Christmas Recap 2007

(remember to double click on the pictures if you want to see them a little better.)

Well, Christmas is over for another year and once again it's time to get back to normal life. I always slip into a little bit of a funk after the excitement is over and then, after I bounce back I am ready to start tons of new projects. For one, I have so many things I want to do in my house- from big projects to simple reorganizing/redecorating. And, I can't wait to use all my new scrapbooking things I got for Christmas and get back into the swing of scrapbooking again. When I think of 2008 I am both excited and nervous. I am so hoping 2008 brings a move back to ND for us, and I am nervous that something would happen to change our plans (stop praying for that Marcia! :) I will be very glad when we have the final OK from Dave's job and we can start making our "for-real" plans. When we were back home over Christmas, it felt very surreal to both of us (as it has since we moved away). In one sense, we feel more at home there than we do here, yet in another sense, we feel like we are fully living here too. To say it another way, we just feel like we are living in two worlds. I so want to move back and fully invest myself in living there, without the fear of leaving. But, does anyone ever really have that security? After all, as Christians this world really isn't our home anyway.

I can't say this Christmas was my favorite on record. However, I did get a chance to spend some time with my 94 year old grandma. She absolutely LOVES babies and had so much fun playing with Graham. She is totally NOT 94, if you know what I mean. She gets up and down from playing with the baby on the floor better than my mom and I combined. It was fun listening to all her stories and I really need to write them all down so I can remember them someday.

Santa paid a visit to the farm. Although, if the kids didn't WANT to believe so bad, there's no way we would have pulled it off because we kept referring to him as "papa" accidentally. Cunning and sly we are not.

All in all, it was a good Christmas and as always, a wonderful reminder of why Jesus came to Earth in the first place...to die for our sins and set us free.

Here's my top five favorite memories of Christmas 2007 (in no particular order):

1. Staying up until 2am talking with my sister in laws

2. Watching the kids all sing Christmas carols while Grandma Shirley played piano (and listening to her make the same mistakes she makes every year!)

3. Listening to my grandma's stories and watching her play with Graham

4. Reading my book by the light of my mom and dad's Christmas tree and eating cookie dough

5. Watching Isaac's reaction to seeing Santa at the window (both times)

Happy late New Year!