The Coming

Every year I try to re-focus our family at Christmas time....every year I feel like I have failed. I want my kids to understand about advent and the way that Christ came, is coming and will come. All I can do at this point is say it over and over and hope it sticks at some point.

And then the loot and plunder are unleashed. Excessive sweets, excessive toys, excessive everything. What a crazy day!

Despite all the craziness, Christmas is great. Note to self, next year...more Jesus, less presents!

Promises Kept

The most wonderful thing in the world is a promise kept! This season of advent reminds me that God is the ultimate promise keeper. There is no promise made by God that has not been kept. I am so thankful that He kept the most important promise of all - to send His Son to save me and you.

I am also mindful that humanity is sinful and people do not always keep their promises. I know of two little boys who were told by their mother that she would see them for Christmas (after more than a year of absence)...but will now have to spend Christmas without her because of a broken promise. What is worse than the broken promise of a mother at Christmas?

In a world of sin and broken promises, I would like to make the following promises to my family:

to be more patient, to spend more time and less multi-tasking, to be less critical, to love more fully as the Father has called me to love.

Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

Silas' lucky day

Today was Silas' lucky day! He started the morning at Nona's (my mom) house after a sleepover. The rest of us picked him up around 9:00 and we headed to Nacogdoches to see Nanne Sue (Jeff's mom). Jeff dug around in the attic and found some "old" Star Wars toys - Silas was totally excited. We came home after lunch and spent some time outside before the freezing weather arrived. We found a patch of clover and I began telling the kids about how some people believe that you find luck if you find a clover with 4 leaves. Within 30 seconds, Silas says "I found one". Amazing. To top off his lucky day, Jeff's 34 year old Lionel train set started running tonight. Jeff had bought some new tracks, done some work on the engine and it runs. Silas had so much fun running the train around and around...although, I wonder who had more fun?

I'm Alive!

My grandparents with Emma, Silas and Abby at Dinner Theatre

It's good to be back in bloggerland. I have been away during the final week of dinner theatre (and the week after). I have been absolutely exhausted and running at full speed for weeks. Once the show was finally over Sunday night and we cleaned up after ourselves, I arrived home at 10:30 p.m. only to be up at 6:30 a.m. ready for a full week of work and life. I was so glad to be done with dinner theatre but was completely overwhelmed by the mess that was my house, my kids, my laundry, my life.

Several afternoons of diligent cleaning, washing and organizing (and 5 glorious hours of Jaunita's time) have finally resulted in some order. Unfortunately, the exhaustion remains! I am overwhelmed by the prospect of two out-of-town trips and Christmas in the next 7 days. Is there any way to get the holidays to come to me? Isn't it a sufficient explanation that I have three small children, a job and am totally spent? I know...I'm just ranting!

Christmas at Uncle Phil's Diner

For the 2nd year in a row, I am producing Uncle Phil's Diner, our church dinner theatre. This year it is set at Christmas time, 1958. Everyone has done such a great job and is ready for opening night - tomorrow. Aside from the cast and crew, I am most thankful for the ladies who are working in the kitchen. They have been working hard and long to make the perfect meal. What a blessing the show will be...

An Only Child

Abby was an only child this weekend. Such a nice chance for Jeff and I to spend alone time with her. Yesterday she got several hours alone with daddy while I was at the church for "Super Saturday" - our dinner theatre work day. Last night, however, I got several very sweet moments filled with tickles and laughs...just the two of us.

We got this opportunity thanks to both grandmothers. Jeff's mom invited Emma to Nacogdoches for a weekend of Christmas fun. There were all types of activities, a parade and two days worth of special attention from her 'Nanne Sue'.

Meanwhile, my mom took Silas to Dallas for my nephew's 2nd birthday. They went to a giant pizza place that apparently has indoor bowling, miniature golf and bumper cars. He has hardly stopped talking about it.

God blesses children with grandmothers !

Epilogue

Now that Silas is 5 years old, Jeff and I are able to look back on our time with him and have a laugh or two. We had several years of exasperation but always knew we were truly blessed by this boy. While I am absolutely confident that he will grow to be a Godly and successful man, I cannot help but share a few of our funniest stories with you:

He and his best friend (you know who you are) pulled the fire alarm at school, evacuating the entire church and bringing the fire department (now that is cause and effect!)...

He and his best friend crawled out the window of his room and got the mail (while they were supposed to be sleeping) - they thought they were so helpful...

(These are only two of many funny Silas/Johnathan stories)

He took all the screens off the windows of our house...

do you see the screens in the background?

He stripped down naked and crawled up on our brick fence - exposing himself to all the drivers on Rieck Road...

He let his sister color his entire body with a magic marker (when I asked who had colored Silas, she said "Silas" but there was evidence to the contrary because she signed his back...)

Need I go on?