Indy Car...the next generation

Well, ok, so probably not. But it sure is fun to visit Daddy at work! I'm thinkin' these moments will be remembered for sure!

That's Mighty Neighborly of you!

One of the biggest blessings God has given me this past year is a new found closeness with my neighbors. We've lived in our neighborhood for almost ten years and have always loved it. We are surrounded on all sides by good, generous people. But this last summer, more than others past, we've all gotten very close. I suppose it started with convenience. Hanging out with neighbors means no sitters, inexpensive cocktails, and lack of necessity to plan ahead. From the convenience came a camaraderie that I have come to cherish. We laugh a lot, gripe about our woes, and love on each other's kids. I know that Eric and I will one day look back on this season of our lives in this neighborhood, with these people, as some of the best of our lives.

Here are some pics from Christmas and birthday parties, just to give a taste of how much fun we have!

Snow what? We like it cold!

The Strauss's love snow. We will never complain about too much, or the mess, or the shoveling, or any of that. We love the look, the sounds the fun of snow. Couple that with a new SLR camera I'm currently obsessed with, and it's a pretty fun day.

Merry Christmas 2009!

Whew! What a busy month! We started off the month with a visit to Eric's family in Tennessee. We are blessed that MANY of his family members are able to gather at our cousins Gwen and Robert's house to celebrate Christmas. The most precious part of that, is the time that four generations of Strauss men get to spend together when we're there.
After that, there's a slurry of parties at friends' homes, church, school, work, and more! Mix in Meg's birthday somewhere in the middle and December is over in a flash. We are blessed with family, friends, good health, and faith. Thank you, God, for all your goodness in our lives!

Our Advent Calendar

OK, so now that the kids are older, Christmas is a whole new event. When you're single or even married but have no children, it's still about yourself and you lose the reverence for how holy an event this holiday celebrates. But when you can teach your children to be excited that Jesus is not only real, but we can celebrate his birthday, well that's just too much fun! Our favorite Christmas tradition is our advent calendar. Eric and I happened across it one Fall when just the two of us were vacationing in Gatlinburg. I think Eric found it first and excitedly called me over to it. It has a little numbered door for each day of advent, and behind it is a magnet that is part of the nativity. When each door is opened, a little recording plays and tells of the significance of that particular object. Even sometimes overlooked items like the sheep and a dove are carefully described as to the important role their presence played in that sacred night. Each evening, the kids eagerly gather around our big yellow chair while Eric gets the calendar down from its perch (placed carefully out of reach of over eager little hands). They all take turns on their rotating nights and open the door to reveal the item. As the month progresses, the iconic image of our Savior's birth develops more and more until on Christmas Eve, when baby Jesus in his manger steals the show. Sure, we all wear matching red pjs, put out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. We threaten that Santa won't come until they're asleep and then hurry downstairs to carefully sneak all the bounty under our tree. But now that they're older...they're starting to get it. Maybe there weren't sheep, or a dove, or many of the items on our beloved advent calendar, but the event was real. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was sent to Earth as a baby. He lived as a man, ate food, had splinters, stubbed his toes, and countless other daily occurrences that we all experience. And then, when his Heavenly Father commanded it, He gave his life for each and everyone of us. If that silly magnetic board that we love so much helps them understand that, then it was money well spent, don't you think?

Meg turns 8

My first baby. You know, no one can prepare you for motherhood. No amount of advice, stories, warnings, or the like can prepare anyone for what being a mother is like. No one could have prepared me for the sleeplessness. No one could have coached me through not crying during her first shots. There was not a single person that could have warned me of how my heart would break the day we were told she was autistic. And most of all, no one on this earth could have prepared me for how my heart would swell with indescribable love at the mere sight of this girl God entrusted to Eric and me. Megan. Sweet, kind, genuine, innocent Megan Olivia Strauss. God has had a special plan for her even from the time he put her name on our hearts. It means Pearl, which is so fitting for her. A perfect, pure beauty slowly and carefully crafted from a rough grain of sand. To know her is to fall completely in love with her love of life and everyone around her. I have never in my life met anyone as kind as this child. She can't stop herself from complimenting strangers as she walks by them on the street. She cried at the first wedding she went to when she was seven because she thought the bride must have been so happy. She is already a teacher to her siblings, a caretaker of her friends, and a daily reminder of God's constant presence in our lives. I am thankful every day that God gave us the opportunity to learn from her and love her and call ourselves her parents. As much as I ache for the days of Johnson and Johnson baby hair smell and her tiny lips rooting on my cheeks when I'd hold her up to my face, I eagerly await seeing her grow and conquer every day of her life. I am Megan's mommy. Lucky me.

Another year, another pumpkin patch!

Although this is by far our favorite time of year, it's bittersweet to think it's here already! When I downloaded this year's photos, I got caught up in looking at previous years' trips to the pumpkin patch. Where did my babies go? Now I have a young lady, a little girl, and a tiny man who likes to say "but, Mooooom!" over and over. I am so thankful to God for all these years of blessings and family memories that I will cherish forever. This year was no exception. We visited Russell Farms this year. While a little pricey, you get what you pay for. There are so many things to do there we couldn't even do it all. The putt putt course will have to wait till next year!

As a fun comparison, I posted some pics from pumpkin patches past. Feast your eyes on my rapidly growing children.