Merry and Bright

I promise that I'm still here and that I haven't resolved to give up blogging in 2010, but the holidays were busy and full of family time. The computer has seemed distant.

Since I last blogged, we have celebrated Daddy's birthday....

with yummy Cookie Dough Cupcakes.

Made Christmas cookies.

Got spiffy new matching jammies.

I got some too! (They matched my toenail polish, perfectly!)

Made sure Santa could get in.

Read both Twas the Night Before Christmas and Luke 2 before heading to bed.

Pleased that Santa came, and brought the jackhammer, soccer ball, and marker that Eli asked for.

Made sure to stop and play with each

and every present. He even wanted to read the books....

despite more presents to be opened. It took over 2 hours to open what we did, and he never did finish opening them all. We still have 3 presents under the tree for Eli. Love it!

Unfortunately, Grandma Carson spent Christmas in the hospital, so we spent a lot of time there with her and tried to bring a little Christmas to her. Thankfully, she was only there a few days, and is home and recovering well. So, Christmas was a little different this year, but Eli didn't notice a thing. He had so much fun and was truly a delight to watch as he experienced it all.

We even managed to find the time to make Jesus's birthday cake

and card.

Then we got to come back to Tallahassee and have Christmas all over again with the Snyder family....and love on cousin Asher.

Eli adores his cousin, and Asher seems to be pretty fond of Eli too. The two made quite a pair. Eli can rile Asher up and get him to smile, laugh, squeak, sing, talk, and bounce like no other. We can't wait to watch as these two grow up and become true playmates and friends.

Eli also adores his Uncle Ricky.

It was fabulous having almost all of us home for the holidays once again.

We missed having Susanna with us this Christmas. She is currently in the jungles of Ecuador with a school program. She is out there experiencing and trying to make the world a better place. She is pretty cool that way.

We were sad when the family all went to their respective homes, but it gave Eli some time to try out some of his new toys.

Mommy got a new toy too....a new camera lens!

And I'll leave you with a clip of Eli playing the drums he got from Grandma and Grandpap Carson. He's got some rhythm,

and we've got some new headphones to match Eli's.

Hope your Christmases were merry, blessed, and full of wonder.
Happy 2010!
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Childlike Faith, Wonder, & Awe

Eli is definitely getting in the spirit of Christmas. More this year than ever before, and boy has it been fun.

He has had fun picking out presents for others and some for himself...that he wrote in a letter to Santa, and then told him in person today.

The Polar Express has become a fast favorite and has been watched several times...along with other Christmas classics.

Our musical boy has been belting out Christmas songs

(just a sampling of his favorites...others include Do You Hear What I Hear? and Santa Claus is Coming to Town), and even makes up his own.

We have tried very hard to remind him of the "Reason for the Season." He is fully aware that it is Jesus' birthday that we are celebrating at Christmas. The first time we talked about this, Eli immediately said, "Then we have to make Jesus a birthday cake and a card." So we will. I am excited to make this a tradition each year, and I'm even more excited that it was completely Eli's idea. The cake is baked...just waiting to be iced, and we'll make the card Christmas Eve. Of course, we'll be making Santa's cookies that day as well. I'm sure it is a little confusing to his little brain, both Santa and Jesus to sort out. But I think he is getting the best of both worlds. The sacred and the secular. I pray we can continue to balance them each year. And I also pray we can see the holiday through Eli's eyes this year and always. May we experience the wonder of Christmas with some of Eli's childlike faith, wonder, and awe.

Now, I have to get back to wrapping and baking. It is down to the final hours, but we're in the home stretch and still having lots of fun. I wish there was more time....but only because I don't want it to be over yet. So much fun!
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three

This dear, sweet boy has captured our hearts. Hard to believe that three years could go by so quickly.

One night, I said goodnight to my 2 year old, and the next morning,

I had to say good morning to a 3 year old.

My baby is 3! He had a fabulous day.

It all started with waking up to wrapped presents....

...and a Birthday Doughnut that he got to pick out himself.

mmmmmm!

Eli helped make and decorate his big 3 cupcake cake,

and then it was off to the park for some fun in the (chilly) sun.

After a nap, we got to celebrate with family, complete with Eli's choice of a spaghetti dinner, cupcakes, ice cream, and presents.

What a day! And the birthday celebration continues as he has and will celebrate with other friends and family throughout the next week. Gotta love the birthdays that never end. Plus, we get to celebrate Daddy's birthday tomorrow, and Jesus' birthday Friday!

Eli is our sweet boy. He is all boy, and very 3--trouble is often brewing--yet he is still compassionate and sensitive. He laughs when others are laughing and is worried when others are crying. He is fascinated by everything. I love to watch his eyes light up with wonder, his brow furrow with concentration as he is listening and processing something new, and the smile of delight as he tries something for the first time. He is getting smarter every second; some of his latest "tricks" highlight the Spanish he is learning in school. We are amazed at all he can do and say....the sentences and phrases are getting longer and longer. The cute "Eli-ese" is slowly disappearing and correct pronunciations are popping up daily. Makes me miss my baby and the words that only Mommy and Daddy could understand. His giggle is priceless and will melt hearts. Truly music to the ears. He is learning to love the Lord and says the cutest darn prayers for those in trouble and for those he loves. We love you, little man. Thanks for blessing our lives, everyday.
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A Reminder of What is Important

About a week and a half ago, a crazy December tornado made a brief appearance in Tallahassee, and my parents were one of three lucky families to be affected by it.

