Christmas pics

Here are some Christmas pictures...sorry so late.  We had a wonderful day with our families.  At first, Karissa wasn't that into opening the gifts.  She would tear a tiny piece and then look around like "Is it okay for me to do this?" lol  But, by evening she'd open one and then sign "more."  lol  Everyone spoiled her, but we only got her 3 gifts and then stocking stuffers.  Friends of ours do that because Jesus got 3 gifts and we liked that idea plus we knew she'd be getting plenty of stuff from her grandparents. 

Better late than never....part 2

So there were some other events in December before Christmas.  Dave and I go to NYC every year for Christmas...it is a tradition that started when we got engaged.  We go on Dave's days off work so when I was working, that meant the Thursday and Friday between Christmas and New Year's because that was his days off and my break from work.  Last year, with everything going on with Karissa, we didn't go.  This year, Dave's days off would have meant going on Christmas day (YES - Dave had OFF work on Christmas this year!!!!!).  Since I am not working, we decided we could go earlier in the month instead of after Christmas so that's what we did.  Karissa had a great time...we of course went to Serendipity (that is a MUST...another tradition), to see the tree of course, Times Square (and rode the ferris wheel in Toys R Us), and did some shopping.

We also had a BIG snowstorm about a week before Christmas.  We NEVER get snow this early in the year.  When we do get snow it's usually only an inch or two and melts within a day.  Last March, we got about 6inches or a little more, which is a lot.  This year, we got about a foot of snow and it stuck around until it rained Christmas evening.  Karissa LOVED it...she would laugh and laugh when we took her out in it.  (Even the other day we only got about an inch or two and she still loved that!).

Here are some pics of our NYC trip and the snowstorm.

Better Late than Never...part 1

So, because of our little hiatus from blogging, we never blogged about Karissa's first birthday or Christmas.  Today, for part one, I will revisit her first birthday.

We swore we would not be those parents that spent a ton of money on a party that Karissa wouldn't even remember so we were trying to decide what to do.  A little gathering at home seemed the most sensible at first.  BUT, the more I thought about it, the more I thought that would not allow me to just be able to sit back and enjoy these special times with my family.  I would have to make sure the house was cleaned prior, have it set up, clean up afterwards, entertain guests, etc.  I would barely get to spend any time with Karissa....it's her birthday, shouldn't I be allowed to enjoy it with her?  So we started thinking of where else we could have the party.  I had all kinds of great ideas..the state park, the town park, etc.  And then Dave kindly pointed out the end of November would not be the best time to have an outdoor party lol. Then it came to me....Karissa LOVES the pool.  If we could  have it at a pool, she'd be happy and I wouldn't have to entertain guests or clean up.  A local school has an indoor pool and it turns out their rates were super cheap! So no stress for us and the whole party was less than $100...maybe even less than $75, including food and everything. I don't have pics of us in the pool because I need to get them from my parents, but here are some pics of the party.

For her actual birthday (the following day), we went to church in the morning, went to my parents, and had her take a nap.  Then, for some special family time, we went to Ocean City's Festival of Lights...it was a little early to be in the Christmas spirit, but we knew Karissa would like it.  She LOVED it!!!! She was wide eyed the whole time and would giggle.  At the very end, she just looked up at us and gave us the biggest smile.  It was so precious. (I love in the middle pic how she was leaning around Dave to see out the other side lol).

 

So the past year has been amazing.  It's been amazing to see how God created us, how we grow and learn, and how God has provided for us and protected us.  Karissa had a very rough first few months, but God brought us through that and we have loved every minute He has given us with her.  Just look at how she grew!

(Her 11 month pic has a different background b/c that was our Cali vacation, but we made sure we took her bear just for her pic!)

Trusting God

It's been so long since I've blogged I don't know if I remember how. Well, I'll give it a try. God is really putting our faith to the test. I hope I learn the lessons He is wanting me to learn through the difficulties we have been through recently. Shortly after we returned from California I was driving home from work one morning and I guess I wasn't paying total attention and ran into the back of someone at a relatively high rate of speed. Thankfully I was ok and not hurt at all. Also, I was driving my older car but I only carry liability insurance on it so the damage is not covered and we cannot begin to cover the cost of fixing it. 1 vehicle down, 2 left. A few weeks later our Accord starting making noises so I started driving the Pilot to and from work until we had the money to get the Accord fixed. 2 vehicles down, 1 left. Well, on December 30 while on the way home from prayer meeting at church we were entering an intersection with a green light and a minivan turned right in front of us and we hit them head on. Thankfully God protected all of us and kept us from any serious injuries. We had to go to the ER so Karissa could be checked out and so they could check my shoulder which was in a lot of pain. Karissa was fine other than being scared to death and my shoulder x-rays were negative and it hasn't felt too bad since. 3 vehicles down, 0 left. So now I had no choice but to check out the Accord and get it fixed whether we had the money or not. It ended up needing to have the brake pads changed and my dad and I took care of it and it's been running smooth since. I am so thankful for a dad who can and is willing to help with car maintenance because it saves so much money. So God is really asking us to trust Him completely and rely on Him to meet all of our needs. I hope I am able to pass the test because I know I rely on myself to meet our needs most of the time and worry about stuff when I can't provide and I need to start trusting God totally to take care of us and meet our needs. I would appreciate your prayers in this area.

So we are praying that 2010 is uneventful for awhile but if it isn't, then we are trusting God to keep us safe and shelter us in the palm of His hand but we know whatever happens it is for His glory. Lord, help me to always remember that.