Christmas Blessings and Thoughts

I'm sitting here on Christmas Eve wrapped up in a blanket (it is cold!) just reflecting about the past year and this wonderful new Christmas spirit the Lord has blessed me with - I have a child and it has brought about a whole new side to Christmas that I never thought about. Lucy Paige is fast asleep after a long day of visiting with family and TJ is at our church prepping for the Christmas Eve service. I'm listening to Christmas music and it is so beautiful. This post may be a little random because I just have lots of different thoughts going on! I'll try to keep paragraphs about the same thing and not ramble! :)

1. My favorite Christmas song is "Oh Holy Night", because my favorite lyrics are in it: 

"Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

Till He appeared and the soul felt it's worth,

The thrill of hope, the wearing world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn."

Those lines speak so much truth to me - the world was waiting on Jesus all those years ago just like before we accept Christ as our Savior, we are waiting for something - anything to fill this void we have deep down. Some of us fill it with love from others; sex, drugs, and rock and roll; friendships, relationships, pride in ourselves, work, our children, money, and just about anything that makes us feel something. We are desperate to feel worthy… feel accepted… feel anything… feel loved… And then, in my case, Jesus - only Jesus happened. My soul felt it's worth when I believed Him and accepted His gift that He freely gives with no strings attached. He loved me for me - not because of my talents or beauty or anything I could offer. Think about that line; "the soul felt it's worth" - has your soul, your deep down soul ever felt it's worth? All I'm going to say is that all that other stuff can make you feel good and for a little while it will cover the void but it can not fill it. Only Christ can fill that space in your soul and make it feel what it - you - are actually worth. And when that happens, when He becomes your motivation, your everything, that's when you will always have a "new and glorious morn"! He turns darkness into light, He makes all things new. He is the Savior of the world! He is worthy of "all our Hoorays", as Lucy's Bible says. So, now you know one of my favorite Christmas songs! :) 

I'll write more about this picture later, just
know that is is super special and I am
so excited that LP has that stocking.

2. TJ and I have been talking about how so much has changed in just a short time - last year at Christmas I was around 3 months pregnant. We had just told our church family the good news and everyone was so excited. We had the usual Christmas gatherings and our family was so excited about Baby Phelps! I have always loved our traditional gatherings with my family - it's been the same for as long as I can remember: Christmas Eve night with Nana and Granddaddy Clay, Christmas Day breakfast at Granny and Pop's, and going to see my Granddaddy Christmas Day evening (usually! Granddaddy was flexible!). And last year was no different, we did our usual gatherings and since TJ and I have been together, we go to his sister's house too. Well, as you know my Granny passed away after Christmas last year, then Granddaddy in April, and then Poppa in September. For 26 years I had all of my grandparents and for most of my life I had 3 great-grandparents. This Christmas has been so surreal, I just expect the usual gatherings but it is not and won't happen. Yes, we've seen the same family but we are missing 3 very special people and my heart just hurts over that. I knew that my Granny and Pop wouldn't be around forever but I just pictured Lucy Paige going to their house and eating eggs and watching tv and playing outside and getting that coke before leaving… I pictured her with my Granddaddy, playing with his puppies and riding the tractor and melting his heart with her dashing good looks :) I miss them so much and it's almost not fair but when I truly think about them, I know they are full of joy and I'm just being a little selfish wanting to keep them here with me for as longs as I'm here. I feel the same way about TJ's parents, I never knew them but I know they'd be so proud of Lucy Paige and Lauraline. I know they would have been head-over-heals in love with those two precious girls. Christmas with Lucy has really made me think about the things that mean the most to me and those are faith, family, and friends. My faith in Christ is the only thing that has spurred me on and kept me going - He is my Rock, my Friend, my Savior, my Abba Father. He is all that I need and always there for me. I love my little family and love that Lucy Paige was given to us. She is, right now, so perfect and awesome. I love my Mom, Dad, sisters, sisters' boyfriends, my sister-in-law, my awesome niece, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. It has been so wonderful being able to see everyone this Christmas - family is so important. I am also thankful for friends, old and new, in our lives. Friends are those people that you can pick to become apart of your family! :) So, so much has changed in this year and while I'm still getting used to all the changes, I am so thankful for what the Lord has blessed us with. Change is hard, it is so hard but it can be good if you choose to make it good. And we are choosing to make this change good because we can't change what's happened but we can choose our attitudes and choose to make these changes blessings. 

