Glowing Memories

Our church held a beautiful service to pay tribute and honor those that could not be with us this year for Christmas.  

Names were written on slips of paper and pinned to wreaths at the front.  Many children were there pinning grandparents names, some mothers and fathers pinning their child's name along with wives, husbands, brothers, sisters, children, aunts, uncles and friends.  We were all there to just say we love you, we honor you, we thank you and we have not forgotten you.

My two cards held the names of both of my dad's.  My dad who passed when I was a child and my dad who passed just this year.  The relationships I carry with each of them is so different yet when coupled together on unassuming white slips of paper it is just, quite simply, my two dad's who, today, share a wreath with many other loved ones.

Songs from Heather Bays soothed and reminded our hearts and candles were lit to show their ever present light in our lives.  We also had a candle lit for Brian's grandfather, Bill Frohliger, who passed just about a year ago.  His name too hangs on those wreaths.

For all of you who have those you are remembering this holiday season, Merry Christmas to you and to them as well.  

Her Choice

We just received Skyla's baptism packet in the mail and it was breathtaking to open.  In the busy of the day I opened this one envelope and was reminded of everything so precious.  Our God and our family and our friends.  The scanned quality isn't the greatest, but you get the idea.

Skyla had the pleasure of being baptized by not only a great man,  our children's pastor Joe McAlpine, but also the father of one of her closest friends and a good friend himself.  It made it all that much more memorable.  Such a beautiful moment as she talks to Joe right before the baptism.

It is official!  She will carry this for the rest of her life as a reminder of this day.

THIS was the most heartwarming though.  I was so excited to see that some kind person took an extra picture and added it in there for us.  The moment right after she was baptized.  Enveloping daddy in a sopping wet bear hug, radiating smile on her face and me so proud of our first born little girl.  I love this picture and all it embraces about the day, our faith and our family.

This was one of those moments that we get so few of where it seems no one exists on earth except for just the three of us and the God that blessed us with each other.  

Good day, Great memories..

Holiday Cheers!

The tree is up, the house is filled with Christmas cheer, the music is going and the parties are scheduled, but wait!  I forgot to do one little thing.  Oh yeah, I haven't started a single bit of Christmas Shopping still.  This is SO not like me, but it is what it is and I will roll with it and hopefully I will roll in with some gifts when I do.  

Decorating this year was fun and it gets better and better every year as my girls understand more about Christmas and get into the Christmas spirit.  

This year our family ornament is bears.  It is getting harder and harder to find groups of six we do not already have, but we came across this and loved it.  I have a bag for every year since 1997 that holds special ornaments just for that year.  The one from 1997 is one I gave Brian with a letter titled the "Christmas Promise" and we read it allowed to the girls to commence the decorating.  We go through every year's bag saying what important things happened that year and they get to put their own ornaments on the tree that Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Gene get them.  Journey, of course, gets a little inpatient having to wait all the way to 2009!!  But, it is a great tradition that we always look forward to.  So here we have our big, full family ornament for this year right next to the small pewter one with just Brian and I engraved on it from our first Christmas together.

The living room looks beautiful and it is great to walk downstairs in the early morning and be greeted by such warmth.  The girls like to play around it and play Santa on the less than usual cold days we have had.

This tree and rockin' Santa, that you can often find paired with a child, is from Brian's Grandfather who passed last year.  I love having a holiday decoration in the house from a loved one who has passed on to remind us and to celebrate them this season even when they are not physically here.  I know my dad was a collector of sorts of anything Christmas and has loads of things my mom is brooding through.  Maybe we can get a piece from him as well.  

I pray all of you are having a beautiful build up of your holiday season and enjoying the time together.  Gotta run!  I have to go get some shopping done now!