Silent Nights

I was just listening to the radio and heard the Manheim Steamroller song, "Silent Night." It was so beautiful and almost brought me to tears on this Christmas Eve morning. It was so earthy with the wind blowing and angelic humming in the background. It really made me think about that one night, so long ago. How silent it must have been and what a precious moment to see, to take it all in. I wonder if there was a glow around Him. I wonder if Mary's emotions were the same as all new mothers or different in some way, knowing that she had just given birth to the Savior. I wonder if the animals even gazed in amazement at the Creator in human form.
I really enjoy shopping for gifts and wrapping them every year, with anticipation of finding the perfect gift and seeing their faces when they open it. Seems like such a simple tradition, and yet I wonder if I have missed the mark once again. Why am I getting presents for others? It's not their birthday. When I was wrapping presents this year, my six year old asked me why we don't believe in Santa Claus since all of her friends believe in Santa. My parents use to write " from santa" on one of my presents each year. I knew he didn't exsist, but I guess it was just a fun tradition. Instead of doing a gift from santa, I wrote "from Jesus" on one of our gifts. But as I sit and type I realize how much I can utilize this holiday, these moments, to glorifye God and teach my children what is really important at Christmas time. Many say that it is to love one another, to give and not receive. That is true, but shouldn't we be doing that all year long? The purpose of this holiday is to rejoice in the birth of our Lord and Savior. To dwell on the moment that changed our lives forever and eternally. So, today I am thinking about how Jesus would want to celebrate His birthday. What would He do? What would He want others to do to help celebrate? I envision that He would tell others about God and what they need to do to have eternal life. I envision He would walk around showing love and compassion to even complete strangers. I envision He would meditate on the Word of God and sing praises to Him.
Maybe I am doing things right.
I will praise God this year for my blessings abound that He has bestowed on me. I will praise God for my little Caleb, for my Daniel in all his ornariness, for my Nathan and his timid personality, for my Elizabeth and her sweet disposition, for my David and everything he is to me, for my parents and sibblings and their generosity and love toward us, for my friends and their steadfast loyalty, for my home, for the food on the table each night and for the life that God has given me. I am so fotunate to be chosen to live a life to serve Him. Merry Christmas!

Caleb got his stitches taken out

Well, I'm such a good follower, so I decided to start a blog. To jot down notes, write funny things that my kids say, and keep track of my life in writings. I always loved writing in High School. I was actually on the newpaper staff and the yearbook staff. Although I can't remember a single thing that I wrote and when I read something that I wrote, I still don't remember it.
So for today.... Caleb got his stitches taken out. That will be my title. Although the day consisted of so much more. When you are a mom with four kids, life is never boring, never consistent from day to day and never "easy." I am learning quickly that I am just going to be tired all the time, I will be running around as if the world is ending if something does not get done, and that I believe it only gets worse the older your kids get, not better. As I said, Caleb was to get his stitches out today, Dave was planning on taking him, and I would get Elizabeth from school. When someone forgot ( Not Me;) I had to hurry to dress the boys and get them all to the Doctors office in time. I wish Dave would have done it because Caleb's cries were so sad. I was trying to read my other two boys a book, while the nurses removed the stitches, but had to stop because I started to cry. I hate to see him go through so much when he is so little. Then to top it off, we also had to get his 4 month shots today. Not a happy day, but I'm so thankful that he calmed down as soon as I was able to hold him again. I love being able to comfort him during these times. That's what a mother is for.