Our Return Address-- Santa Style!

I absolutely LOVE playing around with graphics and creating things-- perhaps I spend too much time doing it on occasion.... But, I thought our return address labels that I designed for this year's Christmas newsletter were just too cute!

Sorry about the black outs-- I originally posted it without, but then decided Scott might have a heart attack if he knew I had posted our home address out there for the world to see! Not that someone couldn't Google our address anyway without too much trouble, but....

* Yes-- this is yet another way to pass the time while my newsletter is printing! :)

Type on! Post on! Blog on!

So-- I finished writing my newsletter.... But, I have been sitting here for two hours watching it print! I usually take it to the printer, but for some reason, I decided I could do it myself this year and save time and money. I wouldn't get them back until Monday if I took them to someone to have them printed, and I REALLY want to get them in the mail tomorrow. So, I have about 50 copies printed-- halfway there!

I have been surfing around reading all of the Otter Creek bloggers while I am listening to the hum of my printer working overtime! It is amazing how many people at OC blog! SO cool! It is just nice to be able to catch up on the details of friends' lives that you might not ever know about seeing each other for 5 minutes in the hall at church on Sunday morning. Yes, I am sure that is a sad commentary on the state of relationships in the new millennium... but, blogging is still such a convenient way to share and to stay in touch.

So-- to all my fellow bloggers! Type on! Post on! :) Thanks for opening your worlds for us to share!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I finally finished my annual Christmas newsletter today! It takes a while to complete anyway, but it is even harder now that I have two little ones underfoot! I think the thing I miss most from my pre-kids days is the ability to work on things without interruption. I am the type-A sort who wants to keep working on a project until it is finished-- I am not good at starting and stopping. Many nights I would stay up until the wee hours trying to complete something-- I still do if it's important because late at night is the only time I have to myself.

Anyway-- I hope to get the newsletter to the printer tomorrow. This is our 12th Christmas newsletter! I have them all saved in two scrapbooks so that they are archived for us to look back on each year and for years to come. I am so thankful to have them. I know some detest getting those type of cards and letters at Christmas which detail all of the activities of a family.... But, I don't apologize! I love our newsletter! We actually have quite a following-- some people actually look forward to getting our letter each year. Well, at least they remember getting it! :) I send out over 100 each year.

It has been such a joy experiencing Christmas through Luke's eyes this year. He gets so excited about things like Christmas lights and Christmas songs. It just reminds you of what a wonderful time of year it is and how precious our world is right now with two sweet little ones. We are just so blessed.

Luke has his first Christmas program at school on Tuesday. I will post photos and maybe even some video for you!

Family Christmas Breakfast

Our Otter Creek Family Christmas Breakfast was on Saturday! I was so blessed to help plan, organize, and decorate for it. I was at church ALL week working on it! It was worth it! We had well over 400 people and over 100 families from church represented.

We utilized the website I designed for the children's ministry to have people make online reservations, and it went over very well. We had 96 families sign up early. That made it so much easier for us to do our table layout and plan for food. We also had a spot online for people to volunteer to do all the various jobs required to make it a success-- from set up, serving, break down, and clean up! People at OC are SO great about helping! We love OC! We will have officially been members at Otter Creek for one year on Christmas day! :)

Incorporating Santa into a church event gets a little tricky... I will save all discussions as to why, but this year we wanted to put more of the focus on the "Reason for the season." We started off the morning with a time of worship and praise for God's most wonderful gift to us! Santa's arrival was still a big hit, too! :)

Deck the Halls!

We spent Thanksgiving at my parents home in Paris, TN-- very nice time. They have such a beautiful spot, and it's always nice to be back where you grew up.

Caroline enjoyed her first Thanksgiving meal! She can eat just about anything now!


She had been SUCH a grump that week-- whiny and wanting to be held. When we returned, we noticed she had two new teeth poking in on top! That explains why she was such a grump! Tonight we noticed another one coming in on bottom which brings her grand total to 4 on top, 3 on bottom! She is getting so big!

Luke always has a great time at Pa Bob's house because he gets to help him work around the house! He couldn't wait to get on the tractor! He kept telling him, "We've got a big job to do!" He spent an entire day following Dad around trying to be helpful-- so sweet.




