Christmas 2008

Well we're two days out of Christmas. I'm feeling that familiar feeling of blahs which come from the excitement leading up to the one or two days of family gatherings, good food, opening presents, and watching your kids go crazy with their new stuff!! It is so very anti climatic....a sudden drop from the important to the trivial. I love Christmas. Don't get wrong. However it is a reminder to me every year that happiness is not found in the abundance of possessions. I loved my new North face jacket. Wil loved his Leapster 2, and Mags has taken 2,000 pictures of her feet with her new camera. But I speak for all of us when I say what I enjoyed most was having Tommy home from work for 3 days in a row and being with my part of the family that I don't see often enough. O.k I'm done with the post-scrooge-like attitude for real. I'm gonna get on with the fun we had this year.

CHRISTMAS EVE

For 30 years Christmas Eve has been spent with my dad's side of the family which include my 3 brothers whom I think are the coolest, my aunt Linda and cousins, and my mam ma. My sister Angie doesn't get to come in half of the time but when she does Christmas is complete. This year was very bittersweet. My mam ma landed herself in the hospital just before Christmas with a nasty head wound. The hospital graciously let my brother bring her home to celebrate with us for a few hours before taking her back. I don't know how much longer she will be with us and so this photograph is very special to me. My mam ma was a hero to me growing up and the LORD used her to save me from a childhood that could have robbed me of any future at all. It was in her care that I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ. And it was on her bed that every night we read her Big King James Bible. She'd read a verse, I'd read a verse. Looking back I believe my love for God's Word came from her diligence to place Truth before my eyes in the middle of a chaotic childhood. I know she will never read this, but I have to say thank you mam ma. You'll never know what your life has done and is still doing for me. For the past 2 years, we have celebrated at my brother's house. The food was fabulous. And we had so much fun. They really outdid themselves in countless ways.

CHRISTMAS MORNING

I couldn't wait for Christmas morning. We had some wonderful surprises for Wil and Mags. I had one for Tommy that I was about to bust over. I have no actual pictures of the morning because I am stupid with electronics and erased some of my pictures. Ughhhhhhhhh! It turned out that everyone was surprised including me as I opened my North Face jacket. My mom too was exceptionally happy with her watch. Here are a couple of pictures I took after the fact.

Wil and Mags with a few of their favorites: Leapster 2, basketball, Corduroy bear, and camera.

Surprise!!! Here is Tom eating up his new Ipod Touch.

CHRISTMAS WITH TOM'S PARENTS

We had loads of fun here as always. This year we had an old fashion Christmas. We originally were gonna cut a tree down from Betty and Collis's land for our Christmas tree but who can turn down a $1 real tree from Lowe's. Nobody. That is right. However we did make our gifts for each other. We draw names every year and decided to put more thought and love into by giving a homemade gift. It was really neat. I got the best one. Thanks Marinda. Of course everyone would say their's was the best because seriously they were all great. Some even moved us to tears. I would let you in on what they were but you wouldn't get it....."ain't that right Betty"!!

I love my in laws. Being with them is soul food for me.

FAVE FIVE OF CHRISTMAS 08'

1. Mam ma being with us

2. Collis's sweatshirt from Michael

3. My North Face

4. Surprising Tom with the Ipod Touch

5. The gift revolution

Now on to the New Year and the new resolutions.....