our little peanut all curled up in her blanket.
miss elinor lookin’ kinda thug-ish, like she is about to throw down some sweet white girl rhymes.
the warm glow on her precious face. those cheeks are simply edible!
holding hands with her papa. she likes him a whole lot. and this picture just melts my heart.
three things i am loving right now
the cool goodies for little miss elinor edition
…
these precious little booties with copper spots from manimal
this perfectly nerdy pythagorean theorum blanket found on uncommon goods
this baby toy box delivery from little pnuts
you sign up for shipment and receive 3-5 toys every three months that meet your baby’s current development needs. so cool, huh?
we do the work for you so you don’t have to. we research the globe to find you exceptional toys, toys from the brands that care about how your Little Pnuts imagine, create and play. we offer products that meet your Little Pnuts developmental milestones and work toward helping them achieve their goals…through play. our programs feature only the newest, most innovative and highest quality toys on the market that are sustainably made, ecologically friendly, organic, and naturally made.
what a fun few days. we have been making rather merry, our little family of three. lots of quiet and sweet moments together PLUS plenty of incredible memories made with our families. don’t you just love Christmas? is anyone else kinda sad that it is over…already? wow. this season has flown by so fast! i just want to rewind and then experience it all again in slow motion. has anyone figured out how to do that yet? nope. okay. well i guess that i will just have to relive it through some of my favorite little snaps.
i hope you had a most lovely holiday.
off to christmas eve service + the glorious service of lessons and carols at our church + me and e + a burpcloth shepherd + my handsome hubby, my sweet giggling daughter, and my entertaining dad + a grainy little picture of our family + christmas morning mimosas while listening to the messiah, a festive and celebratory whitehouse tradition + a tree scene + our precious rudolph in her elf-inspired pjs + christmas morning with ben’s family. my view from the couch. and boy did that bugaboo come in handy as our sleigh for transporting presents! + a stocking for elinor + christmas afternoon with my family + santa was so good to us.
this gratitude list is care of ben’s fabulous aunt anne. want some visual proof of her fabulous-ness? okay. check out her inspiration boards on pinterest. she has an eye for the lovely and cool. and she knows how to savor every drop of life.
thank you for sharing, anne!
…
my salvation and personal relationship with Jesus
that my family is all in with Christ
for my family…how each of them fill me with so much joy
for laughter
for tears
for creativity
my new daughter in law to be emily
for my relationship with my sister and best friend, christina
for my renewed relationship with our arizona family
for learning about a new city with my best guy, david, who makes me so HAPPY, and blessed
for my iPhone camera (too many pics on there)
for my iPad
for coffee and green tea
and just be(ing) in the quiet presence of God, and waiting on Him to move. Love You Man!
perfectly put, linus.
may your days be merry and bright as you celebrate the true reason for the season, the gift of our Savior. we rejoice at His birth. gloria in excelsis Deo!
whew! things have been busy ’round here. lots of hustle and bustle happening as we prepare for CHRISTMAS…TOMORROW! we are ready to celebrate and enjoy a day with our family. here is a quick snapshot our life’s festivities from the past few weeks, brought to you by my iPhone.
follow our life happenings on instagram @swankyanddapper
wishing you a very Merry Christmas!
our family was asked to light an advent candle at church this past sunday. the third week is the candle of JOY.
luke 2:10-11
and the angel said to them, “fear not, for behold, i bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. for unto you is born this day in the city of david a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
joy is our awareness of God’s grace—it is grace recognized. God exhibited His grace by this act of unexpected goodness, by extending his favor, by condescending and giving us His son. Immanuel—God with us.
isaiah 7:14
therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
luke 1:14
and you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
our response to this great act of grace can be nothing less that utter joy. Gloria in excelsis Deo!
habakkuk 3:18
yet i will rejoice in the Lord, i will be joyful in God my Savior.
i heard the bells on Christmas day
their old familiar carols play
and wild and sweet the words repeat
of peace on earth, good will to men.
and thought how, as the day had come,
the belfries of all Christendom
had rolled along the unbroken song
of peace on earth, good will to men.
till ringing, singing on its way
the world revolved from night to day,
a voice, a chime, a chant sublime
of peace on earth, good will to men.
and in despair i bowed my head
“there is no peace on earth,” i said,
“for hate is strong and mocks the song
of peace on earth, good will to men.”
then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
the wrong shall fail, the right prevail
with peace on earth, good will to men.”
…
our sweet little miss elinor.
who is now 6 weeks old, by the way. can you just quit it with all this time-flying-by business?
you are just too cute. you make our hearts swell and swoon. and i am pretty sure that we could just look at that little face all day long. 6am is my new favorite time. after a full night’s sleep {wahoo!} it is so much fun to go into your room and wake you for the day. it always seems like forever since i have seen that little face. and each day, you look just a little different. a bit bigger. more grown up.
as you know, we had a merry-merry Christmas shoptacular this past weekend. your papa and i had some elf-ing to do and we planned a full morning for us all. and it was indeed, planned. feedings were perfectly lined up. our exit strategies prepared. we made those lists and checked them twice to make sure that we didn’t miss a thing and would stay on track. it was glorious. and so, with a festive drizzle in the air, we hopped in the sleigh and went on our merry way for a stop at Starbucks to kick things off properly. red-cupped beverages in hand, it was off to our next spot. now, during the drive from coffee to our first shop-stop, your tummy made some serious rumbling sounds, your face turned red, and you let out a series of sounds from your nether regions. we parked the car for a quick feeding and soon discovered that you had given us a fun little gift…a blowout. so sweet of you. thank you for making a new holiday memory for us, little one. and so, there we were. in the parking lot. in the rain. in a bit of a pickle. but your parents rose to the occasion. your papa got a bottle of water. i placed you on your changing pad in the trunk so we would have plenty of working space. then i soaked the burp cloth and wiped you down. so there you were, naked in the trunk of a car. in a parking lot. in the rain. two weeks before Christmas. {you are welcome for the commemoration, by the way. won’t you love it when we bust out this story at Christmastime, many years from now? and the award for most embarrassing parents goes to…}
don’t worry, we bounced back. we got you all cleaned up. put you in a clean diaper. {diaper number two since you decided to pee mid-ordeal. i am guessing it was from the al fresco changing situation that was going on in the trunk. sorry about that. } tossed the evidence. plopped you in the carrier. and we were on our way! only 15 minutes behind schedule, no less. boy oh boy, it was really something. and did i mention that your festive poop got on your papa’s shirt?! and he didn’t even have an adrian monk-esque episode. he totally held it together. he is amazing, i tell you. and i must say, this is ranking up there on my list of favorite Christmases. diaper disaster and all. you make everything more fun. you have taken us out of our comfort zone. you have made us laugh at ourselves. you have made our joy more vivid.
love, your mama + your papa
