Vacation? Something like that?

So I guess you could say I "vacated" the blog world for awhile. I must say, it was quite lovely. Of course, I was still slightly in love with perusing Instagram and pinterest so my attempt at removing myself from media was not that valiant by any stretch.

Nonetheless, I am back!  I ran out of picture space after my last post-and let's be honest, what are posts without pictures??? Especially without pictures of our little girl?  But somehow, after finally logging back on after over three months, I have discovered that somehow more picture space became available in the blogging land (which I understand nothing about).

I have had so many things on my heart, most of which come out a year that to say the least, wasn't that easy on me. Not because of circumstances per se, but because of my drab ability to see a glass half full and stop being so selfish (yuck-I for certain thought I would arrive someday with this self-I-me thing!).

And I know I want to share so many things. So many things that haven't been put on my heart just to stay in my head and then die a slow synaptic death (or maybe it's fast...axons/dendrites/who knows).  I have had a real year with faith: one that has truly tested what I believe, what I choose to believe, and made me realize how much I am not good at faithfulness when things aren't easy-peasy. Another "yuck-I am really 32" moment.

And in news...we are expecting another little bundle of sheer joy in September!!! Seriously. I know.  Not exactly what we were thinking but last I checked, my plans for my life weren't that excellent and God's plans so far have blown my itty bitty ones out of the water. Look at my husband...and our daughter named Ruth. Way better than my dreams.

Please let me know if there is anything you would love for me to write about and I will do my best.  This will be a slow start back up but hopefully it will be all for Jesus and all for His glory.  I know I am not supposed to stop writing-it wasn't good for me to stop and thus, my heart is answering the call to what God has so clearly placed in my life.

Blabbering done.  Here are two pictures of Ruth.  There aren't enough words to describe her. She is pure joy: I have never seen anything like it. She says "hi" to EVERYONE and smiles with everything in her (and her ELEVEN teeth).  I hope she brings joy to your soul today.

And it's blurry, because she never, ever stops moving (except when asleep). And yes, we did purchase a super-duper nice professional camera but at the rate this bean moves, it is nigh impossible to bust that camera out and get a pic of her.

To be love.

Oh the cost of love. It is beautiful but at its best and in its absolute most-inclusive definition, it is sacrifice. It is step-over-yourself, give yourself entirely, and then be willing to give a little bit more.  It is Jesus. It is how as a mom I have the smallest glimpse into what it must have been for Him to say that we were all worth His death (even though he was blameless...alas, I am soooooooSOOOOO not).

It's Jesus' last words on the cross, "'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.' When he had said that, he breathed his last." Luke 23:46

I have been awful at giving up every last ounce of myself like Jesus did.  Especially without complaining.  It is a struggle to everyday choose to put another above myself, even my very own daughter. I get impatient, upset (she is a very, very strong little girl), worn-out/exhausted, and yet I know that children are a joy from the LORD and He knows I am the best mother for her.

It is still hard.  Our little girl has had a cold for two weeks, then a fever started yesterday, she awoke screaming in the middle of the night with her body going into convulsions every five seconds, we rushed her to the ER, found out she was okay (just a body's response to fever), found out she had an ear infection (took her in Monday thinking she had one but it was yet to come), then got her home and back in bed at 4am. Oh, and I didn't mention she has been constipated for three weeks, which is now figured out, and she has gotten four teeth in the last three weeks :)

And she is more than worth it. She is worth the end of myself (and my poor dear husband who gets up at 4:45 every morning). She is worth me being love-and the best, most holistic kind of love.

She is my agape.  

The Greeks had it right when they had four words for love. We seem to think one word can define me loving a french fry and me loving our daughter.  I think I side with the Greek language here.  

Agape is the most powerful.
  
It is the love that is selfless, unconditional and sacrificial.

It is Jesus. It is how we/I can be like him.

So thank you God for creating our perfect little girl-giving me a chance to have the slightest glimpse into how you could offer yourself as a sacrifice for all of mankind. 

She delights our souls.  She is a world-changer, I have that promise.  She will bring love to thousands and my death is worth it if she only brought your love to one.

Wee-fall is here!

Um...yeah. So I don't blog "well" so here are a 1.5 months of updates. Life has been beautiful and crazy.  And I might have learned one of the most essential of all life lessons as well.  Will write about it soon. Let's just say it has to do with joy and choosing.

The Normans...

1) Went to the coast, twice. Once for a church retreat and once to celebrate my amazing mother's 60th birthday. (photos to come) It was 75 degrees...

2) Celebrated Handsome's 36th birthday with our first night away from our punkie bean as well as little soiree with awesome friends (complete with American Dream Pizza)

3) Went to Washington DC to visit Matt's amazing sister for 6 days*

4) One of my bestest of besties got engaged and they surprised me in DC (she lives in NYC) and I started crying.  And her ring...wowsers, Pat.  I mean it's soooo gorgeous.  I told her it was like one of those rings you would see on the classiest 80 year old lady at airport and then hope you got to be the heir :) (Well I didn't tell her I would hope to be the heir but...)

5) Had a dinner party to get-to-know another of my besties' new boyfriends. Did I mention I cried when I found out he officially asked to date her?  Well I did. Another tear shed for love.

