Merry Happy Joy December 30, 2008

Oh, the travels!  Oh the travails!  Was your Christmas Merry?  Ours was a DELIGHT!

The kids and I rocked the house on Christmas Eve with our 3 puppet shows at 3:00, 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. for the under 5 crowd.  Chris joined us for that last service, but the bulk of the crowds were come & gone by then and I was one weary preschool teachin’ mutha.  42 preschooler/kindergartners at the 5:00 and there wasn’t one speck of carpet visible as they sat mesmerized by the puppet love of Joseph and Mary, the awesome angels and the bold and brave shepherds!  Also the noisy animals of the stable were a hit so we all joined in the barnyard/stable sounds.  A long day but way fun to pass those hours waiting for Christmas to come…

After some last minute, late hour prep, hubby and I settled ourselves for a long winter’s nap…lawn, clatter, shutters, sash, bowl-full-of-jelly, you know the drill.

Our gang woke us up at 4:00 a.m.  Yes, that’s FOUR.  Of the CLOCK.  I barely remember the words they were saying.  But I clearly remember what Hubby and I were saying through squinty grumpy eyes:

WE SAID NO EARLIER THAN 7:00!  NOW GET BACK TO YOUR ROOMS AND BE QUIET OR ELSE WE’RE HAVING ONE MAC-DADDY GARAGE SALE IN THE MORNING!!!!

Amazingly they survived and thrived quietly doing who knows what until 7:00 at which time we gathered (way more cheerfully) on our bed, Bibles in hand, and took turns reading the Christmas story and answering questions.

Why did Herod want to know where Jesus was?

Why were the shepherds afraid?

What was Mary thinking about in her heart?

Why do YOU think Jesus is the best thing about Christmas?

Then it was present time.  Here are some hilights:

 

Then it was TRAVEL time.  8 hours to SC.  Just like I remember from my childhood.  The way is slightly different, but the destination was the same.  Here are some hilights from the trip:

I wish I had pictures of the time at Uncle Boogies with EVEN MORE cousins on the trampoline, EVEN MORE food on the grill and EVEN MORE hand holding and prayer-saying.  Jesus was the guest of honor everywhere we went, including our awesome Parris Island Gateway condo, complete with Marine Bulldog mascot.

I’m excited and thrilled about 2009.  I have high hopes for myself,  my family, and my world.  Stay tuned!