A Different Brand of Joy...

Looking for Santa....

It's hard to believe it's already December!  It has truly been a great year for our family and we could not be more grateful.  Both kids are doing well; Landen is enjoying school and Bethany is still homeschooling.  Mark is enjoying his work, and I am still in ministry and absolutely loving it. 

Our entire holiday season has already been a long one, it feels, because Landen began talking up Halloween back in September!  Then fast forward through endless drawings of pumpkin faces, light-up Halloween toys, candy and fanfare, he zipped through Thanksgiving and is in high Christmas gear!  The day after Thanksgiving we went for the second year in a row to the Christmas Tree Farm to find a real tree.  This has become a new tradition for us with my mom and Bob.   As soon as we walked onto the property Landen walked up to a tree and said, "I want this tree."  We took a look at it and it was perfect!  So that decision was easy, and he was free to go off to the slides and train ride.  We really enjoy going there because it is a fun family outing that we can do with him with minimal meltdown potential! 

Landen and Bob

As to the rest of our days, of course, there is never a dull moment..we are busy with work, school, church, and family life.  Bethany is a huge help to me and has grown so much in many ways over the last year.  I don't know what I would do without my "mini-me" to help me with Landen!  Each Saturday the routine is to go to Target- Landen's current favorite place to be (besides the car wash =).  It's one of those "go in, get what you need, get out" kind of experiences, but hey- it's a family affair, it's in public, and it is building successful experiences for Landen, so it's just what we need!  He usually has a running list of the same wish list: marshmellows, a Lunchable, a DVD, Spaghettios, and the current toy request is trains...

The other outing that is still a staple in the Wilson family is going to the car wash. Goodness, that boy loves to watch the car wash in action- from the foamy soap to the spinning scrubbers- he is in hog heaven.  It has become our routine for me to take him through the car wash and McDonald's drive thru before I leave for church on Wed evenings.  It gives him a time of connecting with me, gets him fed, gives him some entertainment, and then he is content with me leaving from there.  The new development is that he recently discovered that there are numerous videos of car washes on Youtube...who knew?  Mom uploaded a video she made of Landen in the car during a car wash and showed it to him, so when he caught on that there are other videos he was totally hooked!  It's hysterical because many of them are advertisements for like Japanese wash systems, so you hear all kinds of languages and things, but he doesn't care!  

Many of you know how much Landen likes to sing- at all hours of the day (or night! ugh).  He and Chloe (our dog) are now doing duets.  In the morning before the bus comes Landen likes to sing along to "Jack's Big Music Show"...i guess there is something about the notes (or should i say the off-notes) that Landen sings that gets Chloe to howling.  Then they sound like they are singing together...like I said, never a dull moment! 

For all the ways the Lord has blessed us with moments of joy, we are thankful.  Though so much of it is quite simplistic and not in a design that we expected, we still see the hand of God.  Somedays I don't see it as easily, somedays I am overwhelmed.  But God has been faithful and rescues me from the pit when I call on Him.  A few months ago I found myself battling a deep wave of grief...I was so despondent I couldn't even listen to music very much.  One morning I searched through the podcasts on my phone and found one by John Piper that caught my eye.  It was entitled "Why Was This Child Born Blind?"  I immediately started listening to it.  His words absolutely met me where I was and lifted me out of the mire.  It was a bold sermon, filled with raw and honest feelings, but also with beautiful words of hope and Truth.  It is powerful for anyone going through any type of suffering.  If you'd like to watch it, click here  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4BgQ69dhFk

I would appreciate prayers for a Bible Study that I am currently working on to present in the spring.  It is called "Broken, Blessed, and Multiplied".  I am excited about having an outlet to hopefully reach others with parts of our story and with the love and hope that God has granted me in the journey. 

Thanks for stopping in to take a peek at our life.  It blesses us to share it with you.  I have been working furiously on my schedule to make time to write, so hopefully you'll be hearing more from me. 

Peace!

jess