So, I don't have pictures of me & John hangin' out Friday evening while Seth made an appearance at the office Christmas party. I can't show you what a good evening it was eating pizza and cuddling w.my son. I can tell you that I stayed up to watch the end of Prancer & was almost in tears b/c the little girl trying to convince everyone that this was indeed one of Santa's lost reindeer looked just like Taylar. The fact that she was so in love w.this reindeer further made me think of my animal-loving niece :) Click here to see the movie poster, although it doesn't do the similarity justice.
I also don't have pictures of us waking up Saturday morning and enjoying coffee & egg & cheese sandwiches specially made by Deddy. Nor do I have a picture of me once again trying to get John to embrace the movie Frosty the Snowman, only for him to get up & walk out of the room :). I suppose I will try again next year...
John & I got haircuts on Saturday & then we went for a family lunch at Smithfield's. Not a fine dining experience, but bar none the sweetest service anywhere. We got tickled at John looking around and calling every man in there "Pa Pa". I guess they all looked like grandpas to him.
I don't have any pictures of what a "lazy" saturday followed that lunch. We didn't get vertical anymore than absolutely necessary. The best - hanging out in the brown chair w.John in between us. He's our best lil' buddy :)
The low-point of the weekend was definitely seeing almost every hour on the clock Saturday night. That cold John's fighting was full-blown & he coughed all night - it was beyond rough for all of us. The worst part about it was it canceled out church for lack of sleep & not wanting to drag a sick child to the nursery - for his sake as much as the other children's. So, John & I got up & I let Seth sleep in for a couple of hours. He's Mr. anti-nap, so I knew it'd be better to let him try to sleep longer.
So John & I made our way downstairs - I set him up w.his milk/snack and left him & Chester to watch the "The Jungle Book"
I sat at the kitchen table w.my coffee & opened my book Seth gave me last Christmas...
Before sitting down I was almost in tears. I was so frustrated (& tired) that we wouldn't make it to church, AGAIN. Being the 3rd Sunday in Advent & not having sat in the pew yet this month, I was feeling like my "journey to Bethlehem" was falling very short this Christmas season. I started this book last year & not wanting to re-read, I just randomly flipped it open. Lo & behold, what chapter did I open to?! "GRACE" - I had to half-chuckle out loud...God knew what my heart needed Sunday morning & He gave it to me.
I have another blog entitled, "Finding Grace", so it's a literal thing for me. This year, this time in my life has very much been about that - finding grace. Finding it for myself, for others, for the world we live in & most importantly, accepting God's amazing grace. Earlier this year, God put a book in my hands called, "What's So Amazing About Grace," - it has truly been a life-changing book.
So, for "Grace" to be the page I turned to as I'm wanting to wallow & feeling a little lost Sunday morning - He once again shows me that He not only knows my needs, but knows the best ways in which to fill them. I finished the book & my heart was full. As I told Seth later that day - it doesn't offer a lot of new information about what Christmas means, but for someone who doesn't remember NOT knowing the story of Christmas and God's love for us in sending His son, the later part of that book really explained the implications of knowing the story. It explained what it means to accept God's salvation given to us through Jesus - how to truly "unwrap" the best and most important Christmas gift we'll ever receive!
Sunday morning turned into a highlight of the weekend for me. Being able to be still, be present and be thankful. Looking to my right and seeing my precious little boy who continues to grow, delight & thrive. Looking to my left and seeing the candle illuminate the gray day that lay outside the window - the warmth of family and home surrounding me...
I know this isn't a typical "fun things about the weekend" post, but our fun things were not really moments that could be captured in a photo. More importantly, I realized it's better to sometimes just put the camera down and be a sponge for all those lil' moments that make my heart so full.
Not to leave you hanging - here's our "cool dude" in his new pajamas on Sunday - yeah, we all kept the pj's on all day & had LOTS of coffee. Wanna know what else?!?! Guess who made stinkie in the toilet :). The lil' plop was about the sweetest sound I've ever heard...well, almost ~
Waiting For Signs
I used to wait for a sign, she said, before I did anything. Then one night I had a dream & an angel in black tights came to me & said, you can start any time now, & then I asked is this a sign? & the angel started laughing & I woke up. Now, I think the whole world is filled with signs, but if there's no laughter, I know they're not for me.
~Story People
I used to wait for a sign, she said, before I did anything. Then one night I had a dream & an angel in black tights came to me & said, you can start any time now, & then I asked is this a sign? & the angel started laughing & I woke up. Now, I think the whole world is filled with signs, but if there's no laughter, I know they're not for me.
~Story People
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