Christmas wishes and Christmas letters

Since I have the incredible luxury of a blog, I thought I would take this opportunity to say how annoyed I am at myself for not being able to spout off a beautiful Christmas letter on command. I want to wish everyone well, I want it to be from the heart, I want to tell them without being or sounding smug or self-congratulatory or deprecating what a pretty amazing year we have had, what with Lucy and trips to New Mexico and trips to Michigan and entertaining so many good friends here, what with Mike's Princeton Review job which takes him all over tarnation and what with my ever-involved and kind of addicting job at FWCD teaching a language that has been dead for a millenium and a half (well, maybe we should say semni-somnolent at least); what with Lucy's first words (Hi! and yesth!) (which we of course claim as yes) and her first teeth and her first smiles ane her first rolls and her early lack of baby fat rolls and her squished up nose and her coy ways and the way her dad is so good with her and the way that she does a routine dance number when I walk in the door and the way that I am in charge of a co-op (heaven help them!) and the way I always forget to do things for these 11 good natured women who are constantly having to forgive me and how they do and teach me how to accept forgiveness and how to give it.
Seriously! I have no idea how to put all of that into a letter or the 11 thousand other things that happened this year that I think may amuse my friends and relations or may bore/annoy them. So, part of the problem is that I don't communicate with my Christmas card list very much (if ever) thoughout the rest of the year and so am unsure of what tone to take. Noel, c'est la guerre! ; >
Feel free to give your thoughts, o blogosphere!

Pumkpin Carving

Lucy enjoyed her first pumpkin carving yesterday. Dan and B hosted a fabulous pumpkin event at an nearby park and we all came to carve our hearts out. Her Aunt Maddie made a crazy hair pumpkin and her papa made Lucy's look like her fun pumpkin outfit. For a girl who is longing for Fall, yesterday was a piece of heaven!

Lucy takes the high ground

Lucy loves being on Mike's shoulders. I think it lets her get a better look at all things she could get into so she can make an informed decision about what she wants to destroy next.

Some time in the Grass!

Food Glorious Food!

Some fairly recent adventures in good eating.

AA (code name for Aunt Alisha)

Alisha spent a few weeks visiting Dallas earlier this summer. We all really enjoyed having her here. Here are a few shots of her very photogenic self hanging with the family and playing with the birds at the Fort Worth Zoo.

Lucy and I and the new curtains

I have been working on new curtains for our bedroom to help Lu sleep during her daytime naps. I love the curtains, but so far the naps are still patchy. The curtains make our room look golden any time of day. Love it!!





Isn't Lucy growing by leaps and bounds?!

Too Long!

It has been way too long since I have posted pictures of Lit' Lu. Since summer began Lucy and I have been to Michigan, Chicago, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Here is a shot of our little one preparing for yet another long trip. Good thing she made peace with her car seat before we set out!

Maddie and I at the Baptism.. a month ago!

Little Feet

Baby's have the tiniest everything. I am always amazed by her little feet and toes. They are such wrinkly little things.

Aw ... a new little Christian!

Little Lucy was baptized! We are so excited about it. Mike's parents were in town for the occasion and Emily flew down for the weekend to make the family complete.
Here are some pictures:

Even Cute When She Cries!

Diapers!

Hey, Mom! Check out the cool diapers you got for little Lu! We love you!

Ash Wednesday

Usually the dust and ashes of Ash Wednesday are a sober reminder of the end of our bodily lives, a physical sign of the ephemeral quality of so many things that we set our hearts on. The ashes provoke a meditation on the end of all earthly things and the supremacy of the spirit.
On Lucy, they brought other thoughts. Not being so far from her beginning, the ashes served a hope and a promise. (She told me all of this with her eyes.) If out of mere ash and dust something as incredible as a human person can come to be, what can we not hope for from Our Maker? Ps. 139 esp vs 14. There is power in beginnings so small, glory in a Creator so mighty and good. Amen. Hurray for this Lenten Spring to open us more completely to His Goodness.

Lucy, the Philosopher