Due Date

Today is Lincoln's due date. I am thrilled that he joined us early so that I could snuggle with him in front of the fireplace on New Year's Eve! Happy New Year to all.

Timber!

9:00 AM
9:30 AM

10:00 AM

Noon

Both pine trees were removed from my front yard today...all before noon! The first time I looked at the house I didn't like the placement of the trees. I thought the trees looked like an old man house. I struggled with taking down a living tree that was creating habitat but left the huge pine in the back yard for the birds and squirrels. I love deciduous trees, fall color, spring blossoms and interesting bark. I am very excited to plant two or three trees in the spring. I don't like the green shutters either but that job may need to wait till spring too.

Best Paint Crew Ever

I have fresh paint on all of my walls AND some of the best friends in the world! Linda and Larry just left after painting my living room with me this morning. This concludes the big project that started with three full days of painting that started two weeks ago...on my closing week. Everything looks great. I am happy with the colors and especially thrilled to be settled in near my wonderful friends and family!

Christmas Day

The best Christmas gift!

It was so wonderful to have the kids come back over on Christmas morning. Jay and Briana called first and I started the waffles. When Ashley and Travis arrived we made more waffles. I took a quick family photo of Ashley, Travis, Lincoln and Mowgli before they left for Allison. Jay, Briana and I enjoyed relaxing most of the day and I even got to go to a Christmas Day movie which was fun and brought back many memories of Christmas Day movies with Randy, Sherri, Uncle Lloyd and Aunt Snooks. It was a most excellent Christmas.

Christmas Eve

It was a peaceful and laid back Christmas Eve at home. I loved it...every minute! After going to church we gathered for a quiet evening with no real agenda but homemade bread, lasagna, goodies and gifts. Being in my new home, so close to the kids was such a gift!

Lincoln very much enjoyed the warmth of the fireplace and his first story time with Daddy. Such a special Christmas Eve for our family.

Christmas in Mason City

Again this year all the Nonnweilers that could make it gathered in Mason City for our Christmas celebration on December 23. We had a great time together eating, talking and playing. The family grows every year with weddings and births creating a cozy, fun love filled holiday!

Home for Christmas

How wonderful to celebrate Christmas at home with my children and grandson. It's been less than two weeks but I do feel at home. Family, friends, food and celebrations are a big part of that feeling. Merry Christmas to all!

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made" Psalm 139: 13-14

Although I have always loved this scripture, it's come to life in a new way for me. I have loved knitting for my grandchild long before I met him but seeing him wear the hats and cuddle in the blankets has brought a new joy to my knitting and to my understanding. I love putting together the imperfect stitches for my projects but God's perfect knitting is truly awesome. This little baby, knitted together so perfectly in my daughter's womb brings me joy, amazement and an indescribable gratitude.

Morning Snuggles

There are certain moments in life when you just know, even in the moment that it is an incredibly special time. That has happened to me many times in the last couple of weeks. Some of those moments that will always stay in my memory are my early morning snuggles with Lincoln. He and Ashley stayed in the hospital just one night. Although I had my house I didn't have any furniture so I was staying with Ashley and Travis. I told her that they could get me up if they needed me. For those three nights I slept peacefully all night until 5 am when Ashley would bring Lincoln down to me and go back upstairs for a few hours of much needed sleep. It was absolutely amazing to snuggle with him, soothe him, watch him sleep and get to know my first grandchild in those early morning hours with the glow of the Christmas tree for light. It was a privilege that I will always treasure!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Monday, December 12 I drove to Waterloo to buy my house. Before the closing Ashley and I were going to an appointment with her midwife then to go pick out paint. Our agenda changed completely when we saw the midwife. I took both of these photos of Ashley on Monday, just about six hours apart. It was an incredible day and an awesome life experience. Welcome to Lincoln Jay. There will be many more photos of my grandson to come!

Moving

So much has happened this week. When I came to close on my house I left all of my possessions in West Des Moines to be loaded up a few days later. Of course that week did not go like I had planned...it went much better than I could have ever planned myself. My boxes all arrived safely in Waterloo and most are unpacked. Of course there was lots of painting, unpacking, visiting, getting to know Lincoln and helping his mommy when I can. But I am feeling settled, actually doing my Christmas baking and so looking forward to celebrating Christmas with family! I have my nutcrackers up. Now I need to make caramels!

Content

There are not enough words to describe the last week. Most importantly there is joy, contentment and peace even though I am in a new town and a new house, surrounded by boxes and life has changed dramatically. My gorgeous grandson, Lincoln Jay surprised us when he came three weeks early just three hours after I bought my house in Waterloo. I feel confident that I have started one of the most precious chapters of life. I am so grateful for God's blessings.

