Christmas Part 3

This Christmas coverage wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t share how our own family celebration went.

Let’s start off right. After a few swallows of our preferred beverage, we engaged in the Christmas story. There is always something new to be gained from listening to the story again.

Then it was time for the kids’ gifts. Here’s what we did this year. You might remember reading this before Christmas and that’s what we chose to do with our own take on it. To begin with, Bill and I hardly ever give each other gifts at Christmas. It varies once in a while, but we pretty much stick to that. The kids only received a few gifts but as you can tell with these smiles, it doesn’t seem that they mind at all.

And that was that. Seriously.

I did hear one little comment about not getting a lot of toys but he himself said that it was better to be able to give and I praised him for seeing the difference.

And that is what we wanted to have happen.

My kids each gave a “gift” towards whatever thing they wanted to give. It looked different for each one, but fit them exactly. In turn, I didn’t pile gifts upon them, compensating or rewarding them for doing so. I let it be what it was. If I had, I would have taken away the joy that was theirs to embrace.

After the traditional Christmas meal of steak and sweet potato fries… uh, it was really nice out so Bill grilled steaks, the rest of the day was spent tuning, tightening, attaching, playing, recording, reading and just being together.

Christmas Part 2

Bill’s family came after Christmas for a few days, so the yum, fun and burp lasted a bit longer (quiet being a relative term here- only 5 cousins versus the 10).

Banangrams- putting this in because everyone said I should

Then, before gifts, a cousin portrait. Or two.

After dinner, a walk.

And after that- a visit by a bunny.

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Yes, my sister got a bunny for her birthday and needed Dr. Denise to show her how to clip the bunny’s nails. (That’s the very short story.)

My sister also brought the girls, who promptly disappeared to play with the kids and, of course, Valor. I took pictures of him, but won’t show them because Bill’s parents never stopped playing with him long enough to get a good, non-blurry shot. Who can blame them?

We split up the next day- Steve and co. along with Grandma and Luke went to Des Moines to take Denise to the airport *sniff* and then visited the Science Center. The rest of us stayed home and cheered our best for the Cyclones in their bowl game. *sniff*

The next day, we decided to see the High Trestle Trail Bridge which is just west of Madrid. You can see from the pictures that the bridge is lots of fun. The day, for being the end of December was wonderful, though a little windy up high, of course. At night the arches above the bridge are LED lit, so we are going to have to go back another time.

Tayla discovered the dress-up box and danced to the Nutcracker for us. I’m forgetting which movement she danced to- maybe the Arabian movement.

Then we had appetizers for supper (recipes to come), watched the ball drop in New York, *yawn* (By the way, that is completely uneventful for everyone except those actually present in Times Square.) and went to bed. *see yawn above* The Texas cousins left the next morning.  They were reeealy hoping for snow and the night before they left was the best chance of it appearing. *sniff*

It’s Concert Season, Part 3

Audrey’s band concert was the week before school let out for break. This concert always compromises of the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade bands. Though it makes for a crowded gym sometimes (as 3/4 of the 5th grade is still in band at this point) it is always good to hear the progression each band makes over the years. The ones who benefit from this the most should be the kids, but a lot of times it’s the parents who can hold out hope that one day those squeaks and squawks will fade away into smooth sounds.

Whoops, sorry about the eyes closed. Didn’t take a lot of pics to begin with and this is the best. (Still trying to learn the balance between not enough and too many pics.) Also, they obviously weren’t playing here because if they were, you wouldn’t be able to see her as the director would be in the way.

Here’s the video.

I realize only grandparents may end up watching this but if you do watch, listen closely.

I don’t want to point this out as a fault, but as an observation. The woodwinds pull away from the rest of the band with their own tempo (meaning speed). And while I listened and cringed, fearing an unsalvageable catastrophe, the whole band somehow pulls it back together and they go on. A younger band would probably  fall completely apart, have to stop and then start up again. I’m not saying that Audrey’s band is like, THE BEST!, I’m saying that it shows a degree of attentiveness on the part of the students and the coolness of the director. If Mr. Keese was sweating, we can’t tell through his jacket.

*sigh* I love band.

This is also the end of the Christmas Concert Season. Up next, Show Choir Season, Spring Concert Season, Harescramble Season. Wait- how’d that sneak in here?!

Christmas Part 1

I am going to attempt to knock out all the Christmas catch-up this week. There’s nothing that says New Year’s Resolution like blog about your Christmases starting January 9th.

Christmas Eve Day: my family came over early for brunch. We had ham and brunch type foods. Yum. Then we had gifts. Fun. Then we had goodies. Burp. Then the kids went outside because it was warm and they could ride their bikes. Quiet.

I took less than a dozen pictures. I didn’t even capture all of the kids. I mostly captured one kid and you’ll never guess which one.

Not only can Aunt Mindy not get enough of the newest nephew, neither can Uncle Bill.

Sometimes we just need Grandpa’s supervision with our new toys…

Or sharing in the Christmas cards.

And someone’s got to make sure there’s enough first Christmas pictures. I took this duty upon myself.

Everyone left to go home and we went to our church’s Christmas Eve service. It was wonderful. Oh, how I so need Jesus and I rejoiced, soaked in that He came for me. Immanuel.

On the Backburner

Hey there.

These are not excuses, just reasons why the blog has been on simmer lately.

1. Name of blog- BEST energies BEST affections- my e and a need to be elsewhere (even if I have adorable pics of one little nephew)
2. Christmas happened at our house, twice. Real live people trump blogland people- every time.
3. I devoured the book “7” and it’s got me all in a tizzy. Short story- read it.
4. A friend came over for hot olives and conversation. See #2
5. It’s been insanely warm for January (65 ^o  today) and if I didn’t go running on these nice days, well…
6. When the kids are home from school, very little extra gets done.
7. It’s okay to not blog. See #3
8. I’m busy reading comments from my FB picture.
9. I’m forcing my kids to eat poison AKA Butternut Squash soup.
10. Football is only on for a few more weeks.
11. I’ve caught chalkboard paint fever.

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Ok- I couldn’t resist. Don’t you just want to slurp him up in kisses? That’s what I do.  Every time.

Too Cool For Laundry

Words For the New Year

Happy New Year!

What are you hopes and dreams for the new year? Of course, the new year always brings about this kind of response. We like fresh starts.

Whether it is because of the new year or because it is just where I’m at, these words keep coming up.

Freedom

Fullness

Christ

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Galatians 5:1

“It is a question of the freedom of God, which finds it strongest evidence precisely in that God freely chose to be bound to historical human beings and to be placed at the disposal of human beings. God is free no from human beings but for them Christ is the word of God’s freedom.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ. Colossians 2:9-10

In Christ there is freedom. Because Christ is the fullness of God, when we have Christ we have the same fullness to live in freedom.

This is simple, revealed yet still to be fully explored. A good way to start the new year.