'Tis the Season...

 

It's Christmas time and our house is in full Christmas Camo! Our trees are decorated with new and old, with glass and glitter, with snowmen and seashells. We have treasured knick knacks given by friends and made by our little angels. Each with it's own memory of Christmas' past. Our shrubs are lit, outdoor candy canes aglow, and two mini Christmas trees flock our front door. Candies fill the Christmas dish to greet guests and offer a parting gift to visitors. There are a few presents under the tree, along with a train set for little ones to see. And ofcourse our magic Advent box does not disappoint! Our little manger scene was a toy set given to the girls by their grandmother and all kids love playing with it. From entering our front door one might say we are ready for the great celebration!
You know what they say, "be careful not to judge a book by it's cover". For if you traveled past the front porch, down the decorated hall, through the scent of the cinnamon candle and past the beauty of the brightly lit tree you would find our bedroom. (insert Psycho scream here) I once heard a friend jokingly call her bedroom a frat house (not b/c of the fun but due to the mess) and that is EXACTLY what my bedroom looks like! Using your shoulder to push the door open you will be assaulted with the vision of wrapping overload! Overflowing containers of wrapping tissue, loosely rolled ribbon, tape (clear, packing, double sided), miscellaneous shirt boxes (good luck finding the matching pair!) and gift tags galore! Once you step over that chaos you will soon find yourself wondering what on earth all of those Kroger bags are doing in the bedroom. Fear not..there are no refrigerated items in there! That my friends is my brilliant disguise! All gifts are hidden in that quadrant, overlooked by wandering 7 year old eyes and dismissed by 4 year old curiosity as merely Kroger buys! B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T right? Unless you are a 37 year old woman needing a trip to the loo at 2 a.m. Then it becomes a test of agility. So far I've only one bruise. Not so bad. If you dare run the obstacle course (ironing board challenge is a doozy!) you'll find the pathway beside my bed that is at this moment storage for Kendall's new room, that has yet to be built. Her new bedding is lovely, sure to be a pleaser when given the chance to adorn her new bed..yet to be bought.
Now by this point you are wondering why you didn't tie on some of that ribbon to find your way back to the door. You might realize that yes, that is a bed beside you and you fling yourself onto the mound of covers (of course the bed isn't made..would it really make a difference??), you'll shimmy your way to the other side to find the only patch of carpet not covered with tinsel. Quickly look to your right, look for the shiny door handle and run for it! Careful, don't forget the wrapping boxes are there. Did I mention the cat? The sneaky, stealth-like black little hot-mess that likes to take a whack at unsuspecting bare feet while playing ninja under the bed? Hope you enjoyed your Tour de Roy. We are considering selling t-shirts...
We are totally absorbed in holiday happiness and madness! Loving every minute of it, well maybe not every minute. We are still looking for Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus that my great-aunt handmade...can't seem to find that Christmas container. And we're missing a few stockings that should be hung with care by now! The new cat is annihilating the glass ornaments one day at a time and the old kitty is puking daily due to his new diet of fake fir. My youngest has already asked if she has to wear that shirt again (she won't be able to wear this Christmas tree size 4 forever!!) and my oldest is asking more questions than I want to answer..can't we just have one last magical day?
So what do I hang on to you may ask...why do I do it? Read it again...it's really quite beautiful. Beautiful chaos, woven with great stories and memories of something other than ordinary. It's the effort, the knowledge that my chidren will one day, years from now, come home and ask why i didn't put the snowman on the shelf. Some random something that i won't think they paid attention to but they did. I know, I remember doing the same with my parents. It will be details that they remember that they leave here with and carry on with their families. It's the celebration of the best day of the year...the day you can't imagine not spending with the ones you love. All of them! And decorating for them, so that they know you want a party in Jesus' honor as a way to show your love to Him and to them. I'll take the chaos, the bruises, the sometimes snarly attitudes...as long as I get a chance to live vicariously through my children on Christmas morning, as long as I get a chance to connect with friends old and new, as long as I get to delight someone with a great gift, as long as I get to be delighted with others thoughtfulness, as long as my holiday centers around Christ and brings with it all of these things. That is why we all do it I believe. I do Believe.

Kendall, Mallory and Ty

OMG!! (as my Brownie Scouts would say) I can't believe it's been over 5 months since my last post. So much has happened in that 5 months! Where to start...
The biggest news to date is the referral of our little boy. Let me try that again..The referral of our little boy!!!! Because of all the rules and legalities I am unable to post his sweet pictures, but I can attest that he is quite the cutie. His birth name initials are T and Y, and we really love the name so we're keeping it and his nickname (everyone in this family has a nickname!) is Ty. Our little guy Ty. He's a healthy and happy little boy who wasn't afraid to show his smile in one of the two pics we received. We recently booked our first trip to visit him, we go after the new year. We will have a few days to spend with him while he is still in the 'months old' stage of his life. When we return for him on the second trip he will likely have celebrated his 1st b'day. We are a little sad over that and truthfully we pray that somehow we get to be with him on his b'day...but either way we are happy to say we know his sweet face, how old he is and the precious little background that was shared with us. Blessings all around!
The girls are definitely excited about Ty's arrival. They already talk about him and even their friends are referring to him as if he is already here. It's really a treat to hear and watch. Kendall presented a report last week on Timkat. Timkat is the Ethiopian festival of the Feast of Epiphany. She told her class how this festival is the biggest, most celebrated in Ethiopia and lasts for 3 days. In remembrance of the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. ..hmm...I was just about to give a brief review of her report but I have a better idea. I'll video her and post it. She is really quite educated on the topic and would be able to deliver in a much better manner. I'll work on that today. Stay tuned...
Mallory has thrived in her Pre-k program and is sure to blaze a trail straight through Kindergarten. Her laugh has always been contagious but now she pairs it with honest to goodness humor and lights up the room. Today is her Christmas Program and she plays the ever popular role of 'the chicken'. Yep, there was a chicken in that barn, right there by the manger...go look it up...no time to argue this. She has voiced her own concern over being a 'turkey', we assured her that she was a chicken NOT a turkey, no way a turkey! For now she has accepted her chicken status, if only for the glory of being a level about the lowly turkey. Dear Play Director: We encourage you to stick with chickens to represent the fowl feathered friend of Jesus...we've noticed the chickens and turkeys have begun to separate themselves from one another, we have no idea why of course.