I have been laid out on my back this last week sick with a nasty stomach flu. I don’t recall ever being this incredibly sick before. All things went on hold. Mommy could do absolutely nothing. Helpless. It was a fresh reminder of the importance of rest. Rest is a beautiful necessity. Sleep. Sabbath. Since all I could do was nurse my baby, I felt a sweet rekindling in that baby bonding time. Tis so sweet. Moments slip by and my little Eden girl is nearly 4 months old. She has been a rich treasure and joy to our family. It’s hard to imagine what a happy baby she is. She is so peaceful. Such a refreshing blessing after the first two were a bit on the challenging side. Growing in my motherhood does encourage so much more of a flexible and laid back attitude which I appreciate.
Titus, Eden & Karis - my three special gifts
In an effort to be intentional about adopting an attitude and demeanor of rest, I began scheduling in a 15 minutes rest period every afternoon (with a daily alarm on my phone set to remind me as well!). I consider it my “daily pause” in the day. A time to sit down, light a candle, drink a cup of tea, and simply read for just 15 minutes. A moment to stop, think, listen, and glean. To fill my soul after the rush of the morning activities. To renew me again to embrace the rest of my day. Imagine how much you could read if you would stop for 15 minutes? It’s sweet to this soul.
Me and my studly husband
My toddler and preschooler are thriving well at our studies. We have admittedly cut back quite a bit from our more aggressive original preschool year 2 plan as we figured out what was going to work best for us.
We have been focusing on memory work primarily, seeking to establish a broad foundation of language, and I am truly loving it. We are memorizing Scripture, poetry, catechism questions, the continents, the books of the Bible, and the kids are picking it up so fast. Even my two year old just loves reciting for us all that he has learned together with his sister. I love Language Arts for Little Ones. It gives my Karis such fun exercises in narration, storytelling, art work, and poetry (which is the source of most of our poetry memory work).
In November my husband and I took a quick beach trip retreat with the leadership of our church, as Aaron is serving as a Deacon in training at our church right now. It was a sweet time together. We had our three little ones dedicated to the Lord surrounded by our church family this month as well. We were excited to partner with the body of believers in striving to raise them for the glory of God. Thanksgiving was celebrated as a family at home in the peace of our own intimate family. We barbecued a turkey and made our own fixings for the first time. We really enjoyed the sweet family time together followed by a lovely dessert at extended family’s home. We couldn’t beat having some great leftovers for once!
A Beautiful Day to Give Thanks
I look out on this cold December day and see a beautiful partly clear sky with the sun shining brightly. It fills me with delight and reminding me of the importance of continuing my pursuit of recording the daily blessings that God has poured out in my life. Making my way up to 1000 and beyond.
746. Honey and lemon to soothe a painful cough
747.for sweet drawings crafted for children around the world
748. Blessing my hubby with a clean car
749. Finding help for the management of my blog
750. Inspired to simply study God one verse at a time
751. For cleared draining boards at last
752. Seeing our kids immensely enjoy an old classic Disney movie that we enjoyed as children
753. A quick coffee break
754. The sweet rest as a family over pizza, games and a movie
755. Capturing the sweet smiles of kiddos nested in leaves on camera
756. Heart to heart with my hubby
757. Little people helping daddy rake leaves
758. New jeans to replace the wholly that have seen better days
759. Crockpot freezer cooking day
760. Exploring advent ideas for a fun holiday season
761. For sagging pants on the sweet skinny bottom of a toddler
762. For the love of a husband to live life together through the thick and thin
763. Peace and serenity through a cup of tea and candles
764. Overhearing the children’s giggles while playing with daddy
765. Meditating on the nature and beauty of God
766. Crafting our own thanksgiving celebration
767. Fun ideas for a month of Advent
768. Blessing a sister with a shower of goodies as she prepares for a little bundle of joy
769. Finding inspiration through pinterest
770. An adorable family photo captured
771. Love notes tucked away in car dashboards
772. Enjoying real life tools with my munchkins
773. The glorious splendor of fall leaves
774. A thankful tree to cherish sweet thanks from our little brood
775. Dinner table devotions over sweet candlelight
776. Ironing clothes with two helpers- one with starch and the other with lint roller in hand
777. A doctor within a 5 min drive
778. For a lovely nap
779. Leaves blowing in the wind
780. Daddy playing instruments with the kiddos
781. The creative ideas of kiddos playing with blocks
782. Snuggling with my baby as we talk back and forth in our own language forms
As we prepare our hearts for this holiday season, may we continue in this reverential spirit of thanks and rest. May we seek to focus on the building of relationships, of giving generously rather than receiving. May our hearts be in tuned to the Creator’s leading. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!