6) Dinners with amazing friends (Cecils: we love you and are in awe of your family and your hearts). Morgan-you delight my soul

About the crying thing: I LOVE my friends.  They are salt of the earth sort of people and to be honest, I barely think anyone is worthy of them.  Hallelujah many of them have met insanely awesome men and thus, I cry when I find out their good news.

*And in case you are wondering how 7 hours on a plane with a baby was...here is my advice: 1) don't do it if you don't have to. 2) Try not to fly with a constipated baby (sooooo sad-we are ditching "real" food for now and sticking to what she loves, milk). 3) If you can, fly first class (for real. We had miles so we used those. Let's just say it left us desiring to always fly first with a baby. I don't think the fancy pants business people liked it as much). 4) Again, try not to. Of course Ruth doesn't like her car seat so road trips are out of the question for us for now but it is a great option.

Here you go!!!

Gracie's Brunch.  Ridic. If you live in Portland, you MUST go and get the bread pudding french toast. Yep. I couldn't stop smiling.

Us returning home :)

She was rubbing her top teeth against her bottom and her faces because of it were epic.

 

Matt's birthday at home with my hottie girlfriends.

And the handsome boys (and a dancing Alomae) 

Dinner with the incredible Cecils (Emma is Ruth's bestie)

DC first lunch with Aunt Kate! 

Natural History Museum.  I barely stopped smiling here to..you'll see why below.

It's a fox, like daddy's tattoo! 

Here's why! YOu could hold bugs! I LOVE bugs! And you could hang out with hundreds of butterflies!

And this my dear friends, is a madagascar hissing cockroach.  Yeah! 

Pure joy.  Hopefully you saw our instagram pic of Ruthie flying 

I asked how much it would cost to get married in here on my 8th grade trip: it was $25000 then (without anything but the space)

The engaged beauty!!! 

Highly recommend the Bike the Sites tours!  Ruthie might not...

Future Uncle Pat! 

xoxo, Anna N

Goats.

Tonight: our rental property gets goats. Yep. That's right.  One of our good friends has three goats that need a place to live and we so happen to have a yard FULL of 8+ foot tall weeds.  And turns out that God made goats to eat any plants (except for laurels and rhodies) and turns out we have a landscaping venture (we gutted and redid the whole yard last year and didn't maintain it) gone horribly wrong.

And here is my handsome husband with the little guys.  As well as my lame-ooo picture that I had to screen capture from Instagram...wow.  And I thought buying a pro camera would help my photo skillz.  Or not.

Love, Anna N

*And yes, I never charge my phone. I feel like that "14%" could give some people a slight panic attack.  I like to live on the edge of battery life :)

*Oh, and baby girl got her first tooth today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*And she reaches for me now.  Totally. Smitten. Forever.

*And...tomorrow is our two year anniversary :)

Letter to my daughter

Oh dearest, most beautiful, Ruthie...

I can't believe you have been here only three months.  It seems like I have known you my entire life and have been set apart for you (and your daddy) since the beginning of time.

Here are my prayers for you; prayers for your heart, your beauty, your way:

-that you continue to be pure joy. May you always just be smiling at people even when they aren't looking at you like you do now (melt).

-that you continue to love people the way you do.  You met a 90+ year old woman named Helen in Freddies and we bought her coffee...then you talked to her and smiled at her like you had known her your entire life (you were only 2.5 months old).  To be honest, I didn't even understand what she was saying but you did. Do you know how much that touched her heart??? She started crying hysterically when we left. May you continue to show God's love to everyone and make everyone feel beautiful.  I truly think you made her feel like she was five again...I admire you.

-I don't care if you are brilliant, I just want you to be lovely and compassionate (you already are).

-I pray you come to know who God is at a very young age and then from there go out and share how beautiful He is and tell the story of forgiveness and hope.

-I pray you are the hands and feet of God's love for people and that you let everyone around you know that they are worth it and they are loved.

-I pray you change the world. Not for your sake, or my sake, or daddy's sake, but for His sake.

  

-I pray that you live big, not safe.  That you know that faith is worth living out fully.

-I pray that you don't seek comfort but you seek the highest beauty you can know on God's green earth.  Love does.

I just teared up talking to you here on the couch. Why? Because you come alive when people talk to you and you have a smile that lights up a room (and my heart).

You are God's promise of my beautiful life and all He has done.  May you know love in a deeper way every day. 

I pray I am the best momma to you.

I love you more than my heart knew was possible.

Love, your humble momma

PS: You rolled over yesterday from your back to your front.  It was epic.

Oh, Pacific City...here we come!

FYI: Picture overload (thanks to the most fascinating contraption ever invented, the IPhone).

And, we are off to the beach for an evening to stay in the most gorgeous beach house ever-I will post pics when we return.  It is the beach home of the couple who's house we met at many years ago...and now we get to bring Ruthie!

A few of the recent happenings. Heart is full.

A DAY WITH THIS LOVELY LADY.

(my dream property...)

Ruthie on a rhino ride with Jan and me.

Cinco de Mayo with Daddy 

One half of our amazing babysitters.

The morning of her third month birthday! 

 We started a girl's bible study and even made pizza on the Traeger!

 In love.

Lunch with daddy-o.

Dinner with parents and lovely Little.

xoxo, Anna

Off to the 70 degree weather at the Oregon Coast...