UpRooted: 2016

Happy New Year!

We celebrated New Years' Eve with the Hutchinsons - good college friends we hadn't seen in 4 years!! We are blessed to live only 20 minutes away from Chet's brother's current home, and so we joined their families for a hotdog bonfire. It is a special gift to pick up where you left off with like-minded friends and to be encouraged in life and faith. Thank you Chet and Erin!

This New Years' Day began for us as the night ended, rocking Cuatro through tears and unknown pain. He slept most of the night in 10-minute increments, requiring constant pacy holding and soothing. Hubry slept on the floor so that Cuatro and I could share the bed, but overall sleep was sparse for all. I vaguely remember hearing the loud fireworks ushering in the New Year, and I quietly thought to myself, "it is here."

When the morning finally came to relieve us of our misery, it was greeted by a cold, steady rain. Raindrop's asthma had kept her awake some of the night as well, Songbird seemed out-of-sorts, and Hubry quickly made the call that we would be staying home from church this day! And with that began a sweet time of remembering, dreaming, planning, singing, feasting, and now...writing.

When I look back over 2016, I see many gifts and trials and accomplishments, but what stands out the most is Cuatro himself. He was longed for, prayed after, and realized in January. He spent the next 8 months blossoming in my womb. He finally joined us in this pilgrim journey early September, and he finished out his "fourth trimester" just as the year came to a close. He has added so much joy to our family, I can't imagine life without him!

This afternoon we sat around the fire, steady rain falling outside, offering up our thankfulness. From 2016 we are thankful for:

Cuatro
The Peach Book - the culmination of 9 years of dedicated work.
Christ Community Church has been a blessing for everyone: Sunday school, Bible studies, small groups, bells and children's choir. We became members in August and have enjoyed being able to participate in a community so close to where we live.
Lots of time with cousins (at the beach, in the mountains)
A dry basement and attic. (thanks, DaddyO).
Fires. And lots of free wood, courtesy of our neighbors Nancy and Ken, cut into wood-stove sticks by Paul Wagoner's amazing hydraulic splitter
Chickens. We wanted to get out of rabbits and into chickens now that our yard is more accommodating, and what do you know? Our rabbitry friend Tom wanted our rabbits back, and gave us 10 poulet de bresse chicks in return, augmented by another friend of a friend's 5 leftover chickens. Minus 6 rooster dinners, we have 9 lovely hens who make a racket and lots of eggs.
Running - Songbird has dropped her 5k time dramatically and has been running better than she ever has. Bro continues to do well, and Raindrop ran her mile diligently with the promise of winter gymnastics in view. Kelly ran her first 5k just 6 weeks after Cuatro arrived, but opportunities have been sparse of late.