It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

A Pictorial (mostly) essay.....

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 stepped waaaay outside my comfort zone and went to a cookie party - and had a ton of fun! 

 what are the holiday's without a half marathon with some friends!?

 besties.....

The people are the reason for the season - and some of the fun things we do with them! 

It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas

And the school and church holiday programs begin! 

The eastside Christian one is always an awesome night of celebrating the birth of Jesus. It was especially awesome this year as Cami had a one line speaking part!  

(these photos are a reason I am coveting a really good zoom lens....but the girls have their blue dresses on!) 

 Katie's class presented "Pies and Poems"  - where they did a collaborative poem reading about the holidays in December

Katie also participated in our church's Christmas disability nativty program. Each year, the adult disability ministry performs the story of the nativity - and they included the little kids. This year, they played to a packed sanctuary - almost 1000 people. It was amazing to see the outpouring of love & support for this ministry by the people in our church. 

One of the other things our church does is have the 9th & 10th graders serve in the children's disability classroom on SUnday mornings as one-one buddies. We have been so blessed by Katie's buddy, Connor, this year. He has such a sweet heart for all the kids - and Katie just adores him. 

Her personal fan club was there - Miss Fonseca and Miss Stephanie from school 

..and her therapist Natalie - who is more a member of the family than a paid therapist. 

Cami's class also presented the nativity story in the last chapel before break - she was a star...in more ways than one! 

looks like Christmas, sounds like CHristmas...next up - feels like Christmas! 

Beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

It's that time of year! Last year, we did minimal decorations - no one could handle it. This year, everyone was in a much better frame of mind (including the chief decorator!) so we decked the halls! 

 We went to the tree farm - it was 80 degrees out & I made everyone wear their christmas garb anyway! 

 The decorators.....

 The first attempt at the card photo.....

 What finally made it onto the card! 

 We even got a night out to celebrate...sans kids! 

 Yes - it's beginning to look alot like Christmas....

Next up...it's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas! 

Awesomeness

This post took an interesting turn as I sat down to write it. I am in the catching up phase, and it was going to be a nice little narrative on a trip to the aquarium we took two weeks ago. But as I put the pictures up first, something struck me.

Profoundly.

I've had this nagging unsettled feeling in my soul for a few days now-and seeing these pictures crystalized the sorrow in my soul. These pictures helped me put into words the struggle I have been living with recently.I looked at these seemingly innocuous photos and realized that my kids are awesome. A truth and reality I allowed others to take away from me. 

I can get caught up in comparing my kids and my family to a "typical family." Especially at holiday times (which for some reason we believe will fix all that is wrong with our families instead of highlighting any underlying dysfunction!)  

I can let a glowing "how great this Thanksgiving break was" post on Facebook make me feel bad about how dysregulated my kids are during unstructured times.

I can allow how others see my family and my kids to make me feel bad.

OR

I can choose to see the awesomeness in my kids and my life. 

I can see them as warriors who have survived things no child should endure.

I can see them as growing in Jesus as they grow in the world.

I can see them as curious and smart and loving and simply awesome. Not perfect and still learning and making mistakes and struggling with stuff. But still awesome.

Sometimes it's hard to see their awesomeness when my view is colored by others view. Especially when those people are people I love and care about. Whom I invite into my home and my life and they fail to appreciate the awesomeness of these kids. Who see only the surface and not the soul.

But God.

When I use God's eyes to see my kids - I see how fearfully and wonderfully created they are. By the Father in Heaven who loves and cherishes them more than I ever could. That same Father who loves and cherishes me. I can chose to allow His love for me to flow through me to them, healing them but also filling my soul. 

I will chose to see the awesomeness in my children. I will not let others steal my joy about my kids or my life. I will be their biggest cheerleader, comforter, teacher, and defender. Because they deserve that because they are awesome.