3. I love Lucy Paige so much. She really is everything that is perfect wrapped in a tiny bundle! I love to just look at her and just marvel at her awesomeness! :) I can not fathom how people don't believe in miracles after seeing a tiny baby or how people can say that babies are a "choice"… I'm going to brag a little so if you don't like reading about the awesomeness feel free to leave……… :) Ok, my daughter is so smart, she is the smartest baby I've ever seen. She studies her toys and new surroundings - she takes things in and you can tell she is trying to understand and learn. She is developmentally ahead of the curve and is already semi-crawling! She will be crawling in the next 2 weeks, I'm sure of it. She is so close! She sits up, rolls over, and talks so well. No "real" words just yet but we have conversations all the time. She is the best eater and napper. Knock on wood, all I have to do is put her in her bed and she falls asleep within 5 minutes. I am in awe of her, all the time. Literally, I just stare at her and wonder at God and His work. He made her, He knows her, He loves her the best, He has good, good plans for her. He has entrusted her sweet, little self to TJ and me to care for her and point her to Christ. And Lord willing, we try and mess us daily. I'm so grateful for grace and mercy in our lives! Seriously, Lucy Paige is the best. I love her sweet self so much. 

Wiki, Wiki, Wiki - Five Months Y'all! :)

Hey, hey guys! So I am officially 5 months and 3 days old! I have had a really great month - not a super busy month but it so much fun! I have been four-wheeler riding and had my first Thanksgiving. I have been dedicated to Jesus and spent a few nights with my MiTessa and Dabo. Aunt Megan, Aunt Rikki, and Aunt Morgan baby-sat me - more like I entertained their pants off… :) Let me give you some details and pictures! Here we go!

So I told you about riding this thing called a four-wheeler - it was the best. Dabo told me he got the "buuund-buuund" just for me! Ha! Mom had to bundle me up and rub sticky stuff on my face so I didn't get wind chapped, whatever that is. Dabo had finally had enough of Mommy's fussing and stole me and we went riding! It was so much fun - Dabo said he'd build a box for me to sit in on the front just like Poppa built for Mommy. Not yet though - I'm still too little to sit all by myself; give me another month though and I'll be ready! :)

We also had fun at Thanksgiving - my friend Parker brought her parents down and we had lunch at the Farm and played the afternoon away. Later on that day, after my friend left :(, Mom and Dad took me to Nana's house! There were so many people there - they kind of scared me when we first got there. Mommy held me tight for a minute and then I was ok. :) Granddaddy Clay held me for a little while and told me stories - he told me I should publish my stories! Lots of people have told me I should try and publish my stories! I've got my agent on top of it - Mom's the best! Bwwhahaha! 

Onto my baptism - On December 1, Daddy and Mommy "officially" dedicated me to Jesus. They promised to raise me to know Who He is and always try their best to point me to Him. They've done a pretty good job so far. Mommy reads me my Bible (right now we are talking about Advent and Jesus' birth story - I thought that was a type of bottle, who knew?!?) and they always pray with me or about me… I've heard them on occasion say things like "Jesus, please help us, Lucy Paige will not go to sleep"… Don't they know I like tricking them!? ;) My whole family and sweet friends came to watch me. I loved having them and my sweet church folks there too! Parker's parents, Andrew and Rebekah, and my Uncle Wade and Aunt Stacy became my godparents that day too. All that means is they'll make sure Daddy and Mommy are doing their job and teaching me about Jesus. And they better or else the godfather's will give them concrete shoes and let them swim with the fishes… My Aunt Wendy and Lauraline came to watch that blasted AL/AU game and spend the night the day before my baptism - we had fun! Lauraline held me and played with me - I really like that girl. I think we'll be friends. And Aunt Wendy is pretty cool too! I think she might like me just a little.
*(I'm trying to get my pictures to load but they won't - I'll have to add them later!)

I am also eating soupy, tasty foods now! Woot! The dr gave me the green light to eat this so called "solid food" at my four month appt but Mommy had already let me start eating rice cereal a few days before my appt. After the appt, Mom started adding some really yummy stuff called sweet potatoes! I sure do love sweet potatoes! I have tried apples, peaches, squash, bananas and carrots! I really like everything so far, but when Mom first gave me carrots I was not at all pleased. They looked like my love, my dear sweet potatoes, but they were not. I kept on eating them though, fully expecting those sweet potatoes but no no avail. I think I like carrots now though. And if you don't get that next bite of food ready for when I swallow the first bite, I'll pitch a fit - I love food!!

I am also proud to report that I am sitting up all by myself! I still lean forward and kind of tip over but I'm doing it, oh yeah, I got my big girl panties… Size 2 Pampers that is! :) Ha! I crack myself up - I'm so funny! Mom got me some new clothes too - I was getting too long for 3 month clothes. So I'm wearing 3-6 and 6 month clothes. They are a little big but I've got room to grow! I still love my baths and now food! I love my bottles and Mommy and Daddy. I love my MiTessa and Dabo - Aunts Rikki, Morgan and Megan. My Skeeter, my Aunt Wendy and cousin Lauraline. I love my Nana and Granddaddy Clay, I love my friend Parker, Courtlyn and Caleb Jr. I love reading my Bible and looking at the pictures. I love football. I love my friends rattle-rattle-rattle, bracelet, Mr. Monkey, Mirror, Stand-Up Seat Thingy, Ellie Elephant, Paci when I sleep, Henry, big bear Thomas, Sarah Doll. I love my short naps and sleeping for 10-11 hours at night. And I love you! :) 'Night peeps!