I'm baaaack.

Ok, so promised I'd be back and I am. Christmas is put away, school has resumed, life is slowly returning to normal (outside of dieting and potty training). Our Christmas break seemed like forever, which is good I guess. We didn't kill each other so thats a start. I'll give a quick ( probably not) recap of our christmas season, for memory keeping sake because it was full and fun. Although I will admit as I look back and examine my heart, something was missing, something didn't feel  right. We weren't crazy busy, we as a family don't get caught up in the gift giving santa thing too crazy. We do it, but we don't emphasize it, the kids don't really ask for anything or maybe even know to ask for anything. They genuinely are so excited even to get a $5 little star wars action figure or board game they have been eyeing, even a light up magnifying glass. So that is nice for us, no pressure to find that one perfect gift. Just lots of fun little things. Santa around here only brings stockings and some few little things strewn around the room, but it is still fun and exciting for them. And this year all the adults woke up before the kids. We set our alarms for 7 and told the kids not to wake up before 7:30. Parker of course was awake, but the others kept sleeping. So I had time to get breakfast in the oven and coffee made. Kinda a nice change of pace. We read the story of Christ's birth while they are still in bed, we thank God for the perfect gift of his son Jesus and for every gift that is from above. They surprsingly don't find this to be torture.We then storm into the Christmas room, open stockings. Always lots of chapstick, tissue paper, sam is crazy with walnuts and oranges which is great cuz those take up a lot of room in the stocking, I throw some candy around the floor and have normally hit up the dollar store the night before. Its always a real chore trying to keep the stocking items hidden or secret cuz those are from Santa. Parker always seems to overhear some comment or randomly sees something that I meant to be from Santa. And I try to keep things from Santa not from Old Navy or other familiar stores. I think I pulled it off this year. After stockings we have Jesus' birthday cake, which is monkey bread every year and also my egg casserole. It is super yummy and easy way to put on a birthday party. We then commence with gift opening. But despite the under emphasis on Santa and even the little birthday celebration, plates and all for Jesus, He was definitely missing from our holiday season. We had such a travel filled december and because I am lazy, we just didn't do much in the way of advent celebrations, no jesse tree (which is a great way to count down days and trace the lineage of Jesus). No advent wreath, no scripture readings. We have this silling little advent story book we read every night about this little bear on a journy to bethelem, it is sweet and the kids like it, but it  isn't necessarily based on Scripture and just has feel good truths throughout. I myself did not spend time to be still and quiet and reflect on the incarnation of Christ. Truly the highlight and solitary moment of this was at my kids pageant the week school let out. Parker is in Ms. Kathy's class this year and for years I have heard about Ms. Kathy's christmas pageant that she wrote herself. Parker had been memorizing lines, memorizing songs, it was like a 4 page draft he had memorized. Ms. Kathy is a stickler on details so I knew it was going to be good. I also had heard it was a tearjerker, and I normally cry at the drop of a hat anytime children are singing or doing anything remotely close to worshipping. Anyhoo. parker was a shepherd, as he was in our church's make shift but still special pageant. Good news cuz we already had a costume. My sewing glue is running low :) Anyhoo, this pageant was beautiful. They sang every special carol imagineable, including Oh holy night, and even Silent Night in German! (thats for your Keri). Then they had a few grown women with amazing voices join them. This is where the tears flowed. One little child wheeled out the cross and another  brought baby jesus' manger over to it and placed it under it. And the woman with the beautiful voice along with the children's choir behind it sang Here I am to Worship, Here I am to bow down, oh man, I was sobbing. I mean really, do you think anything is more beautiful to God's ears. It was just so special. I am so glad my son now knows all these rich carols/hyms and scripture. I really was the spiritual highlight of my season, and one of the few times I paused to consider the birth of jesus. Now Parker's show was followed by Coopers hysterical little musical he does with the kindergarten class. So picture 40 kids in matching shirts ages 4 and 5. Doing hand motions, riding pretend camels, shame shaming King Herod and singing the hallelujah chorus. My  normally publically introverted Cooper was put next to wild and crazy Logan, this brought out the wild and crazy Cooper, but it was all good, he showed life and gusto. Most of the kids were picking their noses at some point, some were faced backwards. One girl right smack dab in the middle of the group up and left the show to go potty, when she came back she ran up to the conducter to get her to snap her pants, then she resumed her prime spot and belted out. Again, so sweet to see these kids in all their glory giving glory to God in only the way they can. Sooo, this post is getting kinda long. Should I keep going only to bore you or attempt to come back and post more, knowing I may never. Ok, I'll keep going in a new post, but here are a couple of pics.