A New Years Mission

As we anticipate the beginning of 2012, I always like to think about what I would like to accomplish in the new year.  Goals I may have, books I'd like to read, a word to meditate on the whole year through & work on in my life, so on & so forth.  I don't like to call it a "new years resolution" because typically people fail miserably at those, so I think of it more as a 'new years mission' (it may or may not be the same thing ; )

SPIRITUALLY
  I'm committing to read through the Bible chronologically again this year, & I'm super pumped because my husband has committed to do it with me.  We are excited for what the LORD is going to teach us & how He's going to grow our faith.  Wanna join us?  Simply go to this website for a pdf copy of a timeline to follow: http://www.esv.org/assets/pdfs/rp.chronological.pdf
  I'm still praying about a word the LORD would like me to meditate & work on this next year.  I will hopefully know soon!
  I would also like to memorize more scripture.

PERSONALLY
I love to read!  It's one of my favorite past times and with becoming a new mom this year, I didn't read as many books as I'd hoped.  So my goal is to read 10 books this next year and my list is:

1. Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall & Denver Moore
2. Lost Boy by Greg Laurie
3. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
5. William & Kate: A Royal Love Story by Christopher Andersen
6. Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman
7. Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp
8. Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas
9. Humility: True Greatness by C.J. Mahaney
10. Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss (re-read for the 3rd time!)

I hope to keep up with this blog too.  Monthly updates on Josiah, share what I'm learning in my relationship with the LORD, fun memories with family & friends, updates as I finish the above books, new recipes I make (because I've been making some new & very yummy ones recently!), and so on & so forth.   

PHYSICALLY

Dan & I have a LifeTime membership that we don't use as often as we should.  I would like to commit to going to the gym 2-3 times a week to get this body back into shape.  They have a great childcare program for Josiah, so I can have an hour or so to work out.  I need to take full advantage!

So here's to 2012, may it be a great year for you all!  Blessings <3 Kate

Merry 1st Christmas Josiah!

Christmas 2011 has come and gone, but the song The Day after Christmas by Matthew West  reminds me even when Christmas is over, the Light of the World is still here!  LOVE THAT!  Boy do I love that!
  So yes, we had a wonderful 1st Christmas with our precious boy, Josiah.  He is too sweet for words.  Christmas Eve morning we let him open his stocking & our "big" gift to him... in the stocking was 2 Veggie Tale movies & his "big" gift was...

  
Pretty lucky kid, huh?!  Later we went to Harvest's Christmas Eve service with my family and lifted high the Name of Jesus.  It was Awesome!  Then we went back to Hampshire to continue in the celebration of our Savior's birth and spend the night with Nana & Papa Bear, Uncle Brandon, Uncle Sean & Aunt Nilsa.  We had an amazing ham dinner, thanks Mom!, read the Christmas story from Luke 2, opened gifts, played a few games & attempted to watch Christmas Vacation but about half way through fell asleep.  It was a great night of remembering that first Christmas so long ago & the babe that was born that cold, not so silent night in Bethlehem.

Merry Christmas!

      Josiah's favorite gift from Nana & Papa- Little People Nativity Scene!

We woke up Christmas morning, note Josiah slept in until 8:30am!, Josiah opened a few more gifts from us, & we had a yummy breakfast that included a quiche, cinnamon rolls & the traditional spiced pears, thanks Mom!  

   Christmas morning!

Then we headed up to Rockford to Dan's aunt Donna & uncle Ron's to spend the day with them & Mom & Dad Haskell, aka Grandma & Grandpa.  We enjoyed another yummy ham dinner & then opened gifts.  After we left Aunt Donna & Uncle Ron's we went back to Mom & Dad's & sat by a roaring fire & played with Josiah before we had to drive home.  I'd say Josiah had a very nice 1st Christmas... I know I'll never forget it!

Josiah's favorite gift from Grandpa & Grandma: Little People Farm

Then the day after Christmas we went to Brookfield Zoo for their Magic of Lights with our good friends, David & Joei & Ella.  It was so much fun it just may be a yearly tradition!  Its a great way to keep the spirit of Christmas alive for another day! 

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas celebrating our Savior's birthday.  It's such a special time of year, I pray you treasure it in your heart as I do.  Merry rest of the year everyone!  Remember... even when Christmas is over, the LIGHT of the world is STILL here!!  

9 month update

Josiah is 9 months old, and I cannot believe my eyes!  He has grown so much and has learned so much in the past month, its incredible!  I am starting to plan his 1 yr. birthday party, and it reminds me of when he was born a friend of mine (who was planning her daughters 1 yr. b-day party) told me that in the blink of an eye I would be planning his & I didn't believe her.  But here we are, a blink later, & I am.  A million thoughts are going through my head as to where we should have it, what should be the theme, should I have a theme?, what should the menu be, so on & so forth.  Well, at this point, all I can tell you is this:  We are getting Josiah dedicated on March 18th (day after his 1st birthday) & having kind of a dual party that day.  So fun!
   So, as I mentioned, Josiah has learned a lot lately.  He has learned to stand up on his own & get down by himself too.  He now can do the regular crawl but will still do the army crawl as well.  He also learned how to point and the coolest thing is that, since we put up our nativity scene we show him baby Jesus every day and so when he is playing we will ask him where baby Jesus is and he will start looking for him.  Well, just today, I asked him where he was and Josiah crawled over to the manger, lifted his arm and pointed to it!  OMG!  It melted my heart!  Our baby boy at 9 months old is so smart!  Josiah will also smother us with kisses, which also melts my heart.  If you sing to him or turn music on he will start to move his body and shake his head like crazy, it is adorable!  He can also get on his soap box & just babble, babble & babble.  I LOVE it!  He still loves to walk with us by holding our hands, but now that we borrow his Nana & Papa's walker, he spends most of his time in there just walking all over the house & chasing the cat!  He loves the freedom!  He still takes good morning & afternoon naps for mama, which is great, and he is sleeping well through the night.  Fantastic!  
I think that is all the update I can give for now.  We will be going to the doctor the first week of January for his 9 month check-up, so I will have to update then with his stats.  But here are a few pics for your enjoyment! 

