Christian Momma

As the Christmas season is approaching, I have been listening to my Christmas music. One of the songs that I listened to today was “Follow the Star” by Point of Grace and Clay Cross.

As you listen to the music, ponder the words (listed below the video)…

O, winter night of wonder – night of promise long foretold
When angel voices filled the heavens high above
Announced the joy of the ages and His glory to behold
For into this world is born the wondrous Child of Love
O, star of hope that leads us to His manger
Shine your light upon the newborn King
For all who seek to find new life
Make a gift of your heart
And follow the star
To hear the song that heaven sings
Like the wise men of old
Come follow the star
They laid their gifts before Him on that night so long ago
Stood in His presence every pilgrim great and small
To worship at His manger is to kneel before His throne
Laying our burdens down the greatest gift of all
O, star divine that brings us to our Savior
Give the light of love to show us our way
In place of gold lay down your life
In place of frankincense and myrrh
Abandon all

I pray that through this Christmas season that the story of Jesus’ birth will become real to you and that you would recognize what it meant for God to step down out of heaven to save you and me!
God gave us such a wonderful gift of his Son. And it was just that…a gift. There was nothing we did to deserve such a gift. And the best thing is that we get to celebrate His birth at this time of year.

May you all have a Blessed Christmas Season!!

I was taking photos of my Christmas decorations and thought I would share some of my photos here, along with my favorite ornaments on my tree!  But first, let me show you my decorations!

Our Fireplace

There are a lot of stockings here…The red ones are for my boys (4), me, and my mom since she visits for Christmas.  The Soccer one is my husband’s stocking.  We just got the Wreath this past weekend.  When we first put it up, we had some different things on the Mantle, but the wreath came crashing to the ground taking out everything (except 1 thing) out on it’s way down.  What survived, you asked?  Let me show you!

Our “Nativity”  It’s really just a statue of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus

This is the only thing that stayed put on the mantle…everything else came crashing down.  Kevin and I thought it was neat that the statue of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus stayed put!!

This is our Mini Tree

The Tree is a Fiber Optics type (you can’t really see in the light), and my one and only “Coke” village house.  It also has lights in it, but it’s too bright to see them.

Yes, that’s hand sanitizer you see there…this table is sitting right next to the front door!! LOL

This is my Christmas Tree

We have one of those pre-lit trees…this is one thing that I’ll never go back to a tree that you have to put your own lights on.  It takes too long! LOL

Our Angel

Sorry this is such a bad photo, I’m almost embarrassed to show it.  I took it from my cell phone! She’s a Fiber Optic Angel, she’s broke too.  My twins decided that playing with all the ornaments and the Angel (before I had a chance to put the decorations on the tree) would be a good thing.  So we’ll be looking for a new one…after Christmas.

My “Mom to Be” Ornament

Kevin bought me this ornament when I was pregnant with Michael back in 1996.  Isn’t it cute!!  I think this might be my favorite ornament!!

Baby’s First Christmas

This is Michael’s Ornament that he got as a baby!  It’s a cute boat with animals in it.

Baby’s First Christmas

This is Noah’s first Ornament for Christmas.  On the left you see a photo of Noah (in a Taz outfit…one of our favorite), on the left it’s a Nativity scene.

Baby’s First Christmas (x2)

This is the ornament that Daniel & Andrew each got (we got 2 of them) on their first Christmas.  On the back side of the ornament, we put their name.

Colorado

Kevin and I bought this ornament to remind us of or time in Colorado.  It was bought our first year out there.  We used to get 1 ornament every year to remind us of what our year had been like.

Our First Home

My sister bought us this ornament in 2002 after Kevin and I bought our 1st home together.  It was in Minnesota, so I thought it was appropriate that it looked like there was snow all over the windows (that’s how it came, I didn’t add any snow to it).

Cross

My sister bought me this ornament just last year…isn’t it pretty??

Icicle (x5)

This is a set of ornaments.  My Aunt made these for my mom, my other Aunt, and each of the Grandchildren (mom’s side).  The icicle was originally part of a chandelier that used to hang in my grandma and grandpa’s house.  We (as kids) used to play with the pieces of the chandelier!  My Aunt converted the pieces to icicles and gave them to us for Christmas one year!

