Tis the Season!

There is nothing quite like the joy at Christmas on any given year, but especially when you have wee ones scurrying around!  As you know, God has given us two!!! 

Wow.  That reminds me that it's been one year since our family became official!  What a Christmas miracle it was!  

I usually begin my day silently staring at the fireplace and twinkling lights around our livingroom with coffee in hand. --I love seeing the silhouette of winter's trees and the shimmer of frost on the roofs as the sun comes up.-- I also end days the same way but with my husband at my side.  

The middle of my day is filled with busy feet playing warrior, princess, ballerina, cowboy, Peter Pan, pirate, and super hero around the house!  There is always somebody either twirling, jumping, or flying by me in a passionate pursuit!  Children really give playing their all, you know?

I don't want to paint only a perfect Norman Rockwell scene constantly in our home.  It's been a real challenge to keep the kids quiet enough while "daddy" sleeps during the day while working nights.  Our house is old and every step can be heard, but the running and jumping rattles through the entire house, which is not conducive to deep sleep. Of course there are still fights and arguments to break up, fits to be thrown, and messes to clean but God has answered this Mommy's prayer and I've tapped into His grace and patience as a parent more now than ever before.  I dove into this position head first (as if birthing two toddlers!) with on the job training, Ha!   While the first year I felt like I failed more days than not, He's giving me more wisdom and insight into their hearts every single day!  God parents me as He teaches me how to do the same.

Despite those moments, at Christmas there is just a spark of excitement that seems to always be lit.  I've been keeping out a little table in the livingroom, and we all color together or play puzzles with the Christmas music humming around!  It's so much fun now that the kids are picking up all the songs and can sing with me!  We have a new book of classic Christmas stories that we read and every day we talk about Jesus birth to really help it sink in deep.  Santa isn't the reason for Christmas but Jesus is!

Heath has been working a bit of a crazy schedule this month in the ER leaving him home a few days in a row and gone a few nights in a row.  I was sort of dreading it, but it hadn't been so bad actually. We spend family time when he's off and so far have had some really good times together.  One of the best memories this year is when we went to a festive Dicken's Christmas festival in Paducah with Heath's parents.  It was wonderful!!! The kids sat in Santa's lap, we toasted marshmallows, there were stands of hot cocoa and wassail, story tellers and shops to browse around. What a precious family memory with the grandparents!

Last weekend we went to two fun (casual) Christmas parties where I made some yummy treats and ate even more! I'm really trying to temper what I eat, while still enjoying the goodies... Lord, help me!

One of my favorite times over the weekend was going to church as a family. Heath works so many Sundays so it doesn't always happen, but worshipping together is one of my favorite things to do!  I had to capture this moment that was too precious.  

We were praying over the water baptism of a child who accepted Jesus as Savior!  (It was all three siblings who were baptized, and their dad is the one who did it.  What a proud daddy moment, and how amazing is that?!!)

This weekend my sister is graduating from college with the highest of honors!  This woman is fabulous in so many ways... I am SO thankful to God she is my sister!!!  We're going to see her walk, and I'm helping mom give her a nice Christmas-y graduation party at my parent's home!  Eeek... I cannot wait!  

As we speak, I'm in the midst of making decorated sugar cookies for it.  I was a very busy bee in the kitchen after the kids were in bed cutting them out in all shapes and baking them. (Sorry for the grainy picture.)  I had a Hallmark Christmas movie going and it was a great time!  I made larger sized cookies, but I think there are about 5 dozen here.  

I have so much to say with such little time this morning.  Hmmm... Seems to be a theme in my life these days.  

Anyways, I praise my Father for sending us our children(!!!), our friends, and my entire family to celebrate His birth with!  I want every single thing I do to reflect His love for me, because He is the reason for all of this.  He is the reason I have even one good thing to say on any blog, because every good gift comes from Him!

The sun is up and so are my kids so we'll have to chat again soon!  What's going on in your home these days?

~Mommy