Christmas 2009

We just returned from two weeks of fun with family in Florida. It is good to be home, but we are missing them already! Here's a recap of our trip. On our way to Florida, we stopped in Santa Rosa Beach and visited with my Aunt Linda and cousins Laura and Susan. That was so much fun. We spent the first week in the Gainesville area with my parents and the second week in Eustis with Fred's family.

Start 'em young, raise 'em right in a golfing family.

Fun on the merry-go-round

Sliding with Dottie.

Four generations of Jarrell ladies (Kathie or "Dottie," Great Gram, Kate and myself)

Conched out on Dottie and Ditto's couch.

Watching Elmo with Ditto. He might start showing Elmo at the barbershop!

Playing ball with Uncle Dave.

Playing with Aunt Lisa.

On the playground with Uncle Earl. You can see, despite the cold temps, we found and explored every playground in Central Florida.

Pebbles and the dinosaur.

Swinging with Granny.

Having some Chex Mix with Aunt Lee.

Resting with Cousin Sig.

A 4:30 a.m. queso dip post

So, it's 4:30 a.m. and I just woke from a deep sleep and felt led by the Lord to get up and write this. As I type, I am still not even sure what I am writing, but I just feel like God has given me something to say to you early this morning. Last night, we went to eat at a nearby Mexican restaurant with some good friends of ours. We hadn't been at the restaurant long before Kate's face was covered in queso dip. She loves to dip anything in the queso and lick it off (including the restaurant-provided crayons). Any of you who've been around small children know that part of meal time is cleaning the little ones up after they eat. We always keep wipes in our diaper bag, knowing that Kate will make a mess when we go out. No big deal. As much as I love Kate (and it's a whole, whole lot), I usually want to clean her little face up before I give her hugs and kisses. I don't want all that queso to get all over me, you know. I am struck by the difference between myself and my Lord, Jesus Christ. His love for us is so deep and so wide, that he comes to us when we are our dirtiest and messiest and he hugs us and loves on us right then and there. He doesn't wait for us to get cleaned up and present ourselves with perfection before He offers His love.

As we get ready to begin 2010, if you don't know this love I write about this morning, I encourage you to seek God out in 2010. In Acts 17:27, Paul is in Athens speaking to some of the religious leaders. He tells them that he has seen their altars built to many Gods; He knows they are religious. He tells them he even saw an altar to "an unknown God." Paul goes on to say that "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands" (v. 24). Paul is drawing a distinction here, showing them and us that Jesus Christ is not a far-away God to whom we build altars, but who we can't really know. In one of my favorite verses in the Bible, Paul says "God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us" (v. 27). Our God is near to us. He pursues us. If we accept the sacrifice of Christ and His forgiveness and love, He stands ready to love on us - queso dip and all. He stands ready to give us peace we don't understand and mercy we don't deserve. There is no greater gift. For all of who we love near and far, I wish this peace and mercy for you with all of my heart in 2010.

There's just something about that name

Sunday morning, Kate was in the back of the house with Fred and I was in the kitchen. I could hear him getting ready for church and singing a familiar song, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus....There's just something about that name..." When he got to the end of the chorus, he said "Kate, your turn." She paused for a moment and then, in a voice that rang out throughout the house, she shouted "Jesus" at the top of her lungs. It was so funny. I just listened to their little duet from the kitchen and laughed. What a beautiful reminder of why we celebrate Christmas. The name of Jesus is an amazing name. Our celebration of his birth, life, death and resurrection should be exuberant. I guess that's why He said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." (Luke 18:17)

Twas the week before Christmas...

My students did a campaign this semester for the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness to help kids and their families prepare for natural disasters. They created a really neat board game for kids to play in schools to learn about storms. They were asked to present their campaign to a congressional committee last Thursday. It was so neat to be there and watch them. They did a great job!

On Friday, Fred and I went to Kate's school Christmas party. These are a few of her classmates. We learned that Cheetos are good to dip in just about anything, including cupcake frosting.

Ready for church this morning. This is pretty much the gist of our Christmas decorations.

I got this dress for Kate to grow into, so you'll probably see it again at Valentine's Day, Fourth of July, etc. :)

What I would have written in your Christmas card...

Hi all! I put the first wave of our Christmas cards in the mail yesterday. I felt a little guilty about not writing a personal note in each one, so I thought I'd write a little note here on the blog.

