'tis the season

for holiday cheer.

and besides "singing loud for all to hear,"

what is better than a good Ugly Sweater party to get the cheer going...

 

 

the Hubs and I enjoyed getting into the spirit of things.

by the way, his ensemble was all on his own.  

I was totally digging it.

Scrooge showed up.

we tried to get him into the spirit of things.

he was a tough sell at first.

 

but when his cute elf wife and reindeer son were in the picture,
he was all smiles.

 we had some other fun family portraits going on:

 

 

 

 

 

and then we busted out the XBox Kinect

 

there was javelin throwing, long jumping, running, and then....

then there was spousal boxing.

it was awesome.

and guess who WON?!

oh yeah, I have a killer upper cut.

by the end of the night, people were stripping down.

oh look! Scrooge is smiling!

and sweating :) 

 

as the pictures show,

it was a really good time.

and a great way to kick off my week off from work.
 

Thanks, Brokenicky's, for hosting!!

 

I still have a lot to get done to get ready for all the company coming our way.

the hubby is officially on break, so we plan to check lots of things off our list tomorrow :)

 

THREE

Happy 3rd Birthday, Mackoy Matthew. 

I sure love being your auntie. 

You love people and have a special gift for making people feel loved and wanted. 

You have a facial expression for every emotion-they are the absolute best. 

You radiate JOY and live to get the most out of every moment. 

You can be the sweetest little boy, with the kindest spirit.
you can also be strong-willed and ornery...which I also love :)

I pray that you will know Jesus-his love for you and his plans for you life.
I pray that you grow into a man that loves others well. 

I pray that your kindness continues to grow, 

and that you continue to be full of joy. 

I also pray that you always know how much you are loved.

your Aunt Erica and Uncle Rob think you are the coolest.

you and your sister make this move to Kansas worth it :)

(okay, and all you other cool Kansas people, too!)

instaFriday

a recap of the last couple of weeks

via pics from my phone. 

we got our tree up and decorated one evening after we got back from the ranch. 

sitting in my chair next to tree is my favorite place in the mornings and evenings. 

and I still love these Christmas mugs that were a wedding gifts from a dear friend.

two Fridays in a row we have gone to watch my cousin Karli play high school basketball. 

which has meant three weekends in a row of snuggling this little lady. 

it's my favorite. 

we love to sandwhich moments of snuggling in between lots of dancing and singing. 

pep bands are perfect for dancing along to, ya know. 

being in Wichita also meant that I got to snuggle with this guy:

 

haha. 

cousin love. 

Students finished up the semester and headed home for Christmas break,

which has left things pretty quiet around the office. 

I took the time to look into getting my Kansas LPC license. 

gross. it just made me anxious. 

so much for being easy-peasy.

I'll keep you posted on how that unfolds.

tis the season of festivities. 

this past weekend the fam-bam got all bundled up....it finally felt like winter in Kansas...

and went to Botanica Gardens Illuminations

it was beautiful. 

haven let me hold her and she was mesmerized by the lights and music. 

she eventually fell asleep staring at a light display. 

afterwards we loaded up in the SUV

stopped for some hot cocoa

and went to look at more lights.

the next evening we went to a concert with my mom and the waldrons

(should have taken more pictures!)

 the concert was manneheim steamroller. 

and it was amazing. 

definitely worth seeing. 

this week was the tabor faculty/staff christmas party. 

we ate a really yummy meal, watched a funny christmas skit, 

and sang some carols together as a tabor community.

I've been rather emotional all week, 

so it probably wasn't the best idea for me to spend the evening 

catching up on episodes of parenthood. 

did anyone else watch this week?!?!

intense. 

i was a mess.

 AND.

I finally wrapped some gifts last night!

I am proud to say that I only have ONE gift left to buy,

and that there are gifts under our tree. 

it was really hard for me to get into the gift-buying mood this year,

but I tried to be intentional and personal with my selections,

and I am excited for what we are giving this year. 

should be fun. 

so that's a quick recap. 

it's good for me to do these recap posts. 

makes me realize that we are blessed. 

have much to be thankful for. 

and really are trying to live life to the fullest. :) 

Happy Friday, ya'll!

linking up with jeanett.

mary and elizabeth

I've been thinking a lot about babies lately.
We are definitely in that "season,"
both in life and in the year,
where the focus is on babies, birth, and new life.
we are getting ready to celebrate the most incredible birth story ever told, ya know.:)
that was in case you had forgotten it was Christmastime.


It seems that at least once a month we have a friend announce a pregnancy or a birth.
Which is really, really fun.
I am always REALLY excited for our friends when they announce these things.
Genuinely.
I love holding new babies.
Having a sleeping, snuggling baby in my arms is seriously one of my very favorite things.

But if I'm going to be honest, this season has been really hard, too.
because I really want a baby of our own right now.
I hold two things in tension--joy and sadness. 
and because of the rawness of my own emotion,
the Christmas story has taken on a new dimension for me this year.

