Chistmas Gushy-ness

I know that right now many blogs are filled with sincere posts about the magic and joy of Christmas, but when you've probably already read several of them, you may just want to skip all the sentiment and go right to the pictures (even if you think your kids' pics are cuter).

--My kids' pics are cuter, though. It's just the truth.-- ; )

So, I'll just mention I feel Christmas mush and gush.

Ok, and an extra comment about how much I love looking at the tree.

And then you can move on to the pictures:

Our Christmas Eve candlelight dinner with china. Delish.

Our re-enactment of the navity; we traded parts a lot. Rob started as Joseph because Bryce wanted to be the donkey (see him hiding under that hobby horse?). Nathan stayed the part of Mary for the entire little program. Look at his cute pregnant tummy while he sits on Bryce.

Bryce has now switched to the part of Joseph so Daddy could be a shephard. See how sweetly he looks at the baby Jesus (a stuffed teddy bear this year).

I play the angel.

Pretty fat angel.

Jeffrey stayed the part of the narrator for the entire performance, and did a nice job.

Ok, now I'm trying to act 'kingly' for the part of one of the three kings/wise men that came to worship baby Jesus.

Very portly wise 'man.'

Dad took a picture of us next to the makeshift stable that Bryce made out of chairs.

And then Jeffrey took a picture of us so dad could also be included.

Isn't Jeffrey handsome with his new glasses, by the way? He seems to be able to see so much better, too.

Christmas carols; Bryce played some songs on the piano, then Jeffrey. We sang maybe 6 songs and were all wiped out and ready for bed, even the kids.

Do you notice the matching jammies Nana made for everyone? We opened them on Christmas Eve, after the nativity and before the caroling, and put them on right away.

Aaaah, the christmas tree. The picture doesn't do it any justice.

Santa's plate of cookies.

He must have liked them. They were gone by morning, and the food the boys left out for Santa's reindeer was also pretty much gone (oatmeal sprinkled in the backyard).

Christmas morning, waiting at the top of the stairs to come check out their loot.

Bryce and Nathan looked so cute opening their stockings together, almost back to back.

Which inspired me to take pics of all three of them in front of the christmas tree. Such handsome boys.

We also tried taking a family picture, but the sun was in our eyes, not to mention the boys were MUCH more interested in playing with their new Christmas toys.

A little thing and a big thing

A Litte Thing:

Last Sunday Rob got the hiccups just before church. For Rob, hiccups are terrible, because they can last up to 3 days.

Having hiccups on top of
1) conducting church hymns to the entire congregation and
2) singing in an acapella quartet during the church meeting

is a VERY bad combination.

As we drove to church, I started quietly praying for him that his hiccups could abate so he could fulfill his calling and contribute to his quartet. I kept praying the entire 10 min. drive to church, while listening to him hiccup the whole time.

When we arrived at church, my thoughts were distracted w/ my three rambunctious kids, and I have to admit I completely forgot about his hiccups during the entire wonderful Christmas meeting on being of Good Cheer.

When his quartet sang a beautiful medley of different Christmas songs like "O Holy Night" and "Silent Night," it was so touching that it brought tears to my eyes and the warmth of the Spirit to the room.

After church as we were returning home, it dawned on me that I hadn't seen him hiccup once during the meeting, though he was hiccuping again on the car ride home. I explained that I had been praying for him, and he told me he had also been praying all the way to church.

Then he told me that after the opening prayer of the main meeting was said, his hiccups stopped, and after the closing prayer of the same meeting was finished, they started again.

THAT is answer to prayer.

Such a little thing, and yet it really touched me that Heavenly Father is listening to us and our little temporal trials, and is prepared to strengthen us if we but ask.

(And if you want to know, Rob's hiccups continued on and off the rest of that evening and into the next day)

A Big Thing:

I have been feeling labor pains off and on for a good week now, and was pretty sure they were productive. Sure enough, my Thursday dr. appt confirmed I was a 3 and 50% effaced. They continued even more after the dr. appt, through Saturday morning, so close together and strong that I was sure I needed to head to the hospital 3 weeks early. A call to the on-call dr. let me know to drink water first to see if the intense contractions were being caused by dehydration, which they were.

A priesthood blessing from Rob also gave me great comfort and peace of mind, and among many touching and personal things, I was told that this baby will come at the "proper time." Whether that means early or on time, I knew that whenever I go into the hospital, it will be the "right" time for the baby.

Since that blessing, my contractions have slowed down, back to where I feel they're probably not even being productive. This is a very big thing to me, and I am grateful my Heavenly Father is aware of me and my personal worries and concerns.

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Both of these experiences bring to mind a craft block I just made at a recent Super Saturday. It reads:

"Today's test is tomorrow's testimony."

Even though the above experiences are both not huge trials, seeing God respond to even little temporal things strengthens my testimony of a loving Father in Heaven.

'Tis the Season... to LIE

Called my mommy.

She said, "Oh hi, Kimberly! I just finished making your christmas present this very moment!"

Me: "Oh really. What is it?"

Her: "Um. I forgot."

Love you, mom. : )

Later she said, "Oh, it's on the tip of my tongue!," as though she had almost "remembered" what she made me.

That very second.

See, there is good lying and bad lying. My family is good at the former.* : )




*Rob, however, he's not good at lying, period. He just can't do it, even if it's for a surprise party or a game of Balderdash. But then again, neither can my best friend Tami. *Chuckle*