'Tis the Season to be Jolly

The last couple of weeks have been so much fun. I'm sure that anybody reading this knows that Christmas is Joel's favorite time of the year. He is always chomping at the bit to decorate the outside of the house, while I am usually cringing at the thoughts of the tacky spectacle he'll create. I always kid him about it being tacky, but the truth is that he always does a really good job. Mary Kate has had fun looking at all the lights. However, she is not a fan of Santa Claus. Her Granna took her to get her picture made with Santa and she went hysterical, which is not like her at all. So, we improvised and took pictures with a stuffed Santa that was made by Mary Kate's Great Great Grandmother, Nan. We are looking forward to spending time with family for Christmas. We're especially excited about MK getting to meet her Aunt Anna and Uncle Dalton. If you're keeping up with the countdown, they won't actually be here until the 22nd, but we're so thankful for the time that we will have with them.

This is my prayer for these HOLYdays of Christmas--"That the Lord would enter you spiritually, as bodily he entered Mary; and that daily he might through you enter the world as once he was born from her. Amen" (quoted from Walter Wangerin Jr., Preparing for Jesus)