Christmas Card 2012

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Teeth

Nurturing a teething baby all through the night when you're 42 years old, you have an anatomy that's altered from cancer surgeries, and you have the responsibility of 8 other home educated children to wake up and mother the next day is NOT for the faint at heart.  I remember asking my mom, shortly after I began learning to read, if the book in the bathroom by James Dobson was about me.  "Am I a strong WILD child?"  I didn't read it as strong willed, but as strong wild.  "Is that book about me?"   Today I'm thanking God for that persevering hudzpa He wired me with, bc it is not a cake walk to usher in baby's 5th, 6th, and 7th teeth during the holidays, and yet, I am, indeed, strong and wild enough to celebrate her momentum into more dental fullness.

The summer Jo lost her front baby teeth, from those permanent ones emerging, was the same summer our Baby Love got her first FOUR baby toofers! These 2 tiniest Simmons girls are too cute with their new teeth.

At first, sweet Jo had a bit of snaggletooth goin' on....

But then they finally were gone... Finally! They hung on FOREVER

Annemarie cut her first 2 on this marshmallow bag Abbie let her chew on while grocery shopping with her.

Interestingly enough, seventeen years ago, Abbie cut HER first 2 teeth on a cardboard package of some grocery item I'd handed her at Walmart, so I could get through the checkout with a fussy yiddle teething girlie who needed to rub her sore gums on something. I didn't have baby whispering older siblings in tow, way back then, like I do now... to keep the baby's mind off of 'the fussies' with some other intriguing distraction :)  I was solo back then, doing my strong wild child thing in West Texas, with my family and Shane's far away, yet it was a grand adventure that equipped me for all the teething motherhood moments between then and now.  I wouldn't trade a moment of it.  What an honor to be needed for comfort and compassion by these 9 sweet little babies Jesus entrusted to me, through all their teething woes. There aren't many job descriptions for 'go getter,' über organized women, in our 'advanced' modern western culture, that include the hormonally and emotionally rejuvenating blessing of holding and snuggling a velvety skinned little person, whose entire disposition lights up from your presence and nurturing touch, no matter how much they're hurting.

Chef Emma

Blogged by Ruby:(our beautiful 11 year old daughter)

Emma has become an amazing cook and taken over a lot of the cooking for our family.  She loves to cook low-carb sugar free desserts, but she doesn't use Splenda or Aspartame.  She uses Stevia and Xylitol, and almond flour.  Today she made snicker doodle cookies.  One time she made a crustless cherry pie; it was delicious!  Another time she made chocolate chip coconut cookies.

She makes yummy little mini raspberry cookies with cream cheese frosting inside.

For Ethan's birthday she put cookies in the center of a plate and fruit all around it, then drizzled cream cheese frosting and sprinkles on top.

Mommy's favorite: cucumber salad!

We've been parents for 18 yrs. & 9 months today

Abbie turned 18 yesterday, our oldest baby, now officially a recording artist. It seems like just yesterday my heart would flutter when I'd come in from preparing for bed, to find her sprawled out on her daddy, like Annemarie was when I came in to snuggle him tonight.

Thank you, Lord, for the undeserved privilege of mothering our angel babies, younger and older, and for blessing us with Victoria Abigail for the past 18 years...'the father's joy,' our victory over my supposed unlikelihood to conceive.... our lovely, life giving songbird. She is a gift like no other.

Sunday Lunch Tomorrow

Nana's bringing salad, tamale soup and cornbread, and chips and queso (to be sure Jack's 15yo tummy gets full), so all we had to do to enjoy a Sunday lunch family meal table with my parents, and Liz and her girls, was clean, make tea, and set the table. Jackson blew me away, scrubbing up sticky things that weren't supposed to get spilled today, and Lib, Ru, and Ab worked double time, since Em and Baby and I had upset stomachs. She was so sweet, in between her little moaning episodes, riding in the hamper full of things we needed to carry from the main house to the guest house. What a treat to have 16 at our table tomorrow. It'll be the first time they've experienced Jack and Ab leading worship... They're in for a treat.

Baby's First Birthday

We celebrated on the patio by the mudroom with a pretty butterfly cupcake collection that Jojo won at a cake walk at Gran and Grandad's church's fall festival. Baby Love and our healthier eaters had some nourishing little cookies Emma made from organic rice cereal, fresh pears, and baby food, since we were headed off on a road trip afterwards, and we didn't want Annemarie's tummy upset on the way to San Antonio. She didn't get the candle part at all, but her siblings helped. It's hard to believe it's been a year since her birth. Shane says seeing her sweet face brings perspective and joy during hard times, and he's so right!

Los Barrios

Chace: I grew up in San Antonio, and the last home I lived in there, before our wedding in 1992, was in Monte Vista, not far from the original Los Barrios on Blanco. Shane took Libby, Ruby, and Annemarie and I out on a date there tonight. Check out these amazing puffy tacos, made from fresh ground masa, and authentic carne guisada. This is what my banqueting table will contain in heaven:

Daddy's Girl

Love this sweet time that baby Annemarie (who'll be a year in less than a week!) and her daddy have together sometimes, in the guest house office, after she awakens from her nap

Simmerson

Our children first met Barry and Michelle Patterson at ArtLife2012.  They're connected with our tribal friends Todd and Ashley Warren in Colorado, so we had that common thread.  Their music, specifically the Birth and So High CD's (as well as 'Kristie's Song' and 'Hosea's Juliet'), have made a huge impact on my journey of understanding God's heart for me, as His daughter.