Here Comes the Bride

On November nineteenth my niece, Chelsea married Francisco and it was my task to capture photographic images of the day. Chelsea was very laid back and grateful making my job much easier and more pleasant. Getting some photos of the bride and groom was the fun part. They were so happy that the camera could easily catch their emotion.

My sister was the mother of the bride and my brother-in-law was the father of the bride. Both seemed to enjoy their roles and did a great job. I told Cindy that morning that being the mother of the bride was one of the best days of my life and I hope that she had the same experience. All the big smiles tell me that it was an amazing day for the entire family!

Happy Thanksgiving

It was a great Thanksgiving holiday! I got a head start with Wednesday night Mohawk hockey in Mason City followed by a very relaxing Thursday morning drinking coffee with Dan and Jill. Then I headed across town to celebrate and feast with my sisters and their families. We had a delicious meal together then quickly cleared the table, did dishes and kicked off the Christmas season.

Decorating Christmas cookies after our Thanksgiving dinner is something that we have done in the past and enjoyed. It was fun to do it again this year. Yes, there were men at the family gathering too. They are in the living room gathered around the big TV. It felt good to enjoy a traditional family holiday in Mason City. There is so much change in my life right now so I greatly appreciated the opportunity for tradition and family!

Wedding Photographer?

A wedding photographer, I am NOT! But I love my niece, Chelsea and was willing to do what I could to help with her special wedding day. Thanks to my advisor, Ashley, my co-photographer, Dale and some good luck, I think we got some nice photos to capture the memory of Chelsea and Francisco's wedding day. It was pretty stressful at times. The lighting was a huge challenge and my camera hand actually got sore. I was so focused on the photography that I had to ask Dale on the way home if there had been a message or sermon during the ceremony! It was a great experience and I am glad that I could do a little bit to help. I will post a few photos later after the bride and groom have gotten a chance to see some!

Swimmers

How fun to be with some girls from Cedar Falls Swim Team...ten years later! Ashley's friend, Mollie hosted a baby shower in Waterloo last weekend. It was a wonderful celebration and reunion including some of the moms and some new friends too. It is such a blessing to have connections with old friends!

Horizontal Family

Some families may sit around but we tend to lay around. We are horizontal often when relaxing together. It's probably a good thing that we tend to buy couches, sectionals and love seats rather than lots of chairs. I took these photos when we had a chance to lounge around in Waterloo recently.

November Snow

There are tiny patches of the first snow still left but most of it melted last week shortly after it fell. I loved the look of Fall being kissed by Winter!

Family Shower Photos

Saturday was the family baby shower hosted by my sister, Sandi. If I didn't realize it before Saturday was a reminder that we are surrounded by truly amazing women! Nearly everyone in the room is related to this new baby boy and a few have been such close friends for so many years that they feel just like family!

The first guest was my dear friend, Kelly, my friend for forty years! Darlene has been a dear family friend for fifty years! Friendship has been an amazing blessing and to have these women join us to celebrate the upcoming birth is a true joy.

This precious little Lexi is a cousin to the baby boy who will be born this winter. We love cousins! Some of my cousins and Ashley's cousins were also at the shower. I do realize how fortunate we are to have close relationships with cousins (and sisters and aunts and grandmas.) I am not going to label all the photos, just let me know if you are wondering who is who! On Saturday it was just one huge female family gathering! Thanks so much, Sandi!!

Family Shower

Sandi graciously hosted a wonderful baby shower in honor of Ashley's first baby on Saturday. It was so much fun and such a joy to celebrate with so many wonderful women. There were women from the Nonnweiler, Wreghitt, Schrage and Alexandres families and a few life long friends too. I will post more photos soon.

Mowgli Mornings

Weekend mornings are a luxury but weekend mornings in Waterloo are even more luxurious. When I wake up I always invite Mowgli to jump up in bed with me when I am visiting Ashley and Travis. It's a treat for him too. . . just when I am in town! With baby showers, birthday parties and baby prep I have been there lots lately. I enjoy my snugly mornings with Mowgli!

November Bike

After work I hit the trails on my bike. It should be twenty-five degrees colder tomorrow so today was a good day to enjoy the trails. I wonder if I will be riding again this year.

Shopping for Showers

As I shopped for gifts for Ashley's upcoming baby showers, looking at the soft fabrics, rich colors and tiny things I found myself choking up, getting teary eyed and emotional right in the store! I could blame hormones but I am sure it has much more to do with that tiny baby boy who will be my first grandchild! I declined the offer for free gift wrap because I want to enjoy every single aspect of this chapter of life.