Sponsors
We want to give a hearty thanks to our sponsors this month! Stubby Pencil Studio offeres unique and creative gifts in all different realms of non-toxic art supplies, drawing, and crafting. NaturoKits offer wonderful naturopathic kits for first aid relief for families. Sweetbottoms Baby Boutique continues to faithfully sponsor offering an awesome supply of cloth diaper and natural home supplies and Willow Pads as well offering natural menstral care, wool dryer balls, and more.
Family photos taken courtesy of my sweet sister, Christa Taylor Photography.
I love the pictures! The picture of you and your husband look like you’re having a great time! I hope you are on the speedy road to recovery. Rest is so important.
Beautiful post! I love the idea of scheduling 15 minutes to rest everyday. I’ve found that, when I don’t allow myself some down time, I keep getting distracted and trying to “sneak” it in when I shouldn’t. It would be great to know that the time is coming up.
Oh my, Lindsay!!!
That first picture of your family is INCREDIBLE!!!! All of you look so GREAT and so full of life and love (especially you — and having the momma look good in a family photo is always a blessing for Christmas cards or for posting on the fridge). And the background is so artistically well done! What a fun treasure to have — not only for now, but for your family’s future.
Beautiful post, and an even more beautiful family. (: Where/how do you get your pictures done? Are they professional? They look amazing!
Lovely post. It reminded me of a song we taught my son when he was 4. It’s called the 50 states that rhyme and it’s to the tune of Turkey in the Straw. I bet you’re little people will love it too. And to this day all of us can recite all 50 states in alphabetical order as a result of that song. A fun parlor trick!
Hello Lindsay! I’ve been frequenting your blog for a couple months and have yet to tell you how much I enjoy it. I made your soaked bread the other night and it turned out beautifully. You and your family are very cute! Thanks for all your tips
Lindsay B.
Great photos! Thanks for sharing.
What an inspiring post. Grateful for your ministry and for your dedication to this blog. Praying for you and your family!
Beautiful family picture!
I’m always so blessed by reading others’ Gifts.
great pics. Hope you are feeling better!
memory work is so great for kids. We do a tone of it and they always amaze me with what they can pick up.
Lindsay,
What a beautiful family you have! Those pictures are great. Hope you feel better soon!
Have to echo Alexandrs, I miss your posts!
This was a lovely one, what beautiful pictures. The Sabbath is something we have so lost in the Church today, and I am always encouraged when I hear of someone else who observes it.
Blessings to your beautiful family!
Beautiful post… love the sweet, restful spirit… but what I really want to know is how you style your bangs! The your hair in the photo with your “studly husband” looks exactly the way I’ve been trying to style mine. Any tips?
Again, loved the post (and I assure you I gleaned more from it than vanity!).
Hmm…not sure what to say. Thanks for your compliments, but I honestly just use a flat iron and slightly curl it under as I’m pulling it down my bangs.
I have been reading your blog for ages and I can’t believe I never caught that your littlest is named Eden. That’s so funny because I am very new pregnant and we decided during my first pregnancy (we had a boy) that our first girl will be named Eden.
You have such a beautiful family!
Lindsay, I would really love some advice on how you begin to teach your little ones about God. I purchased my oldest (2) her first children’s bible but it seems completely over her head. I’m just wondering if maybe a 2 year old can’t grasp the idea of God (even in a child like manner) or if maybe I should be looking at other resources. Any advice?
A 2 year old can certainly grasp a lot of concepts about God. Check out my recommended resources for Family Devotions. It’s never too early to begin using the Jesus Storybook Bible. My two year old loves it and it is rich in theology and teaching! We have been using the Big Truth for Little Hearts to memorize the basic catechism questions and my 2 year old has memorized them all right alongside his older sister. Start memorizing basic Scriptures as well and reading lots of good Christian literature. Hope that helps!
This speaks right to my very soul, thank you for the reminder of rest – God knew what he was doing when he ordained rest! Time to write my thankful list – great idea. Have a blessed Christmas! xxx
Lindsay, I love these posts of yours. I miss hearing your voice on the blog.