merry christmas

Our hearts are full of Christmas as we celebrate the arrival of Elyse Noel Hostetler. Our girl arrived on Sunday December 21st at 5:51pm. She was 7 pounds 6 ounces and 19 1/2 inches long. She has the loveliest pink skin and we think she may have one dimple on her right cheek. Siblings are delighted and instantly older.

Life slows down and in lots of ways stops for us for the short-term. We covet your prayers for the moments and days ahead. The word/place we feel the Father has invited us to during this time is "savor". Pray for the moments when this is opposed and all of what we face seems to be set against this precious place/time He has for us.

Thank you for all of the precious words/thoughts/prayers you have sent our way as we welcomed her. We are loved and we know it.

welcome

highlight

Although we have enjoyed our Christmas tree for about 2 weeks now it was our experience of getting it that makes it so special. We took a day, the first weekend in December, and headed to the mountains to cut down our tree with our beloved Kirk and Kathy and new friend Megan. We went to the national forest in Fraser/Winter Park because they didn't require you to purchase the permit ahead of time. We decided quickly that the drive alone was worth the price of the permit - although $10 for a Christmas tree is quite a steal if you ask me - especially since it wasn't dead when we got it. And, our day ended up being priceless so the $10 is a wash and the Christmas tree is bonus.

be blessed

It will take you 5 minutes to read but your heart will know The Great Heart with a little more clarity and you will worship...

http://www.ransomedheartblog.com/john/2008/12/a-christmas-devotion.html

what I want

I have wanted this for YEARS.
Each year, the closer we get to Christmas the more often I look at it and wish for it...
Maybe next year I will actually plan for it.

I think what I really want is what it represents in my heart.
My desire grows each year for the simple devotion depicted in this nativity set...
the hearts laid bare...
the unexplainable mystery of their featureless faces.

I want what I "sense" was present with them as they experienced "God among us" in those first moments of wonder, agony, struggle, joy and the later days of delight, sorrow, pain, expectancy, confusion, doubt.

I want it to be real.

(And, I'd really like to have the nativity set too!)

believe

letting this sink in...again
and then thinking about the real meaning of Christmas...

"You are the son/daughter of a kind, strong, and engaged Father, a Father wise enough to guide you in the Way, generous enough to provide for your journey, offering to walk with you every step.

This is perhaps the hardest thing for us to believe—really believe, down deep in our hearts, so that it changes us forever, changes the way we approach each day.

I believe this is the core issue of our shared dilemma. We just don’t believe it. Our core assumptions about the world boil down to this: We are on our own to make life work. We are not watched over. We are not cared for. When we are hit with a problem, we have to figure it out ourselves, or just take the hit. If anything good is going to come our way, we’re the ones who are going to have to arrange for it. Many of us have called upon God as Father, but, frankly, he doesn’t seem to have heard. We’re not sure why. Maybe we didn’t do it right. Maybe he’s about more important matters. Whatever the reason, our experience of this world has framed our approach to life. We believe we are fatherless.

Whatever life has taught us, and though we may not have put it into these exact words, we feel that we are alone. Simply look at the way men live. If I were to give an honest assessment of my life for the past thirty years, I’d have to confess the bulk of it as Striving and Indulging. Pushing myself hard to excel, taking on the battles that come to me with determination but also with a fear-based drivenness, believing deep down inside that there is no one I can trust to come through for me. Striving. And then, arranging for little pleasures along the way to help ease the pain of the drivenness and loneliness. Dinners out, adventure gear. Indulging. A fatherless way to live.

...You are the son/daughter of a kind, strong, and engaged Father, a Father wise enough to guide you in the Way, generous enough to provide for your journey, offering to walk with you every step."

(The Way of The Wild Heart , 22-24)

my owen

I found great delight in my Owen today.

He is my "investigative questions" guy. Today, two of the things he asked me were: "What if I were a light?" and "What if an octopus wore a coat?" After I gave him some sort of answer, or asked a question back to try to understand more of what he was thinking he said, "I was just laying in my bed thinking about that."

When he was a baby we called him "Owen, the Wise." He just looked like a wise soul...like a little Gandolf.

I think we were right.

can you relate?

a kindred spirit, one of "my people", sent this to me...

"Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.



Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.



Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.



Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.



Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.



Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom ."

another step

It wasn't something we really discussed or planned for but tonight we did it...

giving thanks

Just 4 short weeks until our little darling's due date meant we were home for Thanksgiving. However, "home" for these days was with some dear friends of ours who manage the Rocking R Ranch in Longmont, CO. We had a leisurely morning and brunch at home and then headed to the ranch where we feasted. On Friday we enjoyed the wonderful weather with some good old cowboy-ing and a wonderful Christmas parade on Friday evening in the mountains. During the parade it started to snow and after a deep sleep in our own beds we woke to a white-blanketed world which called three little Hostetlers to come and play. Saturday evening we joined some friends for a brew party (Dwayne brews his own beer in his garage) and it inspired Mark to make his first holiday "mulled beer". Sunday we enjoyed our launch into the advent season at church and a quiet afternoon of football and snowfall.

So much to give thanks for...