Toot Toot

Merry Christmas

So, I am ashamed to say that this is all we really took for pictures for Christmas this year. On Christmas Eve we had both sets of parents and my brother and sister in law over for supper. Raclette! Mmmm! Then we always open presents on Christmas Eve. It was a busy evening and we were so so spoiled! Unfortunately we didn't think about pictures until after. The next day we were off to my Moms side of the family for the big turkey dinner, and more gifts. This picture was taken just as we were about to walk out the door. Last minute thought again. O well. I hope you all had a great Christmas and it looks like a lot of you did. We have missed so many of you these last few weeks, I am so grateful for the updates, but they also make me miss you just that much more! Hug all those cuties for me.

When your heart feels hurried

This was read at my Mom's Group this morning. I am guessing some of you can relate today and almost every day this month.


"Tis the season to be busy. There are gifts to buy, meals to make, trips to take, decorations to be hung, songs to be taught, places to go, people to see...
It's Dec. 16th and I so tired. Anyone else?

I read the words... Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10, but how can I be still when there is so much going on? Of course, the first answer is to simplify my life. Yet the kind of stillness God is talking about isn't just about my circumstances. It's about being still on the inside.

I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother. Psalm 131:2. What is a weaned child like? One that has learned to stop asking for more, more, more and instead simply rests in the arms of love, love, love.

My hurry and stress come from the want of more. I want to do more, be more, pack more in to these few short days. Then it seems God whispers to my heart, "Enough. You are enough. You have enough. In the middle of a busy day, make a quiet place inside and stay with me. My love is what you really need."

I settle, quiet down, breathe a sigh of relief. The miracle of Christmas? God came for us so we could come to Him. Even (especially) in the busy, broken, chaos of our lives.
Tis the season to be still."

by Holley Gerth

Christmas Photo's

I don't know if anyone else has trouble with this, but we have been trying to take a family photo since we got back from Mexico. First Luke had a cold, then with Aaron putting a kitchen in for his parents after work, he is only home for supper and isn't at his best for photos. Plus there isn't anyone around to take one for us. I finally tried to just get one of the kids. Here is the summary.
"Katie, please just smile normal...Luke take your hands out of you mouth... stop poking each other.... no Luke come back!" Arghhh!!!!! Anyways, you'll have to wait for the finalist, but these were still cute in my opinion.

The 1st Gingerbread House

The other day in the store Katie asked if we could buy a gingerbread house. All I could think was oh, what a mess! Needless to say we left sans gingerbread house. Yesterday Grandpa and Katie put one together that he had purchased. Thank goodness for grandparents or Katie would never have got to do one.

A shot from the airplane window last night somewhere over Texas. The picture doesn't even do it justice. What an artist God is!

They really are everywhere!

You all know Aaron and I, and the one thing we are still getting adjusted to is not having a Starbucks within 5 minutes of where we are living. Halfway through our trip though we discovered a Starbucks a few minutes walk from our resort. I am so glad that Caramel Machiato's are universal!

The Coba Ruins

The third day we were in Mexico, we booked an excursion to go the Mayan Ruins at Coba. The day included a trip to the ruins with a guide who was actually Mayan. That may not sound that special but he was able to give us a lot more info about the ruins and their customs, some of which they still practice. Next year the largest pyramid will no longer be open to climb. Fortunately we have now climbed Chitzen Itza and Coba, one which is already closed. Coba is the largest of the pyramids. It is 42 meters to climb, but well worth the view as you can see from the photos. This area was home to about 50,000 people from about 400 AD to 1200AD. We also visited an actual Mayan Community which was very humbling. It really reminded me how blessed we are in how we live but more importantly that Christ has called me to be his, and that I was born to a family that were believers. While there I got to try my hand making corn tortillas. I did terrible when it came to shaping it, but it tasted good. At the end of the day we were able to swim in a senote and do a little snorkeling. It was a full and tiring day, but one I won't forget for sure.

Extreme's

Last night Aaron and I arrived home from a week of rest and relaxation. We headed off to the Mayan Riviera last Wednesday just the 2 of us for a early 10 year anniversay celebration. Our anniversary isn't until April, but that wasn't going to work for a trip together. I had to title this extremes since the temperature in Edmonton when we left was -42 with the wind chill. Suprisingly we were still not the coldest place on the planet! The whole week we were in Mexico the weather hovered around +30, with only an hour of rain one day. It was amazing to say the least. I had looked so forward to time without the kids, but as most of you can guess it didn't take more than an hour before we were thinking how much they would have loved everything there. Here are just a few photos of the trip. Not only was the weather perfect, but so was the resort. Highly recommended!