Our First Chrismas

9 months after coming home with our girls we celebrate our first Christmas together. It felt like our first Christmas ever due to all the excitement. The focus was definitely on the girls. By noon MaryEllen and I were so tired we put the girls down for their nap and just sat and watched a movie. We were too tire to do any cleaning up. This parenting thing is hard. Both girls were fun to watch as they opened stockings and presents. Admittedly we over did our purchasing for the girls, but we are saving some for birthdays. Dasha got a rocking horse which she loves, and Sasha got a bike, which she will have to wait a while to use due to the snow. They received some other small gifts which are keeping them busy for many hours. That is the parental benefits to Christmas gifts.

We attended church on Christmas eve as a family, and sang songs and heard about the baby Jesus. Sasha is very into baby Jesus. We stayed home this year and spent time as a family, which was a lot of fun. The girls are growing up so fast, and we enjoy seeing them change and grow. Each girls has a distinct personality and we are learning how to bring out the best in each of them.

We went to our friends house for dinner on Christmas and were spoiled with a wonderful dinner and some little gifts for the girls. Very thoughtful.

The girls each had ear infections leading up to Christmas, and ME and I have some sort of sinus stuff now. It seems like someone has been sick since March. Hopefully this is just a phase, and we will all outgrow these little viruses in time.

Thursday is new years eve, and a blue moon. Hope you have clear skies to see the moon. We will be staying inside and spending a quiet night together again. That is our favorite pastime. We all wish everyone a blessed new year, and pray that you are drawn closer to the Lord.

Happy Holidays

We made it through Thanksgiving, with much to be thankful for. Keeping in mind everything is new for the girls, it was fun to watch them interact with family again, and share in the big meal. Every night we pray for thing we are thankful for, so everyday is thanksgiving for us. Now we prepare for their first Christmas. I put light on the outside of the house last week and took Sasha out to evaluate the effort. After coming back inside, she said, "Papa, can we go back outside to see the lights." Everything is new to them, and it makes us see things in different perspective. We have become so numb to so much splendor around us that we begin to take things for granted. The girls encourage us to see things through new eyes. How refreshing!

The tree is up now, and we have bought some Christmas gifts. The girls are learning that Christmas is about Jesus, and giving, because Jesus gave us so much. I read somewhere that a family had a tradition to always give money in the Salvation Army kettles. So, we have begun that tradition for our girls, giving them some coins to put in the kettle. I don't think they understand money, but they will always remember putting money in.

At times we become overwhelmed at our responsibility to raise these young angels. But then we are reminded that we are not called to be perfect parents, but to love our girls and teach them about the love of God, and of His son Jesus. God does the rest. That is a relief.

This weekend we will take the girls to meet Santa at State Farm, and then on to church for a Christmas concert. Sasha is excited to meet Santa, and we will see how they do at a 1 hour concert. I hope they like it.

As we get close to Christmas, we pray that the spirit of our Lord Jesus permeates your home and your life.

P, ME, S &D