20-10...already an eventful year

It is so hard to believe that 2009 and an entire decade of early adult/adult life is behind me. Where did the last 10 years go? I've lived through two entire decades and almost (gulp) a third. 3-0 is coming too fast.

We had a wonderful and relaxing Christmas. We enjoyed a fun family service on Christmas Eve where Emma played an angel in the Christmas story. I don't know what it is, but it melts a momma's heart to see her child living out what happened that first Christmas. I know it made the whole story more real for her as she is finally understanding what it means when we say we're celebrating Jesus' birthday.

I was a little bummed that we didn't get to see my Dad's family or most of Dan's family, but that is what happens when everyone is so spread out! We did have a great Christmas brunch with Nana Boo (Dan's aunt) and Steve and Crystal. Those are some really fun people! Then we went to my Mom's house for dinner and presents. My Mom LOVES to give gifts to show her love, and she's so creative with gift baskets. My favorite gift of the season: a set of "designer" reusable bags that she got me from a website called Blue Avacado (http://www.blueavocado.com/). They are super-cute and much sturdier than some of the bags you buy at the grocery stores.

And after such a quiet Christmas, I should have known something might happen to liven our lives again. And guess what?! I got to spend a few hours one night last week in the ER. Apparently, I have some gallstones that have been giving me terrible stomach pains, so I am getting my gallbladder removed on Tuesday. As it turns out, losing a significant amount of weight and exercising can cause one to develop gallstones. Who knew? Just praying that the procedure goes as plans, and the surgeon says I can "go out and play rugby the next day." Don't think I'll be doing that, but I may enjoy a HUGE cheeseburger combo with a milkshake. The diet can be on hold for a day, right?

Sorry for no pictures of all of this fun. We left my camera at my Dad's house back at Thanksgiving, so it's a good thing they're coming down to visit this weekend (not just for the camera, but because it has been too long since we've seen them). I bought one of those cheap disposable ones to use on Christmas. Haven't gotten it developed yet, though.

So that's the latest and greatest from our house. I will hopefully post my recovery status and lots of pictures from the last two months after this weekend!

2009: Not the year of the blog

2009 was not a good year for blogging for me. Yet, it was still a wonderful year! So many great moments and memories in our family, which got me thinking: what are the best moments of this past year?

So here we are (in no particular order): The Top 10 Delaney family moments/memories of 2009...

10. Getting Netflix. Yep. I love good movies, and watching a good movie with Dan is always good time for cuddling.

9. The SC Children's Museum. One of the coolest places in SC, hands down.





8. Emma turning 4 and Ethan turning 1. Every birthday each child has is such a special reminder of the wonderful gifts God has given us.


7. Summer Dreams. Working with 5 teenage interns for a summer and having fun at church two days a week was AWESOME!
6. The DC trip with the interns. Ethan may not have done too well with the travelling, but DC is fun any time of the year.


5. Starting homeschool. Emma is a sponge who loves learning, so she has been the greatest little student.


4. Couponing. Who knew saving money could be so much fun? But we have enjoying the fruits of this labor!


3. Baking Christmas cookies. Emma and I have so much fun baking, and Dan and Ethan have so much fun eating. It's a win-win situation, really.

2. Finding our place at the Dream Center. That is one AWESOME place!

1. DC Trip #2. Five days on the road with the family and so many wonderful memories... stopping at rest stops for food/playtime... going to the zoo when it was 35 degrees outside... drinking cider on the couch and enjoying the Food Network... chasing Ethan up the steps about 50 times... Wouldn't trade any of it for the world.

Before and After...

I love 'before & after' posts/pictures...love seeing the way people can redesign frugally and creatively...love freshening up a space and feeling like it's a whole new space.

I guess we're in 'before & after' mode at the Delaney house. As some of you saw on FB, we're selling lots of stuff on Craigslist...some of it to just get rid of stuff (a little stuffitis sets in occasionally, and we always regret it later) and some of it to simplify and freshen up the look of our house.

It's a long process--selling, rearranging what we have, patching holes/scuffs, repainting where need be, etc, etc--but I cannot wait for the end result.

I'm sure everyone's waiting on baited breath for the 'after'. And I am learning a major lesson in patience :)

Tips on getting married...from a four-year-old

On Monday Emma and Dan looked through our wedding album. Emma was intrigued with the pretty dresses and seeing her family in pictures. After she was done, though, we had this great conversation:

Emma: I'm gonna get married when I'm a grown up.
Me: Really? What are you going to do when you get married?
Emma: Wear a white dress, and the other girls will wear blue dresses. And then you talk to each other.
Me: That's what you do at a wedding. What are you going to do when you're married?
Emma: You play games all the time. But when I get married, I'm going to have cake and ice cream and balloons.
Dan: I like that idea. What else?
Emma: Like some turkey sandwiches, too.
Dan: You heard it: a $100 wedding. I'm holding her to it!

I have a feeling it's not really going to work out like that. Dan's not getting off the hook that easily...

Little Miss Personality

At 9:30 this morning, I was finally getting myself ready to exercise. I had already told Emma that I would exercise (or "exersaucer" as she calls it) in the living room so that there would be enough room for both of us to do the workout together.

Emma said, "Mommy, I need to go get on my exersaucer clothes. I'll be right back!" And this is what she came back wearing:

No one could ever accuse her of being a tomboy! She brings so much joy to so many days. I love this girl!

July

Hard to believe July is winding down. I guess we've been pretty busy. Dan has gotten into the swing of things at his new job, Emma, Ethan, and I have been going to Summer Dreams (our church's summer camp) on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and we've been staying busy with family stuff. I think it's just a busy season for us!

And I've finally gotten my act together and started trying to get in better shape. I just reached a point where I was always tired and did not feel good about myself. I've been at it for 8 days now, and so far I've lost four pounds. I also have more energy and a better attitude in general. I know I can stick with it this time!

Emma is excited that she gets to start "school at [her] house after [her] birthday" (she has made this statement to several people now). We'll be doing two days of reading, one day of math, one day of science, and one day of educational games. We're certainly not going to do anything too intense, as she is still young and we're only starting homeschooling this year per her request. (I wanted to wait a year, but when a child says "I really want to have school now" you don't want to squelch that desire to learn!)

Our little Ethan is, of course, into EVERYTHING. It is almost a full-time job keeping up with him. He does stuff at his age that Emma never would have tried. Just this morning, I caught him standing on top of a box trying to pull something off of a shelf. Ha! He is all boy, and I am trying to get used to it. But when he gives me that sweet little grin, I cannot stay mad at him. Yes, I admit it: My little boy can melt my heart in a minute.

Finally, since it wouldn't be a good post without some pictures, here you are. Enjoy!

Celebrating Jehovah Jireh today. Found this little excerpt online (isn't the internet grand sometimes?):

This name means "the God who provides" or "God will see to it". The Hebrew word transliterated jireh is actually a form of the common verb Ra'ah ('to see'). In Genesis 22:7 when Isaac asked Abraham where the lamb was for the burnt offering and Abraham replied, 'God himself will see to it,' he was declaring that God had everything under His control and would provide what was needed at the right time.

He is a God who meets EVERY need at HIS appointed time.

One more thing I was reading last week in my quiet time:

Our Father is not surprised by the events of our life nor is He unaware of our struggles. Each and every one of them must pass through His hands and came to us with His permission. Trust Him. Abandon yourself to Him in childlike faith, knowing that no matter how you feel, no matter what you see - He is in control.

I love the small reminders of who He is in my daily life!