Picture Round-Up

Time for some pictures I’ve rounded-up from my phone and camera from the end of the school year before Christmas break and the first couple days of break:

Becca’s elementary choir singing at a program at the library

The girls’ piano/violin recital

No picture of Elise playing because I was playing with her and Ed was at a Council meeting

We learn lots about music and life from this music teacher!

It’s the white cape & red bow program!!

Becca playing the “orf”, which is like a xylophone.

I didn’t get a good “whole group” picture this year because one setting on my camera was failing me. THANKFULLY, I have since fixed that setting! Whew! I was getting concerned that my camera was going to fail me completely…but I have made some adjustments and I’m getting by for now.

Love those class Christmas parties!

Had some fun with our dear friends whom we do not see nearly frequently enough. Even so, our kids get along great every time!

I took the little girls to Trader Joe’s and Rocket Donuts one afternoon while Ed took the big girls to see “The Hobbit”!

After our annual “Christmas Light Drive in our PJ’s” we stopped at Edaleen for Becca’s birthday dessert!

Christmas program at the Candlelight Service

Becca had a solo!

Next up: Family Christmas!

A few videos I missed…

Oops! Forgot to upload the recital videos! Enjoy! Be sure to let me know if any links don’t work…for this post and the previous post.

Sarah – “Fur Elise” and “Trepak”

Bethany – “Gavotte”

Becca – Christmas carols

Elise – “Away in a Manger”

Christmas is a time…

for performances and concerts and recitals!!

Click on each link to view various Christmas performances by the Ball Girls!

Sarah’s High School Band Concert, Vaughan Williams Christmas

Sarah’s High School Band Concert, Themes from The Nutcracker

Becca’s Elementary Choir singing at the library – Child of God

Becca’s Elementary Choir singing at the library – Enniscorthy Carol

In the following orchestra videos, Bethany is playing the cello, not violin.

Bethany’s Orchestra Concert – Combined Orchestra, Themes from The Hallelujah Chorus

Bethany’s Orchestra Concert – 7th/8th grade Orchestra, O Holy Night

Bethany’s Orchestra Concert – A Merry Spanish Christmas

Bethany’s Orchestra Concert – Rock, You Merry Gentlemen

K-4 Christmas Program – Little Drummer Boy

K-4 Christmas Program – First grade – “Sing, Noel”

K-4 Christmas Program – Third Grade – “Glory, Glory”

K-4 Christmas Program – Come unto Him

K-4 Christmas Program – Becca playing the orf

K-4 Christmas Program – Child of God

Announcement

Just an FYI for those who live far away and read our blog: our Christmas cards will not be mailed until late January after we have moved so that we can send you our new address at that time. I apologize for this inconvenience, but just think: now you'll get a piece of "real mail" during a time when you don't normally receive "real mail." Won't that be fun?

Decorating our tree

Because of the chaos of life this year, we decided to just put up our small fake tree and let the girls decorate it with their own ornaments. While it’s not anything stunning or gorgeous, we had a great evening just watching the girls open their ornament boxes, listening to them say, “I remember when I got THIS ornament!”, and cringing as they (mostly the little girls) placed ornaments willy-nilly on the tree, with no regard whatsoever to bare spots or other ornaments around. But I have not touched a single ornament on that tree – it is theirs and they are happy, so I am happy.

Just gave them their ornaments for this year…stuffed owls for the big girls and stuffed dolls for the little girls. I think they liked them!

This makes me laugh and brings such joy – it’s exactly as it’s supposed to be and shows everyone’s personality of the moment. And it’s as good as the pictures got that night because a couple of those wonderful girls were in pretty silly moods. We are now ready for Christmas!

 

Seems about right

Five years ago today we lost Ed's mom to brain cancer. Seems like yesterday.

And it seems like forever ago.

So I guess 5 years seems about right.

Recently two pastors in our town (our interim pastor & my parents' pastor) lost their mothers, which made me reminisce. Their mothers were older - 75 & 95 - and didn't have cancer, but I imagine it's the same in many ways.

Recently a student at our school (an exchange student, no less) was diagnosed with cancer. Right before Christmas and so far away from her mom. My heart aches.

And it's Christmastime, which is a time when one dearly misses the family that's not around, both because of physical distance on a map and because of the separation death brings.

But it's Christmastime! There are Promises. And there is Hope. And there is a Cure for what ails us all.

So while today is a day we remember and feel the grief of loss, and that grief is compounded by the fact that it is Christmastime, I am being reminded also that that grief is also only comforted by the Promises and Hope that come with Christmastime.

And that also seems about right.

A Busy Saturday in December

First let me apologize for the quality of my photographs. I am having camera issues. Or photographer issues. I’m not sure which…my new lens just isn’t as good as my other one was, even though it’s the exact same lens. And I can’t seem to get things to work right on my end either. I really need to go outside during the bright part of the day and see if that helps the situation and I get good photos…then I’ll know if it’s the lens or just me.

