It is always an amazing, humbling, bewildering task to reflect on a year and see what the Lord has done in and for us. He has surely blessed us and taught us innumerable ways through the 2 precious children He's entrusted to our care. Emma will turn 3 in 9 days, and Bryson will hit 9 months in 5 days. I can't believe how quickly they grow; it is truly bittersweet. My heart is flooded with love for them and joy with each breath they take. As exhausted as I feel most nights, I always want one more hug, one more peek, or a little more time talking and praying. I just adore life with them! Children are, indeed, a blessing from the Lord, and I cannot thank Him enough for His blessing.
Emma has grown tons this year...mostly cognitively as she seems to be taking after her mom physically : ) ! As I was trying to pick through pictures for a slide show of our year, I had to watch the videos of her, and I couldn't believe my eyes and ears! Early childhood is a booming time, no doubt! Her vocabulary has definitely broadened, and she makes us smile almost daily with some new word or phrase. I think the most fun is watching her body language develop. Boy, is she expressive! Unfortunately, our small digital camera w/ video broke several months ago, so I can't post any mini-videos, but we definitely get a kick out of watching her talk! She loves just about anything from princesses to cars and trucks and is big into the imagination these days. She is obsessed with helicopters, so it's nice that the hospital has a added a unit at the airport one street over. Her other obsession is the beach, and I would venture to say she gets that honestly. : ) Just the other day we were laying in her bed talking and she randomly asked me if we could go to the beach...don't I wish!! She's a great big sister and a great helper, she loves to cook, loves to write, loves to play, loves to be with her friends, loves to dress up, loves to sing, loves to eat, loves to get into everything, loves to climb, loves to explore, and loves to get her way. ; )
Bryson has, of course, grown immensely too his first 9 months of life! He's into everything just like Emma was and seems like he'll be a climber, too. He might even escape the crib earlier than she did...I've already seen him try to get out, and he can't even walk! He does crawl over everything, pulls up, and is in the beginnings of cruising. Sometimes he gets to jabbering and seems to be developing some language, but he's definitely more quiet right now and is more into sounds. He made his first truck noise while playing with a truck in the kitchen while I cooked last week; melted Mommy! He LOVES Mommy, especially when he's tired! He's still nursing around the clock even with solids. Some nights I wish he were as paci-obsessed as Emma was! He is pretty easy going for the most part. Just not with sleep; he seems to have a passionate hatred for his crib! His fourth tooth finally broke through, so he's got the top two and bottom two now. He just finished meds for his first ear infection, but he's been really healthy so far. Hopefully, the winter won't be too harsh on him. He smiles and claps all the time, and it is the sweetest sight! He loves anything and everything right now too, but his favorite thing to do is crawl to Emma's room and play in her kitchen; it's great for pulling up, and he loves to eat the food! He does seem to tend toward the trucks and balls more often, but most toys serve the same purpose for now...teething and tasting! : ) He tries to sneak away when he can and climb the stairs, unroll the t.p., and get Emma's drinks. Poor thing, we just won't let him have any fun!!
Ben's doing well. Not too much change over the year, at our age. ; ) He's still working hard to provide for us...and doing a great job! Business has been tough this year, but the Lord continues to provide as He has promised. We're down to he and his brother, Judah and are trying to build things back up financially. They have been busy here lately and will hopefully continue that way; winter is not so good typically. He is back on the deacon board rotation for 3 years again and is coaching the senior boys basketball team again as well.
I am doing well also, a little sleep deprived, but that will pass before I know it! I am still a homemaker and love it! I would love to find something to do at home to make a little extra $ to help out, but I would hate to have to do anything that would take me away from my 2 miracles. : ) I'm still doing our refresh group on Thursday mornings, as well as an accountability group w/ a couple of dear friends about 2-3 xs a month.
We're still helping out with the high school kids and love them! It's sometimes a little hard with the family, but we'll keep on until we feel called otherwise. Emma loves the big kids and is excited to go on nights my parents can't keep them. On of the college girls has started keeping them along with 2 others some too. Of course, we're still doing several other ministries and staying involved with church. It just seems like a constant struggle to balance family, church, and Ben's hobbies. The kids are only with us a short while, and we KNOW we're called to them, so I don't want to shortchange them or have them grow up thinking that busyness is a good thing.
Anyway, that is the Howell summary for 2009! Hopefully, I'll post more soon. I hope all is well with your family! Enjoy the pics...
