that's a wrap.

Merry Christmas to all and welcome, year 2014. It's 2014, right? Wow. I just got really confused. I'm sorry for the blog hiatus. I'll tell you what, living unsettled has proven to be quite difficult. And it doesn't help that I have a teething babe on my hands who fusses all. day. long. All day. Every day. Dawn 'til dusk. Sunrise to sunset.

...you get the drift. 

But, I can't help but rejoice in the trials and tribulations we face daily because looking back on 2013, God is good, always, and His timing is absolute perfection. I know that 2014 won't be easy, but I know His grace and blessings will be abundant.

Let's back track a bit to Christmas.

This Christmas was so special. It wasn't our first Christmas with Brooks, but it was the first Christmas that he could actually participate. Due to a stomach bug of a sort and still being up to our ears in boxes, we decided not to travel to Atlanta and stay in Birmingham. On Christmas Eve we went to the annual Bryant family gathering at the farm. The cold didn't stop the boys, who spent the majority of the day outdoors. Brooks went for a ride on the gator, sat on Grandaddy's tractors, and visited with the horses and the donkey. He had a grand time!

Christmas morning was spent as a family. We woke Brooks up at 7:00 with the video camera in hand. John got a head-start into the den so he could capture little man's face when he saw all the loot that Santa brought him. As soon as we turned the corner, I placed him on his feet and he just stood there in shock. All of a sudden, he came alive and started pointing at his tractor saying, "dor! dor! dor! dor!" The wagon didn't hold a candle to it! We exchanged and unwrapped presents, played, ate, and played some more, then put B down for his nap. At 11:00 we went over to Shug and Pops' house to get the party started all over again. Brooks had so much fun interacting and playing with his cousins. He wasn't overwhelmed a bit. We enjoyed visiting with everyone and watching the boys take it all in. Such a sweet sight!

And, of course, we took time to pause and reflect this season on the true meaning of Christmas, the miraculous birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We praise God for sending us the true Gift!

So, Christmas came and went; too fast if you ask me. On to New Year's...

This year for New Year's we left the babe with the in-laws for a night away with friends. We went to the Davis farm, Carosel, for some good ole quality time with my bestie (and husband, though he hunted the majority of the time), sans babies. Good for my soul. It was a brief trip, but a great one, nonetheless. And we actually stayed up 'til midnight!

As far as Lancaster goes, I am still without a kitchen. I'm not going to press on about it because it has been really hard the past few weeks. Tomorrow we get appliances, Wednesday or Thursday we get countertops, and hopefully by Friday I will have an up-and-running kitchen. Hallelujah and Amen.

We have a basement full of boxes that need unpacking, pictures that still need to be hung, a laundry room that needs to be used as a laundry room instead of a kitchen, and...well, the list goes on. But, can I just tell you how amazing it is to be in our house? SO amazing. It may look like a bomb went off in here, but I am thankful that we have a house to call our home. And the process of making it ours is so bittersweet. Updated pictures coming soon!

Lastly, I want to end on this note: even though we didn't pull through with a win last night, I am still so proud of our Auburn Tigers! War Eagle, anyway!

…okay, that's a wrap!