I am returning from a blogging break that was a surprise to me! Since the week before Christmas, we have been busy with all sorts of things.
Celebrations, gatherings, hosting.
Cooking, planning, recovering.
(And cleaning up to do it again!)
Coffee, games, Netflix. Time for just being.
And then boom . . . it's the New Year! And since I am always running late anyway, I'm going to take some time to record some Christmas memories.
Ron often quotes his former boss who said, "The only thing constant in life is change." Change was afoot this Christmas! We knew that Ryan and Sarah's family would be spending Christmas with her parents. But then strep and the flu struck Kristin and Brian's family and everything was up in the air. We were sad, imagining just the four of us here if the flu made its rounds.
But . . . deep down there was joy, because The Reason for our celebrations remains: Jesus has come to redeem!
As it turned out, we were able to enjoy some time with our son's family before they left on their trip. Our daughter's family all went on meds; most did not get the flu and those who did recovered quickly. There was a countdown for 24 hours fever-free . . . and we made it!
As an extra precaution, we separated our Christmas Day gatherings, keeping the older folks away from any possible sickies. Ron's mom and my parents came for breakfast. My parents came back and my sister joined us for our Christmas buffet. My niece and her family stopped by for a quick visit. And after everyone else left, Kristin and her family arrived and we pulled out all of the goodies again and added her yummy contributions and we were so grateful that everyone was well and that we could enjoy time together!
Here are some glimpses of our gatherings . . .
It started as Christmas dress-ups.
Ron often quotes his former boss who said, "The only thing constant in life is change." Change was afoot this Christmas! We knew that Ryan and Sarah's family would be spending Christmas with her parents. But then strep and the flu struck Kristin and Brian's family and everything was up in the air. We were sad, imagining just the four of us here if the flu made its rounds.
But . . . deep down there was joy, because The Reason for our celebrations remains: Jesus has come to redeem!
As an extra precaution, we separated our Christmas Day gatherings, keeping the older folks away from any possible sickies. Ron's mom and my parents came for breakfast. My parents came back and my sister joined us for our Christmas buffet. My niece and her family stopped by for a quick visit. And after everyone else left, Kristin and her family arrived and we pulled out all of the goodies again and added her yummy contributions and we were so grateful that everyone was well and that we could enjoy time together!
Here are some glimpses of our gatherings . . .
A Few Days Before Christmas
It started as Christmas dress-ups.
Then it got a little crazier when Kati made Nora into a "Who."
When we had our tea,
everyone started looking at one another through the globe in the centerpiece
and it became uproarious!
I still laugh like crazy when I look at these pictures!
And somehow, I got no pictures of their parents. 😕
(Sorry, Ryan and Sarah! I guess I was too busy laughing.)
(Sorry, Ryan and Sarah! I guess I was too busy laughing.)
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
We recorded Macie (23 months) singing "Away in a Manger."
(Oh, it's the cutest thing! I think Kati will upload it to YouTube so I can share it.)
She loved seeing herself on video!
"And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at His birth."
Luke 1:14