We returned to Nashville on Saturday and spent the rest of the day at Scott's Dad's and the rest of the Westerman clan! That is always fun! Luke LOVES playing at Grandpa Steve's and hanging out with his gorgeous cousins, Stephanie and Shannon.



Caroline had her 9-month check up on Thursday. She is a tiny little thing! She weighs 16 lbs., 14 oz. which places her in the 25% percentile! She is 50% in height. Dr. Wood said he wasn't worried and that she looked perfectly proportioned. This is just new territory for us since Luke was always in the 95% category! She our little petite princess! :)

My favorite thing now is coming into her room in the morning when she wakes-- She is sitting up smiling and playing! What a big girl! What a way to start our mornings! :)




We spent ALL day Saturday putting up the massive amount of Christmas decorations I have collected! It is so much fun, but also a great deal of work! It has so much more meaning this year now that Luke is really old enough to enjoy it. He had to be involved in EVERY step of the process from climbing up the "big ladder" into the attic with Dad to hand down boxes, to climbing the step ladder to hang ornaments on the Santa tree! He was such a big boy (which he reminds us of constantly)! He also LOVES Christmas lights! He and Scott worked hard outside to get all our bushes trimmed with lights!

Luke is into Christmas music, too, which has been so fun! I filled the CD player in our car with nothing but Christmas and we listen to it when we're out and about. His favorites are "Rudolph", "Here Comes Santa Claus" and "Deck the Halls"-- he's right there on the "fa la la la las!" What a magical time of year!

We are Glad!

The Westermans 2006

I just went back to my November archive from last year.... It has been on my mind so often lately that just one year ago we were in such a different place. I had just learned we were having a girl, that I needed surgery, and that I was going to be on bed rest. Every day was a small victory in getting Caroline into the world-- now the stress and worry seem like a distant memory.

Of course, we will never forgot those times and the lessons learned, but on this Thanksgiving, we will be especially grateful that God led us through those tough times and delivered our precious little ones-- both Luke and Caroline-- to us in His timing and in His way.

We went out to eat tonight since I decided not to stock the kitchen this week since we would be gone. As we were leaving the hostess commented, "You have a blessed family." Yes, she's right-- we are blessed. Luke and Caroline are each miracles and true blessings.

The things I was thankful for last year are amazingly similar this year:

We give thanks for

• our little girl, who is still doing well and has made it to 24 weeks
• our incredible Luke, who is the most perfect son any parent could ask for-- he is such a joy to us-- so smart and sweet
• our marriage-- through the good and the bad, we remain best friends and genuinely appreciate the relationship that we have shared for 13 years
• our wonderful friends and family who lavish us with love and support
• our beautiful home that we are so blessed to have and to enjoy each day
• all the many blessings, big and small that God continues to send

The LORD has done great things for us;

We are glad. Psalm 126:3
Thank you, Lord!

May you all celebrate this Thanksgiving

with the ones you love! God bless!

Pine Cones, Pictures, and Praise!

At the Pine Cone Lodge-- Sevierville, TN

At the top of Clingman's Dome- Smoky Mountains

At Elkmont campground where we stopped to eat lunch.

On the deck of our lodge...

We just returned from a great weekend in Gatlinburg with our lifegroup! We stayed in a cabin called "Pine Cone Lodge"-- it was just the perfect place with plenty of room and the ideal mountain feel to it.

The weather was great on Saturday and we made the most of it. We drove up to Clingman's Dome and made the trek to the top. The view was amazing as usual, and the kids did ok... Luke had a minor breakdown on the way back. He kept complaining that his legs didn't work and he wanted Scott to carry him! We took it in stride considering he was operating on such little sleep. The three boys in our group had all been SO excited when we arrived! They had a room with three twin beds so they all were able to sleep together, too! They finally conked out around midnight and they were still up at 6:30 Nashville time!

We had to get back Sunday because I had to be at the Ryman auditorium for a community Thanksgiving service. ZOE has participated in the event before, but I wasn't able to go last year-- I had just begun my bed rest.

