New Year Ponderings

Well, I guess it has been a very long time since I last posted but we have been very busy and I have not really had anything new to post about! Our Christmas was wonderful and very relaxed, we were on no time schedules so we just sort of went from place to place at our own pace which we both agreed was a very nice change of pace! We spent the early part of Christmas Eve at my mom's house with all of my family and stayed there until around 2pm. We were able to open our sibling exchange gifts there which is something we have not done in the past few years! I had Caleb and was very excited about how much he loved the football we got him. From there we went to David's Mema's(grandma) house for the annual Olstad Christmas Eve get together. This too is a very relaxed event, where we help prepare the meal, chat, play games, eat a wonderful dinner, and slowly open gifts until about 10-11pm. We were excited on our way home to think that next year we will leave this get together with our almost 8 month old daughter who will probably sleep the whole way home! The next morning I woke up for my second early morning bathroom trip (there are many when you are pregnant) at around 7am, and woke David up because I could not wait any longer to see him open his gifts. After we finished our unwrapping, we packed our bags for the mountains and headed to my parent's house where we opened our gifts and stockings from them, and had my mom's annual Christmas brunch! It was very fun, and quiet as only Brian and Mom and Dad were there, and the guys cut up all morning shining their new flash lights in each other's eyes. After that we headed to David's parents and played Robyn's new Wii Monopoly game which was a blast. Then we were off to the mountains, where there was plenty of snow on the ground. We enjoyed a long weekend there, and came back for a short work-week and headed back up on Dec. 30th and spent another long and chilly weekend. This weekend was one I particularly enjoyed since it was exceptionally calm and we did not leave the cabin until the trip home. This past weekend I have tried to do some self examination to determine some New Years resolutions for myself, and my Bible study yesterday morning was a great encouragement to me, so I decided to attach it to this post. I attached some of our pictures from the holidays as well. Rebekah was kicking so hard last night you could see it on the outside of my belly! Not long until May:) I hope this devotion is a blessing to you as it was to me I am putting it in here exactly as it was written and the words belong to Charles Spurgeon:

"Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" 2Peter3:18

"Grow in grace"-not in one grace only, but in all grace. Grow in that root-grace, faith. Believe the promises more firmly than you have done. Let faith increase in fullness, constancy, simplicity. Grow also in love. Ask that your love may become extended, more intense, more practical, influencing every thought, word, and deed. Grow likewise in humility. Seek to lie very low, and know more of your own nothingness. As you grow downward in humility, seek also to grow upward-having nearer approaches to God in prayer and more intimate fellowship with Jesus. May God the Holy Spirit enable you to "grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour." He who grows not in the knowledge of Jesus, refuses to be blessed. To know him is "life eternal," and to advance in the knowledge of him is to increase in happiness. He who does not long to know more of Christ, knows nothing of him yet. Whoever hath sipped of this wine will thirst for more, for although Christ doth satisfy, yet it is such a satisfaction, that the appetite is not cloyed, but whetted. If you know the love of Jesus-as the hart panteth for the water-brooks, so will you pant after deeper draughts of his love. If you do not desire to know him better, then you love him not, for love always cries, "Nearer, nearer." Absence from Christ is hell; but the presence of Jesus is heaven. Rest not then content without an increasing acquaintance with Jesus. Seek to know more of him in his divine nature, in his human relationship, in his finished work, in his death, in his resurrection, in his present glorious intercession, and in his future royal advent. Abide hard by the Cross, and search the mystery of his wounds. An increase of love to Jesus, and a more perfect apprehension of his love to us is one of the best tests of growth in grace."

~Needless to say, this is one of my greatest resolutions this year, to truly grow in grace!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, may the Lord be so real to you this year and bless you and your home in a great and mighty way!

Our nativity scene, that my parents gave us last Christmas. I love this set, and this year it sat in the center of our bar, right inside the front door, a constant reminder of what Christmas is really celebrated for.

David and me Christmas Eve, in front of Mema's Christmas tree! (21 1/2 weeks pregnant)

David's parents being sappy Christmas Eve! I love this picture!! :)

David and Duke playing in the snow on our Christmas trip to the mountains.

Dad in front of the monstrous icicle, that was at least 5 feet long.

This is as warm as it got the last day of our New Years mountain trip. (That says 21)

David all bundled up to load the car. (Notice I took all pictures from inside the cabin. Haha)

Just snow

The little mountain church at the end of Mom and Dad's road.

We stopped to look at this waterfall, which is far more beautiful in person, but I love the ice around the edges! I hope this is a great year for all of you reading this blog!