_______This One is for Lola

Adel's mom is a wonderful mother-in-law.  We have a great relationship, and there's something to be said about that!  But my favorite thing about Lola is that she loves on my kids (along with Lolo, of course!).  And, my oh my, did they do a good job of picking out their Christmas presents this year!

Abby holding up her new princess bed sheets.

  And trying them out for the first time (she's napping in her "big girl bed" for the first time right now because she was so excited about the sheets):

Lola and Lolo also got Abby this princess purse that Abby likes to fill with ANYTHING.  Cute outfit?  Yup, that's from Lola and Lolo too:

This is Abby wearing another cute Lola outfit and dancing like a princess:

And this is Abby's signature dance move.  It's not a somersault, she just bends over and sticks her leg in the air:

On to Isaac...

When we went on the Polar Express and Santa asked Isaac what he wanted for Christmas, Isaac said "Megatron!"  And I thought, "oops" because I had already bought him his gifts and no Megatron.  When anyone else asked what he wanted, and Isaac said "Megatron," most of the people didn't know what he was talking about.  But Lola and Lolo delivered!

Lola and Lolo scored what I believe was the biggest hit of Christmas with this one:

It's a Transformer race-car-type obstacle course.  So cool.  And Isaac is one happy kid playing on it right now as I blog.

And this picture is for "The Uncles."  We now have the Legos sorted by color (because Mommy is a wee little bit OCD) and we are SO ready for you to come play again!

Lolo, Lola, and "The Uncles," we miss you we love you and we can't wait for your next visit!

_______Lego Town

We built a "Lego Town" last night for our family night.  Well, at least that was our goal.  Or, at least that was my goal.  In the hour that we spent building Legos for our town, Isaac built these two (an ambulance and a speeder...because every town needs a speeder, right?).  He would have probably built more but he was having too much fun playing with Mommy and Daddy's creations.

Mommy spent the hour building the structures below.  You have to use your imagination, but that's a town park, three houses, a fire truck, a police station, and a car.  Cute, right?  Well, that's the kind of town I had in mind.

Daddy spent his hour creating these beautiful additions to our town.  The tire-dump is a salute to The Simpsons.  Then there's the scary-looking sky scraper and the Star Trek "Enterprise" (because, clearly, a town that is big enough to have THREE whole residents is large enough for a sky scraper and a space ship).  So, Daddy and Mommy (as usual) were not quite in sync with our goal.

Then there was Abby.  She spent the evening creating a tribute to princesses:

But, I must confess, even though I seemed to be the only family member on board with creating a cute Lego town, fun was had by all (and that's really the whole point, right?).

_______New Recipe #2: Classy Chicken

Well, I'm a little behind on my goal of trying two new recipes every month.  Actually about 50% behind!  But I'm at it here again with my second attempt at a new recipe for my family.  This "Classy Chicken" recipe comes from The Best of the Best cookbook from the Best of Bridge series.

3 chicken breasts, skinned and boned
1/4 tsp pepper
3 tbsp oil
10 oz pkg frozen asparagus or broccoli
10 oz can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup grated cheddar

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle with pepper.  Saute in oil over medium heat until opaque, about 6 minute.  Drain.  Cook asparagus or broccoli until tender crisp; drain and arrange in bottom of buttered casserole.  Place chicken on top.  Mix together soup, mayonnaise, curry and lemon juice and pour over chicken.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bake, uncovered, at 350F for 30-35 minutes.  Serves 6.

Actually, I was surprised by this dish.  Although it was not a terribly pretty dish, we liked it better than I predicted.

Our scores:
Megan: 7/10
Adel: 8/10 (that surprised me for sure, but I think he liked the curry in it!)
Isaac: 3/10 (ate a few bites after I cut them up into minuscule portions)
Abby: 8/10 (ate it without even blinking)

My review:
I would make this again for sure.  I made the mistake of serving it with pasta instead of rice.  With the curry flavor, rice is definitely the way to go.  I didn't let the kids help with this one but they could have chopped the cheese and helped mix the sauce and layer the dish.

_______12 Days of Christmas

"On the first day of Christmas, my family gave to me..."

