Thanksgiving Week

The Saturday before Thanksgiving started our holiday week. My husband's parents flew in from GA to spend time w/ us here in UT. Nana and Papa Baker really enjoyed their time with Paton.

We took them to Powder Mountain Ski Area one day to experience the beauty of the snow-covered mountains. It was 11 degrees at our condo but -4 at the mountain. Paton just loved walking around in the snow. The cold didn't seem to bother him at all!

Just before we left to join some friends for the Thanksgiving meal, we took some family photos.

My mother-in-law and I made this chocolate ganache cake for the Thanksgiving meal. It didn't turn out exactly like the photo, but that gives me motivation to keep practicing!

We put together these homemade gifts for my leadership wives. It's a mix for a cookie recipe.

Snow!

 The view from our deck.

 The jeep this morning

 The buick was almost buried!

 The picnic tables behind our condo

Spending time together

 We spent some time at a park in Ogden (the town just over the mountains) where we hoped to get some good family pictures.

 Paton loves to run around and this day was no exception.

 The leaves provided much entertainment.

 Time time between the leaf picture and this family picture was one of great stress for Paton. With all of the beautiful grounds to play on, he was insistent upon running straight for a busy street. And after we set a limit, he completely lost control and threw a tantrum. Thankfully, he calmed down by the time we took these.

 This is the best we could do with a camera on a tripod.

 Greg stood just outside of this shot just in case Paton fell.

 Our sleepy little boy on the way to Powder Mountain Ski Resort.

Last picture of the day at the top of Powder Mountain. It was 55 degrees in our valley and then 37 degrees at the top of the mountain. There wasn't enough snow to ski yet we still saw snowboarders getting ready to go!

Staying Busy

Two clean bathrooms. Two empty hampers resulting in full dresser drawers. A dishwasher full of clean, hot dishes. Garbage can empty w/ new trash bag. And a guest room almost ready for guests. That’s what I can accomplish while my son sleeps. Quite a profitable afternoon. I willingly admit, however, that bathroom cleaning is my least favorite responsibility in being a wife. Let me mow the lawn or shovel the driveway any day.

Still praying for the Lord’s will in finding a house. Here’s what Matthew 7 taught me. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you….If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (vs7, 11)”  Well, the Scriptures are directly addressing where I’m struggling right now. In my head I know that God gives good gifts, but I often find myself becoming impatient for those gifts. A home is a good gift right? Then why can’t God reveal it to us now? But then I must stop myself and thank Him for providing a roof over our heads at this present moment. He’ll reveal it in His time.

I’m working through the New Testament and recording who God says He is and who others say He is. Perhaps other books in the NT do this, but I’m finding it interesting how often the book of Matthew uses the term “Father” for God. Along with going through Matthew, I’m also reading through Romans and noticing that Romans doesn’t refer to God as “Father” quite as much as Matthew. Something for me to ponder…

Berries just outside my condo. I'm assuming they're poisonous since the birds haven't gobbled them up.

The Treehouse Museum in Ogden is a wonderful place of learning for children. Here's Paton deciding if being the president is worth the hype.

I used to think it was odd when residents of the valley would post in the Ogden Valley News angry letters about hunters killing the bucks/does that they had bonded with. Now such feelings are not strange to me. There is a deer family behind our condo that I've grown attached to. The young doe has a limp but keeps up with the others just fine. 

Matthew 6

Matthew 6 was exactly what I needed in my devotions this morning. To give you a little background, my husband and I have been looking for a home here in Utah for the past couple months, and the right home just hasn’t come along yet. Since my nesting urge has hit me rather hard lately, I have been anxious about finding our “forever home”, yet the Lord has chosen not to reveal it in my timing. Patience and relying upon the Lord in this has been difficult for me. Then I came across Matthew 6:25-34. If God can feed the birds of the air and clothe the lily in beauty, can’t he also take such tender care of me-his child? So what should my response to these trials be? “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble (33-34).” Thank-you Lord for such a gentle reminder that you care for me.

My ladies’ Bible study has just finished up for the semester. We’ll be starting up again in the spring, but I have just loved getting to know our women better through our times together. Meeting in each other’s homes has provided an atmosphere in which we can be comfortable in being open and honest about what the Lord is teaching us.

Paton continues to grow and develop. Within the last few days, he's begun an interest in books. One book, Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear is his favorite. We point to the different items in the book and try to identify them. So far he likes "balls" and "shoes." He points to his foot when we talk about shoes. 

Daddy had a bit of fun with Paton's hair in this photo. We call it his "slap-down comb-over" look.

Another day I had my fun with my mousse. Personally, I think he's quite handsome with curly hair! In the first picture you can see two of his six teeth. They are quite the little chompers, and we've had a few obedience sessions when it comes to biting!

Newbie

That's it. I'm a newbie in many ways. First, blogging is something I've never done before, and to be truthful, it's my reaction against Facebook. Mind you, I have a Facebook account, but I've been having trouble w/ the photo uploader. Therefore, you see the birth of a blogger newbie. Second, mountain living. That's very new. My husband I moved here to Utah in August where Greg accepted a pastoral position at Fellowship Bible Church. So periodically I'll be writing my thoughts down on this cyber-paper for all in cyber-world to read. Third, I'm a newbie mom. Our son Paton is 18 months old and quite a handful. He brings quite an energy into our lives.

So there you are.