Raising Three Arrows.: Christmas 2012

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Our best Christmas yet!

Breathtaking.

Witnessing the wide-eyed wonder, the barely-can-contain-it excitement, so many OhMyGoodness! moments....it was...magical! awesome! All His grace.

I read the Christmas Story to the boys several times; leading up to and on Christmas Eve, wanting them to hear it, remember it; to "get" it. I'm not quite sure what I was expecting Christmas day, but I "got" it. Just to wake up next to my husband. To look across the room and see baby boy smiling and hear him "gabbing". To hear the twins upstairs laughing and jumping in their beds. To walk in their room and say "Merry Christmas guys!" To see their faces light up when they realized what happened during the night (the presents, the cookies, the stockings). For Grandma Chris, Grammy and Gramps joining us for breakfast, prayer and gifts.
For little boys BESIDETHEMSELVESWITHEXCITEMENT!! For all the comfort and joy of home and family and togetherness and prayer and peace. Visiting family and laughter and eating and coming home again. Allthewhile holding Jesus in my heart. Giving thanks so many moments through the day. All for Him. All because of Him. All from Him.

It was byfar our best Christmas yet!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Our Merriest Christmas.

"Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head...."

I smile as I hear them singing in the other room.

"...the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay. GO JESUS!"

I laugh. These little guys are amazing.
...

A few days ago, at dinner and out of the blue, E says to us (as he gestures his hands pointing towards himself.) "I'm saved. I am saved. Daddy you protect us? ...And God watches over us."

I have had so much fun focusing on the birth of Jesus this season. And, honestly, I've been learning right along with them. They soak it in like little sponges. Baby Jesus. The Christ child. He saved us. God's only son who came to redeem us. My little boys are excited about Jesus' birthday.

We don't focus on gifts. And while we plan to give some, we don't make a big deal of it. Santa hasn't really come up. We just focus on Christ. This is the first Christmas the boys really "get it" and I don't want to miss this opportunity to set a solid foundation. The mindset, "Christmas is about Christ, a baby born in a manger, sent to us to save us, to become a bridge between us and God." If they can get that, if we can focus on that, everything else is just extra blessing.

We've been following the advent Truth in the Tinsel, reading bible stories, making ornaments. We read books, sing songs, dance. The boys participated in their first ever Christmas program at church last week. Well, sort of. Z was the only one who actually made it to the stage. And he did awesome. For a moment, he was looking around, slightly frenzied because he didn't see his brother, "E-I, where are you? Where's E-I?"....
As soon as we got to the front, E said, "I'm too scared mommy."
"Okay buddy, it's okay, we'll sit over here and watch..."
Maybe next year, my big boy will make it up there. It was still a very sweet moment in time. Possibly my only opportunity to put them in vests and ties. haha.

And there's more time. More days of following Joseph and Mary, and their friends. More days of reading, singing, creating. More days of family gatherings and outings. Of course, all in between these crazy sick days. Oh Lord! save us from the sick days!

I'm just so incredibly thankful. There are these days when I honestly think my heart might explode from all this joy. I say this always, "Even in the midst of chaos, struggle, tears, sickness; there is this joy that comes up and pours over; I cannot help but smile, be thankful."

This just might be our best Christmas yet!