 His favorite thing to do!

 All smiles!

 Look at those beautiful blue eyes!

  Model baby!

The Heart of Christmas

  Some of you may recognize the title of this post as the name of the xmas movie produced by Matthew West about the true story of a little boy who was battling cancer and how his mom's online journal impacted the life of another woman and her family.  I cried the entire movie.  So, if you haven't yet seen it, please do, but be prepared to go through a whole box of Kleenex!  Anyway, I thought this title was also fitting for the reason of my post tonight... as we prepare our hearts for Christmas... I am grateful. So so grateful.  
   I cannot believe xmas is right around the corner, which also means we will be ringing in a new year too, wow!  Where did this year go?!  My baby boy will be 9 months old this Saturday, and on Sunday we will continue our tradition by spending the day in Chicago looking at the lights and Macy's windows and hopefully going ice skating!  And then one week from Sunday we will be celebrating the birth of our LORD Jesus Christ.  I always look forward to the holidays, even with all the hustle and bustle and colder weather.  I love listening to xmas music, I'm one of those who start listening to it the week of Thanksgiving and usually continue listening to it all the way through January.  I love xmas decorations, my house is all decked out in holiday style, and again, I'm one of those who keep my decorations up through January.  I love making and decorating xmas cookies, my favorite being sugar cookies.  This year (last night actually), Dan & I did it together, and it was SO much fun!  We made the dough (I cheated this year & used a mix), cut out the shapes in mittens, snowmen, xmas trees, & stars, baked them, and frosted and decorated them.  They turned out as cute as can be!

  I love the sappy xmas movies on the Hallmark channel, Lifetime and ABC Family... one of them being Moonlight & Mistletoe staring Candace Cameron Bure, so good!  I love that usually by now we have snow, or have had snow.  I love looking out my window and seeing the snowflakes fall from the overcast sky.  Its simply beautiful.  I love getting my loved ones xmas cards and letters in the mail!  I look forward to opening each & every envelope!  I love attending Harvest's Women's xmas program each year with my mom, mother-in-law, & aunts.  It has been a great tradition for 5 years now!

This year at Harvest!

Special guests: Matthew West & Mandisa

  I love buying xmas gifts for my family & friends and seeing their faces when they open it.  But what I love most of all at xmas is the whole month leading up to December 25, Advent.  I love taking time out of our busy day to remember Christ's birth.  I remember Advent one year at Harvest, it was my favorite.  Each weekend in the worship service we watched a video... one being on Peace, Love, Hope, & Joy.  It was beautiful to hear from other Harvest families about how the LORD has offered His Peace, shown them His Love, given them Joy, or provided them Hope.  I'm really looking forward to the xmas eve service at Harvest this year and celebrating Jesus' birthday with my loved ones.  Every year we go back to my parents house & enjoy a delicious ham dinner cooked by my mom, we open our gifts to Jesus and sing Him Happy Birthday.  We also open our gifts to each other since my dad usually has to work on xmas day.  It is such a special night with my family.  I'm so excited to have Josiah here to share it all with us.  I can't wait to celebrate his first xmas, even though he probably won't remember it, it's still pretty special to us!  Then on xmas day we go up to Rockford to spend the day with Dan's parents, his aunt & uncle & cousin.  Aunt Donna always makes a yummy ham AND turkey dinner, with Dan's favorite cheesy potatoes too!  We open gifts & enjoy each others company by sharing stories & laughs.  Then we make our way back home and stop in Elgin at my grandparents to see some of my aunts, uncles, cousins & grandpa & grandma Kressin.  It's a busy day, but I love it!  Can't wait!
  So as we prepare to celebrate our Savior's birth, I am grateful.  I am grateful for all these things about CHRISTmas that I love & get to enjoy.  Thank you LORD for sending your one & only son to this earth to die for me.  Wow, so grateful.  The Heart of Christmas has a name.  And the name is JESUS!  Keep Christ in CHRISTmas and say Merry Christmas to everyone you meet!  Merry Christmas everyone!     

Thanksgiving in St. Louis

Every year since I was a child my family and I would travel south to St. Louis to spend Thanksgiving with my aunt Jenni & uncle John and cousins Alex & Aniela.  Not only did my family go, but also my Mimi & Papa, my aunt Kristi & uncle Rob and cousins Andrew, Michael & Nicholas.  It has been a memorable family tradition for years, and I'm so glad we can continue it now that I'm married and have a baby.  So this year we drove down with my parents and brother, Brandon (my youngest brother, Sean, had to work, buuummmmerrrrr!) and had a great time!  We are usually blessed with beautiful fall weather and this year was no different... 60's+ day after day... just perfect!  We went on multiple walks a day, ate a lot of Mimi's yummy food, shopped, watched football and the boys had fun playing football as well. We sure have a lot to be thankful for this year and top on my grateful list is:

1. My relationship with Jesus Christ
2. ...Amazing and loving husband, Daniel
3. ...Adorable and sweet little boy, Josiah
4. ...Loving and caring Family
5. ...And the best friends in the whole wide world! 

I have such a grateful heart this holiday season!  Enjoy some pics of our fun time in St. Louis!