It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I love Christmas and receiving Christmas cards is one of the best parts!

If you haven't ordered Christmas cards yet this year, Shutterfly has a great selection.  You can do cards with or without photos.  I keep cards with photos up all year on a bulletin board in our kitchen.  It's a fun way to see our family and friends who live far away (and nearby).  Here are a few of my favorite Shutterfly designs.

I love that this card lists some of the highlights of the year for the family.  It's the updated family Christmas letter!

This is so cute.  I love that they not only included the dog, but he's in the middle :)

I love tidings of "peace, love and joy." This is similar to our Christmas card.  

I really love cards that are simple and feature a great picture.

Shutterfly also offers some great products.  They have photo calendars which are great presents for grandparents.  You can also design cute birthday party invitations which, as you know from my previous post, I am currently working on.  If you're planning any holiday parties, you can order great invites for those too.  

Can't wait to start seeing everyone's cards in the mail!

Birthday Invite Dilemna

Okay friends, I need some help picking out invitations for the kids' birthday party. Because they are so close together, I'm doing a joint party. But I'm not sure how to do invites for a joint party for a one-year and three-year old. If you will, give me your feedback on which of the ones you like below from Shutterfly. They are doing a special right now where they are offering 50 FREE CHRISTMAS CARDS to bloggers who blog about the special giveaway. An added bonus :) You can read more about it HERE.

Okay, here are the birthday options. With any of these, I'd include pictures of both kids and adjust the wording to include both of them.

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4.

John Parker at 9 months

I'm a few days late on updating since John Parker was 9 months on Monday. Here's some of what he's up to these days.

• Crawling up a storm, but not quite walking yet. He stands on his own for a few seconds and then sits down. I think he'll be crawling before Christmas, but I'm in no hurry.
• No more baby food. Just like Kate before him, he ate baby food for a few months but quickly lost interest. He eats all kinds of table food now. His favorite thing is grilled cheese.
• Using a sippy cup more and more.
• One little tooth, finally poking through on the bottom. We can't see it too well yet, but we can feel it.
• Much, much better sleeper! Goes down about 7 p.m. and usually takes a bottle around 5 a.m. and then goes back down until 6:30 or 7 a.m.
• We're learning that he loves music. The other day he was listening to Fred's brother play his guitar and was captivated.
• Loves his buddy Louis at school. They were born just a few weeks apart and they are inseparable.
• Loves his big sister. His face lights up as soon as he sees Kate.
• Loves Alli. Our kids are animal-crazy. Neither has ever met a dog they didn't love.
• He's such a charmer. I think it's partly the hair, but everywhere I take him people (ladies in particular) stop to talk to him. He just smiles :)

Little man, just like with your big sister we can't imagine life without you now. You've captured our hearts. As we celebrate Thanksgiving today, I am so thankful for every minute of your life. I can't wait to see the plans God has for you unfold.

I love you, I love you, I love you.

For the lives of your children...

Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at every street corner. Lamentations 2:19

In the past year, one of the books I've really enjoyed reading is The Power of a Praying Parent. In this book, Stormie Omartian talks about a group of her friends who gathered together to pray for their children while they were growing up. God has given us a great opportunity recently to start a similar group with some of our friends. We meet one Sunday night a month to eat dinner and pray for our children. The ladies pray together while the guys watch all the kids and then we switch. It's been a great experience. It's so neat to know that your friends are praying for your children. We're thankful to have a group of friends with kids the same age as our kids and to live life together.

A few of my favorite things

I’m sitting at a conference in New Orleans today about the Gulf Oil Spill. Although I’m passionate about the topic, the conference is less than riveting. So, as I drink my first red-cup Starbucks coffee of the season, I’m thinking about the coming holidays. Here are a few of my holiday favorites:

• The red cup at Starbucks. If it’s possible, Starbucks tastes even better to me in a red holiday cup.
• Christmas music. I love it. I try to resist listening to it in May, but once I pass Thanksgiving I listen to Christmas music nonstop through December.
• Advent. As a believer, I love the anticipation of Christmas and all it means. As a child, we often had an Advent calendar in the house during the Christmas season. I looked forward each day to opening the compartment and enjoying a treat. I got a calendar this year so I can introduce Kate and John Parker to the joy.
• The smells of the season. I love smelling Christmas trees, fresh-baked cookies, candles, etc.
• The atmosphere of giving. It seems like as much as people want to receive gifts, most people are also looking for opportunities to give at Christmas. Like many other churches, we are doing Operation Christmas Child. Seeing all of the empty boxes lined up for people to take makes me excited to think about families shopping together to fill a box or two for a child in need.

What are some of your favorite things about the holiday season?