This and that

So, it's been a busy couple of weeks.  I know I'm tired because my knees have been sore for a while.
On Friday, December 10th, we had the youth over for dessert as part of the progressive dinner.  We had ice cream sundaes with many good toppings to add some extra goodness.  It was a nice night.  It reminded me of my days in youth group and the whole high school social scene.  It's crazy.  Yeah, lots has changed, like every other kid has a cell phone.  Don't get me started on that.  I could do a whole blog entry just on why I think cell phones are wrong.  But in a lot of ways, things are the same as when I was in high school.  Oh yes, my stepdaughter Eternity has heard the words, 'When I was your age' come out of my mouth a time or two.  I guess that means that I"m officially old!!
Then on Saturday December 11th, our church was a part of the Pelham Christmas Parade.  We made a float and we all had red and white striped matching scarves.  I was a part of organizing the float and getting the scarves made.  There were 30 made in all.  A few of the lovely ladies at our church chipped in and got the job done.  I made a few, but I did the majority of the cutting of the fabric.  It was a lot of work, but it was worth it and kind of therapeutic for me.  We couldn't have asked for better weather on the day of the parade and we were able to hand out 230 bibles and 300 flyers about the candy cane and how it is a symbol of Jesus and what He did for us.  It really was an awesome day and we hope to do it again next year. 

We also had the Awana Christmas concert on Tuesday, December 14th, which Eternity and Emma were a part of.  Emma is definitely not afraid of being on stage and performing.  Eternity would rather be behind the scenes, but she was brave and pulled off a small part in the Trek play.  (Trek is the Awana group for Grade 7-9).  This was a nice time to talk to parents and hang out afterwards.
On Wednesday December 15th, we went to Emma's nursery school in the evening to watch her perform as the Star on the night when Jesus was born.  Her teacher told us that she was playing the Star, but also that she was the star of the show.  She definitely carried the other kids through the singing of the songs.  I'm not bragging, but I am proud of her confidence to perform. 
There was also the Sunday School Christmas play on Sunday December 19th.  So, it was definitely a busy week.  When things slow down I always feel like I should be doing something.  I'm usually busy with something but when a busy spell ends, I feel like I should be running off my feet. 

I struggle with how to do Christmas.  How many gifts should we buy?  Should we buy any at all?  It's easy to get sucked in to what our culture is telling us, mostly through advertisements.  Bobby spoke on not losing sight of the manger at the Awana Concert, so I guess I need to ask God to help me find the balance of the true meaning of Christmas and how many gifts to give.  I don't want to feel guilty either way that I sway, but I do want to keep the true meaning of Christmas at the center of it all.  God sent His son Jesus to live among men and to be a perfect example on earth and then to die for our sins since we all fall short of God's perfection and His glory.  Jesus was born so that He would die for us.  That is love.  'Greater love has no man than this, than to lay down His life for His friends'  That verse if from the Bible, but I can't find the reference right now. 

Anyways, that's what's been happening.  Despite the busyness and the tiredness of it all, it's important to keep our eyes on Jesus.

Can it be? Is it true?

I think Eva has had a major break through with the potty training!  I'm sure she'll appreciate that I posted this on our blog in 10 or 15 years.  But I'm excited to share it with whoever happens to be reading this.
Yesterday I very nearly gave up after she peed on one of our dining room chairs.  That was the end for me.  I was getting more impatient with each accident I was cleaning up, but trying to hold it together at the same time.  Not easy for an extravert like myself.  I bought some pull ups a few days before and have been using them on her for sleeping and outtings.  The annoying thing was that she wasn't really feeling as wet as I think she should be while wearing a pull up.  Is there any difference (besides price and fancy artwork) between a diaper and a pullup?  You'd think I would know the answer to that one!  Anyways, aside from all that, yesterday I told her to sit on the potty after supper and miraculously after a minute she had done her business.  I figured it was just a fluke.  But then today she had no accidents and peed on the potty about 7 or 8 times!  I guess you can say that WE'RE trained.  She is getting it.  It's amazing!  Now we just have to stay consistent and to keep reminding her and to not get lazy.  That is oh so easy to do when life gets busy.  Anyways, I just wanted to say that I'm feeling a lot less like a failure.  It's cool to see her succeed at something she wasn't too thrilled about at first.  Smarties and high fives all the way!!