I hope you enjoyed seeing a few of my decorations!!

Merry Christmas!

May your day be filled with wonderful memories with family and friends.  And may you remember the reason we celebrate this Christmas season.

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

God Bless you and your family!

2008 has come and gone already.  It sure seemed to go by quickly…sometimes a little too quickly!

January

The year started out with me beginning to work on Power Lab VBS (Ah Ha!).  I was also homeschooling Michael.  We were pretty on top of our schooling and things were going pretty smoothly at the time.  I was also beginning to work in the K-1 Sunday School class room at church.  That, wasn’t going as smoothly as I had wished.

February

VBS started to consume my thoughts.  I was having dreams about not being ready, and just an overwhelming sense that I’ve bitten off more than I could chew.  AKA…I wasn’t relying on God to help me, I was relying on my own strength to do it.

February also brought about Daniel & Andrew’s 3rd birthday as well as my 34th birthday.

Michael entered his first Science Fair and ended up with a Superior rating!  I was proud, but knew full well that if he had applied himself earlier in the month, but he decided to wait until the last minute to do it.  Then we hit a rough patch in our homeschooling…a bad one.  Causing me to question my ability to teach him not to mention my basic parenting skills.  But, through the Grace of God we got through it with help from some friends in our church.

March

March brought in a lot of saddness.  My grandmother’s health begain to fail drastically.  And a friend of mine lost her child in a horrible accident. My heart ached in ways I never knew it would.  Things in me shined trhough as well.  I didn’t realize how “in tune” I was to other’s saddness.  Michael had a meeting with the staff from his online school and things turned out so much better than I had originally anticipated.

April

In April, I took a blogging break…school slipped behind and I had to push Michael to get as much done as possible a day!  Spring seemed to bring out the worst in his schooling abilities and slowly we fell behind.

May

I won this Word Press blog…I’m ever so greatful to Lisa for hosting the giveaway that allowed me to win! The final push to get VBS was upon us.  VBS was scheduled for the 2nd week of June.  My grandmother passed away that month as well.

June

VBS week came and went without too much problems.  Yes, there were a few bumps in the road, but overall things turned out GREAT!  I was elated that things went as well as they did and relieved that it was all over with as well.

July

We celebrated Michael’s 11th birthday in July along with Kevin and I’s 14th wedding anniversary.  In between those 2 events, we threw my mom and dad a 60th Birthday/40th Wedding Anniversary party.  We were very impressed that we were able to pull it off!  Mom and dad had only suspected that we were planning on all going out to eat together, not that we would have all of their friends and family at a hall waiting for their arrival!  We even got one of their friends from High School to travel from Chicago to Ohio to celebrate with them as well!

We also got to see Extreme Makeover Home Edition in our town.  My mother drove down the night before to stay overnight and we headed out to the new house to watch the bus move.  That is a day that was HOT, but I wouldn’t have missed for the world.  To see something like that is a once in a lifetime thing.  Michael still claims to have High-Fived Ty!

August

We went for our 1 and only camping trip of the year.  We had so much fun, and would love to go back to the Michigan Dunes again.  Our church also had a Worship Night.  Something changed in me that night and I have been forever changed!

September

School started right after Labor Day!  We decided to send Michael back to public school since things weren’t working out the best for us at home.  We are happy to report that he is doing wonderful in the public school!

We celebrated Noah’s 8th birthday in September.  We also found out that an eight year old child, when given $20 in cash and not watched very closely at the grocery store (because mom and dad were busy ringing/bagging groceries), will spend the whole $20 on lottery tickets!  And before you ask…YES it’s illegal for him to purchase them, but when they have a “vending machine” of lottery tickets just sitting over by the bubble gum machines, it’s just calling for a child to play with it!  And he only wond $2!

October

In October, Kevin and I started going to a new Bible Study.  I was elated that Kevin wanted to go to one since he has never really showed any interest in going before.

We also walked, for the first time, in the JDRF Walk for a Cure for my Niece.  We were so proud of her, she ended up getting 2 awards…one for the amount of money raised and the other for the T-Shirt design!

