Christmas prayer request

It seems Christmas, like every other day, brings the bad with the good. I'd like to ask for prayers for my cousin Mulysa (pronounced as Melissa) in Arizona. Over Christmas Eve, she had a stroke and today is having brain surgery. Please pray for wisdom for her doctors to figure out why someone younger than me would be having a stroke in the first place, what they can do to help her heal, and for peace and calm for her two young sons and the rest of her extended family. Christmas itself brings craziness; I can't imagine having a medical crisis over the holiday as well. Her parents are close enough to help, but already face health issues in their own home as well. If anyone has a Christmas miracle to send their way, please bless them with your prayers and lift them up. Thanks, everyone! I'll keep you posted!

Humbuggin'

At the risk of sounding exactly like that famous Christmas spoil-sport, Ebenezer Scrooge, I am going to say something some of you will find a little Grinchy.


                 BAH HUMBUG!


I could also channel the Cathy comic with an, "Ack!" or Charlie Brown with a, "horrors!" You're probably wondering what the problem is. My answer is simple. It's snowing. SNOWING. Sideways. It sounds like the Big Bad Wolf is out there. It feels like it's trying to make up for the winter we had last year, a winter in which we had no delays or cancellations due to weather. A winter I would more than happily re-live for the rest of my life. I hate snow. Hate driving in it, shoveling it, standing in it, being cold because of it, everything. White Christmases, to me, are incredibly overrated. Snowy Christmases means people can't get to church, won't take their babies out in cute Christmas outfits, won't drive to see friends, and will become hermits. Unless you're a kid. Then you'll be outside every chance you get, tracking 12 tons of snow back inside because you forgot to pee before you put on your 12 layers of clothes (including snowpants) and because your hands are freezing because your gloves got soaked and because you got hit in the face with a snowball and never mind the fact that you shoved snow down the back of your sibling's coat and started the whole thing.

My curtains are resolutely yanked shut. The weather channel is predicting 6-12" of the white stuff and winds gusting to 35 mph. Is it James Taylor who sings, "in my mind I'm going to California"? In my mind, I'm way past him already, on a beach in Hawaii where clothes are for decoration instead of necessity. That's not the slap of the screen door against the glass door. That's the tap of steel drums and the lap of the ocean against the sand.

Dreams, dreams.

I'll take pictures later.

Maybe.

Sounds of the season

Poster child for "up to something"
 

 

 

Naughty? At least suspicious...

Apparently even elves are prone to a little naughtiness during the holidays. These ones had been hitting the eggnog pretty hard...



A certain big sister left a dry erase marker unattended.
 

 

WHAT!? I did nothing. Triskal, don't tell!
 

Our neighborhood deer, Autumn, came back for a visit. I heard Bo, the huge puppy (English mastiff, not yet a year old) next door WOOFing delightedly. He was gallumphing around her while she looked at him like, "you are SO amusing, you dear, sweet thing." Didn't faze her one bit. She played in the yard with him a bit and then easily leapt the fence. She turned around and looked at him like, "aren't you coming?" I bet that is THE LAST thing our neighbor wants Bo to figure out how to do...
 

This noisy pair came to visit, too. Not sure if they were up to mischief or not, but they sure were busy hopping around in the tree. There were lots of little birds that day, too, but they don't show up as well since the yard still has leaves in it.
 

 

Christmas with Yoda, Grandma Barb, and Pap

Is that a Yoda I see? Oh, it's a Damon. He's hiding behind HIS "iPad" from Grandma Barb and Pap. It's full of buttons he's allowed to push- what a novel idea!
 

 

"SANTA'S coming?! We better at least look like we're good!"
 

 

 

 

 

 

Shelob and Lego bike

Grandma Barb and Pap enjoy contributing to the kids' Lego collection. Liam got Shelob from Lord of the Rings, and Carrie got a Ninjago bike-thing. We're having a good bit of fun with Shelob, as you can see:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visually stimulated

I swear that these two are only quiet when they are visually stimulated. As soon as I turn on the TV, they come running. If the iPad is in sight, they come running. If I lay down my phone, they come running. If the Wii is on, they come running. Hinrew, they are SO related to you!
 

 

 

A quick "cheese" for the camera and then back to business. I do like the reflection in the iPad. He's so cute. =)
 

 

Christmas Eve service 2012

The kids were absolutely bewildered when I told them to get ready for church on Christmas Eve. "But, it's Monday!" "But, we went yesterday!" Our friends Nina and Jonathan were Mary and Joseph during the church service, and I was not about to miss that!

The kids had a pretty good time, and someone even managed to sneak a candle home...


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Damon's Christmas Eve present

 

 

 

"Yessssssssss! Elmo slippers!"
 

 

 

 

Big Kids opening Christmas Eve present

The big kids each got a gift to open as well. Carrie's was a hat and a magnet with a smart-looking dinosaur which reads, "Dorkasaurus", and a book about wolves. I think you can figure out which reaction was for which item.


 

 

Liam opened a hat and glove set, some books, and his magnet which has a ruler and a rock. "You rock!" "You rule!"