Emma and Libby enjoyed getting to know their 13 year old daughter, Ivy, in the dance track, and Jack and Abbie were around their oldest son, Russell, some in the music track, but they didn't hang out, outside of camp, until a month later, at our home. We were hosting a house concert for their parents, and Russell played guitar while Abbie sang some of the music from the EP she began recording this summer. They cracked us up trying to find their groove, tempo wise.  Russell also played guitar while Jack and Ab sang a song they all 3 helped write at ArtLife.

This new song, 'Younger,' from the album Barry and Michelle are recording now, Catfish Sandwich, is quite relevant for Shane and I, as we reminisce on an earlier season of our journey as mama and papa to our older peeps.

The oldest Simmons and Patterson children began emailing each other about forming a band, shortly after the house concert, and this video is the result of the first song they wrote and recorded together. Emma, our 16 year old daughter, who wrote the bridge, was working at the horse corral that day and couldn't be there for the recording.

We love the idea of families producing music together like Rebecca St. James, who traveled with her siblings and parents, the cousins in Burlap to Cashmere, the sisters of Barlow Girl, the siblings of The Winans, and the brothers that make up part of Take 6, as well as the husband wife combos of not only Barry and Michelle, but Brian and Jenn Johnson, Out of the Grey/Scott and Christine Dente, Gungor, and 1000 Generations. However, 2 sets of siblings making music for the glory of God together is awesome. It's interesting how both families are in the process of establishing a sense of Biblical community in new geographical regions, and this connection has been used by the Lord to remove some of the false feeling of 'aloneness' that the enemy had used to bring discouragement.

Baby's 1st 'Words'

This sugary big baby has become a HUGE talker overnight! She speaks in rolling tongue gurgly goi goi's, and one syllable 'Hi,' 'Bye,' 'Tay,' 'Ma' and 'Da' words, with LOTS of inflection and dramatic emphasis, as well as a Southern accent.

She also just started pointing, which is hysterical. Her winning smile still overpowers the loud way she raises her voice to get our attention, though.

And this smile, where she shuts her eyes super tight, charms us all, and is absolutely classic.

Summer Memories

Chace: My saphenous vein/left leg drama is still not fully behind me; thus, the summer of 2012 was a little more challenging personally/vocationally, as a home educating mama of many, than expected. We were blessed with a huge sussy, though, at summer's end: Uncle Scott gifted us with a week at his beach house in Port A., where we spent our honeymoon, and many happy family vacations in the past. Disengaging energized us for the fall semester we've recently begun. And our precious new friend Michelle had 5 of our peeps over the weekend after we got unpacked, which made for an awesome stay-cation on the tail end!

How Much Do We Need God?

Annemarie, at almost 9 months, needs support to stand.  Once she feels steadily balanced, she smiles SO BIG...a picture of how joy and confidence follows when we've made peace with how much we need God's support.

Shane: COMFORT is the enemy of desperation.  Desperation is the seed of miracles.  If we are just comfortable enough, then we never reach an emotional state of desperation... truly having to trust God.  Our culture doesn't "have to" trust or lean into God because most of our material needs are met.  When most of our needs are met, we stop seeking the depth of God and settle for the shallow end of the pool.

Chace: A year and a half ago, we realized that a literal miracle would need to transpire for God to change 2 foundational areas of our world that were hanging by a thread.  We found ourselves in a MUCH deeper place of teach-ability and brokenness as a result.   I'm not even sure that the cocky, immature version of the Christian faith I was embodying had a clue what the reverential fear of God looked like.  The miracles that transpired aren't necessarily happening in others around us that we see in similar dire straits, and this breaks our hearts.  He cleaned us up and set us free to give away the HOPE we've been given.  We  want to send others in pain to the Medicine who pulled us out of the miry clay.  The richest treasures He sent were some of the most equipped people in the Kingdom of God identifying lies and pouring truth into us.  We highly recommend Neil Anderson's Freedom in Christ ministries, as well as equipping events like the one Samaritan's Well is doing July 27 and 28;  we'll be there!  For more info go to http://www.samaritanswell.com/html/freedom_walk_seminar.html

taking medicine to soothe her teething pain...We want to learn how to trust & obey like this

Abbie: Faith means something totally different to me than it used to.  It's trusting God that He knows what's best for me and cares about what I long for, although He filters through those desires and chooses the ones that will be best for me.  He's not a mean God who rips the rug out from under me or gives me a stone when I ask for bread; He's a good God.  I have to trust that His plans for me are ONLY good, even when the future seems unsure.

I (Chace) got a word at a Samaritan's Well clinic that Jesus wanted me to crawl up in His lap and let Him love on me.  This photo reminds me of the relaxed posture He wants me to learn: of trusting and receiving His embrace.