Good Things Come in Little Packages

This week I came home to find a small box on my doorstep. I love getting packages! This one I couldn't wait to open...Mark's sister-in-law had promised to send us some yummy Christmas treats (homemade I should add) since we would not be there for Christmas. I immediately opened the box.

Inside I found a lot of those Styrofoam peanuts and the tin I had been waiting eagerly to receive! As excited as I was I sifted through the peanuts and found a small DVD...a Christmas message from our nephews and niece...an unexpected gift...small, yet mighty!



I could not wait for Mark, I miss home, I miss familiar, I miss these three young people! I turned out the lights, turned on the Christmas tree and settled in to watch the DVD.



I was able to watch and listen to Jack, and later Sam, play Christmas songs. They have been taking piano lessons...I smiled as they played their songs. I heard what they wanted for Christmas. I was able to see a chalk drawing of Noah created by Beth. My favorite part was when the kids each told Noah one thing. Sam told Noah he hoped he likes everyone. Beth encouraged Noah not to cry. Jack told Noah he would like his parents...us.



It was the unexpectedness of this gift that made it so special...and it was from the heart of those whom we love. Mark and I cannot thank John, Lisa, Jack, Sam, and Beth enough for this gift. We cannot find the words that would express how it made us feel.

Years ago God gave the world a gift more precious, more valuable, more wonderful than words can express and had him wrapped, not in peanuts, but in cloths in a manger. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
We can never thank God enough for His wonderful gift.

Merry Christmas Jack, Sam, and Beth! We love you very much. Thank you for sending us Christmas wishes. Love Aunt Angie and Uncle Mark

Update on Noah

Not an official blog entry, Mark and I had our 36 week visit...which meant our last time seeing Noah on a tiny screen...the next time we see him he will be in our arms! We found out that Noah is currently 6 lbs. 7 oz., and not the 10 lbs. I have feared.

We found out that he has a head full of hair and that his intestines are in his body (another ridiculous fear I had). All looks well with our little man and we can't wait to meet him.

He is head down, and my body has begun the process of preparing to deliver him...which means only that I will indeed have him, but we have no due date other than January 10.

So weekly visits are in our future. Our bags are packed and in the car. The car seat is installed. Noah has more gifts than we do under the tree and we have dog sitters lined up!

Christmas Past

Shopping, hot chocolate, lights, cookies...all of these come to mind when I think about Christmas. This Christmas Mark and I will spend our first Christmas alone. With Noah due not long after Christmas we are not allowed to travel.

So today I sit peaking past the Christmas tree, watching snow fall outside, thinking of Christmases that have come and gone, traditions I will miss, and family that I love so much.

That being said, the traditional Norman Rockwell painting my family is not. Picturesque moments we do not have. Rather, belly laughter that does not stop, silly gifts that reflect personalities, and blouses covered in flour make our photo opportunities.

So, that being said, here are some of the things I will miss the most about being with family for Christmas. I will miss my dad asking when the meal will be ready...even though my mom and I have been standing in the kitchen for hours cooking while the rest of the family sits in the living room watching movies and taking cat naps. I will miss playing bingo for $1 gifts and hearing my dad call the numbers as if he had a part-time job as a bingo caller. I will miss watching my brother laugh as he opens yet one more t-shirt with some ridiculous saying on it. I will miss putting frosting on cookies with my sister, all the while trying to convince my father that purple frosting tastes just like blue frosting. I will miss watching my mom open an unexpected gift that makes her cry, while I cry right along with her. I will miss it all, yet, with the birth of Noah, I know that family Christmases are just beginning again for our family.

I encourage each of you to look past the little things that drive you crazy at Christmastime, the habits that your family has that makes you bite your nails. Take the time to remember that each member of your family has been created to be just like they are and that God placed you in the care of your family for very specific reasons.

For Mark and I, we will remember that Christmas is a birth story. I think of Mary, big and pregnant (not unlike me), trying to find a place, any place, to have her baby...our Jesus. We will remember to love deeply and to treasure the family and the memories we have of family so far away.



Love to all of you this Christmas season.


“But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”- Luke 1:30-33