I would love for you to watch this 4-minute video clip of our Christmas music video, written and produced by my cousins, Matt and Robin (as a gift for our parents).  The video commemorates our Lubbock trip...5 moms, 11 kids...yikes!  Enjoy!

The 12 Days of Christmas

_______Christmas Song Rewrite

A friend of mine read my post about Christmas songs that lie (12/14) and then sent me this email:


"Several weeks ago I read your blog on many of the lyrics in Christmas Songs and totally saw/agreed with your view on them. Esp. one song "Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas". BUT, that all changed last night at our Christmas Eve service when our Asst. Pastor shared the story about the artist who wrote that song (Hugh Martin).

At the time he wrote the song it was for the movie "Meet me in St. Louis" and he wasn't a Christian at that time. However, many years after the movie he got saved and in 2001 (I think) he finally rewrote the song and changed it to: "Have yourself a Blessed Little Christmas" . However it is rarely played on the radio b/c of what the lyrics now say. I thought you would enjoy reading them and maybe have a different outlook on the song!"


So, in honor of Hugh Martin's change of heart about the true meaning of Christmas, here are the new lyrics (thanks, Carrie!):




HAVE YOURSELF A BLESSED LITTLE CHRISTMAS (Hugh Martin / Ralph Blane) Sylvia Lange Christmas Future is far away Christmas Past is past Christmas Present is here today Bringing joy that will last Have yourself a blessed little Christmas Christ the King is born Let your voices ring upon this happy morn Have yourself a blessed little Christmas Serenade the Earth Tell the world we celebrate the Savior's birth Let us all proclaim the joyous tidings Voices raised on high Send this carol soaring up into the sky, This very merry blessed Christmas lullaby. Let us gather to sing to Him And to bring to Him our praise Son of God and a Friend of all To the end of all our days Sings hosannas, hymns, and hallelujahs As to Him we bow Make the music mighty as the heav’ns allow And have yourself a blessed little Christmas now.

_______Merry Christmas!

What a lovely Christmas!  Here are the highlights:

Christmas Eve

• Getting ready for Christmas Eve church service and dinner.

My, what well behaved, well-dressed children!

Hmmm, they're getting a little riled up.

I've completely lost control!

Now they'e just a blur.

• Another gourmet Govreau dinner (which, as usual, I did nothing to help prepare).
• Kids in their jammies, excited for Christmas morning.

"'Twas the night before Christmas..."

Enjoying a candy cane with DD and Papa.

• Kids off to bed to dream of Christmas excitement to come.
• Parents and grandparents up past midnight wrapping and preparing.

Christmas Day

• Waking the kids up at 7am and reading the Christmas story together.
• The kids running downstairs to wake up Mimi.

The kids enter the living room to see their surprises.

"Look, a toothbrush!"

• Opening gifts while munching on chocolates and fruits.
• I didn't undercompensate enough for Mimi's gift-buying enthusiasm (kids = spoiled, and loving it!).  

The girls playing with their new dollhouses.

Isaac playing with his new menagerie of Star Wars action figures.

• After opening presents, making biscuits and an omelet (since Boppa wasn't feeling well, it took all five of us grown ups to equal his breakfast-making efficiency).

Aunt Lindsay reading this year's book written by me, starring all of them!

• Staying in Jammies until long past noon.

Beautiful Mimi wearing the necklace Isaac made for her.

• Mimi broke a few expensive wine glasses (on her head..thankfully they were so delicate, she didn't get hurt) when trying to put them away.  After we cleaned up the mess, she said, "Well, we just solved the lack-of-space-in-the-cabinet problem!"
• Watching movies and playing with new toys.

Isaac wore his Rudolf socks and jammies all day long.

Practicing with the new camera.

The place mats the kids made as gifts for the family (see my post "New Use for Old Christmas Cards")

• Eating Christmas Eve leftovers.
• Finishing the night with a tour of the neighborhood Christmas lights and some hot chocolate.

_______Christmas Spirit

In spite of my best efforts this holiday season to teach my kids about the joy of giving and our response to God's love, my children continually remind me that they are, indeed, human.

