perfectly imperfect holiday season

What was your best Christmas as a kid? Was it the one where there was a lot of stress about a perfect meal elegantly served-on time-to a perfectly dressed family? Or was it the one where the dog pulled the turkey off the stove and dragged it away through the dog door? There was no perfect meal that day. Everyone rolled with the punches. They rolled up their sleeves and worked together in the kitchen to salvage a makeshift meal.

The beauty of that memory is not in perfection and organization, but in remembering the joy of being together and doing things together. It was the laughter. It was one of those days when the choices were to laugh or to cry, so you all laughed it off and enjoyed one another. It brought you all together in a different way.

Holidays are times for enjoying one another. We are not suggesting that you purposely feed the turkey to the pets, but we strongly suggest that an imperfect day with little stress will create better memories of loving relationships.

We wish you a perfectly imperfect holiday season,
Jim Fay
Love and Logic

Christmas Sunday Outfits

-oops, I forgot a solo picture of Andrew...next week after church because there is no way I will be able to get him in is church clothes on a week day!
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Notice how Andrew just casually put his arm around Alex
Now notice what a stretch it was for Alex to reach his younger brother!! I was trying to take the picture and I couldn't stop laughing. It is okay that Andrew is taller, I mean they are only 15 months apart, it was just funny to see! :)

I love this picture!

asleep in the hay

Isn't this the cutest manger?!
Mom/Grandma Allen gave it to us. Thanks! Do a good deed to fill up the manger with hay so Jesus has a soft place to lay on Christmas Eve.

Delivery Girl

We love doing neighbor gifts for our little culd-a-sac. I have thought about just doing the neighborhood food bank in lieu of gifts, but even if we did I know I would still do my neighbor gifts because we enjoy them so much. (except when their dogs do their 'business' on my lawn..!! he! he! he!:) We really do have one of the best neighborhoods.
This year I got a short read book, The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans.

An oldie, but a good message and hopefully everyone hasn't already read it!
No preschool today, so Anika helped me put them in bags along with some yummy chocolates (not homemade!) and off we went to deliver. She was so excited skipping to each new house where she handed the bag to them if they were home and left the ones on the porch to those who weren't. To those who were home her saying seemed to be about the same, "Here, Merry Christmas. This is from my mom, Pam Bennett that's her nick name. See, she's right here! k- Bye!"


It is a little chilly out this morning but nothing to complain about for winter weather. No snow except for that which hasn't melted from a week or so ago on the side of the neighborhood that doesn't get the direct sun on their front yards during the midday! We are lucky that is not us!

Merry Early Christmas To Me!

ya! An SLR camera!!! No more waiting 10 minutes in between pictures! Now I just have to learn how to you use it and not treat it like a $50 camera.
I have so much to post and so little time...

Guilt

This morning I left to take the kids to school while still wearing my slippers and pajama pants, while driving Andrew asked if I was coming to their assembly as his class was performing a song. That would have been nice to know 10 minutes ago! I really didn't want to drive home and then drive back to the school for a 10 minute assembly. Then he goes on to tell me how last year when I didn't come (my guess is I didn't know about it) how he was so embarrassed! I told him I can't be at everything and I am not going to go into the school with my slippers and pj's on.
Well on the way home I thought about how I really don't have anything too pressing to get done today and decided I would go back.
As Anika and I got there his class was just starting their song. They did a wonderful job! Alex's class then did a quick little poem so I was able to see two kids perform! These are the things they are suppose to remember-right?!
Hopefully them seeing my presence will reinforce my love to them and they don't have to be embarrassed that I didn't show up and they can grow up to be a healthy productive adult!!!

My only picture that turned out!