Merry Christmas!!!

2009 Christmas, originally uploaded by olives on a monday.

See you in 2010!

Christmas tour of homes 2009 {a little late}

WELCOME. Sorry my pitcures aren't very good, I was lazy and used my small camera and didn't bother touching them up at all.

on the fridge...

ok...this was so great...not a great picture but SO funny that Evan was laughing his head off as I was coming down the stairs.

stairwell...and my copied Pottery Barn art...I did a horrific job, but it took awhile.

oops...blurry photo tree...I LOVE getting Christmas cards.

living room...

our ugly fireplace...trying to dress it up :)



the nativity was given to me by my Grandparents who passed away years ago, but it is something I really treasure.

another nativity we got as a wedding gift {great gift!} and some fun little cardboard houses with trees{?} well, I tried :)

close up of my little town.

stockings hung with care. {not on the actual stocking holders as we know with three young boys one is bound to yank a stocking a have a letter come crashing on them!}


Our tree {bad picture sorry}...Oh, and look at this package that arrived...three little boys.

:)

a little shout out.

My friend Bethany knit and sent this hat to Liam for his 1st Birthday, all the way from California. Love you Bethany! Thank you!

yellow.

I used to hate yellow. I hated that country yellow that it seemed so many houses had in it.

Things however... have changed. The shades of yellow have changed, developed into something much more appealing and much more desirable.

I'm now the proud owner of a Shey*B camera strap, and I'm L-O-V-I-N-G it. And how cool is it that the day it arrives I'm wearing that sweater with yellow in it?

Pretty awesome if you ask me.
It also doubles as a neck warmer.

woot for sweet camera straps!

the Christmas picture we won't be printing.

where are you going Liam? , originally uploaded by olives on a monday.

I believe Liam was trying to bite Justin.

steadfast is the Lord.

There is snow falling outside this morning. Looks like another light dusting that will most likely be gone by this afternoon.

I haven't quite been myself lately. Not entirely sure why. I do know
that Thanksgiving week I got pneumonia.

And I ran a 5k with it.

Like a moron.

Some photographer got some really attractive pictures of me running though...thanks buddy. You really needed to take that picture of me looking like DEATH and post it on the world-wide-web.

I ran the race in Wisconsin dragging along my brother Pete, an old friend of our Joe {who kicked all our behinds BIG TIME} and Pete's roommate Arron. It was cold, windy, and freezing. Did I mention the pneumonia? Justin and my Dad came and cheered us on in the cold which was awesome of them.

I was feeling sick before the race, but I wasn't about to skip out because I had a mild fever the night before! BOY did I pay for that decision. I was so out of it for the next two days and Saturday I slept almost the entire day. My Dad took me to his office and my Mom took a chest x-ray and discovered I had pneumonia.

My Mom came home with us Sunday and stayed until last Friday. That was SO helpful.

Needless to say, my Thanksgiving weekend with our familes, wasn't that enjoyful as I was just not myself. It was hard to think straight let alone be thankful for all the blessings in our lives.
Besides the sickness my attitude wasn't the best.

This weekend we relaxed. We got our Christmas tree, {Justin set a new personal record time for picking one out} and had some friends over last night. It was a really nice weekend. Justin and I had some good laughs, we've both been so busy it was so great to just be together.

This Monday though, for some reason I just feel out of sorts. It's not just because it is Monday either. I only have about 1/3 of our Christmas shopping done, and I feel REALLY behind on everything. Our upstairs looks like a minor bomb went off and I'm still just exhausted from the pneumonia I suppose.

As I read the word this morning the Lord reminded me of something so simple, yet so special.

His Steadfast love.


The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness. {STEADFASTNESS!}
-Lamentations 3:22-23


He is STEADFAST.
Immovable!
Unchanging!


Psalm 136:1-9

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever

So thankful for an amazing steadfast, unchanging savior that is constant and consistent each and every day!
What do you thank the Lord for this day?

1.

hard to believe how fast you went from this:

to this:

to this:

to this:

{pictured here with your Great-Grandfather Paul Swanson}
to this:

to this:

to this:

to this:

to this:



love you sweet monkey.
xoxoxo
your Mama