What an amazing experience! Not only was I standing on the historical stage, but I was also standing with brothers and sisters in Christ of different color! Sadly, not something most of us do on a weekly basis. We were blessed to sing with a wonderful group from Temple Church led by Victor Wynn. He and Brandon led plus we sang with George Rowe. He did a spectacular song he wrote called "Be praised"-- so beautiful-- he is such a talent! Anyway-- a great night! And, a perfect way to end a great weekend-- even though I was tired-- and the perfect way to kick off the Thanksgiving holiday! :)

Praising God in the Ryman! The Ryman actually was first a church-- Union Gospel Tabernacle. Dwight Moody even held a revival there in 1896. It has held presidents (Teddy Roosevelt) and famous musicians (John P. Sousa) ever since!

Janet, Trina, Karin, and me! We were blessed to sing with Temple Choir!

The Temple/ZOE Gang!

CHURCH: Full Circle 'Round

Another great time tonight at the vespers service at church.... Bob True, a deacon at Christ the King Catholic church, spoke to us. He had read a book by Thomas Cahill which talked about the community of Sant'Egidio. It is a group based out of Rome which has been in existence since 1968 and whose main goal is "evangelization and solidarity with the poor and the weak."

The concept of the group moved him at the time, but he did not act initially. Even throughout the busyness of life, his mind would come back to the Sant'Egidio community. He finally researched it on the internet and located a chapter in New York-- one of five in the entire U.S. He began a dialogue with the woman for over a year, but still nothing materialized-- until, one day a new member at his church approached him about getting involved with ministry opportunities. That's when he first acted upon starting a chapter of Sant'Egidio, and he asked the woman if she had ever heard of it before. She had indeed-- for she had actually been there and visited with them!

Now, the Nashville Community of Sant'Egidio meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month for prayer and fellowship. It is a time where many from all types of different faiths and backgrounds come together to act upon being the hands and feet of Jesus to our city.

His talk was motivating. It has been on my heart for a long time to truly become the "Proverbs 31 Woman" who "extends her hand to the poor, and stretches out her hands to the needy." I want Luke and Caroline to grow up seeing Scott and me ministering to the poor and needy. We have been so blessed, yes-- but, mainly, Jesus called us to reach out to them.

So-- once again Otter Creek has caused me to think and to hopefully act. I LOVE this church-- this community of believers!

Today as I walked out of the Y, I overheard two men who were lingering on the front porch. The older man was patiently listening as the younger man passionately spouted that he did not need the "church"-- what he needed was a relationship with Jesus. He continued to point out that all the great church fathers-- Saint Augustine, Martin Luther, et al. had found genuine faith apart from an organized church setting.... As I carried Caroline and guided Luke toward the car, I just kept thinking, "I love church."

I think my parents get the credit (or the blame!) for fostering this love. Growing up we NEVER missed a Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, or Gospel Meeting! We were at church every time the door was open! There was not an excuse or reason justifiable apart from extreme illness. Being so bound to the people at 7th and College Church of Christ in Mayfield, KY, shaped me and created a love for the "family" we find in our church. People like Sona Knight who could just have easily yanked me up and spanked me as my own mother-- and she probably did a time or to!

Yes-- I LOVE church! I love walking into the foyer each Sunday and saying hello to the door greeters. I love the name tags we fill out and slap on so that no one is a stranger. I love the glorious sounds of people laughing, sharing, and catching up on each other's lives. I love that Luke asks to go to church and can't wait to go each week-- and that he is able to locate "his" church now and to distinguish it from the 5 other churches we pass by on our way. I love church fellowship meals and the long tables of casseroles and desserts! I love the "meet & greet" each week so that I have the chance to speak to those around me that I otherwise might not get to know. I love the older couples at church who represent stability, loyalty, and faithfulness. I love our new "sanctuary" and the purple pews. I love how "Miss" Donna and the other workers are always there to welcome Caroline into the nursery and to love on her while I attend class and worship. I love those Sunday School classes and Bible discussions. I love "Birthday Sunday" and singing "Happy Birthday/May the Lord Bless You" to all the sweet little children on the stage. I love the moving pictures on Media Shout scrolling behind the powerful texts of the songs we raise to the Father each time we are gathered. I love the people and the place and the purpose....

I am so thankful that many other people at Otter Creek feel the same way. I hope that Scott, Luke, Caroline, and I can contribute our gifts and talents to our new family at OC. I already feel like we have been adopted into the fold here with open arms.

Funny how on some days every event I come across comes full circle 'round (the Holy Spirit at work?!) .... One of the tenets that Sant'Egidio affirms on their site:

"You cannot have God as father without having the church as mother."

an interesting concept to ponder.... or, perhaps, as Jesus described-- "His bride."

