Today was the Big Day!!! As soon as the sun came up...they were off to living room! Digging in the stockings.....
Big Man got a big Lego table that Daddy built for him! He can work with his Legos to his hearts content without them falling off, or having to be picked up and moved. Here he is sitting on *top* of the table. Somehow, Daddy knew he would do this! He purposely made it strong enough to be climbed upon. :)
Here is BabyGirl with her long-awaited gift from Santy.....Samantha's PJ set!
Here is Big Man's long-awaited gift from Santy....The Lego Cantina set featuring Greedo!!!
Daddy built a stable for BabyGirl's horses! It came out beautifully...
After a nice, relaxing morning...Nan, Pop and both Bubs made the long trek from next door to come eat Christmas dinner! We are so thankful to have them so close. It's such a blessing in our lives. We had turkey, ham, dressing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, bread, fudge, pumpkin pie and chocolate pie!! It was delicious!! I noticed when I look back upon the pictures while they were here that several of us were in pajama pants. I love that! Just goes to show how comfy, relaxed and wonderful our day really was.
While I was going through the hundreds of pictures taken this holiday season I realize what a truly amazing and beautiful time it has been. I am so thankful for this time together with my family. To truly be able to unplug from *everything* and just focus on the moment. Making memories, traditions, having fun, celebrating the Reason for the season, putting others first, taking the time to make each other smile, and really just savoring each and every second of the here and now. Time flies. Way too fast. These times are what life is all about for me. I think that's why it's taken me so long to finally write this blog post. To finally admit that it's all over for this go-round. I enjoy the limbo...the lingering feeling that....it's not Christmas anymore, yet we can still hang in this moment of weightlessness a little longer. Enjoy our time with Daddy off work..with the lights still up...the music still playing. But then, the lights come down. The radio is back to the regular old songs. That's a hard pill to swallow. I just didn't know how to move forward. BUT...that's when I finally opened up a letter from Grandma the Great. She always has the words of wisdom I need to hear just at that perfect moment. She cut out an article about loss. Reading that article, it all became clear to me. What I love about Christmas CAN be separated from that time...and felt all year. The article states..."Rather than set our sights on the horizon, maybe we should be thinking more about what stands in the foreground. The here and now. The ordinary abundance happening all around us. Most likely it won't be glamorous, or adventure filled, or part of some radical lifestyle change...but will be found in the mundane gifts of the everyday. We should pray for the eyes to see what we might otherwise miss. What we fail to notice, is that every moment...no matter how insignificant it appears...builds increment by increment the life of what will one day be. They were not meant to last, so much as move us onward. The truth is the future doesn't exist. There is no mysterious song calling out from a long distance. No answers blocking the sun. There is only now. The present moment. The life we have been given. Full of sorrows and joys, gains and losses. I pray for the grace to embrace it all with thanksgiving. To stay attentive to the life I have been given, not for the sake of itself, but for the sake of the One who loves me and calls me to love. Because, in the end, it is love alone that endures. In the end, we will all walk in a land where there is nothing to lose."
THIS is what I needed to move forward. I don't have some great "resolution" for 2015...no great hopes of diet changes, or weight loss, or exercise routines, or lofty goals for my homeschool adventure. My 2015 will instead be greeted with a new perspective on life. To live purposely each and every day. To read the Word each and every morning. To hold onto Christmas...and take it into every second of our future. To give, love, write, hold and embrace each day. From now on. To teach all of these things to my children leading by example...this is my goal. So...in 2015...you'll see lots of smiles, lots of reaching out to others, our homeschool bursting at the seams with life-skill-learning, savoring our time together, and placing time at home together at the top of our "to-do-list". In the hustle and bustle of the everyday...we are choosing to stop. Smell the roses. And enjoy each other. Welcome 2015. You're looking beautiful.
In closing....we give you one of our most treasured Christmas songs/videos. The message is easy and heartfelt. If we all just take the time to listen.
