Reflections of...

Wow, I guess I can do a lot of reflecting from the time of my last post. I will spare you the excuses for the long delay and just say I am a poor blogger.

I love Christmas time. It is packed full of excitment. I love the decoration, the lights, wearing red, the food, the music, the parties, and on and on I could go. This year was another wonderful time.

We always begin the year with the Ladies Christmas Brunch. It was wonderful this year with Mrs. Sexton doing the speaking. Normally we have a special speaker come but this year we were able to hear our own Mrs. Sexton. She is so sweet and kind. It is a great start to the celebration of Christmas. We are always reminded that Jesus is the reason we celebrate. His birth, life and death are the real joy of our Christmas.

One of my favorite things we did this year was a gingerbread house making party with a couple of Abby's friends. It was very fun and something I would like to do again. One of Cassy 's friends has one that she does for their entire class. I am not that brave (nor do I have the facility). Abby, Ginnie and Tiffany showed much creativity and had a wonderful time together.

Other favorite activities for this year included: Academy Christmas program (highlighted below), Sunday School class party, party for the basketball team (Mark is now coaching the college team...this was my first ever all men party. Much food is required!) staff christmas party, children's staff party (I must explain it more in a minute), school class parties, special music at church, making christmas cards with a friend, christmas caroling to some of the shut-ins of our church, Dollywood, the nativity pageant, shopping, and I am sure I have forgotten something. All of these activities and hardly any pictures. I am just not good for capturing the memories with the camera. I MUST improve in this area!

the Academy Christmas Program: It is so fun and exciting. The program this year was very good. Abby and Cassy enjoyed so much learning their songs and poems. Cassy's class sang a song about the candy cane and wore candy canes around their necks. Abby's class wore gifts around them and sang about the True Gift of Christmas. Sorry our pictures turned out very blurry. You can view pictures on the templebaptistacademy.com website under event photos.

the children's staff christmas party: Every year Pastor and Mrs. Sexton shop and purchase a gift for all of the children of the staff members (this is a very large number of children). It is a wonderful thing that they do. My kids look forward to it and I am sure it will be something they always remember about our Pastor and Mrs. Sexton. They go all out on the gift that they get. Abby received a scrapbooking kit (really cute which she LOVES!) and Cassy received a Color Wonder Explosion. Maddie received a singing dog with a play phone and radio with it. I think they could fit the description the world gives for Santa. They know just what the kids will love. It is such a meaningful thing that they do. I know the Lord will bless them for it.

Christmas Day for us: Our morning begins with breakfast at Mark's parents' house. It is a southern style breakfast that lasts you through until the afternoon :) We then open gifts with Mark's family. Grandma and Pops have five children and 9 great grandchildren. Everyone was able to be together this year. It was quite a party! We only buy for the children but there is, as you can imagine, a mound of presents. (I took pictures but with my sister-in-laws camera because...if you can believe it, I FORGOT mine. The unpardonable at Christmas!)

We leave there in the afternoon (we should have left earlier but I became engaged in a game called "Othello"). We came back to our house for Christmas dinner with my family. I have two brothers and my parents have 6 grandchildren. We were all together as well, thank the Lord!

Mrs. Sexton encouraged us a few years ago (she probably does every year, but one particular year we took it to heart) to read the Christmas story from Luke 2 every day during the month of December with your family. We began to do that and our girls have memorized the passage. For the last three years, at least, they have quoted it for my family before we open our gifts on Christmas night. I have enjoyed this tradition.

We opened presents and enjoyed one another's company. The men in my family play rook until the wee hours of the morning. Us girls played one of Abby and Cassy's Christmas presents, "Apples to Apples." It was all good!

I have a few pictures of the girls with Hannah that I will include. I need to get some pictures of all of the cousins on the Fowler side. Maybe soon!Andrew, my nephew, with Hannah

Cindy, my sister-in-law, and I always have some project when we are together. She wanted stockings made for her, Derrick, and Hannah. So, we made these. I think they turned out really cute. I hated to let her take them home. They would have worked perfectly for Abby, Cassy, and Maddie. Oh well!

As for continuing on and on: Sorry. I will stop reflecting now. I am looking forward to a wonderful year in 2008.