Some catching-up

Wow, it's been awhile.

I've had a million thought of things to blog about over the past month but never the time to do it. So, I'll just do a generic catch-up post and try to come up with something more clever soon, I promise.

1. I am home with all three children on this Monday before Christmas. The boys are both semi-sick, so I let them stay home to rest. We leave for Georgia soon and I don't want sickies on our trip. Since dragging them out into the cold to take Lauren to school would have defeated the purpose of keeping them home, I kept Lauren home today, too.

We've had a morning filled with apple pancakes (didn't turn out as tasty as I'd hoped), Battleship games, jigsaw-puzzles, Uno, and books. Despite the coughing and runny noses, it's been one of my favorite days of late. But really, how can a day that starts with kisses and snuggles be bad? (Okay, maybe the Benadryl I gave the boys is somehow making ME delirious.)

2. I have been having trouble getting into the spirit of Christmas this year. Not the "secular" spirit. I've had the lights and the tree and the decorations up since Thanksgiving. Gifts are all bought and wrapped, and parties have been had.

What I've been lacking this season is the spiritual readiness. I normally do an advent calendar/prayer chain with the kids during December, but this year we never quite got around to that. I did implement an advent wreath during children's church to turn the kids' hearts toward the anticipation of the savior, which I think went well.

3. David and I both participated in a service at the Episcopal church last night, which I really enjoyed. They have a "Lessons & Carols" service each year where they ask people from various churches in the community to come and do readings, which is what I was doing. (David was playing the trumpet.) For such a tiny church, they had an amazing choir, and they started the evening with one of my top three favorite Christmas hymns, "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence." I think a reverent liturgical service is just what my heart needed right now.

4. On a lighter note, we hosted our 2nd annual Christmas party Saturday night, and that went off without a hitch. A little food, a little fun gift exchanging (the highlight of which may have been this book . . . which is illustrated . . . gross!), and a little game-playing, all while the children were entertained by a babysitter upstairs. Perfect.

5. Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a serious aversion to the sound of teeth being brushed. I cannot stand to watch someone brush his/her teeth . . . it kills me. So, Joshua has been making little videos with his ipod lately. He films his stuffed animals, the football game on television, the dog, etc. Well, a few nights ago he brought me his ipod and said, "Mom, you have to watch the video I just made." As I began to watch, I noticed that he was grinning ear-to-ear and trying not to laugh.

He had filmed himself brushing his teeth and tried to trick me into watching it.

He is his father's son.

6. This was our Christmas card this year:



Though I considered going with a more honest photo this year:



6. Somehow the thousands of things I've thought to blog about in the past month are all proving elusive at the moment. So, since I'm at a loss for things with which to entertain you, and there is laundry just waiting to be folded and put away, I will bid you adieu.

And hopefully be back with better thoughts next time. From Georgia. Everything's better in Georgia, right? :)