December | 2012 | Wide Awake Family

Christmas!!!

Posted on December 30, 2012 by kimnjed

Christmas was absolutely fabulous. So much love, so much fun, so much family, so much yummy food, so many Legos. My heart is full. We are the most blessed people EVER.

This Christmas was all about thankfulness.
I’m thankful that God knows what He’s doing and His plans are better than our best ideas.
I’m so thankful for my so-wonderful-I-totally-don’t-deserve-him Jed. He blesses my socks off every.single.day.
I’m beyond thankful for my 4 blessings asleep in their beds. I’m also thankful they’re finally asleep! My kids are overflowing with joy. They are pretty easily amused, so Christmas with them is like one big screamfest (in a good way!).
I’m thankful for loving friends God has gifted to us. Blessed.
I’m very, very thankful for my wonderful family. Days full of time with family make my heart sing.
I’m thankful for God’s never ending, unstoppable love. When I think I know best and stubbornly run in my own direction, He lovingly guides me back to His path. His goodness humbles me.

Thanks God! Thank you for your Son. Thank you for your Love.

Merry Christmas (a little late– but better late than never) from our family to yours!

I‘m no photographer, but here‘s my attempt at a Christmas picture of our kiddos. Maybe someday I’ll be less of a procrastinator and will actually send out a Christmas card…maybe. 🙂
Warning: picture overload ahead. Proceed with caution.

CHEESE!!!! Woah. Simmer down on the flash Mommy!

Still a little bright, but better. Seth kills me. CUTE!

“YAY!!!!!”

“AUUUUUGGHHHHHHHH!!”

Oops.

“Make a sad face.”

“Make a surprised face!”

“Make a silly face.”

“Make an ‘I love my Mommy’ face.”

“Make a puke face!”

“Make a grrrrr face.”

“Make a fierce face.”

I don’t remember what this one was about…but look at Ezra! Hahahaha!!

Make an ‘I’m awesome’ face!” (that one was Addy’s idea) 🙂

Touchdown!!!!


Now everyone wanted to cuddle Seth. BLURRY!

Peeking…

Brothers

Cuties

Tickling!

Seth’s getting bored…

Cutest kids ever.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Between Advents: Come Lord Jesus

Posted on December 14, 2012 by kimnjed

Advent.

He is coming.

We wait expectantly.

Come Lord Jesus.

As it is in Heaven, let your Kingdom come to Earth.

Tis the season of Advent. Tis the season of expectant waiting. “Advent” comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming”. Advent is the season of Christ’s coming. The world, swollen with expectation and anticipation, eagerly awaited His first coming.

Now we celebrate that indescribable blessing of Jesus’ coming as a baby. We hold our loved ones near, we smile more, we give thoughtful gifts of love, we eat too much sugar, we decorate with lights and tinsel, we celebrate how He saved our lives. Tis the season of reflecting on how that tiny baby changed the course of the universe- how that tiny baby changed my life. I am nothing without Him.

As Jed likes to say, “We are in between Advents”. The Jews waited for His first coming, and now we eagerly await the second Advent- His second and FINAL coming.

Jesus came as a baby to make wrongs thing right. He brought the Kingdom of Heaven to earth. Even now we see glimpses of His Kingdom on earth. We see broken bodies healed when we pray, we see loving grandparents passing down a legacy of love and faith to their children, we see friends crossing the ocean to adopt children with special needs- leaving their comfort for the sake of One.

But, all is not well with our world. We are standing between Advents- “the now and the not yet”. We see glimpses of His Kingdom come, but His Kingdom is not fully come.

Orphans waste away in cribs- their childhoods lost- discarded because of a diagnosis.
Innocent children’s lives are taken in one day- childhoods lost- because of the depravity of man.
Sickness runs rampant, wars rage…Oh dear Jesus, please come.
We wait for You.

This past week we recorded a couple of Christmas songs.
These songs were sung in celebration of His first coming, and in desperate longing for His return. We cry out, Come Lord Jesus! Make wrong things right! We long for you.

The songs are available for you to download on our church’s website. We would kindly request that in lieu of purchasing the songs you would please donate to our dear friends, Curtis and Sara Eriksen. They are in Ukraine right now adopting their newest son David. Their obedience is a small glimpse of God’s Kingdom coming to earth- wrong things made right.

Thank you Jesus that you came. Thank you that You still see. Thank you that You care. Thank you for keeping your promise that YOU ARE COMING AGAIN. All will be made right.

We wait for you Emmanuel…come quickly!