This morning, Isaac refused to share a new game with his sister and then locked himself in my bedroom (with wailing and gnashing of teeth) when I insisted.  I talked him out of the bedroom and tried to explain how his behavior was selfish.  He listened (sort of) with that glazed stare kids get when they're getting a lecture.  Then he begrudgingly shared with Abby.

Shortly after that, we opened the advent calendar door, which contains M&M's for the kids (pre-counted for fairness). I counted out six candies for Abby and six for Isaac.  He whined, "She got more than me!"

"Seriously?!" I thought to myself.  Out loud I sermonized, "You both got the same amount.  And besides, you didn't earn those candies.  You didn't do anything to deserve them. They are a gift because I love you.  Mommy and Daddy provide your food, your clothes, your nice warm bed, everything you need.  Anything extra is just a gift because we love you."  His eyes glazed over before I finished the first word.

Isaac's behavior this morning brought me back to Christmas three years ago when Isaac was just fifteen months old.  I had been expecting the best Christmas ever that year as I watched my first child, newly walking, talking, and very much aware of new toys.  Instead, we had probably the most frustrating Christmas on record in my family.  Isaac fought, whined, and hissy-fitted his way through Christmas day. Every new toy of his that his eighteen-month-old cousin Lily reached for, created the most intense howls of displeasure. And, the toy-of-all-toys that was most genuinely coveted by young Isaac was Lily's brand new baby doll stroller.  She, naturally, loved her new stroller and spent the day joyously pushing it around the house.  Isaac spent the day following her in a trail of tears.

After Isaac's behavior this morning, I began to fear a repeat performance. I thought about threatening to take away the dollar that we had found in his pant's pocket (don't ask...I have no idea why my four year old has a dollar in his pocket. The pants are hand-me-down is my only explanation).  He was already scheming to go to the dollar store and buy the mock-transformer toy that he pined over for days when we bought it for an underprivileged child in a third world country for Operation Christmas Child.  Heaven forbid that poor child should have a toy our son doesn't have.  Isaac had plans for that dollar.

I almost made the threat.  But then I had a flash of inspiration.  I sat Isaac down on my lap and explained to him that being selfish and greedy are things that bad guys do. Good guys share and love and give to make others happy. This may sound harsh but my boy thinks in black and white. There are good guys and there are bad guys and he wants more than anything to be a good guy.  He just had trouble seeing through his own behavior until it was put into those terms.  And, for the record, I never actually called him a bad guy.  I just pointed out that selfishness is not good guy behavior.  Finally, the glaze disappeared from his eyes and he blinked back some tears.

I asked him, "Are you sad because you see how your behavior isn't good?"  He nodded.  I hugged him to me and assured him that I love him even when he makes mistakes. Then we talked about some ways to behave "like a good guy."  Throughout the day, I have been conscientiously correcting his responses and he has been teachable since the bad-guy / good-guy explanation.  "Isaac, instead of saying 'I want that one!' why don't you ask your sister which one she wants?  That would be very loving and generous of you."  He offered to share his french fries and nuggets with Abby at McDonald's today and didn't throw a fit when I told him we would not be getting happy meal toys.

So, he's learning.  And on Christmas day we'll be having this conversation again before we head downstairs to open presents.  Christmas is supposed to be a day of giving and of loving.  Isaac's behavior simply reminds me of the human condition: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). There's not a single person in this world who behaves completely without selfishness.  Including Little Miss Preacher here.  Just this morning, Isaac woke me up from the most lovely dream where someone handed me a wad of cash and I went shopping for new shoes (lots of them!).  And when I don't get my way, it's not always a pretty sight.  But having my own children to teach helps me so much to learn for myself about giving and loving and the true spirit of Christmas.

_______Preschool Performance

Adel, Abby, and I attended Isaac's preschool Christmas performance today.  He's the shepherd right in the middle there with the light brown head cover.

