We have come to the end of a busy, but wonderful Christmas weekend filled with family, friends, and excitement! Christmas Eve was spent with our church family at Hazelwood Baptist, and we were reminded of the great love of our Father in sending His Son to Earth to save us. The smell of fresh cinnamon rolls filled the air Christmas morning as Emma awoke to an empty bottle of Coke ("Santa's" doing, of course) and fresh snow on the ground! The white Christmas was a welcomed surprise for us displaced northerners and Emma couldn't wait to throw a snowball at Daddy!
After the opening of the presents I attempted (key word here) to put the kids to bed, but Emma was just too into Mrs. Potato Head and Ethan couldn't get enough of gnawing on the new toy Emma got him. This proved to be a fatal move and resulted in an evening of crabbiness, but the evening was saved with a visit to our good friends Evan, Leah, and Kendall Smith's house. Kendall and Emma are the best of buddies and thoroughly enjoyed dressing up like princesses and dancing around the house.
Sunday morning we were blessed to worship at Hazelwood again and, after lunch, we welcomed Grandpa Mark and Grandma Libbee and celebrated Christmas with them, ushering in another day with lots of excitement and no naps. Thankfully, this was rectified with an early bedtime for all and some quiet time for mom and dad!
As Chris and I reflected on the Christmas weekend past, we realized how truly blessed our lives are and how God has shown his grace and mercy to us through our family and friends. Although we have not been able to go home for Christmas for quite a few years now, God has never left us alone. First, in the sending of His Son and the Holy Spirit, and also, in the form of so many wonderfully giving and loving persons that we are privileged to call our family and friends. Whether through Skype, a card, a dinner, a phone call, or a visit, our family has been blessed beyond measure and we thank you all for loving us.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
