peace out, 2011

I'm ready for a new year.  And while there are no guarantees this year will be any better than last year, it is my prayer that the lessons I learned this year have prepared my heart for whatever may come. 

I don't have a ton of lofty goals for 2012.  I know this year will be all about new lessons- being a mommy to TWO kids, juggling schedules, spending less, building new relationships... So I've been thinking a lot about what I'd like to accomplish in this new year, and I came up with three goals.

1. Survive- life is different these days with a newborn in the house.  I'm relearning how to handle a baby, and doing that with a 5 year old who has been our world for his whole life isn't easy.  So surviving the year- all of us- is goal number one.
2. Meditate- I know that I don't have hours to spend in the Word... but I also realize that a little bit is better than nothing.  And in order to achieve goal #1, I'm seriously going to need Him to be in the picture.  Memorizing verses.  Reading a few verses instead of facebook or pinterest in some of those quiet moments.  These are the little things I'd like to do more of in 2012.
3. Simplify- Life gets so chaotic and it's easy to lose focus on what really matters. I want to find the things that bring me the most fulfillment and joy and focus on those things.  I want to get rid of the clutter, both in my home and in my heart, to make room for the things that really matter.  I want to stress less about the little things and let peace reign.

So there you have it.  I feel like those things go hand in hand, and in achieving any of them, I will be finding growth in the others.

“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland."
Isaiah 43:18-19

my 2011 book list

I love to read.  It's one of my favorite ways to pass the time.  In fact, I'd almost always choose to read a book over watching TV or a movie.  I read more this year than I have in a long time.  The Kindle I got for my birthday probably has something to do with that.  Especially once the library started to offer free downloads to Kindles.  I love that.

This probably isn't a complete list, because I wasn't the best at keeping track of my books in Goodreads (be my friend!) before I got my Kindle.  Anyway, here is the list of books that I read in 2011.

1. Her Mother's Hope, Francine Rivers
2. Her Daughter's Dream, Francine Rivers
3. Sundays at Tiffany's, James Patterson
4. Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen
5. American Wife, Curtis Sittenfield
6. The Nanny Diaries, Emma McLaughlin
7. Nanny Returns, Emma McLaughlin
8. Firefly Lane, Kristin Hannah
9. The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
10. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls
11. Mini Shopaholic, Sophie Kinsella
12. The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, Ree Drummond
13. True Colors, Kristin Hannah
14. Winter Garden, Kristin Hannah
15. Night Road, Kristin Hannah
16. Redemption, Karen Kingsbury
17. Remember, Karen Kingsbury
18. Return, Karen Kingsbury
19. Rejoice, Karen Kingsbury
20. Reunion, Karen Kingsbury
21. Fame, Karen Kingsbury
22. Forgiven, Karen Kingsbury
23. Found, Karen Kingsbury
24. Family, Karen Kingsbury
25. Forever, Karen Kingsbury
26. Til We Have Faces: A Myth Retold, C.S. Lewis
27. A Billion Reasons Why, Kristin Billerbeck
28. Life's a Beach, Claire Cook
29. A Lineage of Grace, Francine Rivers
30. The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
31. Something Borrowed, Emily Giffin
32. Something Blue, Emily Giffin
33. Baby Proof, Emily Giffin
34. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling
35. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling
36. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling
37. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling
38. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling
39. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling
40. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling
41. Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery
42. The Bay at Midnight, Diane Chamberlain
43. Before the Storm, Diane Chamberlain
44. The Courage Tree, Diane Chamberlain
45. The Midwife's Confession, Diane Chamberlain
46. Cold Sassy Tree, Olive Ann Burns
47. Shanghai Girls, Lisa See
48. Dreams of Joy, Lisa See
49. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson
50. The Girl Who Played with Fire, Stieg Larsson
51. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Stieg Larsson
52. Matched, Ally Condie
53. The Paris Wife: A Novel, Paula McLain
54. The Sugar Queen, Sarah Addison Allen
55. The Peach Keeper, Sarah Addison Allen
56. Safe Haven, Nicholas Sparks
57. Unbroken: A World War II Story..., Laura Hillenbrand
58. The Baby Sleep Book, William Sears
59. Bringing up Boys, James Dobson
60. Everyone Runs: Run to Win, Christine Caine

So there you have it.  Some of those were re-reads (Harry Potter!) and some of those are boring mom books, but hey- I read it so it counts, right?