I'm sure it was just the first in a line of many school performances to come but here were some of the highlights:

• Adel and I waiving like imbeciles to catch Isaac's attention as he scanned the audience for us
• Isaac waving his battery-powered "candle" in his neighbor's face the entire song of "Happy Birthday Jesus"
• Adel leaning over and saying, "I think our kid is the trouble-maker!" (as Isaac was the only child engaging in shenanigans during the sacred "candle" moment)
• Isaac's smile when he finally caught sight of us in the audience (so worth making fools of ourselves for that smile!)

_______Book Review: The Search for Significance

I've made reference to The Search for Significance by Robert S McGee several times already in my blog but this is my official review.  I am going to summarize it here, but simply hearing a summary by no means will take you on the same spiritual journey you would get from reading the book and going through the workbook yourself.

As far as Christian books and workbooks go, this was a superb study.  Robert McGee is a counselor and brings an understanding of human psychology to Christian faith.  In this book, he sheds light on how it is that Christ-followers, like everyone else in the world, can have deep insecurities and feelings of low self-worth.  He describes how we were created to be in constant and real fellowship with God and how the fall in the Garden of Eden removed us from that close relationship. Ever since that point, we have been seeking to fill the gap left by the physical absence of God in our lives and to have the self-image that God intends us to have.  As we struggle to find our worth in God, Satan tricks us into believing some universal lies:

1. Those who fail are unworthy of love and deserve to be blamed and condemned (including myself).  This leads to the fear of punishment and the propensity to punish others.
2. I must meet certain standards to feel good about myself.  This leads to the fear of failure.
3. I must be approved (accepted) by certain others to feel good about myself.  This leads to the fear of rejection.
4. I am what I am.  I cannot change.  I am hopeless.  This leads to shame.

Following a chapter on each of these lies, helping the reader to examine how each lie plays out in his or her life, McGee provides a chapter with God's response to each lie:

1. God's response to the lie that those who fail are unworthy of love and deserve to be blamed and condemned: I am deeply loved by God.  "This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."  1 John 4:9-10.
2.  God's response to the lie that I am I must meet certain standards: I am completely forgiven and fully pleasing to God.  "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."  Romans 5:1.
3. God's response to the lie that I must be approved by certain others: I am totally accepted by God.  "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.  But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation."  Colossians 1:21-22.
4. God's response to the lie that I am what I am, I cannot change, and I am hopeless:  I am a new creation, complete in Christ.  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"  2 Corinthians 5:17.

Having been raised in the church, nothing I read was completely new to me.  However, the intentional process of introspection that this book encourages helped me to see my patterns of believing certain lies about my self-worth and gave me some very practical tools for confronting those patterns when I sense them occurring.  In fact, the last few chapters of the book helps to walk readers through how to, over time, change their beliefs in certain situations from Satan's lies to God's truths.  McGee argues that changing our beliefs is the key to changing our responses to those situations from ungodly actions into godly acts.

My biggest ah-ha! moment when reading this book: If Christ and I were sitting side by side and someone asked God which of us was more acceptable and pleasing to Him, God would say that we are equally accepted, loved, and pleasing!  It is because Jesus took my shortcomings and sins upon Himself and placed upon me His inheritance and glory, that God can accept me as he does His own Son!  So, the next time I feel a twinge of self-doubt because of someone said this or that (or neglected to say this or that), I just have to remind myself that I'm in tight with God.  There's really nothing that can bring a girl down when she focuses on that!

_______Losing Your Joy in Christmas? You May be Listening to the Wrong Songs!

Ah, Christmas music!  I have been listening to KSBJ these past few weeks and enjoying the array of Christmas songs they provide.  However, I have noticed that some of the songs flat out lie.  Yes, I’m sorry if this news just completely crushes you, but there are some songs that are just plain misleading.  Take this one, for example:

Have yourself a merry little Christmas.

Let your heart be light,

From now on,

Our troubles will be out of sight.

Our troubles will be out of sight?  You know the billboards advertising the sale of young women’s bodies for entertainment?  Well, they still greet me as I drive along the freeway this holiday season.  Some day I’m going to have to explain that sight to my young children.  I wish Christmas made our troubles go out of sight, but I’m afraid it’s just not so.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas.

Make the Yuletide gay.

From now on,

Our troubles will be miles away.

