Friday, Friday...it's the Friday before Christmas!!!

Oooh the smell of Christmas is in the air! How are all of you doing with your shopping and wrapping and tree decorating? Last night I was up way past my usual bedtime wrapping gifts as the little one and his Dad were snoring away ;). Such fun!

This weekend is a full one for us. I'm looking forward to spending too much time with family (is there even such a thing?), to celebrating my Mom's birthday, for Christmas Sunday service and our annual family get together on my Dad's side. It's jam-packed with all of the best things this weekend! I love it. And Mr. Chubs here is going along for the ride!

"And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; to give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." 

Luke 1:76-79

Can you imagine the greatness of this blessing that was given to John the Baptist? He was born to Mary's cousin Elizabeth shortly before Jesus' birth. I was reading this passage today and my heart was reminded, yet again, that this is our true gift this Christmas...to go and share Jesus with this hurting world. Seems especially poignant now, as we remember the horrific events in Newtown a week ago today, God rest their precious souls.

I hope you have a rich Christmas weekend full of everything good in this world. Remember for Whom we are living and to Whom we serve. God Bless you!

Aim

Facetime Love

My husband may kill me for posting this, but it was too good to pass up!

These past few weeks Blane has had to work many late nights, and often he has left while Cole is still sleeping in the morning and returned far after Cole has gone to bed for the night. Nifty iPhones to the rescue! The other day Blane facetimed with Cole. I took a screenshot. You all are welcome :)

Christmas is in less than a week! I'm so excited to celebrate Christ's birth with family and friends starting this weekend. In my devotional this morning I was reminded to center my heart on the real reason for the season. If you haven't yet read the Christmas story this year, I'd encourage you to do so!

Joy to the world, the Lord has come!

Aim

Lights, Lights, and more Lights!

It's no secret how much I adore tiny white lights, especially on Christmas trees. I heard once that the ratio of height to lights is supposed to be one strand for every foot of tree. Unfortunately, I must disagree. We got a 6-7 foot tree this year and that would mean only 600-700 lights=NOT GOOD ENOUGH! Care to guess how many lights are adorning our sparkling beaut this year?

And the winner is...SIXTEEN HUNDRED!!!

Whoop!

Aim

Weekend

Where did the week go? I blinked and it was Friday. Crazy! I'm looking forward to Blane being home (he's had a long week), nighttime at our house with the Christmas lights on and just enjoying time with our little one. Isn't he precious? :)

And also, 

Happy Birthday Mom! We hope your day is special and wonderful, just like you. We love you!

Cheers,

Aim

December 4th

"'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,' declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

In my devotional this morning, I was reminded again that God's mindset on everything is so much greater than my own. And, if I am plugged in to Him, then my perspective on everything changes. Take a moment to read the below and be encouraged to take that time to spend with our great God daily...it's so important!

"As you spend time in My Presence, My thoughts gradually form in your mind. My Spirit is the Director of this process. Sometimes He brings bible verses to mind. Sometimes He enables you to hear Me "speak" directly to you. These communications strengthen you and prepare you for whatever is before you on your life path. Take time to listen to My voice. Through your sacrifice of precious time, I bless you far more than you dare to ask."

Have a God day all~

Aim

*taken from the devotional Jesus Calling

Mommy Must Haves: Sleeping

1. Sleeping Gown for Baby. Someone gifted us one of these and we used the heck out of it for the first couple weeks after Cole was born. These are nice because you don't have to fiddle around with buttons or snaps in the middle of the night when you're changing your baby. Easy access=easy change!

2. Swaddle Blankets. Everyone and their mother has an Aden and Anais swaddle blanket. If you haven't heard of these you've been living under a rock! We have both the regular muslim and organic bamboo versions. I love the softness of the bamboo swaddles but function wise I have to go with the muslim-they hold the swaddle better and no amount of baby wriggling will get them out! 

3. White Noise Machine. We don't use it so much now, but in the beginning it was a big help in calming Cole and helping him sleep better, especially at night. They say that the white noise mimics the womb activity that babies have been used to for 10 months and so it's a natural calming agent. You'll think it's noisy when you're trying it out, but trust me, it won't even phase you once you're so tired that you could sleep through a Bon Jovi concert no problem.

4. Elevated Bassinet. Cole has heavy breathing issues and sleeping at an elevated angle really helps him breathe better. His bassinet has an elevated back that has been great. We also love that it's lightweight and can be moved easily throughout the house-it's in our bedroom at night, in the living room during the day and even the dining room during dinner! Another plus is that the entire cover is machine washable-score! A must when dealing with baby spit ups and poop disasters :).

5. An old adage-everyone says it and it's so true: for all you new Moms-sleep when your baby sleeps! If you have to kick visitors/friends out of your house, close the door, turn off your phone...whatever!...getting sleep in when you can is key to not losing your sanity (or getting sick) especially in the first few weeks of craziness with a new baby. Just do it. You will feel 100x better because you did, trust me.

Happy Monday all! Hope you all have a great start to the first week of December. It's raining here this morning and I'm feeling a cozy day at home with Cole. Stay dry everyone!
Aim