As the name of my blog indicates, I spend a lot of time thinking about home. Of course, my Heavenly Home is the one that is eternal, so that’s where I need to lay up my treasures, and that’s the one I’m striving for. But in the meantime, I have been given this tiny piece of the here-and-now—this home on the edge of town, this family, this neighborhood—in which to serve Him. And, though this is in the earthly realm, I want the things that happen here to be investments in the Heavenly realm.




Thursday, January 13, 2022

Christmas | 2021


I invited you to
tour my Christmas home . . . and then I disappeared to celebrate Christmas with my dear ones! 



Again this year, I tried to be guarded with my expectations of the holidays, especially as friends and family all around us were becoming ill with Covid, some very ill. Maybe one of the good things that has come from this pandemic is that we are learning to hold our plans loosely. "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that."  So we kept on planning and getting ready, hoping and praying . . . 

And then, thanks be to the Lord, we had two weeks of celebration! 

Kati, Andrew, Caleb and Ellie arrived a couple of days before Christmas and we enjoyed family gatherings, visits in one another's homes, cuddling babies (do you remember that we currently have FOUR babies in our family aged just-barely-two and under?), eating, making coffee runs, chasing after toddlers, playing in the floor, too many treats, not enough kisses, and soaking it all in. 

I am going to share just a few oodles of photos from our time together. I tried to choose my favorites, but even so, there are many. 



Playing with Papa's new toy 




My mom's orange rolls are one of the highlights of Christmas breakfast.


Caleb got a new water bottle . . . like his dad's (which he loved), but more his size!






Our oldest daughter Kristin and her family

Our son Ryan and his family

Our middle daughter Kati and her family

Our youngest daughter, Bekah

Ron and I







Twinning 💙💗

A little side note: Bekah is wearing a kilt that Gammy (my mom) bought on a trip to Scotland in the early '80's, nearly twenty years before Bekah was born!




I love how Gampy (my dad) and Ellie are looking at one another as they meet for the first time! 






Baby cousins, Ellie and Joanna, born exactly three months apart!

Ellie turned 6 months old while visiting us. She is such a sweet, happy baby!



A new tradition.
Last New Year's Eve, Andrew (a college professor) taught us an informal lesson about color-blindness. At our request, he gave another lecture. This year's topic was depth perception.






The first time this sweet baby had a babysitter (a bunch of babysitters, actually)!
Her mom and dad and older sibling ran a 5K, and the three youngest came to Gran's house. 

It looked a little bit like a daycare here in our living room! 😊




Looks of concentration . . . 

. . . while everyone participates in a hot dog taste test! 
Each participant received a bite-sized piece of six different brands of hot dog and assigned each a score according to taste.
 
Andrew (remember . . . college professor) analyzed the data.

It turns out that Hebrew Nationals ranked the highest in our family.
But I think most agreed that dessert was pretty fine!
chocolate peanut butter trifle





Caleb, a southern boy, enjoyed looking at the snow.


His mama helped Caleb find a "dinosaur" in his (Quaker Dinosaur Eggs) oatmeal!


On the last morning he was here, I asked Caleb to wave good-bye to Papa who had already gone to work.



Airport good-byes are always a little teary (especially when there are babies who will have changed so much by the time we see them again!), but we are so grateful for the gift of time spent together!


"And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at His birth."
Luke 1:14


24 comments:

  1. Such wonderful photos of family faces. The love is palpable! Cuddly babies are the BEST!

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    1. Thanks so much, Lorrie! Oh yes . . . couldn't you hold a warm, sleeping baby for hours?!

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  2. What a delightful collection of family photos, esp those babies!

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    1. Thank you, Barbara! Sweet babies win hearts!

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  3. You are very blessed! Ellie is a little doll!

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    1. Blessed indeed, Sallie! Thanks so much! (And Ellie's Gran agrees with you!)

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  4. Nice big beautiful family you have. Our youngest baby is 7 and quite a character. Looks like a wonderful time.

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    1. Thank you, Cheryl! Yes, we did have a wonderful time!

      "Characters" can be fun! :)

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  5. gracious sakes - - a treasure trove of memories!

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  6. Now that is what Christmas is all about (besides the birth of our Saviour) It's about the love of family and you can tell by those lovely photos, there is much love. You have a beautiful home, too.

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    1. Thanks so much, Debby! We are so blessed by His love, which enables us to love one another!

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  7. Cheryl, your joyous Christmas celebration is full of precious memories! The darling children, the aunts and uncles, brother and sisters, husbands and wives, mama and daddies, and grandparents loving on each other is the greatest blessing. I know your heart is full. The expressions on the babies are so sweet! My goodness what a glorious time for your family!

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    1. Martha Ellen, my heart is certainly full! It is such a gift to see love extended one to another . . . I do not take it for granted! Thank you for always sharing in our joy!

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  8. Absolutely beautiful family and pictures!!!

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  9. Well no wonder you took off on us! Such fabulous family pics and it is so good to see Kati and family. All the grands are getting so tall and changing quite a bit...growing into young adults. Loved the skirt story. Bekah wears it well.

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    1. That is exactly why I took off! And then I needed some time to recuperate from all of the merry-making! Oh, but all so worth it, every minute!

      Oh, those growing grandchildren. Bittersweet. It's nice to have the babies to keep things lively, but having relationships with the young adults is pretty special too.

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  10. You were busy busy over Christmas up to the New Year. I'm so glad for you that Kati and family could come and you all could enjoy their littles and Ellie turning 6 months. What a great age! Being raised Kosher Hebrew National were the only hot dogs that ever came into tour home. Right now I enjoy Nathan's skinless variety. So many great photos. That living room daycare cracks me up. Such a fun busy group. Quiet moments must have been few and far between. Love that kilt that made it's way to Bekah and looks perfect on her. I bought a kilt in Scotland in 1973 that our daughter Katie was able to wear in high school 20 years after. She still has it. Great to see each family unit. I'm rambling now.
    Hope all is well and all have recovered from the vid!

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    1. Oh yes, busy busy. And you're right . . . not lots of quiet! But as I told Vee in the above comment, so very worth it to share that time and make memories! I wouldn't trade it for the world! Thanks for your kind words and sharing our joy! Fun to hear about your Katie's kilt!

      All of our friends and family who had Covid have recovered or are well on their way to recovering! Some are amazing answers to prayer and we're very grateful!

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  11. What lovely photos of a beautiful family!

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    1. Thank you so much for your visit and kind words!

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  12. How did I miss this?!? I feel like I looked at these pictures, but did I forget to leave a comment? I always love seeing pictures of your home and your family. So many happy, loving faces. And squishy, soft and sweet little ones - Sigh. :)

    Happy New Year, Cheryl!

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    1. Becki, you are always so kind! We feel so blessed to have a loving family . . . including those "squishy, soft and sweet little ones!" (I like that description! It fits!)

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