What troubles are we specifically referring to here?  This merry little Christmas season, with the cold weather and all, actually brought me a merry little mouse guest (that’s what you call an unwanted house guest that’s actually a mouse).  And then there’s the stress and the troubles over Christmas letters and Christmas baking and Christmas shopping and Christmas decorating and don’t forget a gift for your children’s teachers that’s inexpensive but not cheap (think: creative!).  Since when has Christmas made our troubles go away?

Here’s another Christmas song that tells some whoppers:

It’s the most wonderful time of the year

With the kids jingle belling,

And everyone telling you,

“Be of good cheer,”

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

I agree that this season of the year brings a lot of joy and happiness to people but I’m just not so sure it’s the most wonderful time of the year.  For one thing, somebody forgot to sing this song to the minivan and the sports car that were trying to kill each other on the freeway a few days ago in a fit of apparent road rage.  (All I have to say to the minivan driver who tried to take on the sports car is, “really?!”)  It seems to me that people are generally running around completely stressed out of their minds with holiday tasks and parties and to-dos to the point of bursting, not to mention the fact that all but the privileged few were already out of time and money before the holiday season even arrived.  Yet no one wants to appear the Scrooge so they muster plastered smiles and force through clenched teeth something along the lines of “Be of good cheer!” such as “Happy Holidays!” or “Merry Christmas!”

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

There’ll be much mistletoeing

And hearts will be glowing

When loved ones are near.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

And what about those whose loved ones aren’t near?  There are military families feeling the absence of their loved ones.  And then there’s the firsts: first Christmas since a divorce, first Christmas lonely in a new town, first (or second, or third…) Christmas since the passing of a loved one.  I feel extremely thankful to have my family together for Christmas but there are many homes with a place left empty.  And if all those grieving families hear is “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” they are seriously going to feel that they are missing the boat.  What’s so wonderful about a time of year where you feel like you have to pretend to be happy all the time?

Thankfully, that is not what it’s all about.  Thankfully, there are some Christmas songs that actually get it right:

Hark the herald angels sing

“Glory to the newborn King!

Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled.”

Joyful, all ye nations rise.

Join the triumph of the skies.

With the angelic host proclaim:

“Christ is born in Bethlehem”

Hark!  The herald angels sing

“Glory to the newborn King!”

Last night I was reading, This is the Star by Joyce Dunbar and Gary Blythe to Isaac.

I described to my four year old how amazing it is that God would come to earth as a tiny, helpless baby and be born, of all places, in a humble, inhospitable manger (I’m sorry, but I’m sure mice lived there in the hay and I am not a fan of mice right now, so the manger was most definitely inhospitable).  As I said this, my eyes filled with tears at the wonder of it all.  Why would God do this?

Hail the heav’n born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Son of Righteousness!

Light of life to all He brings,

Ris’n with healing in His wings

Mild He lays His glory by,

Born that man no more may die,

Born to raise the sons of earth,

Born to give them second birth.

Hark!  The herald angels sing

“Glory to the newborn King!”

Ah, there it is: “that man no more may die,” “to raise the sons of earth,” “to give them second birth.”  So that’s why He did it!  And praise God for that!  But knowing that still doesn’t explain why He chose to “lay His glory by.”  Why would the creator of all the universe choose to appear on earth in the form of a newborn babe in a filthy manger?  Why not descend with the glory that is His due?

Here’s another Christmas song that gives some answers:

God rest ye merry gentlemen

Let nothing you dismay

Remember Christ our savior

Was born on Christmas day

To save us all from Satan’s power

When we were gone astray

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

From God our heavenly Father

The blessed angel came

And unto certain shepherds

Brought tidings of the same

How that in Bethlehem was born

The Son of God by name

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Fear not said the angel

Let nothing you affright

This day is born a Savior

Of the pure virgin bright

To free all those who trust in Him

From Satan’s power and might

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Here’s the key and the reason this season is such a joyous miracle for me: “to free all those who trust in Him!”  When Christ came as a humble baby instead of a powerful ruler, it threw for a loop the Jews of the time who had been awaiting the Messiah.  God knew it was going to be hard for them to understand why He chose to do it this way.  However, to those who trust in Him, to those who, like the wise men, humble themselves and accept the infant as the Lord, to those He offers freedom.