It’s been a Christmas-filled weekend…started with Ed & I attending the Logos Christmas party on Friday night.

That’s an iPhone picture, so that’s why it’s so grainy…

We had a good time with the Logos folks, as always, but we didn’t win any prizes this year. Sarah was at a Christmas party with her friends, and Bethany was at a birthday party, so the little girls stayed overnight at my folks. That meant Ed & I got to sleep in and leisurely drink our coffee on Saturday morning, which hardly ever happens. It was wonderful! But then once we picked up the kids, everything was kicked into high gear for the day!

Becca sang with her elementary school choir at the local art center. They sang earlier in the week at the staff Christmas party and will sing next week at the library and again at the school Christmas program on the last day of school before Christmas break.

See that cute brunette making eyes at her mother? Love that girl.

Then we headed to the tree farm close by to help my parents pick out their tree. No tree for us this year…too much hassle for this year…but of course we couldn’t stand to not go to the tree farm with Grandma & Grandpa!

Grandpa’s measuring to see if it will fit.

This is the one!

After hot cocoa and warm pumpkin donuts, we headed home to get all the girls all spiffed-up. Sarah was headed to an “anti-tolo” event with her friends (Tolo is a local Sadie-Hawkins-style dance that is for all the county high schools. A LOT of kids, especially lower classmen, get dressed up and do their own thing, instead of going to the dance…hence the name “anti-tolo.”) The other 3 were headed to see The Nutcracker in town with my aunt and my cousin’s daughter.

Hoping to get more anti-tolo pictures from some parents who took pictures at the event. Will post soon!

Ed & I found ourselves at home alone together for the second time on a very busy Saturday. We got take-out from the local “meat pies” establishment, watched a movie & a TV show and I finished some gifts I have been working on. It was quite a pleasant, yet busy, Saturday in December!

Alright. I'm done.

Now that it's a for sure thing that we won't be moving until mid-January, due to the slowness of certain agencies in their ability to process loans, I've been kind of mopey. Realizing that it's at least 5+ weeks until we'll be moving makes me feel just a little insane.

But it's time I take the advice I so often give my children: Stop. Whining.

I'm done whining. I'm done being sad. I'm done wishing it could be different.

At least for today.

So today, I'm going to pick up this house a little. Straighten piles & re-organize boxes. If we have to live here through the holidays and into the beginning of the school year, we're going to need that space. Today I will blast the Christmas music while I prepare the house for (a few) Christmas decorations. Today I will try to get back into my regular rhythm & routine of caring for this house and my family. It's definitely not fair to them for me to just quit my "job" for the next month.

Yes, I'm still sad and yes, I'm still bummed, but there's nothing to be done, except to pray, which I will.

The Giver & The Gift

During this Christmas season when I am anxious...when I can't decorate for Christmas...when I have no idea how many more nights this family will be in this house - 10 or 30 or somewhere in between...I am trying to focus instead on the real magic of this season and trust that the God who sent his Son to be born as the gift of all gifts cares about this move, cares about wrapping us in His comfort & joy, and can do something as piddly as moving our buyer's file to the top of the pile it needs to be on the top of for expedited completion. And yet when I pray for that, I feel somehow guilty to pray for something so un-earth-shattering...there are people who are praying for their children to live to see another Christmas...people living their first Christmas after losing a child...people living on the streets this Christmas...people with far greater hurts and sorrows and problems than me trying to move my family 7 miles west. This song reminds me that God wants us to come to Him because He came to us. He is the comfort & joy. So I am praying this song for all those hurts, but because I believe God cares about me moving 7 miles west too, I pray it for myself as well.

(I tried to find it on YouTube so I could give you a link to listen to it, but there's just not a good version there. You'll have to try Spotify if you don't know it and want to listen.)

The Giver and the Gift

Three men and a star in the skyOh, what I would give for a wisdom so brightOne girl with a journey to makeOh, how I wish I was that braveFearless, shameless, faith through the darkHow I wish I was as strong as they are
You say come to me, wait no moreI give you all you're asking forForget the lies this world has toldI'll wrap your life in red & gold
I'm more than just onlyOne night that's holyI'm your star and I'm your wish'Cause I am both the giver and the gift
A child far away born in the nightToo young to know what is meant for his lifeBut he'll grow and he'll love more than anyone canAnd the world's gonna see a light where he stands
He'll say come to me, wait no moreI give you all you're asking forForget the lies this world has toldI'll wrap your life in red & gold
I'm more than just onlyOne night that's holyI'm your star and I'm your wish'Cause I am both the giver and the gift
Christmas Eve, all I seeIs snow on the treesAnd its white and it glowsThat's how I want to be
And you say come to me, wait no moreI give you all you're asking forForget the lies this world has toldI'll wrap your life in red & gold
I'm more than just onlyOne night that's holyI'm your star and I'm your wish'Cause I am both the giver and the giftThe Giver and the gift