful! However, not every flower in the bunch was pleased. Some flowers were embarrassed to grow ready to sink down in the dirt should some neighbor actually see them dressed as such. Other flowers refused to bloom (i.e. won't wear the head pieces, which are spectacular!).Looks like next year it may be the end of an era. The era of themes chosen by mom. It will be a free for all of choice unless they decide to pick up the torch.Without further ado, our precious petals:

Wedding Bells

Today marks our 7th wedding Anniversary! This weekend we got away to our native city of Seattle. We stayed at the Edgewater Hotel, which I have to say exceeded my expectations. We saw a movie (it was Argo) at Majestic Bay, then headed to dinner at Kickin' Boot in Ballard where I ran across this amazing heart on a wall close to the restaurant, which I took as a congrats card from the man upstairs.P.S. Absolutely SO delish. I got the fried chicken. I know you're all really surprised. Wait, no you're not. I freakin' love fried chicken. Anyway, out for another drink at the Matador and then to the FABULOUS Hot Cakery. Shoot, it was a chocolate lover's dream. Sidenote: one of our favorite traditions together is seeing all the adult Halloween costumes every time we go out for our anniversary. It will most likely happen each year; it is the best conversation topic and people watching. I'm always highly entertained. Last year, we ran into some generous nuns. This year was no exception!The next morning I shopped (by myself. yes, as you may have guessed it was awesome), Tyler watched the Seahawk game, and we went to the Stone's wedding. Can I just say it was such a sweet treat to go to a wedding on our anniversary. Such a wonderful reminder of our vows, why we said and meant them...here's to lucky number 7, darling. I love you.