Signing Off Until The New Year...

(This is one of my favorite Christmas photos - found via Tumblr)


Our house is filled with the sounds of Christmas music, little voices, laughter, its fair share of chaos and arguing (from those same little voices), and through it all, I hear happiness and love.

My kids are on Winter Break, my heart is full, and Christmas is almost here.

These days, at any given moment, our home looks like this...

...the coffee table pushed up against the couch to make room for sleeping bags and pillows, three kids and a dog in full rest-and-relaxation mode, and an assortment of toys, remote controls and princess dresses scattered around the floor.

On a daily basis we mix and sift and crack eggs and measure spices, and make a big, huge mess in the kitchen. While the cookies bake and I clean up (in preparation for the next batch), the kids take a break, and Classic Christmas movies play on the television. I can't help but think that these days, and these memories that we're making, are the kind that my kids will reminisce about when they are older. The same way that days just like these became my memories when I was little...


I want nothing more than to remember these moments with them, for the rest of my life.

I am so thankful that I get to call these little ones mine.
And so very thankful for their Daddy.


We've spent hours and hours in the kitchen creating all kinds of Christmas treats...


Our annual Gingerbread House decorating has taken place and the kids are quite proud of their work. We gave them carte blanche - the gingerbread house was theirs to become whatever their little 9, 7 and 4 year old hearts desired...

Our family's holiday festivities begin the morning of Christmas Eve and carry through into the following week. It will be a busy, fun-filled stretch of days that are going to fly by...

The goal this year: to be fully present and enjoy the moments as they happen.

After all, these kids of ours are growing up way too fast.

And they're only little for so long.


Which leads me to this - a post from Clover Lane called:

Just A Reminder: Don't Miss The Sparkly Eyes

I'm going to make sure that I don't miss any of it.



And if you haven't seen this, it is definitely worth reading:

My Heart Grew Three Sizes And Now I Have An Enlarged Heart. WORTH IT.

from The Bloggess

An incredible act of kindness that resulted in strangers helping strangers.

All I can say is, the tears were flowing! And that people are good.

...............................................................



This holiday season,

from our home to yours,

we wish you a very Merry Christmas

and a Happy New Year!


~ See you in 2011 ~