It made a brief touchdown and then was gone. But seriously, they were lucky to only have damage to their yard and a single broken window pane.

No one was home when it happened...and for all of those things, we are grateful. But the clean up of this disaster area is going to be pricey and will take a while.

Probably won't be done by Christmas. But it will serve as a reminder that our lives are not in our hands.

Someone else is in charge. And that "someone" sent His only Son down to earth to be a Savior for us all.

If it weren't for God sending his Son, there'd be no Christmas. God's love is so wondrous and awesome, and we celebrate that love at Christmas.

We are blessed by this love. We are blessed by so many wonderful things in our lives. We are blessed that the trees were the only things truly harmed by this storm. And for this we give thanks.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

- John 3:16

That is the good news of Christmas

Christmas Central

So, yeah...I still haven't gotten the pictures from my parents yard for you to see. Sorry.

Lately, the Advent season has been keeping us busy as we prepare for Christmas. So far, so good with me keeping my cheerful spirit in tact. I have been staying up a little too late making,

baking,

wrapping,

shopping (online, of course),

and doing all things Christmas.

I have recently developed a recurring eye twitch that is 100% related to the amount of sleep I get. I am not sure why I cannot get to bed earlier. All I know is that I seem to be very productive during the late night hours. And tonight's challenge will be to finish our Christmas cards.

I don't know what my problem is with these this year. Wait a minute. Yes, I do. I am not a fan of this chore. I adore getting Christmas cards in the mail, but I am not a fan of sending them. But, I know if I don't send 'em, I won't get them. I have had all the stuff and my list of recipients ready for a couple of weeks, but I have put it off (along with cleaning the house and the laundry).

Besides the cards, the only other major Christmas preparation task is wrapping. I am also a huge fan of a beautifully wrapped package and am obsessed with ribbons and hanging "to/from" tags. Obsessed sounds a little harsh, but I am super into the presentation.

But because of this, I end up spending (probably) too much time on each package. If I don't start cranking out the gift wrapped packages, I will never get it all finished.

And last, but certainly not least, I can't forget to mention that we are a mere 4 days away from the BIG day.

Eli (who is working overtime these days trying to get onto Santa's "naughty" list...grrrr....) will be 3 on Sunday. It is destined to be a day all about Eli. Whatever his little heart desires. We opted not to do a party (feel the stress lifting...) this year, but we still plan to do it up for our little man. Hard to believe that 3 years ago today, we watched our due date come and go...we awaited ever so patiently for his arrival. Boy, do we love this kid.
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Whew!

Crazy, but true story.

A tornado briefly touched down in my parents back yard on Wednesday.

We are amazingly blessed that there was only a lot of tree damage and one broken window. It could have been a whole heck of a lot worse. And we feel lucky that my mom was not home when it happened. I can only imagine how scary that would have been to go through alone.

So, everyone is fine, and the house is too. Now it is just a big mess to clean up. No fun! I will be back soon with some pictures of the aftermath...

Until then, you can check out the story in our newspaper. If you read the story, be sure to notice my dad standing in the background of the twisted tree picture in his scrubs.

*Today, the storm was officially confirmed as a tornado about a half mile wide with winds maxing out at 80 mph...whoa!*

Secrets

I have two secrets.

Secret #1: I've been listening to Christmas music since Halloween. Yup, I was one of those people this year. Long-time blog readers may remember my lack of Christmas Spirit last year due to stresses both within and beyond my control. I was determined not to let that happen this year...so I started early. The music has made me happy, and I am totally feeling the Spirit so far. Also, to relieve the holiday stress, we started our shopping early this year. We're almost finished! And as for the tree...it went up before we left for Thanksgiving (#2). I haven't gotten many of our other decorations out or up, but the tree is the only one I really need to feel festive.

I am also trying to get some Advent activities for Eli and I to do together. We are hoping to keep the true meaning Christmas alive in our home.

Secret #2: I'm freaking out a little bit that Eli's birthday is coming up. Not because of party planning or presents buying, but because my little baby is turning 3!!!! I don't why it is hitting me so hard, but it is. 1 was a big deal, and 2 was fun...but went by quickly. There is just something about my little dude turning 3 that has me hoping the month goes by slowly, but I know it won't.

Not sure if I'm ready to be the Mommy of a 3 year old...even if he is absolutely wonderful and precious one moment...and full of mischief the next.

(yes....he is....he is painting his own face at our school's Fall Festival.)

He's a handful, but he's our handful, and we can't imagine life any other way.