this is christmas

here is my new favourite song this Christmas.  thanks B! :) it is Christmas in a nutshell.  it's been on constant replay in my home as i wrap up the last minute preparations.  like too many times to count.  the lyrics are beautiful.  i come away every time thinking "yep, this is Christmas". love it, love it, love it...
hope you love it too...

then this....another "this is Christmas" moment for me.  thanks D! when i first saw this story i was again struck by the things that matter most in life.  not the packages.  not the trappings and glitter of the season.  it's love, it's family, it's lasting Hope.  and it's a happy ending for a change too...enjoy!

also, sending love and prayers to those we know who have recently lost loved ones. it must be so difficult at this time of year.  wishing you peace and comfort during these especially hard days.

i'm taking a blog break and will find my way back here in a few weeks.

merry Christmas, friends and family! i truly love you and count you all as some of my finest blessings!

#3

gotcha day #3 for Alemayehu Jeffrey. 

 

he was so excited about his new t-shirt...and happy to wear it to school and show Ethiopia's flag.

 

and cake is a giant highlight for AJ too.  takes after his mom...somehow...

 

i'm crazy blessed by this boy. he is sweetness and affection and joy and giggles. yesterday marked the anniversary of the day we rolled into AJ's life~ and he into ours~ forever. it is always emotional, always special, and never without loads of gratitude to see the healthy boy who now graces our home with love and laughter. 

i briefly looked back here and here to relive those early moments, and it's amazing how the details take me right back to the same feelings of those beautiful first days. then, last evening we looked through the photo album of his journey.

 

happy 3rd Gotcha Day, AJ!  so so so happy we did....

 

been thinkin'

i have some holiday thoughts whirling around in my brain these days.  it is just 15 days 'til Christmas, after all.  i thought i'd share with you.  click on the links if you are interested...

every Christmas i love these two Christmas classics.  well, not classics in the "classic" sense, but more "80's" classic...sung by bigtime artists with big hair and crazy lifestyles.  even still, the lyrics are thought provoking.  if only we all (including me...so easily side tracked) considered some of the basic truths in these songs 365 days a year...the first, "Do They Know It's Christmastime" was recorded by Band Aid, the British group Bob Geldof put together in 1984.  members of Band Aid included Bono, Phil Collins, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, and Sting. the single raised about $8 million for famine relief in Ethiopia.  Second, in 1985 the USA For Africa project was inspired by Band Aid.  "We Are The World" was a benefit single for victims of famine in Africa. It raised over $60 million, which was distributed to Ethiopia, Sudan, and other impoverished countries.  i've included an updated version of that song, created after the earthquake struck Haiti. wow, are the artists ever varied and talented~ some people can really sing!!  Wyclef Jean is Haitian, so it's fitting that he closes the song.  anyway, these songs touch me.  maybe in part because of the era they symbolize, but even more because of their relevance today.

finally, thinking about these families, this town, this tragedy.  still so raw, still so broken.  pray for Newtown this weekend...

on a happy note, did you hear about this? seems to be all over the news. call it shameless advertising, call it genius marketing, but whatever you call it, i still find it incredibly sweet and soooo fun. i wish i worked for WestJet and had been part of pulling off this Christmas surprise. pretty brilliant, i'd say...

now, off to work on making supper...

 

random, but blog-worthy

it's been a really busy few weeks.  lots of things underway, not to mention Christmas coming very quickly! so, a few quick pics to capture moments i especially loved.  the first, my "know-it-all" youngest three on the day i got in the van with my new phone.  they (even AJ!!) were firing off phone tips left and right, as if they owned one of their own.  "no, try it this way..." or "push that button, Mom" or "hold it down"....sheesh, when did i get so old??  it felt as if they were my own personal Samsung Technical Support team, all under the age of 10, and as if i was doing rocket science.  crazy, and humbling.  so, needless to say, they are my first picture (and wallpaper on my phone...i think it's called wallpaper...) and i felt they deserved to be considering they helped me close all the little start-up windows and tips just to get the clear screen for a camera shot to be taken.  wow.  it's that bad.

 

Last Friday AJ proudly entered the van with last week's spelling test...never disappoints.  "Mom, i only got one wrong!!!"  precious, precious, precious....how i'll miss this.  click on the picture if you need to enlarge it~ that i do know! :)

 

 

first highschool wrestling tourney of the season.  Joelle, Hannah and Adam competed.  this tournament allows bantam level entries, so Adam was allowed to wrestle kids of similar weight even though being in grade seven.  all three had fun and showed character and growth.  great outing and team building time for St. Clair as well. 

 

i feel the need to add here that in all photos the opposing wrestler is not experiencing any pain or shortage of oxygen.  the "head and arm" move below holds both the head and arm which prevents a choke, and at any moment the wrestler could also tap the mat to alert the referee and end the hold if discomfort exists. there, that's clarification for all the non-wrestlers and it's just important to know about the sport as well! :)

 

 

Layla and i enjoyed a half-school-day last week by baking muffins and cheddar biscuits to add to our soup meal that evening.  we figured we'd live on the wild side and cut out some Christmas tree shapes.  aren't we crazy? they were yummy!

 

during the baking session, Hudson and AJ came into the kitchen and announced that AJ now knew how to tie his shoes.  Hudson has taken it upon himself to teach his brother.  it wasn't exactly fully successful, but the basic steps were there with some direction from the "just about ready to burst as i watch" older brother....so sweet!

 

last, but certainly not least~ worthy of mention is the SEMC team that is serving in El Salvador this week.  a team of fifteen people from our church family partnering with God make an eternal difference.  feel free to follow their blog with me.  you don't even have to know them to catch their excitement for what they are seeing and experiencing there this week.  so good....