The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Johnny stayed home today!  Hooray!  He has been busy with finals for the last week and even took two yesterday.  Boooooo for finals.  I keep telling him that he will only ever have to take finals two more times in his whole life.  He keeps telling me that I told him that a few years ago when we lived in Austin.  This time I am serious.  Deadly serious.

Anyway, because he stayed home, he made the sacrifice of staying home and "taking care" of Yummy so that I could go and finish up the odds and ends of Christmas shopping.  His morning consisted of cleaning up, with Yummers tagging along, then both of them retiring for a well deserved nap at 10:30.  John woke up to me opening the garage door at 1:00. 

While I was on the way to the mall this morning, I was just pondering in the van as I drove.  I love to have the radio off while I drive and just have some quiet time to think.  I was thinking about this beautiful Christmas season.  The decorations.  The lights.  The traditions. Even the gifts.  And the music.  The music may just be my favorite part of the season. 

On Monday,  John was laying on the bed in our room studying for a final, and I was on the sewing machine trying to get some Christmas presents finished.  Silent Night sung by Josh Groban was playing in the background.  "You can't help but feel the Spirit during this song," he said.  And he was right. 

This morning as I neared the mall, I decided to turn on the radio for a bit.  Oh, Holy Night  was playing.  I listened and thought about what John had said earlier.  You can't help but feel the Spirit during this song.  Once again he was right.  I sat in the van and thought about how grateful I was for this season.  And how grateful I am for my children to enjoy it with, for my husband to share it with.  Grateful that even though this is not a season of plenty for us right now, we have enough.  And we have health and safety, and the guidance and reassurance from our loving Father in Heaven that He is aware of our needs.

On a much lighter note, this morning I decided to put Yummy and Nathan in a bath while I did Avery's hair for school.  When I finished, John took the big ones to school, and I helped Nathan get out and dry off. Will climbed out and was streaking through the house.  I figured I would just let him have a time of it, while I tried to help Nathan button up his shirt.  Then the phone rang.  It was John.  "Do you know where your baby is right now?"  He was standing on the back of the couch, forehead and hands pressed up against our huge picture window that faces a very busy street.  Completely naked.



By the time I rounded the corner with the camera, he had already climbed down and was standing on the window sill.  At least that makes the photo is a little more G rated.