The promised pictures....

Here is a sampling of the last month in pictures...



Emily hanging out at O'Hare on our way to Nashville.



Yummy Thanksgiving dinner!



Thanksgiving with the Kingma's playing under the table with cousin Camden.



Helping to decorate the tree. We have learned that real is definitely the way to go--she very much leaves the prickly branches alone.



Emily opening her 1st Christmas present--she looks much more into it than she really was.



Emily meeting Santa for the 1st time.

These Hands....

Way back in July, Aunt J sent Mar and I this neat e-mail, that we decided would be a really cool thing to personal for our mom and gmas for Christmas. Well it is 2 days before Christmas and it is done :) It has been made so much more meaningful with gma Leader's passing a couple of weeks ago--a great memory to remember her by!

These hands.....
These Hands…
Helped me, as an infant, explore the new world before me
Braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor
As a child, my mother taught me to fold them in prayer
Hold hope for a life barely begun
Are decorated with wedding bands as an expression of love for someone special
Were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold a newborn baby
Clapped with joy as children reached new milestones
Supported those same children as they grew to leave their own mark on the world
Hold children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren
Cooked meals to bring family and friends together to the table
Bless marriages and baptize babies
Teach and guide young children
Have been the comforting touch in a painful world
Provide an education to the pushed aside and forgotten
Expressed the thoughts of the heart through words of letters written
Have soothed, consoled, and healed the sick
Trembled and shook when they buried loved ones
Consoled neighbors and friends in times of need
Traveled the world and reached out to change lives
Sew tapestries in an artistic expression of love
Put food in my mouth and clothes on my back
Shook in fists of anger when I didn’t understand
Covered my face in times of fear and doubt
Have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bruised
On the days when not much of anything else works real well, hold me up, lay me down and again continue to fold in prayer
Are the marks of where I’ve been and the ruggedness of life
Have changed the world
These hands represent 287 years and hold stories of the past, experiences of the present and hope of the future.





The hands in the picture include Martha, me, our mom, our grandma Leader, our grandma Kingma and Emily....

Wow..am I behind

I've been a lousy blogger lately--life has been busy and I just haven't had time. That and there hasn't been a whole lot of excitement to blog about, and what excitement there has been I'd like to use pictures and they aren't on my computer yet. Yes I am full of excuses :)
Here's the cliff notes version--and hopefully there will be pictures to accompany it next week when I'm done with school.

Emily's 1st Thanksgiving at Aunt Hildy's--great time was had by all

We set up the Christmas tree and Christmas decorations

Gma Leader (my gma, Emily's great gma) passed away after a wonderful 96 years of life. Emily has been very fortunate to spend at least a day a week with her since my mom started babysitting in August. It was always a dream of mine for my children to meet their gma Leader, so we were very blessed that Em got to spend as much time with her as she did.

Emily has figured out how to stand up by herself without holding on to anything and is very proud of this accomplishment.

Emily had her 1st Christmas with the Hilman side of the family and had a fabulous time being passed around to everyone all day long--and got some fabulous presents!

We bought new, grown up living room furniture--that I can't wait to get delivered!! No more slits in the couches and missing cushion stuffing!!!

That's it for now--Christmas break starts Friday at 3:15--and we will have 2 weeks of no work :)

That's it for now--I promise to get pictures up soon!!