November

We celebrated Kevin’s 38th birthday.  How?  Well, I went to a Arbone party and he watched football…now that’s love!

We had our traditional weekend after Thanksgiving shopping adventure.  My parents’ took Michael, Noah, Daniel, & Andrew for the weekend (it ended up my parents had Daniel & Andrew and my sister had Michael & Noah).  We always enjoy that weekend away from the boys.  It’s nice to pretend we are childless…even if it’s just for the weekend!  But we are always so excited when they return.

December

We spent most of the month either running from Christmas Program to Christmas Program or from Christmas to Christmas.  However this year it seemed to be a little less travel than usual.  We only spent 1 night up at my parent’s house and we actually had Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at home for the first time in a long time!

For 2009, I’m sure there will be new things that God shows us along the way, new challenges to overcome and new friends to meet, but I trust that God will be joining us along this journey and we will rest in the knowledge of Him.

May your Christmas be filled with blessings!

Merry Christmas to all my readers (all 2 of you!)

When I was young, every year we had Christmas for my mom’s side of the family on Christmas Eve at our house…well, mom and dad’s, I just lived there because I was too young to get a job and live on my own

Anyway, I can remember standing in the doorway a day or 2 before Christmas Eve waiting for my Aunt Vikki to arrive (she lived an hour and a half away and would come and stay a few days at my mom and dad’s house).  As she arrived, I would greet her at the door and help her bring in her gifts and things.

The mornings she was there, I would get up and make coffee for her and my mom.  I learned how to make coffee way before I even had thought of drinking it (now I’m addicted!).

On Christmas Eve, my mom would scurry around the kitchen moving canisters, the toaster, and anything else that was on the counter out of the way to make room for all the food that was there.  Dad would get the leaf for the table out of the closet and put it into the table, and then get the card table out for the kids to sit at (there were only 4 of us…me, my sister, and 2 cousins).

Soon guests would arrive.  And just as I had waited for my aunt to show up a day or 2 before, I would wait for them as well.  My Uncle Bobby would always have to make at least 4-5 trips to get all the loot into the house.  Aunt Jan and Uncle Tom would come, but since they had 2 children, it never took them very long to get into the house.   How convenient that my sister and their oldest daughter were only 2 weeks apart in age, and their son was a year older than me.  Instant playmates!  My Uncle Bobby had 1 daughter, but she lived with her mom in Florida.

While the guests arrived, my dad would be carving the turkey…I always snuck out to the kitchen to grab a piece of turkey…I loved eating the skin!  I was young then, I didn’t know how bad eating skin was, I just knew it was GOOD!

My mom would run and get my Grandpa before the guests arrived…he didn’t drive, I don’t know that I ever seen him drive…ever, but I’m sure as a younger man, he did drive.

We would start by eating supper, then the kids would be shuffled into the bedrooms to get dressed for the Christmas program at the church.  Then out the door!  Usually it was just my Aunt Jan and My mom and the 4 kids…everyone else stayed at the house.

We would come home knowing that the presents would be opened soon! My Uncle Bobby would never disappoint…he always had gifts for each of us that required batteries!!  We LOVED it!

Gift opening would always go by age, meaning I ALWAYS went 1st!  1 gift at a time, round and round until we were done. Then it would be time for cleaning up and everyone to leave.

Those were great times!  We still have Christmas Eve at my mom and dad’s house, but things are a bit different now…My Aunt Vikki now lives in CO, so we don’t see her.  We no longer exchange gifts.  My Uncle Tom, Uncle Bobby, and Grandpa have since passed away.  There are a lot more than just 4 kids…I have 4, my sister has 4, my sister’s friend (who is like my sister) has 2, my cousin (girl) has 2, and my other cousin (boy) has 3…so now there’s 15 kids!  Can you imagine a house full of 15 kids??  Oh, and add spouses and boyfriends to the mix as well.  It can get a bit crazy!

Thank you for coming on this journey of my Christmas Past!

So, what am I doing today?  I’m shopping!!  This is Black Friday, so that means that I am standing outside some store in the cold at 3 am waiting for the doors to open so we can get some good sales!!

Yeah, I’m weird like that!