Christmas 2009

Merry Christmas to everyone! It seems like Christmas gets busier every year. With Christmas programs at church, buying and wrapping presents, getting Christmas pictures taken, getting the cards ordered and then addressing and labeling them, not to mention the parties and travelling out of town for the holidays. Phew - I get tired just looking at the list! I try to stop and remember the real reason for celebrating this wonderful holiday - Jesus the son of God, coming to earth to save us from our sins. When I try to take in the magnitude of God's blessing in just that very gift, my breath is taken away. I look at the miracle of both my children's births and I am so thankful for their gifts as well. We are continually challenged by my two-year old gift, who has a propensity for sneakiness. I found her chewing a mouthful of gum and took it away, but found her chewing gum the next time I checked on her. After scolding her, she quickly said, it's OK Mom, I got more in my pocket (this said in a two-year old voice I can barely understand). I then reached into said pocket and found more warm sticky gum. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. Another issue with Nat lately was trying to stop her sucking her thumb. The more I tried to keep her from putting her thumb in her mouth, the further behind she got in potty training. We actually went backwards. So, my big plans went out the window and now I am going to try and re-focus on the potty training thing after the holidays. My five-year old gift amazed me this year when I looked at our Christmas pictures taken and I saw a little girl instead of my baby. She is growing up right before my eyes. With her being in school half the day and then with her and Natalie Jane playing so well together off on their own, I feel like her childhood is slipping away. I want to rewind time and make her smaller, so she can just sit and my lap and let me cuddle her. She really is doing awesome in school and actually cried last week when I told her she had a snow day:( That never would have been me. I am happy that she enjoys school, that she wants to come home and do homework and practice reading. That is so foreign to me. I laughed with my friend Beth at church on Sunday watching her in the Christmas program. Aaron participated as well. He actually got a scholarship in theatre and in voice his first two years of college and here's our Bella up front who was barely singing the songs and spent most of the time making faces like she was in pain. A scholarship in theatre - not in her future:) We have a couple of more Christmas parties before we go home to Joliet for Christmas next week. I can't believe that we are only a week away from the big day! I am going to miss all the music on the radio and the Christmas cheer in the air when it's all over. Have a safe and happy holiday everyone - God bless you all!