What have you read this year?  Leave me a comment- I'm compiling my "to read" list of must reads for 2012!

a very merry Christmas

I started this post 3 days ago and am still not finished.  A little girl has decided the only way to sleep in the day is laying on top of me... but she's asleep in her swing right now, so let's try this again!

family of 4

We did Christmas with my family the weekend before Christmas, since my grandparents were going out of town over the holiday.

my two babies

In the past, John Mark has been the only kid at Christmas.  Boy, was that different this year!  We had JM (5), Tanzi Rose (1), Lucy and Wyatt- both babies.  It made for an interesting, busy, LOUD weekend, but it was so much fun.

John Mark with his cousin Tanzi

We ate a big lunch and opened presents on Saturday afternoon.  That evening we ate finger foods (my favorite meal!) and then played cards.  It took us forever to play one game, thanks to diaper changes, feeding babies, etc.  But so worth it.

miss Tanzi Rose

cousin wyatt

 Sunday we went to church, then ate lunch at Nanny's.  Lucy slept through the whole service and was happy to be passed around to all of Bebe's friends.  It was a beautiful weekend, filled with the family I love the most.

our family

 Christmas weekend was just the four of us.  It was a little strange to be alone at home, but in the end I loved it.  We baked sugar cookies, watched a couple of movies and opened Christmas eve gifts (PJ's and a movie for us to watch together).  After JM went to bed, Micah and I filled their stockings.  Stockings might be my favorite part of Christmas morning.  It makes me smile.

showing the cookies he baked with daddy

Christmas Eve jammies

 Christmas morning I got up at 6 with Lucy, then got to work getting everything ready for the big morning.  By 7:30, I had Christmas lights on, lunch prepped, and cinnamon rolls baking.  I woke up Micah and JM, and we all gathered in the living room to have our Christmas.  We opened presents, ate cinnamon rolls and got ready for church.  Mom & Dad met us at church, then came home with us.

baby girl with her presents

my present from JM

daddy and nart

It was a great Christmas weekend.  I'm so thankful for my wonderful life.

Lucy Kate- month 1

Oh Lucy girl, in one short month you have stolen the hearts of everyone who meets you- most of all mine!  Spending my days with you is such a joy.  I love holding you, kissing your squishy cheeks and staring into those dark, dark eyes!

 You were eating for 20 minutes every 3 hours, but at your one month appointment, the doctor had me cut back on the length of time you eat to see if that would help you not spit up as much.  We've cut back to 15 minutes, and it has helped so much.  I'm extremely grateful that you are a quick, efficient eater because with your brother running around, I don't have hours to devote to feeding you. What can I say?  You LOVE to eat!

Nights vary as to how long you sleep.  You have gone stretches as long as 5 hours, but mostly it's awake every 3-4 hours.  You usually drift back to sleep quickly when you're done eating.  In fact, there are times I have to fight to get you to eat the full time.  But I've learned it's worth it to do that when we're both awake rather than letting us both fall asleep for 30 minutes when you remember you're hungry!

You have moved on up to a size 1 diaper and are still wearing mostly 0-3 month clothes.  Dressing you is one of my favorite parts of the day, although you're not so much a fan of having your clothes changed.  You wiggle and scream the whole time I'm putting clothes on you.

Month One stats:
Weight- 10 lbs, 11 oz (90%)
Length- 22.5 inches (90%)

 

I love you so much, precious one and I am so thankful God chose ME to be your mommy.  You have given our family a joy-filled bright spot.  I can't wait to see what the next month holds.

Love,
Mommy

'tis the season

I love Christmas.  I love everything about it- the twinkly lights, parties, food, buying gifts for those I love... but I especially love the music!  As I sat here this morning with my cup of coffee and sleeping baby (scratch that- screaming baby), listening to my spotify Christmas playlist I was inspired to write a little post about my all-time favorite Christmas songs.

1.  O Holy Night- Point of Grace
This is my favorite Christmas song- hands down.  And I will forever love the Point of Grace version of this song.  Judge all you want, but that first Christmas CD they did will go down forever as one of the most played CD's in my collection of Christmas CD's... 

