One of my Favorite things about Christmas...

One of my favorite things about Christmas is that our girls are still so very focused and excited about the true Reason for the Season. Although I am not sure that we can take full credit, it makes me very happy! It is so easy, especially when you have kids, to get caught up in all the hoop-lah because all the Santa and Reindeers and cookies and giving and receiving and lights and plays and gingerbread houses and hot cocoa and ice skating and trees and decorations and snowmen and on and on and on ARE so much fun, so easy to get caught up in! But, it is these girls, with their passion for Mary, that remind us where our focus should be. How lucky am I??

Josiah may as well just change her name to Mary each December 1st. And she has drawn Adalie into her plays. Adalie is usually Joseph, the Angel, the Inn Keeper and the wiseman. But if you come over to our house anytime in December, be prepared to play a role! Our house is sprinkled with mangers here and there and usually a bed for Mary as she waits for the wisemen to come bearing gifts.

So as I dug back into the archives, I remembered all the roles we have played...

Josiah, an angel 2005.



Josiah and Adalie with Amma, Grandpa, Gigi and GiPa 2005. Adalie still a little too peewee to be under Josiah's play directing!

One of our all time favorite pictures, Christmas 2006, Mary and Joseph.

Josiah as a wise"girl" in the Christmas Play 2006.

Inn Keepers with Grammy and Papa in Bethlehem 2007

And so this year was no different. Our girls were so excited to participate in the Christmas Story once again! And they were adorable!!

Josiah and Adalie with all their angel friends.

Our 2 little angels. I love that they hold hands and did so through much of the play that night. May they continue to hold one another's hands all through life!

Singing

and dancing. Hallelujah!!

Rejoicing in Saddness

On Sunday I found myself once again unable to sing His praises because of the burning tears I was trying desperately to hold in. It seems that it is always then, when I am standing peacefully with my family, listening to the music, grateful for so many things, that I am no longer able to keep myself wrapped up into the business of life and my mask begins to dissolve. And as I asked myself what are these tears, they are not the usual overwhelming gratitude of His love and blessing to me despite my many flaws, they are not the panic of wondering if we are doing all we can to raise our children in His ways, then her face came into my mind.... the gentle face of Seth's Grandma Catherine. She is currently in her last hours and although I rejoice in her 95 years of wondrous life, there are a few things that I grieve. I grieve that the last decent picture of her I have with my girls is Christmas 3 years ago. I wish now that I had snapped the picture of our last outing with her in Fresno, with her lap piled high with the girl's things and one girl on each handle of her wheelchair, or the Melodrama we attended in North Fork as her eyes danced with delight, or one of Adalie making the little old people she lived with smile with just her presence alone, or one of Josiah who has just a tender heart toward the elderly and would without fail give Grandma a love and hold her hand, or one of Adalie making her laugh as she measured the distance from one wheelchair to the next. I grieve that she is finally here in the mountains and going to sit with her or take her shopping to remind her she was loved was so easy, just a minute away from school each morning. I grieve that she will not spend another Christmas with us, to let us giggle that she hardly will touch her dinner, but promptly gobble up her sweets or to ride down Christmas Tree Lane with us. I grieve that I did not write down the stories she told Seth and I so many years ago on our weekly Friday night dinners as we drove through Fresno. I grieve that she will not get to meet the 2 new great grand babies that are coming in just a few short weeks.

So, as I know all too well how difficult it is to let someone go no matter their age, I will again trust in the Lord that He alone is sovereign. So as her body fails her and her eyes grow darker, I will rejoice because she is so close to meeting her Maker, to dancing once again!

I will rejoice in my sadness.

A Getaway

Seth and I took a little getaway to Kauai to celebrate our 11th anniversary. It was our first time leaving our girls. Yes, we (or maybe just I) were a bit nervous (you should have seen the ridiculously long list of instructions, numbers and contacts I left. Luckily our families know I am neurotic and love me anyway!) , but we were also really excited because we knew our girls would be well loved while we were away! It was the little things I began to anticipate - watching the movie on the airplane, uninterrupted conversation, no strategic nap planning, doing something on a whim, diving or snorkeling together without worry, leisurely dinners, and the list goes on....

