Christmas Musings

Now, I know the rules. Blogs are supposed to be short and sweet, but my memory is terrible, so I do include details. Normally, we post our Christmas memories in this really cool book I bought several years ago. However, it has been misplaced this year, so I typed them up last night, and am including them here. No, this is not short and sweet.

Remembering Christmas 2008

Wyatt (6) finally got that Christmas was Jesus’ birthday and not his own birthday!
When asked his favorite part of Christmas, he named everyone in the family. Hmm –Is being a part of a family his favorite part of Christmas? I can appreciate that.
Zachary (13) and Savannah (10) were thrilled to get a Wii. Savannah figured it out immediately when she saw it was a combined gift, but Zachary thought they were getting cell phones.
Savannah only really wanted a planner and some pencils and erasers, but she did like the Imagine Interior Design DS game we got for her. However, she did indicate that she would have rather had the Babysitter game – birthday is only four months away.
Julia (4) said she was going to hug her gifts at Grandma’s and Grandpa’s, and Tessa confirmed that she did hug them and that she declared this “the best Christmas ever!”
We saw Grandma on Christmas day, and oh how I wish I would have snapped a picture when Wyatt gently kissed her goodbye. He is so sweet to her. Julia was unable to go because she is sick with a cold.
All the kids gathered around Julia’s Baby Alive doll to see it “poop” on the potty.
I got to play the Raving Rabbids “butt” game on the Wii. It was a trip!
Julia wanted everyone to sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus before we opened the gifts.
Attending Julia’s Christmas party at school and listening as Miss Kris impressed upon the children that Christmas is a celebration of Christ’s birthday. Presents are fun, but remember to celebrate Christ. This is why I love this school and why I worry about the fact that Wyatt is not there.
When Andy read the Christmas story in front of the fire on Christmas day, he continued beyond the Luke version to read about the visit from the wise men in Matthew. When he got to the part about Herod telling the wise men that he wanted to visit the king as well, Julia said, “but that was a trick.” She has a long way to go, but what four year old knows this much about the Bible? I love her school and our church! I can’t take the credit personally for this.
On Christmas day, Julia was really struggling with a cold. I wish I had snapped a picture of her when she made herself at home on our bed. She had her toy laptop propped on a pillow on her lap with the mousepad under the mouse, and her Hannah Montana Barbies were next to her. I believe her Peter Pan movie was playing in the DVD player.
Wyatt is campaigning hard for a baby from China. When I told him that a baby girl could not share his room (he wants someone to share his room, and this is the reason he is campaigning so hard for this), he told me that I sleep with Daddy, and he is a boy. You got me there!
I enjoyed a wonderful visit with Kim and Jim on the day after Christmas. I wish I could see them more often. They brought lots of nice goodies for the kids, and soon I will get to spoil their child.
On Christmas Eve, our church service ended with a tear-jerker when the congregation lit battery operated tealights to light up the sanctuary. Everyone lit the tealight when the decade he/she was saved lit up on the screen. For those who have not yet accepted Christ, they were told to light the tealight when for the decade when they were first touched by Christ. It was amazing, and when they were all lit, we sang the chorus to “Mighty to Save.” “Shine your light, and let the whole world see. We are living for the glory of the risen king, JESUS!”
I took Zachary and Savannah Christmas shopping and was warned to stay out of the stores they were going to. I did not know they were going to Bath and Body Works, so I went in there to look around for fun and found them there. Sure enough, a gift from this store awaited me under the tree, and Savannah unknowingly picked my two favorite scents (Eucalyptus Spearment and Jasmine Vanilla)
Zachary and Savannah were warned to stay together on this shopping trip. Zachary is old enough to venture out on his own, but there has been some criminal activity at this mall, and I was very uncomfortable letting them go off on their own at this especially busy time. Zachary went to FYE and auspiciously bought a gift for his cousin Austin, but it was a trick. He was actually buying the gift for Savannah because he knew she wanted DS games.
Driving home from Christmas Eve from the Todd side of the family, Zachary was holding the Wii. He asked Savannah if she wanted to hold it and admonished her to “be careful.” Okay, this is not a baby. I commented that maybe he should add, “watch its neck.”
We were worried because Wyatt wanted Bakugan balls so badly, and when he opened his Hot Wheels track, he stated, “I love Hot Wheels.”
Santa and Daddy stayed up late to tune Julia's guitar, and the first thing she did when she opened it was turn all the knobs and "untune" it.

Wish I had done
Taken more pictures
Gotten the bows fixed on the wreaths on the windows
Burned a Christmas music CD to listen to in the van
Spent more time with God

New ornaments this year
Wyatt’s first Christmas airplane
His handprint snowman ornament (my personal favorite)
Wyatt made a Christmas tree ornament
Andy’s BPs put a Christmas tree ornament on the plate of goodies they sent us
Wyatt’s first Christmas ornament with his name, Chinese name, and birthday
The Li Bien ornament –red with Christmas tree and snowman
The Li Bien angel ornament –bought for a mere $5.00 after Christmas
The Li Bien fish ornament - also bought for a mere $5.00 after Christmas - Julia has the fewest ornaments, so I told her she could have this one. She is concerned that someone will claim it, since it does not have her name on it.
Savannah got an extra art ornament
Mr. Morgan gave Savannah a cross ornament
Snowman ornament from the annual Life in Christ Christmas party
Andy got a “made in Bethlehem” ornament from his dc crew
Dear God ornaments from Jim and Kim for each of the kids
Great One Divine ornament given to me by my sister-in-law Pam
Broncos ornament given to Andy by by brother-in-law Mike
Savannah brought home an angel bell ornament
Savannah also brought home a clear ornament with the baby Jesus inside from her friend Jill


Great gifts
· The breadmaker Mom got Andy – he baked two loaves of bread and a cake in it on Christmas day
· The Wii – If I ever figure it out, it will be fun for the whole family (not just Zach and Savvy) this was a combined gift from the Todd side of the family
· Julia’s Baby Alive doll
· On a couple of occasions before Christmas, Julia commented on a simple cross necklace I sometimes wear. She noted how pretty it was, and said she couldn’t wait to be big enough to have something like it for herself. She got a cross necklace in her stocking and loved it.
· Savannah’s Imagine game which she completed on the first day.
· I was surprised by how much Wyatt loved the Panda Pez dispenser from his stocking.
· I finally got Photo Shop, and I am still figuring it out.

Andy’s favorite Christmas memory
Now this is the part where Andy is supposed to share his favorite memory, but he has failed to type it out, so I will do it for him.
He and Julia were under the weather on Christmas day, and the rest of the family left them alone while we went to visit my grandma. Andy and Julia were crashed out on the couch, and she had her new guitar on hand. She would strum the guitar and then say, "That was "We will worship you God." Then she would strum the guitar again and then say, "That was "God, You are great, and we worship you." Here she is writing worship songs before her first guitar lesson.


Savannah’s favorite Christmas present
I really wanted pencils, erasers, and a planner. I was really happy when I found all of the above in my stocking. I really need them for school, so I can’t wait to go back to school and use them. The planner will really help to remember all the things I need to get done for school and for making note of things that might switch around my schedule. I am always running low on pencils and erasers at school. I sometimes even try to sharpen my eraser and sometimes it works. But sometimes when I make a mistake I have trouble finding a pencil with a good eraser to use. My biggest pencil at school is probably about this length
I can’t stand not having a sharp pencil which is probably why they get so small so quickly. Now when I go back to school I’ll go prepared!

Savannah’s favorite Christmas memory
My favorite Christmas memory was going to see grandma by the lake. We didn’t stay long but I had fun actually getting to go somewhere on Christmas.