Lest I Forget

I want to thank everyone who has been praying for Peter. His EEG was normal and for now we will just keep a close eye on him. I hope to write more about this later, but I really need to keep a light heart today. A few nights ago, the kids were begging to do some kind of Christmas craft. Clearly, they do not see all that needs to be done and figure that I have nothing better to do than to create a lot of mess. But that is exactly what we did. We made gingerbread house cookies. I was surprised when my husband sat down and grabbed a cookie of his own. Usually he finds some task that cannot possibly wait one more second when he sees us "crafting". Turns out he has fond memories of decorating cookies with one of his childhood friends every Christmas. cookies baked and cut into house shapes Those m&m's are hard to open. Little fingers having fun. Lots of icing never made it on the cookies. It went straight in their mouths. Dad helping his son. ...

We think Peter had a seizure on Sunday. He will have an EEG in the morning and will be seen by the neurologist. Will you please keep him in your prayers?

...for our Christmas card picture.

Before the rest of the house was stirring, Peter and I were sitting together when we heard sleepy footsteps on the stairs. Anna came padding into the room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Groggily, she asked, "Mom? Tell me more about your gumball machine." Wondering if she had had a funny dream, I asked her what she was talking about, for I did not have a clue. She continued, "You know, the kind you and dad had when you were young." No, in fact, I do not know, I am thinking. I was trying hard to figure out what she was talking about. I asked her when she had heard about my gumball machine. "We were walking back from the park at Grandma's house, and you were talking about the game you and dad used to play." Suddenly, I knew! I told her, " Pin ball. Not gumball! Dad and I used to play pinball machines." Sheesh! The youngsters these days!

This year I am hoping to have a quiet little Advent where we can grow closer to one another and Our Lord. The manger sits empty, awaiting Mary and Joseph, who are on a long journey...   There will be some traditions from the past and some new ideas as well. Several years ago, I read about having Mary and Joseph move a little closer to the manger each day. The kids look forward to helping them on their journey... They travel across the ledge separating the kitchen and den. See all those dishes? They can wait. It is 75 degrees outside today. We have two Advent calendars. One of the chocolate variety and one made of felt. They take turns adding pieces to the felt one. So far, so good. No fights as to whose turn it is. Our new thing this year is a Jesse Tree. Oh, I have tried before, but we have never completed one. The ornaments were too much for us. Fortunately, Charlotte posted these that we can just color and cut out. That is exactly what we need this year. Maybe...