Currently. Co-Hosting My First Link-Up!

Reading: I've just finished the second to last Rebus novel. I'm really sad about the series ending, so in order to prolong the inevitable, I've decided to take a break. So, I'm about to start Loving the Little Years. Mary Beth recommended it in her recent vlog (so cute), so I'm sure it's really great. I'll let y'all know when I finish it
Thinking about: Every once in a while, I have a moment of clarity where I really see God's work in my life and understand his plan. Every few weeks it seems, something will happen that throws a wrench in our plans and pops my little bubble of peace. Like a babysitter will quit or a random bill will come in the mail. Things that seem like major (or minor) bumps in the road. These things happen, so we change our plans and re-think our finances and do our best to keep moving forward. Each time something like that comes up, I fight the anxiety that starts to bubble up in me because I know we will figure it out and that God will provide. I just know that to be true. And then after a few weeks of these bumps piling up, I have that moment, usually in the middle of the night or in the early morning hours as I lay in bed thinking where I start to see a pattern. I see how God has used those little bumps in the road to change our hearts and minds and to open us up to new possibilities and new opportunities that we wouldn't have recognized otherwise.

Occasionally I can see, plainly and obviously, where God is working in our life. That's a gift, a grace that's given to me to help me trust Him during the times when His plan is hidden and I feel like I'm in the dark. When things are hard and the bumps in the road keep coming, I need to remember the times when the road ahead is clearly laid out for me.

Watching: This video, over and over and over again! His sweet little voice just breaks my heart.


Animal Sounds from Anna Kate Keller on Vimeo.

Dreaming about: Our weekend! It was so good. We had a funeral and a wedding on Friday (not the first time that's happened to us in the last few months..) so Ray took the day off. Going to a funeral and then an wedding two hours later really threw me for a loop. That jump from sorrow for our friends to joy and excitement for other friends is quite a leap and left us feeling really worn out, but in a good way. There's nothing like watching your friends lay their father to rest to make you appreciate the people you love and the blessings in your own life.

The wedding was so so beautiful. The reception was in the middle of nowhere in the Arizona desert, surrounded by cactus. The weather was perfect, sunny and warm, and so many of our good friends were in town and gathered to celebrate. It was a really good night.

Saturday was sleepy and slow. Ray is sick and I was exhausted and recovering from the late night. Emmett came down with a cold over the weekend too so  he took a couple of long naps on Saturday. That doesn't happen often so Ray and I took advantage of the time alone and watched a few episodes of Justified. Bliss.

Sunday was nice and quiet too. Ray and I took down all of the Christmas decorations and our tree while Emmett napped. I was sad to see it all go but more than that, I was struck (again) by my husband and his selflessness and love for his family. The last few months have been good for us. We've been taken out of our comfort zones and it's brought us so much closer. I find myself falling in love with him in a new way. He is good and kind and gentle and he really loves us. He takes such good care of me and is the best dad to Emmett. He's absolutely my better half, and we are so blessed to have him.

Okay, enough gushing. Here are a few photos from our weekend!



Emmett asked to hold my hand for the first time ever on Friday. Heart, melted.

I have a major crush on the trees in our neighborhood lately. Have you noticed?

He's finally discovered pillows. He loves to lay down on anything soft lately, just chatting and snuggling.



My love affair with Saguaros continues.

Walking in to the reception venue.





His mother's son. He loves ricotta allllmost as much as I do. He'd eat it by the spoonful if I let him!

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Grow. My Word for 2014

I've chosen the word "grow" for 2014, because growth is on my heart. (I spoke a little bit about the growth I hope to see in our life in this next year in this post.) I want to grow into the woman, wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend that I was made to be. I want to grow in selflessness and love. I want to challenge myself and learn and grow. 

I also want to grow our little family. That's a little bit scary for me to admit because, well, I'm scared. After our miscarriage in September, I don't have the confidence in my body and in my own plans for our future that I once did. I know now that I have no control over what's going to happen, but I trust that God has a plan. I know He put the desire for more children on my heart for a reason, and I know He loves me. So I am going to trust and wait and prepare my heart for whatever may come this year.

Our year started off on a really great note. I recently started a second job, writing from home. It's been a dream so far and I feel so blessed. Our little Emmett is healthy and beautiful and smart, and he's growing up so fast. The sort of growth that I wish I could slow down, just a little bit. ;) Ray and I are happy and in love and at peace. I love that man. He's a gentle, loving husband and father and we're so lucky to have him. 

It's going to be a great year. We will struggle, and there will be hard times, but I'm not afraid of them. We're strong and we've been through a lot already. When we struggle, we grow. So, bring it on, 2014. We're ready for you. 

I read this prayer at the funeral of a friend's father this morning and it struck me deep in my heart. I want this prayer to be my mantra this year:

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. 

O Divine Master; grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Emmett's Words

Our little Emmett is a talking machine these days! When we were in Georgia over Thanksgiving, we spent time with a few of Emmett's little friends there and I remember saying to Ray that Emmett seemed to be pretty far behind all of them when it came to speech. He was still only saying "mama," "dada," and "nana" for banana. That was it. But then my dad taught him to say "Papa!" in the world's cutest exclamation and everyone went crazy for it. It was like something clicked in his little brain after that- he realized he could speak, and people would love it! Since then, his little vocabulary has grown and grown.

I thought it would be fun to make a list of everything he says these days, so that we'll remember all of his little words.

• Mama
• Dada
• Nana for banana
• Papa! for my dad, always with a little exclamation
• Mem! for Ray's mom, short for Memere (French word for grandma, or "older mother)
• oh for ball because we say "uhoh" whenever he drops things and he thinks balls are just for dropping
• ba ba for bath bath, his favorite
• wah wah for water, his other favorite
• wahl for wall. Don't know why he picked this one up, but he points to walls now and says "wahl" all day
• mmmmmooooo for cows
• ah ah aoooo for dogs, because of Doggies by Sandra Boynton
• ooh ooh for monkeys
• baaaa for sheep
• for ducks he sticks his little tongue out and says nnn nnn like a duck's beak I guess? No idea but it's really cute.
• hot! for anything with a temperature, be it hot or cold or warm or cool
• brrrrr with a little shiver for anything cold. or hot if he's feeling tired. Here's a little video:

Brrrrr from Anna Kate Keller on Vimeo .

• na na for nap nap
• eyes! for eyes, which he points to and giggles every time
• noway with a head shake for no, because apparently I say "No way, Jose" much more than I realized.. This one is Ray's favorite.
• lye for light, thanks to the Christmas tree. :)
• boh for bow
• bah for box, again, thanks to Christmas presents
• Hi with a smile because he's just really sweet and loves to say hello
• buh bye always with a question mark at the end because he really wishes it wasn't goodbye
• bwoo for blue! So proud of my little for knowing his colors. He can point out red, blue, green, orange, yellow, and white, and we're working on black, purple and pink. So far he can only say blue. Not bad!
• mamel for camel because he really loves the camel in our nativity set
• uh owww for uhoh
• oww for ouch
• mo! for more which usually means he's stilllllll hungry
• hewp for help. This is a new one and I love it so much.

That's all I can remember at the moment but I'm sure there are a few more. He's such a sweet, smart boy and I can't get enough of his little voice! It's so awesome to get little glimpses into his mind when he learns how to use new words or how to string them together to get his point across. He's amazing.