Exciting News!

December has been full of fantastic gifts and surprises - I am so thankful for all my God has given to myself and my family!!

For starters....It's A Girl!! John's reaction was absolutely precious...one of sheer happiness, surprise and fear...all at once. We are so very excited to start getting to know this little one. Baby Peanut is going to be so loved! She's the first grandchild on my side (with a Pap who just loves little girls) and she's the only granddaughter on John's side with a bunch of adoring uncles and a Pop who also has a thing for baby girls!

Oddly tho, amidst all this excitement, I have had unexpected feelings of uncertainty and fear this week. I want my baby to be strong in will, strong in her faith and respectful and loving to others (among so many other hopes and dreams). How will we do this? I am really capable of being the mother this child deserves? John is worried about all those boys and the confounding girlie drama that everyone likes to talk about. Then this morning, after my devotion, I have started to feel peace. Thank you Jesus. I was reminded of some very important scripture....my Father's words reminding me that this is all in His PERFECT and loving plan for my family. That it is not my job to worry! My baby is a good and perfect gift...one that I will cherish forever. She has the best protection...our Father's hands. I may not always be there with her, John may not either...but He will never leave her.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above...
~ James 1:17 From KJV

In other news....Nate, my brother, has asked his girlfriend Ashley to marry him! I am so very excited to have another sister (officially now). They have dated for years and in many ways she is already family, but we are incredibly happy to welcome her to our family circle in marriage this year. Yay!

I promise pictures of the holiday festivities in the new year...so much fun to look forward too!

My Favorite Time of Year

Our fall and winter has gotten off to a fantastic start. I am back to feeling pretty great (most of the time!) and things seem to have settled into a good routine around here - as many of you know, I love routines. However, there is this sweet thing that really wants to disrupt our routine - our sweet baby! Peanut, as we call him or her, has started to move around and respond occasionally to John's voice. My growing body and all the resulting changes are a not-so-subtle reminder of all the changes our routine will undergo in just a matter of months. With Peanut feeling more "real" each day John and I are reflecting on some of our family traditions that we want to share with our own family. We decided to get Peanut off to a head start in this department...with a new tradition, the family-centered Turkey Trot in Huntsville on Thanksgiving morning. We had such a great time at the race with my brother and his girlfriend. Peanut made his/her prescence known as I crossed the finish line with lots of wiggles and flips! It was a great way to start off the Thanksgiving holiday. We spent the rest of the day at John's family and cherished the time spent with all of them.

This year's Christmas season has become much more meaningful as we prepare for our child. Our routine is much the same this year as we start to experience this season of Advent. However, I am beginning to realize how I all to often get caught up in the cookie baking, gift buying and wrapping, party scheduling that I forget that the real reason for this special time of year is Christ, his birth, and his ultimate sacrifice. I want better for my child! So this year, I will still bake cookies, buy and wrap gifts, and have much fun at the holiday parties...but I will do my best to keep Christ at the center of all this activity and remember how very special this season truly is.

His birth was for his death; his death was for our birth! (John 1:29 and John 3:1-8)

Kitchen Improvements!

A few months ago we finally starting making some much needed improvements to our kitchen. John was very agreeable and helped whenever needed. We basicaly just changed paint colors, added a few paintings, and our families helped out in a huge way. Mom and my sister-in-law Katie did much of the painting and John's parents came over from Hville one weekend to do the tile backsplash. I love my kitchen...and this process has really shown the love our families have for us. We are so thankful for all the help they offered. A side note...I finally got my new dishwasher this weekend!! Sadly, the installation resulted in some sort of clog in our sink faucet....SOooo, I ended up with a new faucet too! John does great work!!

Long-overdue Lindgren Update!

Time has gotten away from me! As John and I would accomplish something or visit a place in the past few months I would think...this would be fun to put on our blog! Well...thanks to several friends inquiries, I'm finally back! I thought a picture update would be the best way to catch you all up on our happenings these past few months.....

