Monday, December 24, 2007

Silent Night, Holy Night

Another Christmas Eve is here. We've enjoyed a busy, tradition filled Christmas season. Starting Thanksgiving weekend when we head out to chop down our family Christmas tree and spend the next few days decorating it and our home for Christmas. December brings lots of activity--cookie baking, a family Christmas dinner with long time friends and kids, the Nutcracker, two special birthdays, advent Sundays, bunco and book club dinners and gift exchanges, a journey to Bethlehem at a local church, a drive through a local neighborhood to see the lights, and a 10 year running Christmas party that we host the weekend before Christmas (this year attended by over 90 people at some point during the evening). Of course there are also Christmas cards to send and many gifts to buy, wrap and send to family and friends afar.

Tonight we attended Christmas Eve Mass at our church. All together in one pew, our family, including Grandma, PaPa and Great Grandma, sang Christmas carols and heard the story of Jesus's birth. Cold and wintery outside, but warm and inviting and filled with many friends we love inside.

Now the stockings are hung, the presents are wrapped and Santa has just left. I sit here in the quiet by the light of the tree with the Christmas music playing just taking it all in. It always comes to quickly for me and ends so fast. I just want to sit here for awhile and enjoy this moment, soak it up, hang on to it for just a moment longer.
It is Silent. It is Holy. It is the best night of the year.

Gospel
Luke 2:1-14

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus
that the whole world should be enrolled.
This was the first enrollment,
when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.
And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth
to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem,
because he was of the house and family of David,
to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
While they were there,
the time came for her to have her child,
and she gave birth to her firstborn son.
She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields
and keeping the night watch over their flock.
The angel of the Lord appeared to them
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were struck with great fear.
The angel said to them,
“Do not be afraid;
for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David
a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.
And this will be a sign for you:
you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,
praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Monday, December 17, 2007

Boomama's Christmas Tour of Homes

Christmas Tour of Homes

I've been excited to participate in Boomama's Christmas Tour of Homes since I first read about it last year. I planned to be all ready with a post and pictures early in the day, but alas I barely made it on the 17th. However, I hope you stay and visit for a little bit anyway.

Welcome to our home. I love to decorate for Christmas. Here is our front door. Yes, complete with snow! Garland and wreath over the door, lit trees in pots, plus a larger wreath on the window above the door and on trees in the yard.

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Here is what you see when you our entry our front door. There is some fresh greenery and berries and a few pieces of my tree collection on the table, along with a decorated sleigh. The staircase has greenery also and a red and gold tree is on the staircase landing.

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Here is our main tree in the living room. White lights and all our family ornaments. I love trees so we have 3! Also, I have a tree collection that I will show a few pieces of later.

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Our mantle with our stocking hung with care! I have a small village on the bookshelf to the left and my nativity set on the right. The nativity set was given to us as a wedding gift from long time family friends. I love it.

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Here are a few pieces from my tree collection. I have about 16 different ones and usually get a new one every year.

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In our basement is the "silver tree."

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Going down to the basement we have some stocking garland. There are 25 small stockings and ever since we had our first child, the elves stick a little something in the stocking each day (usually candy, a pencil or a quarter).

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Thanks for visiting our home and sharing the Christmas season with us. We wish you great tidings of joy and peace and happiness in the new year.

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Thursday, December 13, 2007

Happy 8th Birtday AEW!

She came bouncing into our lives on a cold, December afternoon eight years ago (12/9). With Christmas music playing quietly in the background, I looked down at her and couldn't quite believe that she was here and that she was mine. A daughter. Our second child and first daughter. While we secretly had known she was a girl, the joy of finally actually seeing her made my heart melt.

She has brought much happiness and love to our family. Full of life and spunk, she has always made us laugh. At 18 months, she started calling herself "Bobby" and everything out of her mouth for the next year was "Bobby Do." She had a little pixie haircut and oh was she a firecracker! She always asks us, "Was that when I was a Bobby Do?" She is smart, funny, imaginative and caring. Stubborn and headstrong too. Drama? Oh, yes. Ignoring mom? Ah, yes. She embraces life and all it as to offer. She is a social girl and loves a party. "What are we doing today?" and "Can I have a friend over?" are her two favorite sayings. She is kind to her friends and people like to be around her.

So, my sweet girl, momma loves you with all her heart and wishes you the happiest of birthdays. Hugs and kisses to you.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Happy Birthday CKW!

My baby turned 6 on Tuesday, September 25. How did that happen? SIX!! That sweet baby girl came into our lives on a beautiful fall day, surprising us all with her arrival almost 3 weeks early. We tell her she just wanted to come out because she heard all the fun her older siblings were having and wanted to join in. She is our third child, our second daughter. Blessed with an older brother and sister, she completes our party! She was born exactly two weeks after 9/11 and I always take special interest in the stories about babies born in those weeks and months following 9/11 to moms who lost their husbands or partners that day. I say a silent prayer for those babies, most who are now in kindergarten, who are growing up without their dads.

She is a pipsqueak, hence why we call her pip, the pip, pippy, and pippy girl. She is a petite little thing, but filled with spunk, energy and lots of laughs. Sensitive, loving and kind, yet stubborn and fierce. All in one!! I love this little girl so very, very much and sometimes I have to stop myself from squeezing her with love and hugs. Her last six years have flown by, bittersweet for sure.

Sweet C happy, happy birthday to you my special girl!

Thursday, August 16, 2007

First Day of School!

Summer has flown by once again and here we are at the beginning of another school year.

JJW is in 5th grade. AEW is in 2nd grade. And, my baby, CKW, is in Kindergarten! It seems just like yesterday that I was taking my first born to his first day (when CKW was a baby!) and now she is off to school. It is a truly bittersweet time for me.

We have been blessed with a wonderful school and teachers. It's a great little community with involved parents and many opportunites.

Happy first day of school--J, A and C! Have a great year!

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Lordy, lordy, are we really 40?

Lyndon B Johnson was the President. It was the height of the Vietnam War. The Summer of Love set the stage for the hippie/flower children culture rapidly forming across the country. The top 4o list of songs were sprinkled with artists like the Monkees, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Van Morrison (with one of my all time favorites, Brown Eyed Girl). Bell bottoms and polyester were staple fashion items.

It was 1967. It was the year I, along with so many of my dear friends, was born.

Fast forward to 2007. The years have gone fast and have taken us through elementary school, high school, college, first jobs, weddings and babies. We have experienced the excitement and happiness of life's joyous times and the sadness and despair of the difficult ones. And, here we are now at the year that we are all turning 40.

I went to a 40th birthday surprise party this past weekend. I've been involved with and have attended many over the past several months (a few of us did turn 40 in 2006), including my own, and have loved each one. There have been a lot of walks down memory lane as the old photo albums have come out because of course no 40th birthday party is complete without a banner with your high school senior picture on it and several other life size photos blown up of you in your "awkward" years or with your ultra big hair or with your rainbow colored prom dress. There has been much laughter!

I am lucky to live near many of my childhood/high school friends and it was been so much fun to celebrate with each of them. It has also been fun to hear about all of my college friends and their celebrations as they turn 40 across the country. We will be having our own 40th birthday girls weekend in the future.

When I was 25, 40 seemed so far away, and now it is here. As I look back and reminisce and think of days gone by, I realize how blessed I am to have such special, wonderful and life lasting friends.

Happy birthday to each of you and to all of you turning 40 this year!

Friday, July 20, 2007

Welcome!

Welcome! We are just starting out in the blogging world and hope to share with you some bits of our crazy, chaotic life as a Party of Five!