Our God is So GOOD!: Merry Christmas from our home to yours...

Can you believe that Christmas Eve of 2009 is tomorrow?!? I can't quite wrap my head around it yet... we've been so busy this week... watching a ton of Christmas movies like The Santa Clause, Home Alone, Elf, The Muppets Christmas Carol, Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas (haha!) old TV specials that I grew up on from the Old Disney Channel that we have on video, and of course The Grinch (cartoon style); we have been seeing family and friends in the evenings; making cookies with good friends; etc, etc... and even though we've been busy we are anticipating this Christmas with great joy as Calen is "dying" to get to his gifts under the tree and is anticipating Santa to bring him some Cars!

However, even though Calen is so excited for his gifts and for Santa to visit- he already knows the TRUE reason for this season of excitement and friends and family... Yes, we have been teaching Calen that Jesus is the reason for Christmas and when we ask him about Christmas and what it's about HE ALWAYS tells us that it's about Jesus... not Santa and not gifts, but Jesus :-) We have this awesome book called "Shoey and Dot: The Christmas Miracle" by Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman (we adore the Chapman's and that's one of the places that KatieJoy's name came from- they have an adopted daughter named StevieJoy :-P ) Anyhow, we have read this book at least twice a week since Thanksgiving. This book isn't only awesome because of it's authors, but also because it's about an adoptive family, Christmas and it incorporates Santa knowing that Jesus is the reason for Christmas... Anyhow, the little bug character Dot (who is the adopted daughter's friend) goes thru the book trying to make Christmas PERFECT by getting sprinkle cookies or just the right gift, but then Santa sets her straight when she accidentally meets him... "'You must be the miracle that Miss Isabelle and the baker were talking about.'" Then he laughed, "'Ho! Ho! Ho! I'm afraid you're mistaken; I'm not the miracle, but there is one, no doubt. The real miracle is the gift of God's love that HE came down from heaven to give us: A baby named Jesus was born like God promised to let the world know HE is with us. THIS is the miracle that makes Christmas special, and it's why every year in December we give gifts and do speical things for each other. It's all just to help us remember!'" I love this quote as it's just perfect in explaining God's love and I LOVE LOVE LOVE that the authors had Santa telling what the real reason of the season is. Calen gets it- even at the young age of 2- he gets that Christ is CHRISTmas and I couldn't be more excited to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus this year before we go to sleep on Christmas eve :-)

We hope that ALL of you have a wonderful Christmas and that you are able to spend some quality time with family and friends, but we pray most of all that you find some time to be quiet in the Lord and to be able to reflect on the true miracle of this time of year- that God sent his ONE and only son to earth, as a BABY to save the entire World... what an amazing Gift God gave to us and how grateful we are for all the gifts God continually gives to us!

Have a Blessed Christmas friends...

~Mandy~

Our 2009 Christmas week so far:

Hanging out and having fun with Good Friends