The Shaws: 2014

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

2014 in Review

Lucas

Age 5:
Favorite color: blue and red
Favorite food: bean and cheese burritos
Favorite activity: playing with my toys
Favorite book: my Bible

Greatest lesson learned: how to do chores
Hardest thing this year: listening
Favorite memory: Going to Arkansas to see GrayGray
What I loved about 2014: Going to Yogi Bear Park

Want to learn: how to write
Want to get better at in 2015: writing

Logan

Age: 8
Favorite color: blue
Favorite food: pizza
Favorite activity: playing video games
Favorite book: Magic Tree House

Greatest lesson learned: Never give up
Hardest thing this year: writing and reading
Favorite memory: Going to see the Dallas Stars with my church members
What I loved about 2014: Going to Arkansas to see Siah

Want to learn: more math
Want to get better at in 2015: reading

Joshua

Greatest lesson learned: Sometimes loving people is hard.
Hardest thing this year: losing the baby, not blowing up my car
Favorite memory: When a customer walked up to me at my store and shared Christ with me and encouraged me in my faith.
What I loved about 2014: It went by quick.

Want to get better at in 2015: dealing with my dissatisfaction with others

Kaydi

Greatest lesson learned: There are always reasons to be thankful even in the darkest of circumstances.
Hardest thing this year: Losing our baby girl, Liana.
Favorite memory: Logan's salvation, profession of faith, and baptism
What I loved about 2014: This has been the hardest and darkest year of my life, but my faith in God and love for Jesus has grown more this year than it probably ever has before.

Want to get better at in 2015: choosing joy, especially in difficult circumstances

Freedom from Fear

I realized this morning, I've been living in fear that something would happen to Logan and Lucas. I've struggled with this before in different seasons of life, but since we lost Liana last January, it's been smothering me.

I'm rereading Lysa TerKeurst's book Am I Messing Up My Kids?. Chapter 13, Why Am I Worried All the Time? is all about fear and trusting the Lord. At the end of the chapter, Lysa talks about standing in a parking lot and visualizing handing your children up to the Lord and declaring that you will love the Lord no matter what.

My first thought was I can't do that. What if He takes them away? But then I realized, I've already lived through this. And I love Him more today than I did when He took Liana. I sat on my couch and handed my boys to Him. And I told the Lord, I will love You even still. And I feel peace like I haven't felt in long, long time.

I prayed to the LORD, and He answered me.

He freed me from all my fears.

Psalms 34:4 (NLT)

Monday, December 29, 2014

Putman Family Christmas

We celebrated Christmas with a Nacho Bar. The kids were all so excited about it. Justice and Kyle were toddling all over my house eating chips. Chip crumbs everywhere has never made me so happy! We have two types of chips, restaurant style and scoops. We had mild and regular taco meat, queso and shredded cheese, guacamole, jalapeños, salsa, sour cream, tomatoes, refried beans, and Grinch Punch.

The kids played.

We opened presents.

And the best part of the night was when Uncle Josh called. We passed the phone around, and everyone got to talk to him. I loved watching the kids talk to him, and how excited they were!