Top 12 of 2009: Family Edition

I had a wonderful time with my favorite kiddos pictures post! Now here are my favorite daily life photos of 2009. They are a sampling of pictures I love because of the photography, and pictures that are dear to me because of the memories they capture.

1. This is the family photo that went in our Christmas card this year. I chose one of my favorite places in Arkansas for the setting. This park has a lake and a gazebo, and some very obliging swans that love to swim over and pose for the pictures. It is my favorite location for photo shoots. Since it's our last Christmas photo in Arkansas, we did this one right, and I love it!

2. In the beginning of 2009 we went to California. While we were there we spent an afternoon at Seabright Beach. This is the beach I grew up playing at. As a child we went there with a group of friends at least once a week in the summer, and frequently during the winter to see the huge waves produced by Pacific storms. When I started driving, it was my favorite spot to go to think. When I was in college I would often take my lunch and my Bible down to this beach. I have laughed here, cried here, and made some very important decisions here. The beach ends at the harbor, and a fabulous jetty with a lighthouse separates the beach from the harbor. I have spent countless hours at the beach and on the jetty. These 2 photos are super special to me because they are snapshots of the 3 people I love the most in a place that holds so many lifelong memories for me. Priceless!

3. As a baby Pepper was very attached to me. I think Matt felt a bit rejected by his son. This year all that has changed, and now Pepper is a Daddy's boy all the way. This sweet photo warms my heart because it shows the bond between my husband and our son.

4. This is the perfect camping memories photo! It was the hottest weekend of the entire year, and we spent it camping with friends. Due to the extreme heat, most of our weekend happened in the comfort of the cool lake water. Sweet times together.

5. The core of our ministry is the Weekend to Remember marriage conferences our organization puts on. Matt frequently travels to work at these conferences. It is always special for me and more fun for him when I get to travel with him and work alongside him. This photo was taken at the Phoenix conference in June. I chose this photo because it shows us working as a team doing something we are passionate about.

6. Favorite nature photo of spring/summer. It was taken in my neighbor's front yard, and I'm still in love with it!

7. This is my Granny. I spent half a day with her when I went to California by myself in August. Granny is 92 and is my last surviving grandparent. Granny is responsible for connecting my parents with the doctor who was looking for an adoptive family for me!  I am extra special to her, and we have always been very close. I chose this photo as a favorite because Granny has Parkinson's and she is aging rapidly. I don't know how many more photos like this I will get to have. It is a definite treasure.

8. Ah, sweet August day, the first day both of my children went to school. This photo made the cut because it captures a milestone for our family...and because the kids are just so darn cute.

9. This is my favorite photo of me because it was taken at the NASCAR race we went to for my 30th birthday in September. I LOVE NASCAR and I am a HUGE Jimmie Johnson fan, so this was the perfect birthday present for me. This photo was taken in front of his hauler. Eeeek! Love it!

10. Favorite nature photo of fall/winter, taken right in my own back yard! I don't think they have cardinals in Florida. *sniff*

11. This is my man. Matt and I celebrated 8 years of marriage in June. I love him more every day, and I am SO thankful God saw fit to give him to me. Yup, he's mine and I am c-r-a-z-y about him!

12. Need I even comment on this one? Surely you'll understand why this is my very favorite photo of the entire year! Then again, not everybody is artsy-fartsy like me. This is my favorite because it is not your typical family picture. It is artsy-fartsy, and it is fun. And I don't have any other picture like this one. Love it!

That wraps up my Top 12 of 2009! I look forward to coming back next year and reviewing it. I'm sure I'll marvel at how we've all changed in a year. Coolness!

My Beautiful Children: Best of '09

Last year I did a wonderful photo post, a review of 2008 in photos. Actually, it was my top 12 photos of 2008. I had forgotten about it until I went back and did my Blog Recap post a few days ago. I had such fun looking back through the highlights pictures of 2008 that I had to do it again for 2009. However, when I went back through my files today, I found way too many pictures for one post. So, I've decided to break them into two posts: one of my favorites of the kiddos, and one of daily life favorites. This post is the kiddo post. I am really excited to put up these pictures, because my kids have been my (mostly) cooperative and patient practice models for my photography, and I am thrilled with the results. So without further ado, here are my Top 6 Photos of Snapper, Top 6 Photos of Pepper, and #1 Favorite of them together.

Snapper

6-turned-7 in 2009

Frustrated 1st grader

Enthusiastic 2nd grader

Energetic and talkative

Avid reader, developing writer, math whiz

Playful and oh, so ticklish

Compassionate and kind

Not so great at listening

Budding swimming superstar (at least, she's a superstar to us!)

Bossy big sister

Attentive and concerned big sister

Welcoming and friendly

Growing daily in her love for Jesus, and desiring to dedicate her life to serving Him

Our precious girl

Pepper

2-turned 3 in 2009

Homebody cuddlebug

Contented preschooler

Curious and mischievous

Spiderman wannabe and Buzz Lightyear fan

Imaginative and focused

Family-oriented and shy

Not so good at first-time obedience

Attentive to detail and very particular

Pesky little brother

Adoring little brother

Generous and loving

Methodical and persistent

Increasingly interested in Jesus and the Bible

Our priceless delight

Snapper and Pepper are our gifts from the Lord. Every day I cherish and adore these amazing, wonderful children.

