Of course, I had to start with the best family picture we could get amidst all the craziness that is a one year old and three year old around the holidays! I always try so hard to get just the "perfect" family photo and I need to stop and let my kids be kids..... let them play with their new toys from Santa and teach them the real reason we celebrate this holiday to begin with.... and that reason is CHRIST.... which is the root word in Christmas. It seems like we get so overwhelmed with the gift giving and receiving and the magic of the holidays that we forget the most magical thing of all.... we have a SAVIOR that willingly came to this earth as a BABY.... and He wasn't born in a palace or even in a hospital.... he was born in a barn....he had a manger to lay in..... this KING came so we could have a direct relationship with our heavenly FATHER..... how often do we forget that?? I found myself getting so overwhelmed this holiday season as I tried to juggle the personalities of two young children that will act up at the most inopportune times.... that will cause me to give the "count" way too often... that will have me enforce timeouts and cool downs... that will have me encourage sharing and kindness (why aren't they born with these attributes?!)... that will have me wonder if they will ever eat a full meal while I am also trying to scarf down all the delicious food that has been prepared.... that will have me worn out from middle of the night wake up calls and early mornings.... but they are also the boys that will give me a hug and snuggle with me and just make me melt... that will say "I love you mommy and I am sorry" in an instant when you are still fuming mad making you realize that its all going to be okay...... they are the boys that will want to read "just one more book" before bedtime or nap time.... they are the boys that could be entertained for hours by hide and seek and peek-a-boo....they are the boys that I need to focus all of my energy on showing them the true meaning of this holiday season.....making me remember that probably the best memory from this time of year is not the cookie-decorating, present-opening or Christmas movie-watching.... its listening to Zander sing in his best voice "Happy Birthday Jesus"..... we need to listen more to what our children are truly saying.... its simply magical!
