Loving this time of year....

The caption at the bottom of one of the TV stations is..."The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"...I say so too. For many reasons this time of year is special for all of us. For me, it's a time to enjoy family and friends and to be thankful for that wonderful Gift given to us so long ago. I heard a new song sung by Faith Hill last week...."A Baby Changes Everything". Yes....how a tiny baby born long ago in a dirty stable changed the world forever. I am grateful for Mary's devotion to her Lord and her willingness to suffer for the sake of Christ. Would I have been willing to answer as Mary did, "Whatever you say, Lord. I'll do it."....(paraphrased). Am I willing to say even now, after all I've seen and heard, "Whatever you say, Lord. I'll do it"? What about you?
Such thought provoking questions at this sacred time of year. And with all the turmoil going on in our world, are we really ready to answer the call that may be issued to us so soon?

Let me catch everyone up on what's been going on....
1) A couple of weeks ago I lamented the "hair cut" that my oldest daughter gave herself. I had been trying so hard to let it grow....well....I finally gave in to my husband's advice....we cut it. IT IS SIMPLY PRECIOUS! Ok, I know, he told me so....I'll never live it down. (pic posted)

2) The Nutcracker was a huge success! Not just for the dancers in the ballet company...SJ watched the entire show without one wimper! I was floored and she was fascinated! My mom and I took her and she was absolutely perfect!

3) Christmas is in full swing at church and our Hanging of the Green service was a success. We all had a great time preparing for the season.

4) SC is just perfect! She is saying many more words now and REALLY understands what you tell her to do...especially when it involves food or bedtime. The pantry is her favorite place to play and she loves to go to sleep in her bed! HOORAY! She also loves her daddy's hats....and chocolate....and ice cream...and .....well, you get the idea.

5) The Christmas Parade was great but LONG....we forgot the camera so no cute pics of us freezing our buns off! Next year we plan to have much more fun....a float for the church and even dispensing Hot Cocoa.....YIPPEE!

5) As for our Christmas schedule, my parents will drive up on Christmas Eve and are planning to stay for a couple of days. We will visit with them and CDP's family the week after Christmas in Central MS.

Well, that about wraps up what we've been doing in North MS. We have plenty of things to do before the big day such as last minute gifts and some church events. We plan to stroll around town and see Christmas lights too. I'm sure I'll blog again before the big day but do want to say Merry Christmas to you all. May you experience HIS presence this year!