I'm not dead, just busy.

Contrary to popular belief, I have not moved to some internet-free island in the South Pacific and/or have not gone to jail for killing a man, just 'cause he needed killing.  I have just been crazy, out-of-control busy.  You know it's bad when your own parents call you out for not blogging...AND THEY KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO!  (P.S.  Thanks for caring, Daddy.)

Hmm.  The last 15 days recap:

December 4-8:  We went to Disney World.  Our trip to off to a bit of a rocky start when I was "randomly" chosen to frisk while waiting to board the plane by a female security agent.  Let's not forget that I'd already gone through security and the metal detector and all that jazz.  Apparently my baby bump looked awfully threatening.  I guess I forgot what a threat to national security pregnant women can be. 

To make matters worse, she told me to "assume the position."  I almost asked her which position she meant, like the John Travolta "Stayin' Alive" pose or maybe on my knees in prayer...  In retrospect, it's probably better I left it alone.  She also frisked the woman standing behind me in line.  She was wearing an University of Alabama hoodie, so she and I decided that the security agent was a bitter Auburn fan.  Figures.

We had a great time at Disney.

Eeyore even shared with us (in his own, non-verbal sort of way) that he, too, is an Alabama fan.  He was especially excited about that day's big win over Florida in the SEC Championship.  Bless Jason's heart, he missed the whole game, but did stay updated on his phone.

We ate well at Disney.  Really well.  In fact, food and I became friends again while I was there.

 We ate dessert with every meal.  The kids don't know what to do now that we are back home and don't have an ice cream sundae bar in the house.  Poor spoiled babies.

I miss it, too.

We rode everything.  When I say everything, I mean everything.  The only thing I skipped out on was the teacups.  As a pregnant gal, I feel like I'm riding the teacups all day long, every day.

December 8-16:  When we got back home, we found out that Emma had pinkeye and bronchitis, which would explain why no one got any sleep.  Emma coughed all night, every night at Disney.

After hostessing a party for 20 ladies two days after we got back (I'm certifiably crazy, I know), we moved on to the next big set of events--the Christmas Plays!

First was the church play:

Next were the three performances of Luke's first grade play:

He got to dance with this little cutie:

She led.

 

 

Bless the little present guy in the back row.  He couldn't sit down in his costume.

The play was great, but the kids sure were glad when it was over.  (As were the moms and dads who sat through all three performances.)

I wrote a whole blog post in my head during the Tuesday night performance.  It may or may not make it to print, but it dealt with first grade play attendee etiquette.  I was appalled at how some "adults" behave at a school play.  Truly embarrassing.

So, after two parties this morning, my kids will be home for the next 16 days.

SIXTEEN DAYS.

Oh my WORD.

Somebody save me.

Merry Christmas!

One Size Fits All?

Luke is going to be Santa #2 in his first grade play this month.  We just got his costume in and decided to try it on.

The suit part of it was a perfect fit.  The beard was a little big, but we can work with it.

The only real problem we had with it was the hat.

 

We tried hard to make it work.  There was much whining and gnashing of teeth, but it just wasn't going to happen.

Granted, I birthed the boy and I am fully aware he has a big ol' noggin...like his Daddy.

But, I really think this hat was way too small, even for massive cranium standards.  We had a spare Santa hat (Who doesn't?), so we are going to use it instead.

Here's a side-by-side comparison, just so you can see the difference:

Ho, Ho, Ho!

 So, yeah, one size definitely does NOT fit all.

“A Christmas Lesson Learned from my Kids”

As I put up my Christmas decorations last week, I enjoyed watching the faces of my children as they reacted to the treasured ornaments and knickknacks that we’ve collected through the years.  I shared stories of where we’d acquired some of our ornaments and laughed with the kids at some of their efforts as preschoolers to make beautiful decorations.

The more decorating we did, the more excited the kids became about the coming holiday.  I know some of their excitement was due to the gifts they hope to receive and the thoughts of Santa paying us a visit.  However, they do know the true meaning of the Christmas celebration is to honor the birth of Jesus, and they are thrilled that we get to do so many fun things to celebrate His birthday.  

I remember having that same kind of pure happiness and joy at Christmas-time when I was a child.  I wondered when I let myself get so bogged down in the shopping, cooking, wrapping, cleaning, and just WORK of Christmas that I lost some of that joy.  As I watched the wonderment and carefree happiness of my kids, I reflected on a quote I’d read from Erma Bombeck that said "There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child."   What a painful truth!

Even Jesus knew that the purest, most selfless love and worship He experienced was that of children:  “He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'" (Matthew 18:2-4)

So, this year, I think I’m going to take a little time to be more childlike in my celebration of Christmas.  What about you?