We traveled to NOLA for a weekend get-away in July and went by train! It was surprisingly fun...and felt like an adventure. While in NOLA we did the typical touristy things and I was able to visit with a dear friend from college. Such as fun place for reconnecting!

The pups are doing great...keeping us busy with their backyard shenanigans.

Oh...and one more fun and exciting update. For those who don't already know, John and I are expecting a baby in April! Don't be expecting any 'baby bump' pics, but we hope to put up a few baby pics soon. Mom and Baby Peanut are doing well!

Summertime Fun

It has been too long since my last post...John and I have been very busy these past few weeks!

For starters, we took a fun and relaxing trip to New Orleans the end of July. Have any of you ever taken a train ride somewhere? We took the train from ATL to NOLA and had an amazing experience. We met interesting people from all over the US and a few from Europe. Accomodations were comfortable and talk about relaxing!!! I managed to take several naps (something I don't do enough of!) and read several books. As we arrived in NOLA, John and I enjoyed an incredible sunset over Lake Ponchartrain with a good glass of wine. It was great catching a cab to the hotel and walking wherever else we wanted to the rest of the weekend...simplicity at its best. New Orleans is such a historic city...we enjoyed wandering around the streets looking at old architecture and browsing the monuments. John experienced much of the city for the first time - we did all the fun touristy things like Cafe Du Monde, muffalatas, and people watching at Jackson square. We even attended Mass at the St. Louis Cathedral on Sunday. It was such a wonderful experience to share with my husband! The St. Louis is one of the oldest working Cathedrals in the US and it is such a beautiful place.

While away, my sweet Mom and sister-in-law watched our pups...what we didn't know was that they were also helping us get started on our kitchen project! It was such a wonderful surprise to walk in and see the painting started for us! Since then we've finished the painting and I've started the decorating. Only thing that is left is tiling the backsplash...it looks great! Another home project we had going in July was our front yard. Evidently the HOA does not appreciate dying bushes and spotty grass. Here's the problem though: Our house is on a large hill and gets less than 3 hours of sunlight/day. Makes for growing anything very difficult. Sooo, we did our best and have replaced what shrubrey we did have with pine straw and a dry rock river bed. Any ideas on hardy plants that can grow on a hill with poor soil and minimal sunlight????

I will post pictures soon of all our summer happenings. What's comming up next for us? A baby shower for John's brother and wife...we are so very excited for them!!

I love my Farmers' Market!

I am definitely enjoying the simplicity of life today! I woke up early and headed out for my long run of the week. Running is my therapy...especially when on the trails near our home. Today I was greeted by rabbits, birds, deer, and an occasional chipmunk. It's so easy to take in the beauty of God's creation on these morning runs. I love being by myself - no music, no chatter...just me and my thoughts. Something every woman needs...my poor husband doesn't deserve to be the sounding board for all that comes to my mind! I came home and John surprised me by deciding to accompany me to the Marietta Square Farmers' Market. It was so much fun! We restrained ourselves to just one bag of fresh veggies and fruit and a loaf of artisan bread. We then had a homemade and delicious breakfast on the square. I so cherish this kind of time with my husband...

I really hope that you can find a local market like this in your town - it feels great taking part in supporting local producers. It was neat watching children sample fruits and veggies for the first time and even dogs are allowed in on the fun (our dogs stayed home this time). Despite the heat many were laying on quilts in the shade of the square. What a great time with family...and as cheap as you want it to be! This will definitely be something we file away for use when John and I have a family some day...

To-Do Lists

Summer. So much to love...so much to dislike. Does it seem like your to-do list grows exponentially during these summer months? Ours has. Bathroom remodel, living room remodel, re-painting of the kitchen. Im exhausted already! I find it so hard not to be consumed by all the stuff. Im going to do better! This holiday weekend I will make it a point to slow down, take in the simple beauty of the day, and give attention and love to my family. I am so very thankful for the country that I live in and the freedom to be able to CHOOSE to enjoy whatever pleases me!