As I sit down to finally write this blog post just shy of a month after Christmas, I can't help but be filled with joy and praises for what an amazing season it was. This is one of the first years that I've had a strong longing for Christmas not to come, only because I did not want it to end too quickly. I wanted to soak up and savor every wonderful moment and enjoy Christmas through the eyes of an admiring three year old.
It all started with the
building of our Christmas tree over Thanksgiving weekend. With just 4 weeks until Christmas after that, the race was on to do and see and have all of the wonderful experiences we were hoping for this year.
First up, a horse drawn carriage ride through Shirlington during the Light Up The Village celebration. We were there last year but the line for the free carriage rides was so long that we didn't wait. This year, we got there early, staked out a spot in line and did all the other fun stuff after.
Ok, not the best quality photo taken on a moving carriage with my centuries old iPhone, but there you have it :)
Next up was Jingle Jam, a fun performance that our kids at NCC put on each year for the families. Its sort of like our version of a Christmas play, and it always includes some fun singing and dancing. This year since I am on staff with our Family Ministry Department, I got a chance to be behind the scenes and was very excited to bring Owen to see the performances. He was a mascot in his little t-shirt since he is still too young to participate but he sure did know all of the songs from watching the practice videos at home with me. He sang along and danced in his seat so it will be fun to see if he wants to be a part of it next year. At the end of Jingle Jam there was a very special visit from Santa, and as a result of this particular encounter with Santa/Pastor Joel, Owen was quoted in a sermon given later in the month :)
These 2 don't really have any fun together as you can see.
More fun was had as the weekends flew by and the excitement for Santa's arrival was growing. At church our kids put on a short program during service for the parents in which they sang Jingle Bells and sang/signed Silent Night. This was Owens first performance in front of a large audience and he handled the pressure like a champ. He didn't sing much during Jingle Bells, but he did jingle his little bell like he was supposed to. But then he got comfortable in the spot light and during Silent Night he chose to be the happy non-conformist and played the air guitar instead of signing to the song. Later, when I asked him why he did not do the signs (because you can bet he knew them all) he replied "Mama, I just like playing the air guitar" Fair enough.
That same weekend we had our annual small group Family Christmas Party. We love this for so many reasons- These people truly are our family out here, there are always so many laughs during the white elephant gift exchange, the food is always delicious, and frankly, any excuse for us to all be together is great. We will no longer be hosting or leading this couples group, but we know that these people will remain in our lives and close to hearts for a long time coming.
Just a side note, when this picture was taken, about 4 weeks ago, 3 couples were pregnant that we were aware of. Today, we have a baby girl Rosemary to add to this group and another newly pregnant couple! So amazing!
We capped off our time before traveling to IL with a third visit to Santa Clause, where Owen reiterated his need for Criss-Cross Crash Cars, a visit to see the Grinch in ICE!, and our tradition of our own family Christmas Morning before leaving. All of that, and it wasn't even December 21st yet, the day we were set to fly to Illinois to celebrate with our families!
