Advent, or arrival, of the New Year has come! In the Christian tradition the first Sunday of Advent marks the New Year as individuals prepare for the coming of the Redeemer. Each Sunday of the Advent seasons prepares one with focus hope, peace, joy and love. Meditation on each of these values is a solid way to bring calm to one of the busiest times of the year but also sets the stage for the traditional New Year resolutions.
Now, looking back at the last 3 months of the holiday season I cannot help but see memories of hopeful children as they wrote and re-wrote and attempted to re-write their Christmas lists for a third time on Christmas eve… I hear the quiet and stillness of the household once they are all tucked in dreaming of tomorrow’s wishes… I see the joy written all over their faces as they embarked on new adventures trick-or-treating in October, trying new foods at Thanksgiving, and visiting family and friends over the Christmas celebrations… I feel and relish in the loving memories made at Christmas service as I watched each hold their own candle and sing silent night. All of these thoughts seem so fresh and I hope to keep them this way as we head into 2019.
Join me in refreshing the Advent New Year and refocusing on hope, peace, joy and love in 2019!
Minnie (Kali), Anna (Bella), Cat woman (Ellie), Capn America (Theo) and our resident Wiggly Gal (Lily) ready for some serious trick or treating!Visit to the Sun Prairie Fire Department to see Trucks, Police vehicles and the Med Flight team.
Celebrated Kali’s first Winter Dance performance and Lily and Ellie’s first session of Gymnastics. Theo is very excited to start basketball in 1 week.
Bella continues to enjoy her free time to be creative.
Thanksgiving Love, Joy, Snuggles and Sillies!
Family Christmas celebrations abounded! Great lessons of gratitude versus greed were learned. Lots of thank yous for the blessings that family and friends shared.
I even think they learned to like each other a bit more.
We capped off winter break with a surprise trip to the Dells!
The kiddos loved the waterpark, indoor amusement park and the arcade…
especially when Daddy won them each a ball from the claw machine!
We welcomed 2019 in with thoughtful reflection and resolutions, as well as, a whole lot of noisemakers!
Get better at building everything from Legos to planes to robots (Theo),
Playing nice with Lily (Bella),
Practice reading and gymnastics to get better each time (Lily),
Be more grateful (Kali),
Perfect her cartwheel and learn how to do a handstand (Ellie), and
To slow down enough in each moment to Selah, or to pause, reflect, look upwards, inwards and outwards before moving ahead in hope, peace, joy and love.
All we wanted for Christmas was a Silent Night, and we got it!
At the conclusion of the holiday season, we celebrate not only the kids sleeping through the night but the passing of a memorable year. It certainly is a time of recollection; I ask myself: where have we been and where are we going?
It is hard to believe that at this time last year we were not even pregnant. We were amidst the emotional journey of trying to conceive. After years of trying, we found out in March, 2013 that we were going to have a family all at once.
The news that we were going to have quintuplets definitely took a few weeks to digest, and even longer to wrap our minds around. As many know, the emotional journey did not stop at conception but rolled on. With discussions about multi-fetal reduction and attempting to navigate the best possible perinatal care, our pregnancy was a trying journey. In May, I said goodbye to Frank, family and friends in Madison and hello to Mesa. Arizona brought new friends and the best doctor I have ever worked with. It truly seems like just yesterday that we hopped on a plane, praying that we would not be too late to have our urgent surgery. I also cannot believe that Frank and I were apart for almost 3 ½ months. Despite the miles that separated us, our marriage grew greatly during that time.
Then during the early afternoon on August 3, a nurse came into my hospital room and shared that were going to have babies in a few hours. With a bang we had a beautiful family. Many know the trials and tribulations that followed; the life of a NICU parent.
I sit amazed. I am truly awestruck at how God’s hand has cared for us every step of the way, His provision through His strength, Spirit and people never left us and continue to be ever present.
One of the many ornaments and generous gifts that we received from from our family at the Community Christian Church (Lincolnshire, IL). Many thanks!
I look at my beautiful children, each a unique blessing, and am overwhelmed by His handiwork. The quints are now 5 months old. They are happy, healthy and developing right on schedule.
Lillian GraceKali is not so sure about this Santa character.But, Kali definitely loves her Grandpa!Theo loves his pinky hippoBella sporting her Christmas outfitBaby Ellie is pretty in pink
What else could we ask for? Where are we going?
Instead of choosing a self-improvement goal, I resolve to soul-improvement and to continue to be present with my family and to truly seek what the Lord desires for our family and I. On January 11th, we will dedicate our children to God at Blackhawk Church. I am excited to commit each one of our miracles to their heavenly Father for His will and His purpose.
I close with a prayer from Billy Graham,
“Our Father and our God, as we stand at the beginning of this new year we confess our need of Your presence and Your guidance as we face the future.
We each have our hopes and expectations for the year that is ahead of us—but You alone know what it holds for us, and only You can give us the strength and the wisdom we will need to meet its challenges. So help us to humbly put our hands into Your hand, and to trust You and to seek Your will for our lives during this coming year.
In the midst of life’s uncertainties in the days ahead, assure us of the certainty of Your unchanging love.
In the midst of life’s inevitable disappointments and heartaches, help us to turn to You for the stability and comfort we will need.
In the midst of life’s temptations and the pull of our stubborn self-will, help us not to lose our way but to have the courage to do what is right in Your sight, regardless of the cost.
And in the midst of our daily preoccupations and pursuits, open our eyes to the sorrows and injustices of our hurting world, and help us to respond with compassion and sacrifice to those who are friendless and in need. May our constant prayer be that of the ancient Psalmist: “Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end” (Psalm 119:33).
We pray for our nation and its leaders during these difficult times, and for all those who are seeking to bring peace and justice to our dangerous and troubled world. We pray especially for Your protection on all those who serve in our armed forces, and we thank You for their commitment to defend our freedoms, even at the cost of their own lives. Be with their families also, and assure them of Your love and concern for them.
Bring our divided nation together, and give us a greater vision of what You would have us to be. Your Word reminds us that “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12).
As we look back over this past year we thank You for Your goodness to us—far beyond what we have deserved. May we never presume on Your past goodness or forget all Your mercies to us, but may they instead lead us to repentance, and to a new commitment to make You the foundation and center of our lives this year.
Bump 2 Bab[y]ies 