Merry Christmas

It all began with the birth of a baby! I can't even imagine what Mary and Joseph went through as they prepared for the birth of Jesus and then raised him. Raising the Son of God - what a job. Tom and I have started a new Christmas tradition - watching the Nativity Story on Christmas Eve. We started this last year when it first came out, and kept up the new tradition this year. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. It just reminds you what was involved with the birth of Christ. After you see it, you can't just read the Christmas story without thinking about the little details. And that little baby, the one who brought salvation to the world, he started out as a crying, hungry, newborn - just like any other baby. As I think about it, it causes me to hug Megan tighter and appreciate her all the more. I couldn't imagine going through all this with her and then offer her as a sacrifice on a cross. Of course, she doesn't really belong to us, She is the Lord's - and we are stewards of this precious little girl. At any rate, the baby Jesus was just like Megan - needy and tiny and so lovable. Thank you Lord for your beautiful son and what His life and death means to us... may our little girl reflect his glory thoughout her life! Happy Birthday Baby Jesus!



Speaking of season of children.... we had our "big" family gathering with all my family this weekend. 20 of us all together! And out of the 20, 7 are of the young variety (not that we are old or anything). 3 generations represented, ranging in age from 74 to 9 months old - Family is an amazing blessing. We've gone through illnesses, losses, prayers and are never short on love. I love you all - thank you for still claiming us as family!
Here are some of our special memories...

Megan and Aunt Kelly enjoying the tree (and perhaps snooping a bit)

Daddy and Megan before all the fun began... Note the extreme pile of packages... with a Christmas opening with 20 people (remember the 7 kids) it can get a little wild!Megan loved the bows and paper as much as the gifts.Megan and Mommy watching the action.One of Megan's favorite gifts was a set of musical instruments. Her other favorite gift was a jack-in-the-box. She loved waiting for the jack to jump out (although here you can see she also loved the tags that came with the gifts).If if she couldn't get the jack to come out by herself, that's ok - it also doubled well as another drum.
The two little drummer girls (Megan and Anna).
Finally, someone to help with the jack-in-the-box.
It was a wonderful gathering that made it a super weekend. Today we had a smaller affair with our little family this morning and then with my parents, and the KKDJA clan this evening. I'll try to get those pictures posted tomorrow!