Author name: hill

simple beauty.



this little sweet thing
has been giving us a hard time lately. 
a very hard time.

every single thing is a struggle.
getting her dressed,
getting her undressed,
getting her hair done,
getting her shoes on, 
taking her shoes off,
getting in the car,
getting out of the car
and 
on and
on and
on. 

she is trying to see what she can get away with,
which (unfortunately for her) is nothing. 
but, it’s still a struggle.

one really great thing about all of this though 
has been that i pray for her throughout the day
much more than i do when she is truly being a sweet little thing.
well, and i pray for me, too and how i will respond to her highly emotional responses.
to everything. 

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, 
praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Luke 2:13-14

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571. K (sweet or not)
572. what happens when i allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide me
573. a surprisingly unchaotic evening without B here to help
574. cuties
575. that K can peel the cuties

moved.

it’s {embrace} the camera day!

one year ago today, L was admitted into the hospital.

i am 
so very glad
that we are not there today.
so very glad.

when i think about last year,
 am reminded (yet again) of 
what dear friends we have 
and what sacrifices they are always willing to make.

the emotions well up in my heart
until i feel as though i might overflow or just burst.
when i consider what lengths others have been willing to go to
to share Christ’s love with us, 
i am not sometimes, but 
always
moved to tears. 

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, 
keeping watch over their flocks at night.
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, 
and the glory of the Lord shone around them, 
and they were terrified.
But the angel said to them, 
“Do not be afraid. 
I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; 
he is the Messiah, the Lord. 
This will be a sign to you: 
You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:8-12

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 566. giggles
567. sweet, sweet words
568. His peace
569. apple cider, a fire and one of my favorite books with the kids
570. cranberry scented candles

not so distant.

the internet can be such a distant place.

but it can also be an incredible way of connecting to people’s day-to-day lives.
a college classmate of B’s has just experienced a tremendous tragedy 
and it was all documented online. 


please pray for their family
and be sure to hug your loved ones.

(and how appropriate is today’s advent verse?)

And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. 
She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, 
because there was no guest room available for them.
Luke 2:7

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561. today
562. those four people
563. being reminded that we are just a mist
564. important reminders
565. the internet

believe it or not.

we’ve already had one Christmas celebration.
B’s dad and his wife had us over for some early Christmas cheer.

here is L and L.

this photo was taken at a rather calm moment. 
those kind of moments were quite rare 
but that’s how it seems to be when all the cousins get together. 

little L loved being held by GrandDad. 



and here are all the munchkins.
ages:
7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1.
so now you see why it is so chaotic. 


He went there to register with Mary, 
who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,
Luke 2:5-6

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and, i’ve added a little tip to the advent tree diy.
just look for the text in red at the bottom. 


556. freshly baked zucchini muffins that are nearly gone 

(thanks for the recipe, Annie O!)
557. hot apple cider
558. the sweet little clink that my ring makes on the mug
559. being with an amazing group of women, some of which have gone through so very much. 
560. impromptu picnics on a simply gorgeous day

when you can’t get out.

while looking for who knows what,



this is what i heard:
“mom, help! i can’t get out!”



“mom, i found my way out all by myself!”


oh, these are the things that 
get me through the day around here.


p.s. i have no idea why my floors look so shiny in the photo. 
i can assure you that they are in desperate need of a mopping. 


 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree
that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
(This was the first census that took place 
while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
And everyone went to their own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth
in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David,
because he belonged to the house and line of David.

Luke 2:1-4


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i can’t believe it. 
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551. birthdays!
552. L and my half birthday (today)
553. the 8.5 hours of sleep i got. 
in one night. 
straight. 
554. fresh pink flowers on my counter
555. homemade ice cream cake

a question with an answer.

question:

what do you do when your husband is working late 
but your child desperately needs a haircut?
answer:

that’s right.
you bring the high chair in the bathroom 
so you can keep an eye on the littlest one. 
who of course will be thoroughly amused by the situation.

Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, 
and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace,
he has in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, 
an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 
“Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife,
because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins. 
Matthew 1:19-21

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546. yet another fabulous children’s Christmas concert
547. playing outside until it’s much too dark
548. a happy little L during OT
549. artwork, artwork everywhere
550. that we’ve possibly figured out L’s sleep issues. 
possibly. 

the three snowpeople.

it’s {embrace} the camera day!






we have been relishing in the 
Christmastime activities around our house. 



while D was at school, 
K and i made sugar cookies,

created three little snow people
(which all melted into a big pile in the oven),

and enjoyed a matching second breakfast.

pure bliss.

He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as He promised our ancestors.
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home. 
Luke 1:53-56


speaking of pure bliss, 
my most talented and inspirationally God-fearing friend just opened up an etsy shop. 
her creations would be the perfect gift for that sweet little girl in your life. 

tomorrow is the last day to vote in this round!

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541. preschool Christmas concerts
542. chatting without little ones interrupting
543. pretend birthday parties
544. B reading his funny sections to me
545. going to bed early. for everyone.

something musical.

have you heard the brand new hit song?

what? 
you haven’t?
oh, that’s too bad.
really.

it’s called,
“happy, happy new year,
tye tye.”
obviously.
and it’s written and sung by 
the one and only, K. 

the best part is, 
it’s sung
over and
over and
over
again until you and anyone else in the house
are promised to 
never
ever
forget any of the made-up words. 
ever.

it’s the big rage among three year olds.
big rage.

even little L is enthralled by the constant performance.

well, that and peek-a-boo. 


for the Mighty One has done great things for me– holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; 
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 
He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 
Luke 1:49-52

536. green glitter paint all over L
537. green glitter paint all over mommy
538. the end of the day
539. knowing that God is going to guide me in all of my decisions
540. not losing L 2 years ago today
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