Top 10 photos of 2012

Sometimes the passing of time really truly freaks me out. I was thinking this morning how I would like to do one last post before 2013 and I remembered what I did last year. So I sat down to post the top 10 pics of 2012 and I had a moment where it literally felt like I just sat down to do this one year ago. Seriously weird and freaky. I mean, the year is gone! It was one year ago but it feels like one day ago.
The passage of time scares me because I know we only have this one life to live. When you are busy and tired, sometimes you find yourself wishing the time away. But the years, they really do go by too fast. This is why to the core of my being I believe that this is not all there is.

If our human hearts long for permanency, how is it possible that it all ends? How can we desire eternity if eternity is just imagined? All imagined things, even if they do not exists, have truth in them. We cannot conceive of something completely and utterly out of our own experience. Even non-existence is out of our realm of  experience. A person cannot imagine "nothing" - admit it, you are thinking of whiteness, or blackness...but guess what, those are things too! So to me, having faith in life after death is much the same as having faith in nothing after death. They both require faith. Eternal life seems much more reasonable to me. The passage of time brings a certain amount of panic in me, until I close my eyes and imagine what heaven might be like. Heaven, outside of time. No fear of endings. No fear of death.

But for now, I will do my humanly best to be grateful for this time on earth (which by the way, in the bible it says there will be a new heaven and a new earth) Having ways of recording time and experiences goes back to the earliest humans who wrote on cave walls. I feel it's important to take pictures, to write, to record. It helps me feel less panicky and it really helps to look back on the pictures and remember. Dates with Mike, Younger versions of us. One year old Josie, little Louisa, pregnant me. Less cluttered living rooms, blond summer hair, chubby toddler bellies. Because now everything is changed. And it will continue to change no matter what.

Let me just record. Let me remember. Remember with me. And look forward to the close of 2013, when I sit down to do this again. I know it will feel like only a day.

-10- 

At the Pacific Science Cetner
First baby/preggers picture of Michael - January 2012

-9-

The epitome of summer. I did not want summer to go away this year :(

-8-

I love our butterfly pictures from the Science Center. Butterflies are so pretty and dainty and I just love them.

 -7-

All my lovely friends! I love them more as the years go by :)

 -6-

This was from a Religious Freedom rally Mike and I attended this summer. 5 priests and hundreds of people from our area. It was pretty cool.
2013 has been deemed by the pope a Year of Faith
The Catholic church is going to need it, as I sense 2013 a year of continued persecution and pressure from the world to conform. But the church will never conform, it will never back down. The church is a sleeping giant.

-5-

It was so great when cousin Isaac got to come visit. They were best buds after only a few hours of playing together. Hopefully 2013 will include a few more visits! (And now Isaac has a baby sister! :)

-4-

This photo captures for me a central feeling of 2012 - Anticipation. 

 -3-

And then, he was here.
A son.

-2-

 Although I'm tempted to make this father/son shot #1 I thought about it and it occurred to me that one of the themes of 2012 that I caught on to, finally, and one that I'd like to re-visit more often in 2013 is not taking myself too seriously. It's actually a virtue;
humor.

I need to work on that. Just letting things slide, going with the flow, and just being happy when things are crazy. I mean, I do have three little children!

You just have to smile and go with the flow. :)

-Runner ups-

Our beloved priest. 2013 should be the year he finally gets to retire. 

Love the composition of this. Lou looking out the window after a snow storm

Back when it was the two of them! This was on St. Patrick's day. We were getting ready to go to liturgy and a party after church.

 What a year it was!!

Happy New Year!

Christ is Born!

 

 

 
Glorify Him!

 

 

Just a few of my favorite shots (I took 375 pictures in 2 days :)

I'll put some more in a facebook album.

I hope your Christmas was wonderful. Ours was. One thing is I still have a hard time believing that Mike and I have three children. Do you realize we have only known each other for 6 years? We met in 2006, got engaged in 2007, married in 2008, first baby in 2009, second in 2010, third in 2012. Anyways, I was reflecting on that a lot this Christmas. Life is definitely not always what you think it will be, that's for sure! But I'm grateful to be where we are. I know life is a gift, a blessing, and not to be taken for granted.

"Hail and Blessed be the hour and moment, in which the Son of God was born, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold."

Sunshine and preparation

We are getting a bit of sun today!

Friday has arrived once again. And.....the world is still here! Not that I ever hesitated or worried. Because, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Mark 13:32. Yeah. So were you worried?

lol; from Catholic memes.

Anyway, I'm thinking this might be my last post until after Christmas. We have lots of parties to attend, Holy Supper on Christmas eve, and so will be pretty busy all around! Though I am going to strive to have moments of peace so that I can prepare my heart for the coming of the infant Jesus!

So, I wish you all a joyful Christmas. May God bless you and yours, and may you take time to meditate on the fact that God came down and became man. He came to us as a baby, a helpless infant entrusted to the care of His mother. What a simple truth, and yet a profound mystery at the same time! Jesus, Lord at thy birth!!

Just to give you an idea...

As every mother knows, taking a Christmas picture every year takes an enormous amount of effort. As I mentioned before, this year has been especially difficult. I know what you're going to say - that's what happens when you have three little ones you silly mama! Yes yes, I know. But I guess I still thought I could make it happen. Well, I did get the cards printed and the picture(s) we used were not terrible so I feel more like laughing about it now. 

Here are just a couple failed attempts. There are about 100 more. They will be fun to look back on I'm sure.

Come on you toddlers! How hard is it to Smile??

 Then I wanted to try in some outdoor light but that was quite the challenge since it's basically been raining since THANKSGIVING! Also, it gets dark so early now so by the time Mike is home from work the daylight is gone. So I decided one day to run downtown to pick him up and get the last few minutes of light. It was pretty humorous though, not to mention FREEZING cold!

Poor Josie! I'm such a mean mommy!!!

 Then we tried later that day at my grandma's house, with mixed results....

 Mad because she wanted to hold Michael

Chickapee

 Not terrible except I'm snickering

 Finally, there are these gems:
Which I posted on my Facebook already. I was trying to get a few of just the kids because sometimes the grandparents want them (okay, they are always hungry for pics of the kids) and I realized I don't have that many with all three of them. So, with the nice lighting from the snow dusting, I made my attempts. Most were epic fails. But they sure do make me laugh ;)

 Not too bad. You'll just have to wait and see which picture(s) I choose for our cards this year!

'Tis the Season!

Sweet Lou