Mary and her cousin Elizabeth were both pregnant at the same time.
Did you know that? Well, now you do.
Mary was pregnant before she wanted to be.
Elizabeth was pregnant after years and years of not being able to get pregnant.
Mary wasn't married yet--so there was probably some shame and embarrassment surrounding here pregnancy.
Elizabeth was "well along in years" and passed the child-bearing stage of life--so there was probably a lot of confusion and gossip surrounding her pregnancy, too.
I'm sure people had opinions and "concerns"--I'm quite certain that somethings about humanity never change.

So here are two women. both pregnant. both carrying men who would literally change the course of humanity.
and yet their roads to becoming pregnant were very different. VERY.

and that reality still exists today.
women who get pregnant before they are "ready" to be mothers.
women who pray and beg God for a baby until they are "well along in years."
women who long to be married so that they can have a family some day. 

I don't know what our journey will look like.
I believe that God knows the desire of my heart.
I believe that He is good, and that He loves me deeply and fully.
I believe that we will be parents. someday. somehow.

as I walk this journey, I will continue to hold joy and sorrow in tension.
I will continue to take both of those to God and allow him to change me.
use me.
mold me.
my story is not my own.
my story is His. 



I have gone back and forth on whether to share this out here in blog-o-sphere.
I'm not necessarily a really private person--if you sit with me over a cup of coffee, I'm likely to tell you what's on my heart--
but I'm not big on public broadcasts.
however, in this case, I'm hoping that it can be an encouragement to others.
my prayer is that if there are other women who, like me, are dreaming and waiting, that they would know they are not alone.
and that there is HOPE.
at Christmas, and all through the year.

Memory Lane

In honor of it being the last day of finals around here, 

and me completing my first semester BACK at Tabor, 

I thought I would post a few of my favorite pictures from my time as a student. 

(there a million more at home that I need to dig out of boxes!)

enjoy this little trip down memory lane.

Happy Christmas Break, Ya'll!

Advent Conspiracy

For whatever reason, this holiday season I have really been thinking about what I want Christmas to be about.

What do I want Christmas to look like? sound like? feel like?

I want Christmas to look hopeful. to sound joyful. and to feel peaceful. 

hope.
joy.
peace.

I don't know about you, but I have only been able to TRULY find these things through Jesus.
The world promises me security (false hope), happiness (temporary joy), and peace (in a cup of coffee)... but I have found that none of this lasts. Not really. Not for long.

My soul is only satisfied by Jesus.

So, if I want Christmas to be full of hope, joy and peace, 
then I need Christmas to be about JESUS.

(you're thinking. Well, duh, Erica!)

but hold up.
stop the bus.
HOW do we make Christmas about Jesus?

Well, I think the people behind  Advent Conspiracy are on to something.
Click the link.
Watch the video.
Tell me what you think.

How are you going to invite Jesus to be the center of your Christmas?
I'm going to try to post some ideas and ways that Rob and I are going to GIVE this Christmas.
Maybe you'll join us.


Leave a comment about what you are up to this Christmas.

Advent lessons from a little cowboy.

we were at "Papa's Ranch" for Thanksgiving.

Mackoy LOVES his Papa Kirk.

My mom and I flew with the kids (Mackoy and Haven) to Louisiana the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Mackoy knows no stranger and he told nearly each person we met, including the TSA people and our flight attendants, "My name is Mackoy Matthew (Maffew) Hemmert. I"m gonna be three (free) after my next birfday. I'm going to see my Papa Kirk on the ranch."

When we finally arrived at the Monroe airport after a long day of traveling, Mackoy could barely contain his excitment. "Where's my Papa Kirk?!? We gonna go see him?!" 

And then there was the moment when he saw his papa...

we were about 40 yards away and were coming down a ramp to where everyone was waiting on their loved ones to arrive. He was holding my hand and we started running. He was laughing and yelling, "My Papa Kirk! My Papa Kirk!"

at one point, he let go of my hand just kept on running. I teared up. But I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one. It was seriously the sweetest thing.

My dad scooped him up and that was it. For the next 7 days they were pretty much inseparable. Except when my dad got the flu. At which time, Mackoy simply asked us all a million times, "Is my Papa Kirk okay? He gonna get better?" Such a tender little heart.

As I watched my dad and Makcoy's reunion, I couldn't help but think of how much my Heavenly Father loves me and how much he longs for this type of reunion with me.

Would I RUN to Him, laughing and sqealing with delight?

Would I yell his name over and over again until he scooped me in His arms?

literal pictures often feel a little strange...
but it definitely got me thinking..

and with the beginning of Advent this weekend,
I have been reflecting on the approaching holiday
and how to prepare my heart for what we are celebrating.

Advent literally means WAITING.
We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Christmas.

It is so easy to get lost in the chaos of it all.
but I refuse to let that happen. because the chaos can be a kill-joy.
and I do not want to miss out on the JOY of this season.

So, I want to learn from this little cowboy in my life...my sweet nephew...
I want to RUN to Jesus, with adoration and joy!
I want His love for me to cause me to become undignified like a three year old who sees his beloved papa!

Jesus came to earth.

To dwell with us.

because he LOVES us.

Yes, YOU.

and me.

that is awesome. that is totally worth celebrating.

 

  

JOY to the WORLD. 

THE LORD HAS COME!

Let earth receive her KING!