Christmas tidbits

It's been a Christmas to remember.

The kids are all in bed now, or at least should be, though I can hear the rattle of Gabriel's little blanky in the hallway. He calls to me from upstairs, "Mommy?"

"Yeah buddy?"

"I love you."

"I love you too sweet boy."

"Daddy?" The plaintive upstairs voice is pulling so many darn heartstrings I'm wound about tight as a drum.

"Yeah Gabe," Daddy replies.

"I love you too Daddy."

"I love you sweetie."

And there is quiet up in the hallway, and I sit for a moment with my heart pumping and aching with love and gratefulness for a life full and good.

We hear the rattle of the blanky again, soon followed by a pint sized bedtime fugitive showing up in the kitchen. "Mommy?"

"Yes buddy?"

"I have another question."

"What is it?"

"Why does Daddy work so hard all the time?"

"Well bud, maybe you should ask Daddy that," and I point Gabriel toward Garrett, sitting at his computer at the kitchen table.

"Daddy, why do you work so hard?"

And if my heart could swell any more, it truly does as my beloved husband sends me to find the kids' Bible, so he can read Gabriel the story of the fall of man, to try his best to explain to our budding little man why Daddy works, and teach him a little more about the ways of this world and the workings of God.

I think this is perhaps my best Christmas present this year.

It has been a rather unexpected few days for us. We had our Christmas plans laid out--the morning with our family at home, the afternoon with friends eating a Christmas feast and fellowshiping around the table. Then Christmas eve, after church and dinner and cookies and milk for Santa (and carrots for the reindeer) set out and the kids tucked into bed, Garrett got sick. Quite sick. Out of commission with alternating chills and fever, he spent the night in a blur of severe discomfort. Christmas morning brought three enthusiastic kiddos and poor Daddy giving it the good old college try to be excited and perky along with them, but soon after the merrymaking began Garrett was relegated to the couch and our Christmas dinner was officially moved to New Years.

So Christmas in our house was quiet and leisurely. The kids and I made an admirable mess and Daddy slept the afternoon away and we ate leftover pasta and bean and cheese quesadillas. My simplest Christmas dinner ever.

But we have much to be thankful for, and though I look back on Christmas day and am sorry for a moment here or there where I allowed myself to complain internally that this was not the day I had been looking forward to for weeks, I see that the most beautiful things I've ever wanted in all my life, I have, and who could ask for a better wish granted on Christmas than that?

Last Thursday the kids had their last day of school before break, during which they put on a little Christmas program and sang carols and then shared a buffet of snack with the parents while we celebrated Jesus' birthday. This is a pic of my three little shepherds:

I love it!

Christmas day itself was beautiful, weather-wise. We've only had the slightest dustings of snow this year so far, and Christmas day swooped in bright and sunny and gorgeous. While Garrett napped in the afternoon and Gabriel checked out his new marble tower and Lego sets, the girls and I took a walk around the neighborhood.

We had to take the new strollers and bunnies, and the bunnies had to wear their new outfits that matched the girls new outfits (thanks Grandma!).

There were smiles all around

We have much to be grateful for this year. You may notice in these photos that Gabriel has glasses now--we are grateful that we took him to get examined and caught his condition early. God is good. We have been praying for God to increase our faith this past month or more because the sale of our apartment in New York fell through at the last minute and we have not had any bites since. Next month we start paying for housing in two cities, as Garrett completes his official temporary assignment here in Chicago and IBM stops paying our rent here. We are unsure what God has planned to remedy what could quickly become a precarious financial situation for us. But we recognize that God sent His son to earth to live among us, to love on us, to die for us, to redeem us. We believe He can redeem this too and eagerly await His plan revealed. God is good in all ways, at all times, in all circumstances, to all people. In our home, we believe. And so we say Merry Christmas. A very merry Christmas to you all.