Royal Blood...

Today was Bible study day. I have SO enjoyed this Beth Moore study. One thing that I am also discovering is that I also LOVE planning and leading worship! As I work through the study each week, I jot down whatever songs come to mind and then try to incorporate them into the worship order somehow. Today I introduced the Keith Getty/Stuart Townend song "Holy Spirit" (yes, I finally found a great Holy Spirit song!). It is the perfect song for this study.

I feel like Beth's analysis of the Holy Spirit is really sinking in. I continue to be awed by her insights. The past two weeks we pondered JOY-- what a study! She causes so many thoughts to rattle around my head-- too many to put into words... but, here are a few things I picked up from her on joy.

• The Greek words for "joy" and "grace" come from the same root. (chara, charis) God is telling us, "If you only understood what grace means and what you have received by way of it, you would never cease to rejoice!"
• "Though you have made me see troubles many and bitter, you will restore my life again" (Psalm 71:20). The presence, purpose, and power of God is best discovered through difficulty. God allows us to experience troubles because he desires to reveal His joy to us through restoration.
• Beth spent a great deal of time in the video portion on joy discussing how Christ went to the cross and endured suffering because of the "joy set before him" (Jude 24). The joy before him was "bringing many sons to glory" (Hebrews 12). Just as he kept his eyes on the eternal picture, so should we. We should "fix our eyes upon him." Any suffering we go through now is just for a time and for some purpose. Those who "sow in tears" will "reap with songs of joy" later (Psalm 126). "Though weeping may last for a night, joy cometh!" (Psalm 30).
• Beth also asked us to think about what joy physically feels like when experienced. She referenced Isaiah 60:5 where it is described as when the heart "will throb and swell with joy." She went on to elaborate about a book signing she had done for her children's book "A Parable about the King." She said the children all came dressed as princesses, knights, and princes. She said she felt overwhelmed at the scene that day and made a parallel about us all being "royalty" in God's Kingdom. "Royalty knows it's royalty." That is what allows us to humble ourselves and to serve. We don't need to have others validate our royal status because the KING already has! "You have royal blood-- act like it!" As little girls, we all believed that being a princess was a reality and a right. Somewhere along the way life intervenes, and we lose that sense of importance. She wanted us to rethink that. She asked us to ponder Jesus calling us to be as little children-- when we believed and trusted that we could be "royal." One day, we will wear joy like a crown on our heads (Isaiah 35:8-10).

And so much more... What a blessing Beth has been in my life.

Our fall family photo proofs are in! They are cute! If I get time tomorrow, I will post a few.

Halloween 2006

We had a GREAT Halloween season this year! It started with a trip to Gentry's farm, continued with a pumpkin carving party, then Trunk or Treat, and finally-- our friends and family gathered at our house for dinner and trick or treating! This has become somewhat of a tradition with our small group because our neighborhood is the perfect place to go door-to-door. Many neighbors go all out with the decorations and tons of kids come through. The rain held off, and it couldn't have been a better night-- it was like a Norman Rockwell painting watching all the kids up and down the sidewalks in all their cute costumes.

Trunk or Treating at church was so fun! This is our 2nd time and we came prepared with a decorated trunk-- complete with lights and real pumpkins-- and tons of candy!

Luke decided at the last minute he wanted to be a dragon. So, thankfully, I stumbled upon the perfect costume for him. It was really cute and brought out the blue in his eyes! He still wasn't quite sure what was going on as far as asking for candy at each car. He was more in awe of all the kids in costumes-- especially the "scary" ones. He is really into "spooky" things.

Our little sweet pea! Ever since the first days in the hospital, we have called Caroline our little sweet pea-- so, choosing her costume was obvious. How wonderful to think that this time last year, we had just learned we were expecting a girl-- and had no idea that surgery and bed rest were awaiting us. But, God is faithful-- and she celebrated her first Halloween with us. Such precious times.

Luke had a great time trick or treating in our neighborhood-- he had really gotten the hang of it after having practiced already at school and at church!

The sweet kids from our lifegroup-- notice Luke had already ditched his costume so that he could tackle the BIG sucker Ben Troupe gave him (a Titans player who lives around the corner)!