For Christmas Brad’s mom put together little clips (of much much longer tapes) that they had recorded of the kids growing up. It was a wonderful gift and Brad and I both enjoyed watching the video. We started chatting about how much of our childhoods were video taped and realized that our generations had a lot of recording going on. Every holiday that I can remember we had the video recorder going. My Grandfather would go around and “interview” everyone and we even have hours and hours of the waves at the beach from our vacations. It is amazing that so much was recorded as the video recorders were as large as a cinder block and just as heavy as well if I recall correctly. Both Brad and my videos have someone announcing the date and year so those recording knew that these tapes would be saved for years and years to come. I guess that it is a bit like todays scrapbooking. Our generations were video taped so much that we try to limit our recording of our children. We have a lot of Charis as a baby but it pretty much ends at her first birthday. I admit that I need to breakout the camcorder and tape some (note some) of her chit chat and animal noises etc. as it will be sweet to have someday but after being chased by a video recorder for so many years I will try to stick primarily to pictures that way Charis’s generation will go back to the video recorders. The key to video recording is to limit the recording to maybe a few minutes instead of a few hours!

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost it’s grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Brought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

by:Stuart Townend and Keith Getty

Alright the suspense is starting to get to me so I am ready to start taking guesses! January 8th we will find out Micaiah’s gender (hopefully!) and in anticipation of that I thought that we would see what the general census is so if you have any guesses (boy or girl) or thoughts please do share I am anxious to see what everyone thinks! This pregnancy I have been much sicker than when I was pregnant with Charis so at times that caused me to think that I might be carrying a boy but the more I show the more I look like I did with Charis that is I just seem to carry the same way. I am guessing that we have another little girl for now but take this with a grain of salt as I thought that Charis was a boy. I am interested to see what everyone else thinks!!!

It could be months to another year before we are potty trained and I totally accept this and understand it but Charis is quite interested in the potty these days! Several days a week she will ask to sit on the potty. The first time it happened I was a little dumbfounded as she is just a year and a half old but I decided hey if she is interested lets grab a hold of this opportunity! She is a little nervous to sit on the potty but will sit there for a few minutes then asks to get down. Generally about 5-10 minutes after she get off the potty she will poop in her diaper which is somewhat frustrating but at the same time so exciting because she is anticipating it and seems to understand what is going on. It is all so very exciting!

Charis recently brought home her first piece of fridge art! I had to be at church for a meeting so Charis went to the nursery. The nursery was small that day so they combined classes with the older kids who always have a little art project. I cannot begin to explain the emotions that I felt when I walked into the room to pick her up and I saw her little Christmas tree with smiley face stickers all over it. If I am honest I think that I might have even shed a tear. Cheese Whiz I know but oh I just cannot explain it! I just thought about all the fridge art to come and how when she is older I will bring the little construction paper tree out of some dusty old box and share my heart with her about her first little art project. We brought the tree home and promptly hung it up on the smack dab middle of the fridge. I even took pictures of it on the fridge…I know I know cheesy but it was a moment to remember. Charis constantly tries to take the smiley face stickers off the tree so they are beginning to loose their stick. I cannot bear to remove the tree from the fridge yet so I just hung it a little higher who knows she could be in high school before I remove it. It is a sweet sweet thing to me!

We passed the loveliest Christmas tree along the road. It was at a local garden center and had a front row seat to face the street. I am not totally sure why it was in the front as it was a tree that no one but I would choose. I started with the name Fuzzy for him but the longer I took him in (we were at a red light) the more I realized that he had the exact same shape as Sully (the big blue monster) from Monsters Inc. He was large but he had a kind of hunched over look about him. He really had no point on top for a star but what character he did have. I must say it was one of the fuzziest trees that I had ever seen. His needles even looked like Sully’s hair almost like a mop top. I have fallen in love with this tree but he is not meant to be ours. I only hope that some little kid will come along and see what I saw in him and demand to take him home. Here is hoping for a home at Christmas for Sully! Just FYI Brad does not feel the same way about Sully that I feel and he even thinks that I am a little crazy!

This weekend has been a time of remembering and reflection as well as tears of sadness and joy as my Grandmother went to be with the Lord. She and I were so very close and she will always be dear to me. She taught me about the Lord and showed me His love in action. She was a constant steady pillar in my life always there and never wavering loving as only a grandparent can. She has passed along many things to me that I will always hold dear in my heart using many moments as teachable moments and moments to show me of God’s love for me and for others. As she was dying the Lord gave me a sweet sweet verse that gave me peace and reassurance…
“I have made you, you are my servant; I will not forget you. I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.” Isaiah 44: 21b-22
He has truly made us all! He sent His very son to die for us that our sins might be forgiven that we might be with Him for eternity! My Grandmother taught me this and now she is living it more than she ever could on earth! She has returned to Him as He has redeemed her fully.

Charis has a pair of multicolored pink boots that she just absolutely loves! We pulled them out for the first time this past weekend and she was not such a big fan of them. She did not like putting them on and eventually pulled and tugged enough to get them off. Something has changed though as she will often ask to just randomly put her boots on and every time we leave the house she wants to wear her multicolored pink boots. Now I am a big fan of expressing yourself and having that freedom but I have such a hard time with multicolored pink boots with say a purple Sunday dress something about that just does not work for me. A wise woman once told me to choose my battles wisely so I will take this phase in stride. Just remember that when you see little kiddos that are dressed a little funny it probably was not their parents doing. Now I know that my mom is going to comment on this little blog entry and share some wonderful things with you about the way that I chose to dress but let me just say now that was totally different!

A lady shared this at a Christmas brunch I was at this morning and I thought that it was kind of random and fun. See how many you can guess! J

RD Challenge
Can you name that tune? Each line below is a clue to a well-known yuletide song. You’ll have to decode some lofty language to come up with the carols, so if you’re ready…get humming!

1.) Listen to the celestial messengers produce harmonious sounds.

2.) Embellish the interior passageways.

3.) Twelve o’clock on a clement night witnessed its arrival.

4.) The Christmas preceding all others.

5.) Small municipality in Judea south of Jerusalem.

6.) Omnipotent supreme being who elicits respite in distinguished males.

7.) Nocturnal time span of unbroken quietness.

8.) Obese personification fabricated of compressed mounds of minute crystals.

9.) Tintinnabulation of vacillating pendulums in inverted, metallic, resonant cups.

10.) In awe of the eventide characterized by religiosity.

ANSWERS:
1.) Hark The Harold Angles Sing 2.) Deck The Halls 3.) It Came Upon A Midnight Clear 4.) The First Noel 5.) O Little Town Of Bethlehem 6.) God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 7.) Silent Night 8.) Frosty The Snowman 9.) Jingle Bells 10.) O Holy Night

-From Readers Digest Decemebr 2006

Charis is very into everything that is soft! She will touch her stuffed animals and say, “soft” along with her blankets and clothes. Recently Charis has started touching my arm or Brad’s face or even her own skin and saying, “soft”. It always reminded me of a commercial for lotion. It is pretty sweet! I must admit that I am very excited that I passed the “soft” test! Isn’t it fun to watch them learn new things! I am not sure that I will ever tire of watching her discover.