Special Times

Well Christmas is officially past us and it was great. Christmas Eve we went to Candlelight Service with Great-Grandpa Earp in Killduff of which Emma was the only child and I'm afraid she may have stolen the attention of most of the congregation....oops;P Then we had our Christmas at NaNa's with our special friends Rod and Cheryl. Emma got a great little car she can ride or push and it was a pretty big hit instantly:) Mommy got a new sweatshirt and Daddy got a Hawkeye shirt. It was a special evening with lots and lots of food. Chocolate covered pretzels, every variety of M&M, pie, smokies, etc....oh dear...
Christmas morning we all 3 rolled out of bed about 7 and went right to the living room for Emma to open her presents! A few toys, a movie, and some socks from mommy and daddy. The best was her little Tap A Tune piano:) She loved it!! Our morning was wonderful, we made cinnamon rolls, and just lounged around as a family enjoying each other. We spent the rest of the day out with NaNa, Uncle Adam, Auntie, and Derek out at the farm. As a family we didn't really give lists to each other, so it was really neat to see what we found for each other, and the thought behind them seemed that much more special.
The day after Christmas was spent at Great Grandpa & Grandma De Cook's. We had a great day with family, Emma was such a trooper all weekend, she was such a good girl as far off schedule as we were for a couple days. The one thing I like to give us credit for is her consistent bedtime. No matter what we are up to, if at all possible she goes down at about the same time. It seems to work really well for us and helps Emma to know when it's time to go down. Naps are still all over the place ranging from a half and hour to an hour, 2 or 3 times a day. It's frustrating in a way, and yet it works out ok because as busy as we are, her nap schedule is flexible. There isn't a certain time we have to be at home for her to nap.
I am excited for New Year's weekend as we are spending the weekend in Carroll for the rest of our Christmas'. It's been so nice the way it has worked out this year for us to be able to spend lots of time at each of our family gatherings; not rushing from here to there. I hate being frazzled and it has made this holiday so incredibly nice!
I will try to get some more Christmas pics put up today, but no guarantees as Emma has been quite a little pistol this morning and I have a lot to do to get ready for this weekend, plus working in the shop also.
We wish you all a blessed New Year full of health, safety, fellowship, and growth!!

Love,
RJ, Tessa, & Emma Rae

Christmas Eve Eve

Wow. It is the eve before Christmas Eve and I couldn't be more excited for Christmas! I am so blessed! I have a wonderful, caring, devoted husband; a beautiful, funny, healthy, (did I mention beautiful) 8 month old baby girl; a warm & cozy home; a loving, supportive family; and a Savior who came to earth as a human baby, who died on the cross for MY sins, rose again three days later, and who walks me through each day in this life. Not every day/hour/moment is perfect or happy but it is real.
As with most of my blog posts, I will talk mainly about Emma, but this one will be different. I was doing some reading yesterday about raising children, and a certain message kept jumping off the page. It was about our children belonging to Jesus. Our babies are given to use to care for, love, and raise up, but they belong to Him. They are His, just as we are. And when I think about that, it has taken a little bit of the anxiety out of me. Knowing that God trusted us, knowing that we would do our best to give Emma the best life possible. Knowing that Jesus watches over her ALL of the time, in the moments when I can't. I feel like the earlier I try to get my mind to wrap around that fact, maybe the better off I will be...
Anywho, after a busy work week, I am ready to spend tomorrow doing some baking, and prep for our Christmas with friends tomorrow evening, and just spending the day with Emma. We are so excited that Daddy gets off early tomorrow and then gets to be home with us through Tuesday!
Hooray for Christmas time and the beaUtiful snow falling outside tonight:)
Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night! (hopefully a night that includes at least 8 hours of sleep for me:)

The Monday blues...

Why do I have the blues this monday morning? Was it because after a wonderful weekend together RJ went back to work, that there are several bills to be paid, or that Emma didn't feel like letting me rock and snuggle her before her nap? Hmmm... maybe a combination of all....
Sometimes it is so easy to get discouraged in this life, and so this morning God is reminding me that being happy is a result of your circumstances, but JOY comes from knowing Christ as your savior and believing in His wonderful plan! I don't want my "joy" to be something that comes and goes with the ups and downs of life; although I understand that there are hard times and exciting times in our lives. I want to show JOY throughout each and every day. THROUGH the ups and the downs.
God is great! And I choose to sing His praise throughout my day, happy or sad!!
Love this song called "God is Great" by Hillsong United

All creation cries to you
Worshipping in Spirit and in truth
Glory to the faithful one Jesus Christ God's son

All Creation gives you praise
You alone are truly great
You alone are God who reigns for eternity

God is great and His praise fills the earth fills the heavens
And Your name will be praised through all the world
God is great sing his praise all the earth all the heavens
'cause were living for the Glory of Your name the glory of your name

All to you Oh God we bring
Jesus teach us how to live
Let your fire burn in us
That all may hear and all may see

"Happy" Monday to all:)

7 months and counting!

The snow is here! We are experiencing our first blizzard of the winter, and so far, it's been a pretty great one:) The snow is beautiful and we got to spend the whole day cuddled up at home as a family napping and playing. The only downfall was that my family was planning on having our live nativity this weekend, but we are hoping to have it next weekend instead. I actually got to go out and shovel a little of the first snow before it got nasty out and it was fun! I was not allowed to do any last year as I was pregnant with miss Emma.
Speaking of whom, she is now sound asleep in bed after a hard day of being spoiled by mama and da-da:) I have to brag for just a moment as I truly believe she is the most beautiful baby ever! Although I quite enjoy being her best buddy right now, it is getting a little exhausting being almost the only thing she wants! She cries out EVERY time I leave the room and it's getting a little hard on this mommy. I'm sure it is a phase and I will miss it later. She is still a charmer and has the cutest smiles for almost everyone! (As long as her mommy is near by.) She eats about 3 meals a day of fruits/veggies/oatmeal or rice cereal. Usually fruit in the mornings, veggies with or following lunch, and some fruits or veggies with rice creal in the evenings. She's a great eater, but I have noticed she is wanting her bottle less and less throughout the day....not sure if this is typical at her age or not, but she will still get 3-5 bottles a day. We were just noticing today how well she can get around the room. Not crawling yet, but rolling and scooting all across the floor! We have started baby-proofing the house as a few of her favorite things to grab and chew on are our shoes, the remote, and working her way to the dvd player which she has turned on a few times. It won't be long now till she's into everything!
Well, I've got a date with some peanut butter m&m's, (I'm getting a head start on my "healthy" holiday eating;P) Hope all our loved ones in Iowa are staying safe and warm! Nights like this I say a special prayer for my cousin Ronnie who works for the DOT and heads out to plow the roads when we all are staying in!!
Night everyone!

18 days till Christmas!!!!!!!!!! We are so excited for our first Christmas with Emma ♥