2.  Come Thou Long Expected Jesus- Chris Tomlin
A close second, the lyrics of this song make me want to cry from their profoundness.  And the a capella version on the Chris Tomlin CD is beautiful.

3.  Christmas Don't Be Late- Alvin & the Chipmunks
Don't try to be cool and pretend you don't love this song... and when Theodore belts "meeeeeeee I want a hula hoop" you can't help but smile.

4.  Away in a Manger- Brad Paisley
When I think of this Christmas carol, I have vivid memories of sitting with my nanny in the little church I grew up in singing this.  The Brad Paisley version of this song fits those memories perfectly.

5. Where Are You Christmas?- Faith Hill
I just love this song.  It's sweet and perfect.

6.  Baby, It's Cold Outside- Lee Ann Womack & Harry Connick, Jr.
This was a tough one to decide on my favorite version.  This one edged out the new Lady Antebellum version, but just barely.

7.  I Believe- Natalie Grant
The lyrics to this song are powerful and the true message of Christmas is so clear.  And Natalie Grant has a gorgeous voice.

8.  We Need A Little Christmas- Glee Version
I have always liked this song, but Glee put it on my top 10 list.

9.  O Come, O Come Emmanuel- David Crowder Band
Another song with powerful lyrics.  There are a lot of great arrangements of this song, this one just happens to be my favorite this year.

10.  All I Want for Christmas is You- Mariah Carey or Michael Buble
This one is a classic that everyone knows all the words to.  I love the original, but I love all things Michael Buble, so this one is a tie.

There you have it.  My top 10 list of Christmas songs for your playlist.  I was going to link to these songs on amazon or something, but that's a little impossible to do when trying to feed a baby and type.  So go find them yourself. :)

What songs make the season for you?

introducing

Now that we have the past year out of the way, let's get back to life as we know it today.

One of the biggest blessings of this past year arrived on November 18, 2011.  Introducing Lucy Kate Rigdon- 8 pounds, 7 ounces of pure JOY!

Lucy Kate

We arrived at the hospital at 5:30 Friday morning.  They checked us in and we settled into our holding room until surgery.  Micah and I sat in the room, watching random TV and waiting for 7:30 to roll around so we could meet this little one.

waiting for surgery

 Soon the nurse was walking me back to surgery.  They got me good and numb; I laid there shivering in the SO COLD room.  Micah came in and we sat there talking.  Before too long, I heard that sound I had been waiting 9 months to hear- the precious cries of my baby girl.

first glimpse of my girl

As they took care of me, Micah was with Lucy getting her cleaned up.  It was so surreal to lay there, thinking this tiny person I had waited for was finally here.  She was here and perfect.

first kisses for my sweet girl

When I got back to my room, they brought her to me.  Micah and I sat there, just staring at our precious daughter.  After we'd had our time with her, the family got to come in an meet her.  To say that her big brother was in love would be an understatement.  He sat on the couch, holding her and just talking to her in the sweetest little voice.

big brother love

And just like that, we became a family of four.  My heart overflows with love for these precious gifts from the Lord.

family of four

"The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy."
Psalm 126:3

finally- a post

I'm not going to lie.  This year has been hard- quite possibly the hardest year of my 30 years.  I've experienced enough change, heartbreak, and pain to last me for quite some time. 

Throughout the year, as trial after trial has rolled over my heart, one thing has not changed.  My God has been faithful.  In those moments when I found myself overwhelmed with heartbreak, He was there.  When the tears fell on my pillow in the darkness of night, He was there.  On the days when anger and bitterness threatened to overtake the hope in my heart, He was there.

Is this the direction I would have picked for my life?  Not at all.  Do I miss the way things were?  Sometimes.  Am I happy?  Most of the time.  Am I at peace?  Most definitely.

So, while I am not at all sad to see 2011 come to an end, I am ending it with a full heart.  Surprisingly enough, I find myself with infinitely more blessings than when this year began.  These blessings have come in unexpected places- lessons learned, deeper relationships, a new church family, appreciation for my husband.  The greatest blessing of all comes from somewhere deep within- a place of deeper intimacy with my Savior.  And at the end of the day, I would walk through another year like this one to know Him more.

Oh, my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always
I will not fear, His promise is true
My God will come through always, always
--always, by kristian stanfill