What's in a name.

Ruth (Hebrew): friend

I saw a woman at church last night who had read Matt and I's story and she saw me carrying little Ruth and teared up...she said, "You had a Ruth!"  I then teared up because I remembered how faithful, once again, that God truly is.  Talk about a perfect Author to my life story.  

Here is our story in case you haven't read it yet-it still encourages me and reminds me that God's ways are about a million times greater than mine.  

Then I looked up the picture of Ruth that the story centered around and realized she has almost the exact smile our beautiful daughter has!  Pretty, ridiculously perfect.  

They both have smiles that light up their entire faces...

As is His way.

Sorry our Ruth is a little blurry-she gets really excited and won't stop moving :)


xoxo, Anna

Merriest Christmas.

So I just wrote a different post and then while wrapping Christmas presents I realized that I truly do not grasp what this is about.  


I thought about this and then teared up while wrapping presents. I am selfish-I know I have many beautiful friends that might say differently (that is why you all have encouraged me for years). However, if I were to count every moment of my day I guarantee you that most thoughts would be about my condition-not the condition of those around me.


Then I started thinking of Jesus.  And being pregnant. And how dependent this baby will be on me and Matt. And how that is exactly how the Maker of this universe came to show us His love.


As a baby. 


And I am then convicted that if He was willing to give up all power and enter this world as a baby, then I need to learn how to serve others more.


This is convicting. Seriously-I still have tears in my eyes just in realizing how much more I need to love and be vulnerable.


I guess this is where Christmas is hitting me this year. This moment.


Goodness I would have been a horrible Mary :) Can you imagine if you were told that you would be the mother of Jesus?!?! And...here is the kicker, not get proud about that???


And I think, I need to surrender who I am to this God who is willing to become a baby and enter this broken world knowing He would have to die to save us from our sins.


This brings me to the word for this last year:

.humbled.


I just read this on Ann Voskamp's blog:


"God steps in front of us not so much in the lovely — but in the unlikely."


Please let me meet people in the unlikely and not just in the lovely.


All my love to all of you beautiful ladies: may we have the heart of Mary and the beauty and surrender of Jesus during this Christmas season.


Merriest Christmas.

One year ago!!!  Wow-that is what my waist used to look like :)  This was right before I got my trip to Disneyland!!!

Crafty husband made this :) It is Oregon!  

So apparently the three buttons on the left did mean we were going to be adding another Norman...this is from last new year.

xoxo, Anna and her wee one :)