Merry Christmas

I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! What better way to celebrate, but by remembering the birth of our Saviour - Jesus Christ. As you go thru your festivities this weekend, don't forget the real reason.

Santa Claus and Christmas trees and presents are okay,
But Jesus is the real reason, we have a Christmas Day!

Luke 2 Message

The Birth of Jesus
1-5About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David's town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.
6-7While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.
An Event for Everyone
8-12There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."
13-14At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises: Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.
15-18As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us." They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.
19-20Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they'd been told!
Blessings
21When the eighth day arrived, the day of circumcision, the child was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived.
22-24Then when the days stipulated by Moses for purification were complete, they took him up to Jerusalem to offer him to God as commanded in God's Law: "Every male who opens the womb shall be a holy offering to God," and also to sacrifice the "pair of doves or two young pigeons" prescribed in God's Law.
25-32In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, a man who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see the Messiah of God before he died. Led by the Spirit, he entered the Temple. As the parents of the child Jesus brought him in to carry out the rituals of the Law, Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God:
God, you can now release your servant;
release me in peace as you promised.
With my own eyes I've seen your salvation;
it's now out in the open for everyone to see:
A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations,
and of glory for your people Israel.
33-35Jesus' father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words. Simeon went on to bless them, and said to Mary his mother,
This child marks both the failure and
the recovery of many in Israel,
A figure misunderstood and contradicted—
the pain of a sword-thrust through you—
But the rejection will force honesty,
as God reveals who they really are.
36-38Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was by now a very old woman. She had been married seven years and a widow for eighty-four. She never left the Temple area, worshiping night and day with her fastings and prayers. At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem.
39-40When they finished everything required by God in the Law, they returned to Galilee and their own town, Nazareth. There the child grew strong in body and wise in spirit. And the grace of God was on him.

Visit with Santa

Last week we visited Santa at Sony. It was a fun trip with lots of excitement from the girls. Both talked about seeing Santa and telling him what they wanted. Lillie said she just wanted to stand by him for her picture and that is okay with me. I am not going to force her to sit on his lap, I just wanted the picture together. As you see below she did wonderful!

Then there is Gracie. She was excited to see him and waited so great in line. She kept looking up to where he was standing and telling us to look. She seemed like she would do really good this year. And earlier she told me that she was going to stand by him too. Well, as soon as she came around the corner and was next to go, she changed her mind. She grabbed Alex's leg and started crying. Since I am such a good mom, while Lillie was getting her picture, I pried her off Alex and held her close to Santa for a picture. The photographer looked at me with a "what do you want me to do" look, and I said just take the picture, I do not mind if she is crying in it. Thus we have a Santa stare-down. It is too cute and hard to keep from smiling at it.

Don't worry she did not mind and talked for the rest of the evening about getting to see Santa. Here is another picture from later in the evening of the girls eating cookies at the party. As you can see there seems to be no long term affect of the trauma she endured earlier. :)

My scanner wasn't cooperating with me, and that is why the pictures of Santa came out with a shine. Sorry.

I want a hippopatamus for Christmas!

This is for my little brother! Merry Christmas, Ryan!

Lillie is beside herself with excitement. Every time I come in the living room she is peering under the tree. She doesn't try to open anything, but just making sure I hadn't snuck any new presents under there. :) Yesterday she wrapped a couple of things for Gracie from her and when Gracie got up from nap, Lillie exclaims loudly, "How did those presents get there?" It was too cute. This is going to be such a fun year!

Cow Pee

I had this weird conversation with my four year old yesterday on my way to church.

~~~~~~

Lillie - Mom, why do we drink cow pee?

Mom - We don't drink cow pee, that would be gross.

Lillie - Yes we do for breakfast, milk.

Mom - That is not pee, that is just milk. Do you remember how Gracie drank milk from me? A cow makes milk too. Well, a cow has udders and when you squeeze them, milk comes out. Then it runs thru a special machine so we can drink it.

Lillie - Oh yeah, I knew that, I just forgot.

Lillie - So, where does a cow pee at?

Mom(wondering where this line of questioning is coming from) - Their bottom.

Lillie - But where?

Mom - their bottom, under the tail.

Lillie - Tallie (our dog) squats down and pees. Is that how a cow pees?

Mom(at church now, and wanting to be finished with this gross questioning before going in) - We will look up all your questions tomorrow at table time.

~~~~~~

Now now you know what Lillie and I are doing today, what are your plans? :)

Less than a week

My girls are bouncing off the walls! As presents are appearing under the tree and the countdown to Christmas day is getting shorter, the excitement is growing. Last night we had Christmas with Alex's family. We had a nice dinner and then expectantly one of his sisters brought some gifts for the girls. After Lillie opened her present, she told me that she was so excited to get to open her first present. She got a purple Tinkerbell light and blowup chair that was in a small hamper. Gracie got a pink magna-doodle.

I hope that your family is excited too, but let us not forget the real reason for the season - JESUS!

Special Day

I posted before about Lillie and her friend Josiah, but this story is too cute to skip.

Last night at church Josiah's mom Amie was talking to me and said that Josiah is trying really hard to get Lillie to come back to preschool. I know he has been asking her why she doesn't go and she tells him that she is homeschooled now. When he was at our house on Monday, he asked if preschool was boring and that was why she didn't come back. Josiah tries to convince her to come to preschool by telling her about the new kids she can be friends with.

Anyways...

Amie said Josiah asked if Lillie could fit in their van and she said yes (she has ridden with them multiple times). Josiah proceeded to say that he wanted to take her to school with him on his special day (as his show-and-tell) so she could have a special day too. :)

How sweet is that? That boy is smitten with my Lillie (and who wouldn't, she is a cutee)! Of course, Lillie doesn't mind as she tells me that she will marry Josiah one day. The irony of this, if it really happened, would be that Josiah's Grandpa introduced Alex's parents! What a story that would turn into decades later.

The countdown is on!

Christmas is just around the corner!!!!! The girls and I are so excited. Lillie and Gracie have been putting on their ornaments on their felt tree, counting the days until Christmas Day. I have the baking bug and am trying to hold off until right before we have guests, so I am not too tempted to eat all the goodies. :) I tend to bake all year long, but there is just something about the Christmas season that brings it out even more in me. The only wish would be I had someone to clean up after I am finished.

All the shopping is finished for the girls except stocking stuff and I have Alex's presents bought and wrapped. So, I am ready for Christmas except the girls' gifts. Lillie and Gracie have been helping me wrap presents for gma and gpa and a few others we buy for. Lillie is a good little elf. Gracie, bless her heart, tries to help, but ends up getting frustrated that I won't hand over the scissors and tape. "But I am a big girl, Mommy." :)

This coming Saturday we are hosting a Christmas dinner for Alex's side of the family. This will start out our busy week of Christmas. Although it will busy, it is nice to get to see family that we don't see that often.

We saw Santa last night. It was an adventure. I will share more after we get the pictures back so you can fully enjoy the tales. :)

Have a wonderful Wednesday.