The Zoesphere: Christmas in review

There is so much to remember about this Christmas. For all of us, I think the most special part was simply being in our new home for the holidays. This Christmas gave new meaning to the phrase, "I'll be home for Christmas." What a blessing it was. I recently went back and read last year's Christmas letter where I wrote about the uncertainty we were facing. A year ago we had no idea how ... or even if ... the flood situation would resolve. We didn't know if we'd have a home by Christmas 2009. And we certainly didn't expect things to end as wonderfully as they did. We never would have guessed that we'd spend Christmas in this house. We are truly thankful. We enjoyed the decorating (OK, we still had some of the traditional fighting involved in getting a house decorated for Christmas, but we still enjoyed it!)

We invited guests over several times during the season, trying to make the most out of enjoying our home for Christmas. We started with our "adopted students" from EU -- we all enjoyed a traditional Christmas dinner one Sunday afternoon before they wrapped up the semester and headed home for the holidays.

We also had some younger guests -- my friend J and her little ones dropped by with goodies one afternoon.

Of course we attended the annual Christmas party at Daddy's work -- where we ate very well and saw Santa! This is one of the girls' favorite parts of Christmas. For Big A it is the fried chicken they always serve. For Little A it's the Barbie doll that Santa gives to each little girl.

We also attended a Christmas banquet at my work, followed by a wonderful Christmas concert. But somehow I failed to get photos of that event.

The biggest Christmas shindig we hosted was our LifeGroup Christmas party. What a fun night! Rather than exchange gifts with each other, we had each child pick out a new pair of pajamas for children at Isabel's House, a local crisis nursery. We also collected a variety of other toiletry items to donate. During the party, the kids all made cards for residents at Isabel's House. My kids and I drove out there on the 23rd to deliver our gifts, and we were able to talk to employees for a while and learn all about Isabel's House. It was very interesting, and it was a great opportunity for Big A and Little A to understand the need that exists for so many children in our world -- even so close to home.

In addition to working on the Isabel's House project, our LifeGroup party included lots of eating and laughing, and playing Catchphrase (the BEST party game!) Here are some photos from that evening:

Of course it wouldn't be Christmas without our annual cookie decorating party on the 23rd -- those are the girls' best friends, Big K and Little N :-)

Finally Christmas Eve arrived. And Big A and Little A were in for a VERY BIG surprise! Around 10 a.m., Santa made a surprise stop at our house to deliver a gift so special it could not be left over night. The girls must have been very good this year ... because their gift was a SHIH TZU PUPPY!

We named her Angel Noel, in honor of Christmas. We call her Angel. And isn't this baby just the most angelic little creature you ever did see?

On Christmas Eve we packed up Angel and piled in the car with all of our gifts for B's family and headed over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house. We had a wonderful dinner and time with the family, and we were all spoiled rotten by Grandma and Papa. They got us a fire pit for our rock porch (YAY!) and lots of other great stuff. The girls were delighted with their gifts. Little A says her favorite was a Madame Alexander doll named Gracie and her clothes (specifically: "The pony shirt and fancy jeans!") Big A's favorite was a big art kit with drawing paper and a new Nintendo DS game.

Here's a picture of Grandma and Papa with the grandkids.

Late on Christmas Eve, we gathered back in our living room by the tree as we always do to read the Christmas story from the Bible and pray together as a family. Before we nestled the little ones all snug in their beds, there was another surprise in store for us. My mom and dad had sent us a card with instructions to open it on Christmas Eve. We opened the card and I began to read a letter that made me blubber and cry so much that I couldn't possibly have thought to take a photo of the moment. The news was that my parents are going to pay for both of my brothers and their wives, and our niece London, to come out to see us this year.

Christmas could have stopped at that moment and it would have been perfect. I can't thank my parents enough for this incredible gift. And I can't wait to show the gang our new home. We live far too many miles apart, and the distance is agonizing.

You can't top the Christmas gift of our Savior being born 2,000 years ago and the promise that we'll live with Him in the future, but a close second-best gift is the gift of family for today.

So as I said, Christmas *could have* stopped right there ... but it didn't. We woke up to many delights on Christmas morning.