The bungalow we stayed that had gotten grandfathered into being literally right on the beach! It was so nice to leave our sliders open on the top floor at night and be lulled to sleep by the crashing of waves! Or run down to the beach with just swim suit and snorkel.

We drove a little red Mustang convertible and had alot of fun just pressing a little button and having the top roll down!

We ate yummy food over leisurely meals with lots of (non kid) conversation!

We snorkeled alot and saw some amazing wildlife including shark, turtles, and lots and lots of fish! And our day of scuba into the caverns was exciting!

We surfed (or at least tried to catch a wave or two).

We paused to take in every glorious sunset.






Ok,now we are just having some giggles and fun with our camera!




Each night the sunsets got better and better! Lasting long after the sun had gone down....

We drove around the island and saw some of the island's beauty.



We walked on the North Beaches with the big surf.

Apparently the North Beaches were not fit for entry!

What a beautiful place.

We enjoyed lounging on our veranda over looking the ocean.

"our beach" right out in front of our bungalow. Most of all, I enjoyed having the gift of giving my husband my undivided attention for 5 whole days. So thank you to all of you who stayed behind and took such loving care of our girls. And thank you Mister for planning such a glorious getaway!

Thanksgiving (and the world's longest post)

Our Thanksgiving festivities were full of wild and woolly fun!

After celebrating a Thanksgiving feast with Josiah's Kindergarten class of soup they had made, bread and cookies....



Josiah and Kaia

We headed to Disneyland!!

Adalie and Papa looking up excitedly at Dumbo!

Josiah chose the pink Dumbo for her and I, a perfect fit for our girl who likes all things pink and pretty.

Uncle Jon and Aunt Jen

Adalie and Papa flying.... I guess we should have told Papa who is afraid of heights that Adalie likes to fly high!

Aunt Jen and Josiah (5yrs) waiting in line.

Adalie (3yrs) people watching.



Josiah has always been our girl who will try anything once and if she likes it she will do it again. Although I am sure there will be a time in our lives that we will not like this quality as much, right now it is alot of fun to experience new things with her with very little convincing. Adalie on the other hand takes a bit of convincing. Good thing she has such a sweet sister who encourages her and shows her the ropes.

So, this trip to Disneyland, Adalie had some fears to conquer. The first was Mr. Toads Wild Ride (Daddy's Favorite). The cure, she pointed right back at the Judge who pointed at her.

The second, was The Matterhorn. Her strategy, growl back at the pretend bear whose eyes light up. From the look on her face at the end of the ride, she might not have been so successful with the whole conquering fears thing on this one. But she did note that the bear's arm was broken? and she would like to go again the next time the bear is not in the mountain. Request noted!
Good job being so brave pee-wee!

Mommy and Adalie on Pooh Bear's ride while everyone else rode Splash Mountain.



As fate would have it, Papa got SOAKED from head to foot on Splash Mountain while everyone else stayed relatively dry. Thanx for taking one for the team Papa but too bad it wasn't some other random guy.



The closest Adalie would get to this bear was touching his hand and running while he was distracted with another kid!

Uncle Tay-Tay missed a midterm to meet us in Disneyland... ooohhhh busted!!

But at least there was someone who would spin the teacups fast!

Waiting for the parade.

Front row seats.



One last photo-op.




One last churro.

One last ride.

Disneyland is so much fun to see through the eyes of these little girls!

Tired Sisters

Then off to Shaver for a relaxing few days of turkey eating,

book reading,

cooking,

crafting,







motorcycling,



and family picturing.

Campbell-Taylors, Stewarts, Waltners and Hurts.

Papa CT, Mimi, Grammy and Papa with the girls (5&3yrs)

Uncle Jon and Aunt Jen

Uncle Tay

Daddy and his girlies

The siblings

Papa and the girls

Once again we had alot to be grateful for this year. As we went around the circle Daddy was thankful not only for the provision of the things that are necessary, but a few of the unnecessary too, Mommy was thankful that despite her many flaws she still has a family and a God who love her, Josiah was thankful for the whole world and Adalie was thankful for her family. But the list goes on and on. We have been greatly blessed!