thank you...

thank you, to miss betty and miss beckett, for all the ways they teach lily the love of our Lord and Savior in such tangible ways.

lily came out of her class today with her new baby jesus and she proudly exclaimed, "mama, i have a baby just like you!"

baby jesus (made so sweetly out of pantyhose) has done everything with lily since she returned home.

he snuggled with her.
he ate lunch with her.
he was even meant to bathe with her until i convinced her that he was quite clean already.
he is currently napping with her in his manger in her room.
he has been by her side all afternoon.

what a powerful and simple reminder of the Lord's presence at this wonderful time of year.

so, thank you, miss betty and miss beckett.

firsts...

it is amazing how the same two parents can create two children who are so wonderfully different from one another.

it has been evident from day one that finn's temperament is vastly different from lily's...and we are so thankful for their uniqueness from each other.

lily was pretty much gangbusters from the start when her opinion was involved (or when her opinion was not involved, but she wished it was) and she has added spunk to our lives in so many ways. and finn has chosen to be much more laid back about life in general (except when food is involved!)

and so it should come as no shock that lily rolled in both directions with gusto on her 4 month birthday. and the chief has chosen the more relaxed rote...as he is now over 5 months old, he has decided it might be time to try to roll over at least in pursuit of his beloved thumb (as lily loves to say, "look mom! he is stucking on his thumbkin!") so congrats, finn, on rolling for the 1st time!

and of course, for your 1st snow!!

welcome.

welcome to the world, griffin isaac guzman.
we adore you already and can hardly wait to meet you.
your parents are amazing and you are so blessed to be their son.
congratulations, ashley and jose!!



and congrats to our dear friends, adam and katie, as they welcomed mac into the world this week, too!!

he thinks she's hilarious.

and it could not make me happier than to see the two of them like this.

'tis the season!

i would characterize ryan and i both as optimistic for the most part.

and i'd say that this year, we were a possibly a bit too optimistic when it came to a tree selection. but, for a mere $29, it seemed too good to pass up!

who wouldn't want a tree looms feet over your head. what's that you say? our ceilings are only 8 feet tall? well, i am sure we can make this work!

let me just say, that after bringing the tree in, we both saw the error in our ways...

a mere foot or so had to be cut off the top, leaving our tree with a figure that much more closely resembles a tube than a cone.

and about another foot had to be cut off the bottom, which resulted in a tree that doesn't want to stand up quite straight. but, that's ok, right?

of course it is until you find yourself mid-dinner with a tree that is all adorned and lit up and now lying face down on your living room floor! oh the joy!

so, after that, we decided it was time to get serious. we removed our fully decorated tree from it's stand, and i went to work on the trunk with a saw while ryan precariously balanced it on the stand.

the result?... one of our uglier trees that is now being weighted down on all sides with hand weights in hopes that we don't have a repeat tree on the carpet scenario.

but, you know what? we love it. and lily REALLY.LOVES.IT. so so much. she thought the decorating process was the best thing ever.

so, in the end, it was worth every penny of those 29 dollars. even if it is ugly.

full.of.thanks.

we have so much to be thankful for this year.

words could not even capture a fraction of how full my heart is on this day. especially after the scare we had with the pregnancy last thanksgiving, my heart was bursting today as i held my precious finn in my arms.

so, thank you, Lord, for all the ways you so richly bless us.



finn's first turkey trot. a biber family tradition that defines this day for me. unfortunately, the race was beyond packed, so it was undoubtedly a trot, but the thanksgiving spirit was high and it was the perfect way to start the day.






lily helped prepare lots of food in her kitchen. it was delicious.

and, as i am not much of a giblets and gizzards type of girl, i was not about to twist ryan's arm when he said it was ok to go sans-turkey this year. our feast was plentiful for this family of four and it was the perfect end to the day.



who needs a floral arrangement when you have a centerpiece this adorable??
(note the purple bowl next to lily - set for her new friend, "special girl"...the newest addition to our family!)

happy thanksgiving to all those we love and wish we could have been with today!!

check it!

i am incredibly excited because our amazing friend, lisa, has gone live with her new website and business.

she is so very gifted in photography and if you ever find yourself in the DC area, you have to look her up. she was given about 30 minutes and two grouchy children and she created photographs that i will treasure for the rest of my life.

she is very very humble about her talents, so i am happy to tell the world how awesome she is. she puts you at absolute ease and captures your family as you truly are. we love you, lisa!

www.lisahenrysmith.com