We have experienced so much blessing this year. To be able to watch Kate grow and near her second birthday while we eagerly anticipate the birth of our son is an amazing gift. I think I can speak for Fred when I say we are completely humbled to have the gifts of these two children in our lives (even on a night like tonight when Kate somehow managed to get a staple lodged between one of her molars and her gums).

We are anticipating a big year in 2010. We're expecting John Parker to arrive in late February. Sometime before that, I should hear the final word on my tenure at LSU. So far, all the news has been good. Fred is graduating from seminary and getting ordained in May!! Our church has arranged for his ordination to be the same weekend as his graduation. It will be such a blessing to have our families here for both events.

I think one of the greatest gifts God has given me this year is watching Him work miracles in the lives of some of our closest friends. I have several close girlfriends who are also pregnant right now and some of them have had a very, very hard road to get here. Other friends have had struggles with jobs and homes, but God has shown himself mighty in each situation and He has done some amazing things in response to faithful prayer. We are blessed to walk alongside our friends as they trust in God in good times and in bad. May God bless each one of you this year and may you experience His love in a real, tangible way in 2010!

Love,

Fred, Lisa and Kate

Beginning to look a lot like Christmas

This was a busy week in the Lundy house. We had three Christmas parties. Tuesday evening, we had a party for the ministerial staff at church (see below). Thursday night, Fred went to a party for all the staff at church. I stayed home with Kate. Last night, we had a party for the small group Bible study I teach at church. All the parties were fun, but we are looking forward to a more low-key week coming up.

Kate vs. blue crayon

Ready for church this morning. One of Kate's new games is putting her dog "night-night" - she carries the dog and her blanket all around the house, putting the dog to sleep and covering him with the blanket. It is really sweet.

Relaxing with Alli after a long week. I think Kate might have a harder time adjusting to sharing attention from Alli with John Parker than she does with sharing attention from us :)

"Bless you"

Update: I started this post Friday at work, but I was interrupted when I grabbed a diet coke out of my fridge and it exploded all over me and my desk. So, my blogging time turned into an extreme makeover session deciding how to cover up the diet coke stains for my afternoon faculty meeting. I ended up wearing a white hoodie over my nice work clothes. I am sure people thought I looked a little strange.

As Kate gets closer to 2 years old (yikes!), I find myself doing more and more little girl stuff with her and less baby stuff. For example, I've been working on putting her hair in pigtails in the mornings. It's so cute that way and keeps the hair out of her face. Her teacher, Ms. Kathy, even gave me her "beauty parlor" tutorial. Every time I do it, I'm reminded of the countless times my mom and I stood before her bathroom mirror while she did my hair. It's a little girl thing! We're not really potty training yet, but Kate will come and tell us when she needs a new diaper (sometimes). When I look at pictures of her from earlier this year, I can't believe how different she looks.

Kate is talking so much these days. She can tell us what she wants, ask us questions, etc. Sometimes we don't understand, but more and more we are able to communicate with her. I tell her "I love you" all the time and I've been waiting for the day when she says it to me unprompted. What's funny are the things she just picks up hearing us say them (well, not always funny). The other morning, I was snuggling with her on the couch in the morning (about the only time of day she's interested in snuggling). I sneezed and, after a little pause, she said "Bless you!" It was so sweet to hear her say that. It doesn't seem like a big thing, but one of my biggest prayers is to foster in her little heart a genuine concern for others and their needs. One of my favorite songs right now is "Hosanna" by Hillsong United. To me, this is a song about hopefulness that we'll see more of the beauty of Christ in a world that can seem overwhelmingly negative. One of my favorite lines is "I see a generation, rising up to take its place, with selfless faith." I always think about my kids when I hear this line. I don't really care about my kids being religious. I care about them having a faith in Christ that seeks to emulate his life by giving and love selflessly to others. I care about them wanting to be a blessing to others.

Here's a few new pics. Sorry about the delay since my last post :)

Sidewalk chalk is a new favorite. Much of it usually ends up on Kate's face or on Alli.

She also loves wagon rides around the backyard. She's getting a tricycle for Christmas...shhhh :)

Chillin' in the wagon, watching the sunset.

First time for mommy to do pigtails for church.

The result - this is harder than it looks.

All ready to go.

Ready for church this morning. First Christmas outfit of the season.

I have to use Elmo to distract her so she'll stand still.