Things I'm loving right now

1. Downtown Abbey- This is a wonderful show that airs Sunday nights on PBS. It is brilliantly acted and a true delight. Check it out if you get a chance. The show follows the life of the "upstairs" family who are an aristocratic bunch. Their lives are full of lies, betrayal, and drama of course. Then it follows the lives of their "downstairs" servants who are a rather sordid bunch and their lives are full of lies, betrayal, and drama. Of course.

2. My 18 month old son. I love this age so much! He still looks enough like a baby to make him feel like one, but he's old enough now to understand what I am saying, play with his sister, communicate his needs to me, and be independent. Yet he still cuddles with me and really needs his Mom. He's the best of both worlds and I love it. Oh, and he's slightly quirky. But what gave that away?

3. Fearless by Max Lucado. This is the book we are reading in our Bible Study and I am already learning so much from it. I love when Lucado writes, "No wonder Jesus wages such a war against fear. His most common command emerges from the 'fear not' genre. The gospels list some 125 Christ-issued imperatives. Of these, twenty-one urge us to 'not be afraid' or to 'not fear' or to 'have courage, 'take heart, or 'be of good cheer.' The second most common command appears on eight occasions. If quantity is any indicator, Jesus takes our fears seriously. The one statement he said more than any other was this: Don’t be afraid."

4. Unbroken by Laura Hillebrand. Oh my goodness. Louis Zamperini is my hero. I am not really into biographies and much prefer reading fiction, but this book had me captivated from the first page. If you ever want to read about a true American hero, this is the book for you. I am in awe of the resilience and strength of this man.

5. Snow Angels outside my window. When it snows we always take the kids outside to play. On this latest round we taught Bennett how to make snow angels. I didn't think about it at the time, but Rob and Bennett were making them right outside of my bedroom window. And now whenever I wake up in the morning I see the imprint of two of the most special people in my life and I am reminded daily of God's blessings.

6. Oscar Nominations. I love love love them. Always have and always will. I still need to see two movies on the list, but right now I am pulling with all of my might for The Kings Speech. And Mr. Darcy of course in the acting category. But I would have him win every year. Just because.

7. My daughter's imagination. We do not have a daughter named Bennett anymore. We now have a little girl named Bo Peep. You must call her that at all times. I do not have a son anymore. His name is sheep. And Bo Peep chases her sheep, corrals her sheep, carries her sheep, and terrifies her sheep. At other times she is Ariel or Dorothy. But never Bennett. And I love it.