Tis the Season!

I love the Spirit of Christmas--- love, cheerfulness, service, generosity, kindness. It is my favorite time of year! For our playgroup last week, we got our little kids involved in this beautiful Spirit. We had a Christmas Playgroup Service Activity where we made Christmas tree ornaments and decorations. Then, that afternoon, we brought our homemade decorations to a local nursing home and helped the residents decorate their Christmas tree. The residents were SO happy! It was a very sweet experience to bring such pure joy to these good people. The children also visited with the residents. The children brought them SO much joy! The tree turned out beautifully, and we were immensely blessed to be filled with the wonderful Spirit of Christmas--- the joy of making someone so happy that day.

Jonathan was a little charmer at the the nursing home. He was an angel-- each resident was absolutely thrilled to hold him. Jonathan was peaceful, engaging, and sweet with each person. It is a pleasure for me to share the overflowing joy our darling baby gives us!

Below is a slideshow of pictures of this experience (I'm afraid they don't do it justice, but, still, it will help us remember...). I couldn't get the captions to work properly, so here's a few notes on the pictures: In the morning, we made Christmas tree ornaments and decorations. We made hand-print ornaments, popsicle stick stars, and paper and colored pasta chains. About half-way through, the kids got restless, so they watched Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer while the moms finished the crafts :). That afternoon, we went to the nursing home. You can see how very happy the residents are to have the children there. They LOVED it! In turn, that made us very happy to be of service. It was a sweet experience for all who participated. It was so wonderful to help my children be involved in the true Spirit of Christmas... teach them hands-on what Christmas is all about. :) Hurray! Merrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

Christmas Playgroup Holiday Service Activity

Here Comes Santa Clause...

This year Benjamin is old enough to catch on to most of what Santa Clause is about. A few weeks ago, he was on the verge of a grocery-store-tantrum for a Spiderman toy. Dustin cleverly soothed his despair by explaining that if he was a good boy, Santa would bring him the Spiderman toy for Christmas. Since then, Benjamin reminds us several times daily that Santa will give him a Spiderman toy for Christmas (which is funny because, since he doesn't see many commercials, his only encounter with Spiderman is the animated picture on the Macaroni & Cheese box).

Well, last night, Santa came to our Church Christmas party. While we waited in line, I explained to Benjamin this was his special opportunity to see Santa and tell him that he wanted the Spiderman toy for Christmas (I was also looking forward to taking the traditional cute pictures of my kids with Santa). Benjamin was pretty excited until it was his turn to sit on Santa's lap... at that moment he decided Santa was terrifying and refused to sit on his lap and flipped out when we tried to persuade him that Santa actually is a nice, jolly old fellow. Oh, well--- we just took a few pics of Jonathan on Santa's lap (he thought Santa was pretty neat). Well, as we were leaving Santa, I guess Benjamin remembered he was supposed to tell Santa about wanting the Spiderman toy, so, at the last second, he panicked and begged to go see Santa, so, at the mercy of all the kind, patient people still in line, we took him back to Santa, and Benjamin, though very shyly, did sit on Santa's lap (he wouldn't talk to him, but was content to let mommy tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas). Whew. Our kids certainly keep our lives interesting.

Also, at the party, all the families made paper snowman (fun idea)-- Dustin made our masterpiece. It turned out pretty cute.

Well, while I'm posting Christmas-ish pictures, here's a shout-out: Happy, happy Holidays!! I hope you're blessed (and not too stressed) this Christmas season. :)

Angel Baby & Beautiful People

The other day I was at the grocery store doing our monthly "big" shopping trip. I had a huge cart filled with everything on my well-thought-out list. I was running a little late to pick up Benjamin at a friend's, but, besides that, for grocery shopping trip, everything was actually going rather well... until, at the cashier's, I went to get our food card to pay. It was not in my wallet-- I realized it was still in Dustin's wallet from our last shopping trip... and he was somewhere at School with no cell phone. Siiiiiiiiiigh. I'm sure you can fill in details from there.
Naturally, I was feeling pretty frustrated at first, but then the many succeeding small acts of service given by random kind people around me transformed this "mini-disaster" into a sweet experience of remembrance of the quiet goodness within the many people I see everyday. Friends, acquaintances, and even strangers took time to help me in various ways keep my groceries safe and intact until I could pay and to contact Dustin to get our card. These small-- but to me, significant-- kindnesses have filled me with a sweet gratitude and admiration for the great good in people. Even in the middle of the "ordeal", my eyes were opened to the goodness of others, and I feel so much joy in that!

I am thankful:
*for my angel baby who smiled, giggled, and contently played through the WHOLE trip and ordeal, even though his lunch and nap ended up being over an hour and a half late (he must've been starving and exhusted, but who knew? He was a little joy--- and a very sweet, quiet strength, helping me to be positive and hopeful...) When we got home, he even played happily, with only a few vague complaints, while I unloaded the groceries and put away all the refrigerator and freezer stuff.) He's AMAZING!! Truly, my angel baby. (Isn't he a beautiful little boy?)
*it was a Wednesday morning--- this particular Wednesday morning when Benjamin was safe and happy at Susan's house and that neither she nor I had any impending obligations
*Susan, for willingly and cheerfully keeping Benjamin an extra almost 2 hours
*the Wal-mart employees who went out of their way to keep my groceries safe and intact (HUGE blessing!!! Can't imagine having to do the shopping trip ALL OVER AGAIN). They even put my two carts (that is what my one full cart ends up being after getting scanned and bagged...I did mention this was our big monthly trip, right?) in the meat cooler to keep my refrigerator stuff from going bad! Best of all, they were all so sweet--- they didn't make me feel stupid or troublesome at all... as if it happened all the time. Maybe it does... :)
*the random people I called in attempt to contact my husband, for doing all they could to help me (giving me clues to his location, cell phone numbers of people who might be with him, etc.)
*especially for Celeste, for going out of her way to find Dustin and get our card and, with her little daughter in tow, bring it to me at Wal-mart... she really went the extra mile and I deeply appreciate that
*Dustin, for being the kind of man and husband I could easily call for help, depend on-- who easily forgives and dismisses my faults, my "forgetfulness" and other weaknesses, and shows me each day how much he loves and admires me, appreciates me...

*The thoughtful Wal-mart manager who helped get my groceries to my car... and shared with me how her daughter had recently been in a horrible car accident, but was spared her life and injuries, which then influenced a huge rush of gratitude as I felt grateful her daughter and the other people were okay, and that my family is so often protected from danger, that we are individually cared for and watched over and blessed each day, each moment by a loving, personal Heavenly Father and Savior... and that I have learned throughout my life to know Them, love Them, serve Them...

This little experience, as it forced me to depend on the kindness of others, in a way helped me feel closer to my Brothers and Sisters around me, the "strangers" and "acquaintances" who are actually Heavenly Father's children, who have their own lives, their own stories, their own troubles and triumphs. The greatest triumphs I witnessed the other day were the sacrifices of time and effort, small or big, given to help me through a frustrating ordeal. Granted, there is much evil in this world, but, truly, I am surrounded by beauiful people-- quick to help, quick to sympathize, quick to share support and service. This little post is a tribute to those beautiful people who touched my life that day. :)