Happy New Year! I know that my next post was going to be about our trip, but I must delay that a little longer (sorry to keep you suspense!) :). I’d like to review some highlights and simple delights from 2012 with a picture from each month.

January: beautiful sunset.

February: cookies! Making them is one of my favorite things to do. :)

March: memorable cookie baking adventure with Wesley.

April: Wesley’s graduation!

May: in the back seat with one of the three bestest brothers in the world. :)

June: Mom and Daddy at one of Mom’s summer triathlons.

July: my beloved pup. <3

August: braces off!

September: these guys put a sail on our little boat using sticks and a tarp. They can create and build like no one else. They amaze me.

October: fresh peaches. Yum!

November: my 2nd half. Even better than the first, ’cause I did it with Mom and Wesley. :)

December: family picture!

Looking back on this past year and how quickly it’s flown by, I am reminded all the more that life is SO precious! Every day, every minute we have to live is a gift. I was recently encouraged by a friend to “live with no regrets”, making the most of the time I have with my family, and treasuring the people that God has placed around me. It was such timely encouragement.

I’m excited to see what God has in store for me in 2013. As we begin this new year, I’ll leave you with these verses that Mom shared with us a few days ago, and hugely encouraged me:

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.” Psalm 37:3-6

Hey there! I’m back! :) This month’s posting has been a bit choppy, but things have settled down a bit, so hopefully I’ll post more often. :) I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Ours was great. We celebrated it Christmas Eve, because the next day we were going to travel. Here’s a few pictures from our festivities:

Christmas cookies! Mmm. We carried on the tradition of decorating them together as a family this year. :) We also read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, a short and funny Christmas book. Mom usually reads it out loud each year in one sitting while we have Christmas cookies and cocoa.

A friend gave my brothers and I sweaters for Christmas.

I made special cinnamon rolls in the shape of a cross for Christmas morning. These are so yummy that I’ll post the recipe sometime if you want to try them.

And before opening presents, Austin and Jonathan took turns reading Luke 2. It was a special and memorable Christmas this year.

The next day (on Christmas morning) we left to go see family up in Wisconsin, but something totally unexpected happened halfway through our trip…. so stay tuned for more! I post on it next. :)

Happy New Year!!!

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”   ~Isaiah 9:6 

Merry Christmas! I hope your day is filled with joy in our Savior!

 Link of the day: It’s About the Cross – one of my favorite Christmas songs.