Finding time to blog the past few days has been a bit tricky.....

All of our kids have been home, my parents have been in town, my brother and his wife came for Christmas Day, and we have had a house full of love and laughter.

We missed my sister, who spent the holiday with her boys and her husband's family "down south," and of course, not having Nick here with us left us with a hole that could only be filled with God's love and mercy.

Spending our first Christmas at home without Nick made me kind-of nervous, but I decided to try and create an old-fashioned holiday experience (in my heart anyway) by taking pictures in black and white!

I even made homemade pumpkin pies (don't faint) and cooked a turkey (I'm still in shock about this.)

Today, can I please share a few prayer requests that are sitting heavily on my heart?

Please pray for a blogging friend's family whose one-year old daughter, Charlotte, was diagnosed with leukemia this past week.  The uncertainty that faces them is overwhelming, and I know they will appreciate all the prayers they can get! Also, please pray for Keri.  She lost her daughter Madison to a brain tumor in 2009 and just found out today that she has suddenly lost the baby she is carrying to a miscarriage at 16 weeks.  She has to be induced this evening and is having a difficult time today.

One of my very best friends here in Grayson finds out the results of a biopsy on Thursday afternoon, and I am asking you to please pray for her and her family as they wait for this critical news.  Martha is my dear friend who tried to save Adrienne's life by doing CPR the morning we found her not breathing in her crib.  She then held Adrienne for us until the coroner arrived nearly an hour later.  We gave Todd the middle name Jordan in honor of her and her family who mean so much to us.  The preliminary tests are looking like an aggressive stomach cancer, and we are all waiting with anxious hearts knowing God walks this road with Martha more than we ever could.

As you go throughout your day today, remember to whisper prayers for those who are in the midst of deep grief or difficult circumstances.  Life can be turned upside down without any warning.

Make every moment matter today.

While sharing photographs from our Christmas seems insignificant today, I wanted to share a little love from our home to yours.........

I love you all!