And so, this season can be the most wonderful time of the year indeed.  It is the time we remember the humble Infant who is our God and the miracle that He would choose to come into our world in this way so that we could get a better understanding of His nature and His grace.  It is this Infant King who came here to die on our behalf so that we could live joyously with Him for eternity.  That is a promise big enough to bring joy even to a broken family or a struggling individual.

And so I have realized that any Christmas task that becomes a chore and not a joyful response to God’s most amazing gift, is not a task that is worth my resources.  As I teach my children the joy of giving this season, I am so prayerful and hopeful that they will learn that our giving is a response to God’s great gift.  Or, as the selfless nun in Veggie Tales’ Saint Nicolas: A Tale of Joyful Giving says when asked if she helps people to make her feel happy, “No, I help people because I am happy.”  Then she explains how God’s greatest gift has given her such joy that she wants to share His love with others.  And for me, that is what Christmas is all about!

_______Polar Express

One of the highlights of our Lubbock trip last weekend was The Polar Express.

The kids wore their jammies and all bundled up from the cold.  Then we enjoyed an hour on the train of hot chocolate, Mrs. Claus's sugar cookies, a ticket-punching conductor, and dancing elves.  The high point was the halfway stop at the "North Pole" where Santa came aboard and asked each child what they wanted for Christmas and handed each child a "first gift of Christmas" jingle bell.

Think I should have a few more kids? (hahaha!)

Aunt Robin comforting Aubrey after Lily "jingle belled" her.

New Uses for Old Christmas Cards

For Christmas this year, I wanted the kids to make or pick out a gift for each family member.  I also wanted to reuse last year's Christmas cards because it seems like such a waste to toss out the ones we received.  So, I did some on-line research and found some fun ideas that I will use with the kids this year.  Below are my favorites from a website that listed 10 crafts for old Christmas cards.

CHRISTMAS PLACE MATS. Cut out pictures from your favorite Christmas cards form past years. Make a collage with the pictures or arrange the card fronts in rows. Glue the cards/pictures onto a sheet of paper. When finished, have the place mats laminated (or use clear contact paper) and you’re set! Don’t forget to write pertinent information on the back before you laminate, such as the year and names and ages of the kids who made them. These make great gifts. (We made these for our family for Christmas breakfast!)

PHOTO FRAMES. Make simple photo frames to hang on the tree or place around the house. Measure the photo you want to frame, then cut out an oval, rectangle or other shape from the front of the card to go over the photo. Tape the photo to the inside of the card front. Open the card slightly to stand it up. Or, glue the card closed and punch a hole near the top, thread with ribbon and hang it on the tree. 

CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENTS. 
-Select a picture you can cut out, such as a reindeer, angel or Santa. Glue the card closed and let dry. Cut out the picture, punch a hole near the top and thread with ribbon. Or, cut the card into an interesting shape around the picture, such as a diamond or teardrop or star.
-Cut out pictures from the cards. Glue them onto ornament shapes cut from construction paper, lace paper doilies, felt, painted cardboard, craft foam, etc. Punch a hole near the top and thread with ribbon or yarn.
-Ignoring the picture on the front of the card, cut a spiral, starting large and spiraling inward to the center of the card front. When finished, pull the spiral slightly so that it will hang three-dimensionally like a Christmas tree. Use a pin to poke a hole in the top center of the spiral and loop some thread to it for hanging.

We're planning to adapt the picture frame / ornament idea by cutting out a frame from cardboard.  After we cut out the pictures we wanted for the place mats, the kids tore the rest of the cards into small scraps of paper.  

We will use a paste-water mix (just water down the glue a little bit in a bowl) to paint the scraps onto the cardboard (coating the cardboard first, and then coating on top over the layered scraps).  Then we'll paste a picture of the kids on the back so it's visible through the whole in the cardboard frame and we'll thread a ribbon on it to make it an ornament. 