Hopes, Dreams, and Prayers

Another new year. Even though it really is just another day, I love New Year's Day because it feels like a fresh start. Being a list maker, a goal setter, and a task-oriented person, January 1st is a satisfying day for me. Yesterday morning Matt and I lounged in bed until 10. Snapper and Pepper got cereal on their own, and contentedly played together so Mommy and Daddy could sleep. Sweet! Anyhoo, as we were stretched out on our bed in our cozy jammies, we talked together about our hopes for 2010. Even though they are a bit personal, I'll still post them here. That way in the future, I can look back and remember. It will also be fun to see how God fulfills these hopes and dreams. Here they are, in no particular order.

1. Purge our home so we are freed up to live more simply and to focus on what's important. We have agreed to be ruthless as we go through every room of the house and the garage. I am so excited to get cleaned out and organized! When I finish here, Matt and I are tackling the garage. Obviously it won't be finished today. But we can make a dent!

2. Drop 2 more pants sizes. I dropped 2 in 2009, and would like to do that again. Then I will be at a body size that is healthy, and doesn't hinder me from doing anything. Right now I'm just heavy enough that strenuous activities (things that I have always loved) are difficult, and often painful for me. I hate that. I'm so over that. This one is not a hope or a dream; it is an essential.

3. Carefully shepherd our children in a few, key, character areas.
Oh, before I forget, Snapper said something hilarious on Christmas Eve as she was talking to Bradley the Bear puppet.  "Bradley, these are shepherds. Shep means sheep, and Erd means guarder. So Shep-Erd means sheep-guarder." Her logic was perfect, wasn't it? Ha ha! I'm still chuckling over that one!
But seriously, we do want to focus on character growth. For Snapper is will be learning to set self aside and focus first on the needs of others. It is also working on listening skills. So often she will ask a question, and then not pay attention to the answer. So she'll ask again...and again...and again until she finally decides to listen. That has to change. For Pepper sharing is a high priority. Even as I'm typing this, he is screaming at the neighbor friend of Snapper's who is touching one of his toys. We'll be working on sharing, as well as on first-time obedience, and not whining.

4. This one is definitely a hope and a prayer--that our home will sell quickly and that our move to Orlando would happen in a timely manner. Entirely up to God.

5. We would like to purchase a home in Florida that allows us to accomodate visitors well. I don't want to put our guests in one of the kids' bedrooms. I want our home to be a place where we can serve others, and where they can feel completey relaxed, loved, and at home. I'll have to do another post about my dream home.

6. Add to our family. Whether this means having a baby of our own, or beginning the adoption process, or becoming foster parents for babies (huge need all over the place, by the way), we would love another child. Again, this one is entirely up to God. We're trusting Him to show us His plan for our family.

7. Grow in my faith and in my relationship with God. This one is dangerous. Obviously it has been in my mind for a long time. But somehow, putting it into words is a bit scary. After all, growing in faith usually involves growing pains. In order to grow in faith, you have to let God have complete control. For this organizer/planner/ducks-in-a-row mama, that is never easy. I just have to stay focused on Jeremiah 29:11-12 which tells me that God's plans for me are good, and that I need to pursue His plans. That is what I will do.

8. Move to Florida fully supported. Within just a few months of moving here to Arkansas, our support began to slowly fall off. We have worked on building it up. In fact, it is never far from our minds, and is a regular part of life for us. There have been times of incredible financial blessings from the Lord through sacrificial giving of others. Oh, the stories I can tell of God's provision that is nothing short of miraculous! But there have also been times of drought, where we have gone for several weeks only receiving partial paychecks because giving is so low. We're going to be in that place again very soon, and that scares me. So anyway, we need to identify more people to partner with us financially in our ministry. That is a wonderful, exciting, and fun process that involves sharing our heart and passion with others, and giving them the opportunity to invest in something with eternal value. I can hardly wait to get started, and I look forward to seeing who God has called to join our team. I am looking forward to being able to pay the bills without wondering if I will have enough left over to buy gas and groceries. Yes, it will be good to be at full support again.

9. I really, really want to make a trip to Spokane to visit Matt's family, mainly the nieces and nephews. We have two nephews and a niece that I haven't seen in two years. And we have two baby nieces that I haven't even met yet! I am dying to hold them, kiss them, play with them, and tell them in person how much I love them. If my dream for the trip comes true, it will include a week in Portland visiting my dad's family. I have a wonderful auntie and a whole brood of cousins there that I also haven't seen in two years. I love them dearly, and I really, really want to go spend some time with them.

Well, I think that pretty much sums it up. Lots of hopes, lots of dreams, lots of prayers. Welcome, 2010! I don't have any idea what you are going to look like, but God knows! Bring it on!