As I get this blog ready I just am amazed at how the past 5 years have FLOWN by. The saying "The days are LONG but the years are SHORT" is certainly true. You see the above collage of the past 5 years of Christmases with Emily and Joseph, and below me at 30 weeks (now I'm pushing 33 weeks). Next year Lord willing we will have a baby girl added into these pictures like above! Going to make photography interesting. Hopefully Joseph will be a good help at getting her to stay in the pictures.
Once we got back to GA from our long trip to MS for thanksgiving we decided not to wait on putting up the Christmas tree. Glenn got it up and we all worked together getting the ornaments on and it was so much fun.
We did our gingerbread house the next day, and I think Joseph was more interested in eating the icing and candy than decorating it! Next year we will have a 10-11 month old girl to keep out of it!
We have also done alot of baking so far we have probably hit near 200 cookies we've baked. First was our gingerbread men, then we baked cookies to give away. We took 85 cookies to a small school where one of our friends is a teacher. They were very surprised and excited to receive them. They are a small private school for special needs kids 4th-12th grade. They don't get alot of attention being private so I think we have found us a new ministry project.
Last Saturday we had our GA Christmas party and outreach to the shut ins. The girls delivered cookies to some of the elderly and senior adults in our church. Afterward they came back to the church for lunch and they made a cute snowman ornament that lights up!
Below are our Christmas pictures in front of the tree. I like to make these before Christmas because who likes trying to pose kids on Christmas day! We did the night time ones in p.j.s one night and then our day time ones today. I have to have FULL sun in morning light in order to get good ones, AND I'm so glad I got them to cooperate because it has clouded up and I checked the weather report and it's suppose to be cloudy and rainy for 2 more days...pushing me just 3 days before Christmas, and hey who needs that stress. SO we captured some good ones this morning. Looking back over the past 5 years of pictures in front of the tree it really brings me to tears almost because where have my babies gone???? As we had a rough morning homeschooling it really makes me feel guilty because I want my kids to remember these days as fun loving days, NOT pregnant mommy, who gets mad or irritable because my house is a wreck OR because they won't listen to me. I know kids need discipline and structure, but lately I feel so moody and hormonal that I've not been the best person to be around. BUT God brought all these pictures to my attention for a reason...to help ME see and remember that it's not all about a clean house, OR doing perfect little crafts, OR even baking 200 cookies to give to others, IT IS ABOUT the heart!!!!! My heart, their hearts, and those we reach out too. IF my heart isn't in the right place then ALL I do is worthless. We all find ourselves doing things out of habit just because we've always done them...but oh this year I pray that we may focus on doing HIS will and not OUR will! I hope you all have a great Christmas and I'll post more later!
