Saying Goodbye...

...to 2011 and hello to a brand new year.  Tonight as we take down our Christmas tree and put it away for another year, I can't help but reflect on 2011 and the many changes it has brought about for our little family.  Certainly, for us, a year to go down in the books.  Chock-full of blessings, but also some quite difficult times.  How awesome it is to be able to look back at the many things for which we have prayed this year, and to read through and see precisely where, when, and how the Lord responded to those requests.
This time last year we had just discovered we were expecting again.  We started 2011 off with a bang on January 5...our first doctor appointment where we discovered we would be having twins.  A day that I am sure to never forget...I still cannot recall ever being so shocked by anything in all my life.  In early March we learned we were expecting two little boys, we lost my Grandpa, and we also began construction on our new home.  Also in March Billy was hospitalized for burns and required surgery.  In late April our battle with pre-term labor began.  We were terrified...going into the hospital on a weekend at midnight, 23 weeks pregnant and in labor, and being told babies are not viable until 24 weeks.  We began praying for the boys and their health, along with many other friends and family, some of whom we had never even met.  In the blink of an eye I stopped working and moved into the hospital for what turned into a 7-week-long stay.  In late May Joe moved us into our new home.  June 13 I came home from the hospital, still on strict bed rest.  Exactly one month later on July 13, Matthew and John arrived, perfect and healthy.  In early September my second nephew, Joshua, was born...sooner than expected, but perfectly healthy nonetheless.  In the time since the twins were born in July I have been adjusting to being a full-time stay-at-home mom in addition to many other changes in our life as a family.
Yes, this was quite an eventful year.  But how blessed we are.  We are so much stronger as a family and have learned (and are still learning!) to rely solely on the Lord's strength and not our own, whether in good times or bad.  Excited about the new year and what God has in store.  Signing off 2011 with a great devotional I read for the day and a solid verse:

"I am preparing you for what is on the road ahead, just around the bend.  Take time to be still in My Presence so that I can strengthen you.  The busier you become, the more you need of this time apart with Me.  So many people think that time spent with Me is a luxury they cannot afford.  As a result, they live and work in their own strength--until that becomes depleted.  Then they either cry out to Me for help or turn away in bitterness.
How much better it is to walk close to Me, depending on My strength and trusting Me in every situation. If you live in this way, you will do less but accomplish far more.  Your unhurried pace of living will stand out in this rush-crazed age.  Some people may deem you lazy, but many more will be blessed by your peacefulness.  Walk in the Light with Me, and you will reflect Me to the watching world."
"Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always."  Psalm 105:4