We sat together in church on Sunday.

This was an extremely profound moment. My dad came to church with my brother on Sunday. So, that meant that my dad, my brother, my mom, and I sat together in church. No one else. Just the four of us. Now, we have done many things together over the last 10 years, but they have always included spouses and children. Don't misunderstand me. I LOVE that we do things together which include our spouses and kids. And, my step-mom, I love her. She's fabulous, perfect for my dad. I wouldn't want things to be any different than they are. What happened Sunday, though, was truly profound. Just the 4 of us. Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother. My childhood family. I'm pretty sure that the 4 of us haven't done anything together in at least 18 years. We were so broken. There were years that my parents didn't speak. There was a year that my dad and I didn't speak. We have seriously had our ups and downs. But, there we were Sunday. All worshipping together. In that moment, I could clearly see the redeeming power of our God. There has been reconciliation in this broken family, all because each of us is on a journey to seek out a relationship with God and allow him to change our hearts. I am grateful that He gave me this moment. It allowed me to see how far we have come, all because of His redeeming love.

My Favorite Moment

My grandpa came out to visit us this Christmas. It was great to have him here. I had such a good time with him. But, this had to be my favorite moment. Josey climbed up into his lap and gave him a long cuddle. It was too cute.

Eden's Birthday

December 21, 2010

He's inquisitive, intelligent, and well-mannered (most of the time). He likes to watch movies, play cards and board games, and read books. He's the student that teachers love to have in their classes. He loves to visit with grown-ups; telling stories to try to keep up with adults as they socialize. He's the one that made me a mom. He's my first, and now he's 9. One year left in the double digits. Halfway to 18. Sigh. It really does go by super fast. Happy Birthday Eden. I love you and am proud to be your mom.

P.S. This was the first year that Eden had a "friends-only" birthday party. We had a great time. We took Asher, Eden, and 4 of Eden's friendas to the movie theater to see Voyage of the Dawn Treader. We had a blast. I drove the boys to the theater and then took them all home afterwards. My goodness, a carload of 8-9 year old boys is a barrel of laughs. They had me cracking up the whole time!!

Hello Baby Lawson #4

Here's a shot of me a couple of weeks ago when I was about 22 weeks. Pretty soon I won't be able to see my toes! Hee hee.

I saw this list on another blog, and thought it'd be fun to do it myself.

How Far Along: 24 Weeks

Size of Baby: 12 inches, 1 1/3 pounds

Total Weight Gain: Ha ha. So not sharing this one. I will tell you that the last time I went to see the doctor, he walked into the room and said, "That must've been some good turkey you ate on Christmas!" Don't get too mad at him. This will be my 3rd child that he has delivered, so we have a really good rapport, which definitely includes teasing.

Maternity Clothes: I just pulled them back out of storage and am kind of enjoying wearing them again. I know I will be so done with them in 4 months, though.

Gender: Unknown! We've tried twice. It seems this baby wants to surprise us.

Movement: This one is pretty wiggly, but it's very sporatic and in strange spots. It almost seems like it's facing my back and kicking that way sometimes. Korey did feel it kick for the first time this past weekend.

Sleep: I'm actually sleeping pretty good right now. I have a huge C-shaped pillow that wraps around my body so I don't get stiff. Korey "loves" having to share the bed with my big belly and large pillow!! (Do you hear the sarcasm?)

What I Miss: My Waistline and my Old Jeans

Cravings: Carbs. Give me carbs, any carbs!! (Refer back to weigh gain comment!)

Symptoms: No real symptoms right now, other than being tired. I'm enjoying that because the 1st trimester of this one was rough.

Best Moment this Week: When I realized that I am now past the halfway point. And, actually seeing the baby's movements on the outside of my belly. Oh, and I can't forget that I had 2 people tell me how tiny I am. LOVE THAT!!

Can you do this?

This has been so fun for Josey lately. She likes to see who is able to curl their tongue. Korey is the only one in our family that can't do it. She loves to get all of us to do it, and then say, "Daddy can't do it." It's pretty hilarious. One of her best comments was one evening when Korey was teasing her. He was relentless, and wouldn't quit pestering her. Finally she looked at him and said, "Do this daddy." And, promptly curled her tongue. That put a stop to his antics because he knew she was holding the ace. She challenged him to do something she new he couldn't do. Classic.

The Redlands Christmas Parade

Every Christmas, Redlands puts on a Christmas parade. It is totally cheesy, and has a very small town feel. But, it is tons of fun to watch. This year was even more fun because Eden was in the parade with his cub scout troop. Too cool!!

Eden is all the way to the right (carrying the flag). Korey and Asher are following on the left.

Josey's Daycare

Every year at Christmas, Joseyah's daycare puts on a family dinner. They invite all the families, make us dinner, and have the kids sing. It is so wonderful. These ladies are amazing and loving. I can't begin to explain how happy I am that they care for my daughter every day. Here are some highlights from the evening.

Family ShotJosey Singing.

This is Yolanda, the owner. LOVE HER!!

Here's Josey with Santa.

It was a great night. I am looking forward to next year's dinner and seeing our new baby up there with Joseyah.

My Favorite Day in November

November 15, 2010

Five of the ladies from my fabulous small group came over and slaved in my kitchen for an entire afternoon. It was awesome. By the time we were finished, we had made meals to put in my freezer. My heart was so full that day. I felt loved and truly blessed.

The only bummer was that I forgot to take pictures of all of us cooking together. I can't believe I forgot to do that!

We had two feces!

That's what Asher told his teacher. I got a call from her shortly after we returned from Thanksgiving break. She was laughing as she told me that Asher informed her that he had 2 feces during the break. She said she was utterly confused, and a little grossed out that he would tell her that. Upon further questioning he explained: We had 1 feast at my uncle's house, and 1 feast with my grandpa. 2 FEASTIES!!!! Although it sounded like feces when he had first said it to her. She was cracking up! Anyway here are some pictures of our "feasties":

One at my brother's house with his kids and my mom:

One with my dad and Brigit on a boat ride (my brother and his kids were there too):

All Dressed Up With Somewhere To Go

November 18, 2010

So, I had to go out and buy Eden some "dress-up" clothes. Doesn't he look handsome? My dad and Brigit took him and Izabella to see a live performance of "Peter Pan". He actually spent the whole weekend with them after that and had a great time. His siblings missed him a ton, though (more on that later).

She loves her older brothers.

November 23, 2010

Asher came running downstairs and told me I had to come up and see Josey and Eden. Apparently she had clibmed in his bed during the course of the night. (Like I said in the last post, she definitely missed him while he was at my dad's house.) Too cute!