Christmas

Christmas preparations are in full swing around here! All the presents are not only bought, but thanks to some help from my hubby, they are wrapped and sorted by event. Some Christmas cards are in the mail, and another round is getting set to go. Carter and I just made a batch of cookies and hopefully we'll do another batch tonight. I love it when December goes this way. Some years it doesn't--sometimes the before Christmas to-do list gets done around December 29. Or parts of it don't get done at all. But every year I look for ways to make the list shorter and easier in an attempt to focus on the more important things.

We are looking forward to spending time with both our families this Christmas and New Years. We have so much to celebrate. At Christmas, we celebrate our Savior's birth. And as we look back on a year filled with challenges and blessings, we celebrate Gavin's health, Jeff's steady job, and some of the most amazing family and friends anyone could hope for. We are truly blessed.

As I look forward to the new year, I pray (1) that we will not use our health insurance nearly as much as we did this year. (2) that if we do, God will continue to give us peace and help us trust in him. (3) that He will continue to guide our little family to trust Him and serve Him. And (4) that we will be faithful stewards of the three amazing boys He's given us, consistently making decisions that help them grow into men of God.

Merry Christmas, everyone! And Happy New Year!