Belated Merry Christmas!

December 2011

With two little girls in our midst, this truly was a "December to remember."  The highlight of the month was obviously our family Christmas celebration, but this was not isolated to one day.  Instead, we managed to stretch it over the course of the whole month!  Harry and I have prayed about ideas for adding intentionality to our family traditions, and are working to add meaning and character shaping opportunities to our memories as the years of raising these girls go by.  God is faithful to provide ideas...more than we could actually accomplish this year due to having a new-ish baby in our midst!  This Mama is not one of those "bounce quickly back into normal life" sort of mothers; instead, I need about the first year to get my bearings, it seems.  As a result, this entry is about the closest thing we are going to get to a Christmas letter!  Hated not to write one, but life (including multiple sinus and ear infections from Thanksgiving onward) seemed to prevent application of the fleeting moments of inspiration I received in the quiet wee hours of nursing Eliza Hope.  Needless to say, because those hours were so very "wee," I made my way back to bed rather than to a computer to draft a heartfelt message.  By the time more reasonable hours arrived, inspiration gave way to mothering duties and joys...and the cycle repeats!

Giving to others was a major focus for our family throughout the season (because, let's face it, receiving comes pretty naturally to all of us...especially if you are three!).  Susannah spent many hours making Christmas ornaments to give to family and friends, painting and creating and putting special touches onto each gift.  She and Daddy had a "date night" during which they grabbed a quick bite at Wendy's (chicken nuggets are a favorite very rare treat!) then headed to Target to fill a shoebox with basic necessities and small toys for a little boy in a developing nation.  This annual international outreach project is sponsored by the Christian relief organization Samaritan's Purse and is called "Operation Christmas Child."  Before packing and dropping our box at a local church, we spent time as a family watching some videos on the Samaritan's Purse website showing these underprivileged children receiving their shoeboxes with such delight.  We pray that seeds of generosity have begun to be sown in the heart and mind of our overly-privileged daughter.

The normal baking and visiting of the Christmas season was squelched by a sick mama and big girl, along with a sniffly baby.  Two days before Christmas, I was in a heap of tears as I carted myself off to the doctor while Harry took Susannah to the pediatrician.  I was quite certain not an ounce of joy could be resurrected from such yucky, ill circumstances!  As he always does, Harry stepped up and took great care to make our Christmas Eve day special with homemade crepes and fruit for breakfast, a delicious dinner, and several cards to brighten my spirits.  God has provided for our family an eager, energetic, service-oriented husband and father in this man!

We celebrated our family Christmas at our Staunton home on December 24, which gave both girls ample time to play with their new toys.  Then we packed up on Sunday morning to head to Grammy and Grandpa's home in Colonial Heights, where my mom had a veritable feast prepared for the whole family to enjoy!  We laughed and marveled at these growing baby girls--our two along with the two belonging to Jenna and Matt.  Present opening went on for eternity, compliments of Grammy's inability to control herself when it comes to blessing others! ;)  The evening was concluded with a special gift for each of the big girls (Sophie and Susie Joy) from Grandpa, who also has a tremendously difficult time resisting a purchase when he gets his heart set on making someone happy with a present.  This year's "irresistable," as I now affectionately call Grandpa's indulgences for others, was the world's greatest-ever Schwinn Roadster tricycle!  Talk about "souped up"!!!  The thrill registered on both girls' faces immediately when Grandpa presented them with their new trikes, and we all headed outside to test out the new wheels.  Susannah's tricycle is a shiny bright blue, her VERY favorite color!  

As December 25 drew to a close and then passed, we continued to bask in God's goodness to us:  not just in His material provision, which is abundant beyond words, but mostly in His provision of one another.  We have a healthy, though not struggle-free, marriage in which Harry and I are deeply committed to serving one another and the Lord in love.  We have been entrusted with a bright, passionate three-year-old who daily makes us laugh as well as grow in patience, self-control, and servanthood.  We marvel at how challenging parenthood is, and yet how easy it is to love these little creatures who present the challenges!  He has added to our family this year one of the most beautiful, lovable, gentle-natured little babies anyone could ask for in Eliza Hope.  She is truly one of the happiest, most contented little things ever, with The World's Softest Head (if this was a real award, she'd sooooooo win it!), kissable round cheeks, and a perfect rosebud mouth!  Oh, how we grow in our enjoyment of her moment by moment!  He has given us a covering of family and friends who share their love, wisdom, and service...people who truly take on the heart and hands of Jesus Himself to ensure our needs are met and our lives are full of goodness.

We pray that we can continue our "Christmas intentionality" into the coming year in our little family of four and beyond, so that we may be to others a picture of Christ's love for them.