Our Christmas card scraps, ready to go:

My sister did this on a larger scale for Lily's birthday party this year: 

The finished product:

Of course, our Christmas ornament frames will be much smaller and probably shaped like Christmas trees.

NEW YEAR's TRADITION for Christmas Cards:
Another tradition I heard about in recent years and really, really want to start in our family this year comes from the book Let's Make a Memory by Shirley Dobson and Gloria Gaither.  It's 15 years old, but it's a great book ideas to make wonderful new holiday and every day traditions.  In the book, Shirley Dobson describes how she and her husband, Dr. James Dobson (of Focus on the Family ministries) save the Christmas cards and letters they receive and reread one or two each night at dinner time starting New Year's Day.  This allows them more time to really let the message of each card or letter soak in.  After they read each card or letter, they pray together for the family or individual who sent it to them.  I think this is an awesome way to start the new year and honor the effort each person takes to bless us with a card or letter.

_______I Need a Hero!

I came home from my nice weekend away to discover an unwelcome guest in our house.  I was going to tell the whole story, but it would bore you so here's the summary: we have a mouse in the house; Adel is out of town; I saw the mouse both last night and this morning but I can't seem to catch it even with the help of 10 mousetraps (probably because I jump and scream instead of trying to catch it...I'm no princess, but I sure wasn't made for this!).  Oh, and tomorrow I have a houseful of guests coming for dinner.  Ack!

So tonight, Abby's friend Madelyn comes over to play and all three kids are playing dress up.  Isaac puts on his knight helmet and shield and Abby's Dora knee pads.  He keeps coming up to me and saying in his deep "hero" voice, "Mom, do you need any help?"  Feeling sorry for myself, I get tears in my eyes and tell him, "I just need someone to catch a mouse."  He looks at me for a moment, trying to understand what's going on and I can see my reaction is too much for him.  Then he marches around the room once and comes back to ask me the same question again.  Apparently he is hoping more for make-believe bad guys that he can heroically slay with nothing other than his imagination.  A real damsel in distress and a real monster to slay (albeit a small one) are too much for him.

It makes me long for a real hero.  I need someone who will come up to me every few minutes and say, "Miss, do you need any help?"  Man, I could give him a list!  It would start with "catch a mouse" and move on from there.  Can't wait for my hero to come home tomorrow!  (Okay so Adel doesn't exactly ask how he can help on a minute-by-minute basis, but he's ready to tackle this mouse and I need a hero!)

Isaac, on the other hand, remains content protecting the two dancing princesses from imaginary bad guys.  Madelyn is enthralled with the handsome prince too.  "Help us, Isaac!" she blushes.  And off he runs to the rescue.

UPDATE: 12/13:
We finally caught it!  The mouse was, unfortunately, still at large during our dinner party Friday night.  Saturday we turned the house upside down to find it, moving every piece of furniture, sweeping little mousey  droppings, and rattling the broom behind things to scare it out.  We sealed off each room as we went along...and we never found it.  I was flabbergasted.  10 traps, uprooting all the furniture, and hunting throughout the day did nothing.  Then, as we were winding down last night with a movie, I got up for a glass of water and saw the little buggar scrambling under the dishwasher (which we had already removed from the wall to search behind).

But now we knew we had him!  We built a make-shift barricade with table pads.  The Plan: Adel would (once again) pull the dishwasher out from the cabinet.  The mouse would run out and find himself unable to run elsewhere.  I would drop a cardboard box over the scurrying mouse.  Here's how it went:
Me: I don't think I can do this.  I just know when it comes out, I'm going to freak and miss.
Adel: Are you ready?
Me: No, but go ahead.
He pulls out the dishwasher, the mouse scurries out, the barricade works, and I freak and miss.
Adel: Why did you freak out?
Me: I don't know, but I told you I was going to!
We try again, I freak and miss again, and the mouse scurries in its panic right into one of the mousetraps and gets stuck (so much for trying to remove it humanely).  Adel takes care of the poor thing while I clean up our mess.
Me: Sorry I messed up my part!
Adel: All I know is, if I were fighting a battle, you're the last person I would want on my team.
Me: It's such a good thing that my battle skills are not the reason you married me!