"For you formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them." - Psalm 139:13-16
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12.08.2014

The gift of Contentment

Like everyone else, we are right in the midst of the holiday season. 
Aaron outdid himself again this year with his deep fried turkey on Thanksgiving day and we enjoyed unhurried visits from friends and family.  The girls had the week off from school, Aaron and I both had a few days off work, and we all throughly enjoyed relaxing together.


Last week we spent a few evenings putting up the Christmas decorations while trying to find the best Pandora holiday music channel.  I rounded off the weekend by getting distracted, leaving a faucet running, and flooding our upstairs bathroom.  Thankfully my husband laid our tile correctly and we discovered happily my grout work wasn't too shabby, which equates to no permanent damage.  I am however up past midnight with my snuggle bug Rylee...washing all the wet towels and laundry from the debacle.  In between laundry loads I'm sitting here under a warm blanket, steaming Irish tea in hand admiring the Christmas lights.   I will admit to late night Netflix binges of any BBC programming.  Often the allure of a colorful pie chart has me doing family budgets on my Mint app while listening for Rylee's slow, clear breathing.  Or you'll find me curled up with yet another five pound book that I will devour in the course of one weekend up with Rylee.  But, I'm also just as happy to sit quietly thinking.
In the midst of this holiday season I am overwhelmingly grateful for all the blessings we've been given, especially this year.  After squirreling away money for several years, Aaron and I had the opportunity to do our second favorite thing together - traveling.  We spent ten days together laughing, getting into hilarious predicaments, and being thoroughly content wherever we went.  As I'm sitting here looking at these pictures and typing these words, I realize the previous sentence also describes every day of our last fifteen years of married life.  Granted the scenery, lighting, and wind in Ireland make the photos turn out a bit better...but even with the dishes stacked, a flooded bathroom, and piles of laundry it's rare to find either one of us without a goofy grin. 
How grateful I am to be married to my best friend, partner in crime, and father of our sweet girls.
This year Ryann discovered a passion for cross country running.  It's been a joy to watch her fearlessly jump into something new with little reservations.  She really enjoyed pushing herself to do better each time and we are so proud of her and the discipline it took to run several miles each day.  I also had the opportunity to take her to Washington DC with me over the summer when I attended the annual NACDD Conference.  A good friend and her daughter went with us - and we had a great time.  They took in the sights (and the summer heat) during the day, and when my meetings were over we had a few adventures on the subway, Rita's Ice in Chinatown, and just enjoyed making memories together.  Ryann continues to be a constant source of hilarity in our home - the frankness of her momma combined with the dry humor of her daddy ensure it's never boring around here.  She continues to monitor Rylee's clothing choices and makes sure Rylee has access to all the "cool music" the "kids these days" are listening to.

On a health level, Rylee has had an unusually rough year.  Folks forget that while she has a disability, she still experiences the same things a "typical" child her age goes through.  Ten year molars have been rough, along with other issues - but overall, we are still extremely grateful to say we've been able to treat all issues at home with the guidance of her phenomenal medical team.  There is absolutely no way to properly express enough how thankful we are for the folks God has put in our life because of Rylee.  She continues to grow in length, so long and lanky like her big sister. 
What a gift she has been in our life; teaching us daily to slow down, find joy in simple occurrences, and celebrate what others consider mundane. 
What a privilege to raise both of these amazing young ladies together with the help of our friends and family who support us, encourage us, and love us in ridiculously bold ways. 

If a Taylor Swift song and YouTube had a baby, it would look like these leggings. 
Thanks Aunt Rebecka for keeping her swanky!

While incredibly thankful, grateful for the way God continues to bless us - we also frequently realize, take note of the fact that a deep seated contentment has enveloped our home. 

Thankfulness seems temporary, an in the moment realization of gratitude. 
Contentment is the firm acknowledgement and satisfaction of reaching capacity.
Contentment should not be confused with complacency.  In fact, in our home, this contentment makes us desire to continue to serve others, love others as completely as we've been loved. 

Contentment makes you unafraid to open your heart. 
Contentment makes you hungry to follow your passion, that idea or goal that makes your heart beat faster and awakens you in the middle of the night. 
Contentment makes you confident enough to try, fail, dust yourself off, and try again.
Contentment makes you realize you've reached your capacity - in love, in joy, in understanding, in thankfulness - in such a manner...that it overflows to a point that you want, you need, to share it with others.
Imagine if every family like our own felt as loved and supported as we've been.
We have some ideas of where God is leading us as the next year approaches. 
Anxious to continue to grow and learn.  Incredibly grateful and content in the thought that He has plans for our little family.
Jeremiah 17:7-8
 





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"For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Thy works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from Thee, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Thy book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them."

Psalm 139:13-16