This and That

What would a Saturday morning be without a family outing?  Around here, the farmer's market is running a bit of a monopoly on Saturdays, leaving other local spots calm and quiet and ready for exploration.  I think Zosia and Hugo have the right idea.  Once you have had your hot chocolate, chai tea, or coffee, depending on your preference (chai tea all the way!), it only seems fitting that you would have a dance party, don't you think?  Just the perfect welcome to the weekend.

I love these pictures of teeny tiny NICU babies.  By some stroke of incredible luck, I have several friends having babies this month.  I got to hold one such newborn baby the other day, and I marvel at the incredible hope and possibility of every single life.  It is a miracle.

We are pretty big Pope Francis fans around here.  Isn't this a great idea?

For the past few years, we've been trying to get the bulk of our Christmas shopping done before the start of Advent.  It leaves the month of December free of scrambling and fretting, and free to do more of the joyful things that we actually associate with preparing for the birth of Jesus.  Which means this is go time!  I must say, this year I am feeling really excited about Christmas!

And just those two links feel like a paltry offering for you, but that's all I have.  Feel free to share if you've seen something awesome floating around the internet lately!

Thank you guys for the kind words, emails, and comments in response to my last post.  The first year of having a baby is a tricky one emotionally: can I hear an Amen from all of the women who have experienced some iteration of this?  Those early newborn weeks are pure bliss in this household.  But right around this ten month mark of post partum has always been a tricky one for me to navigate.  I have been through it before, and know that with hard work and faith, that difficulty has resulted in something incredible each and every time: a cross country move, epiphany, and discovering a new calling, to name a few.  I think that sometimes we as a society try to conceal or erase our dark nights, striking them from the record.  But there truly is a time for every purpose under heaven.  I write about it in this space because I try to be authentic and honest, and I know that many of us go through this, and that's okay!  I already feel an energy brewing for something new.  I can't wait to see what it might be.