A reason to celebrate

Eleven years ago today my body and mind were preparing themselves for the birth of my third child. I was big as a house with aches and pains all over as the moment came closer and closer. I went for my three mile walk or wobble as it was in the end and made it back without any issues. I had contractions off and on during the day but nothing that lasted very long. We were sure that she would make her appearance before the weekend was over but weren’t sure which day that would be.

I had said good-bye to my co-workers the previous day and had a long weekend to wait out the delivery. It was balmy for February and being outside seemed to be what gave me the most pleasure. Friday passed without incident but during my wobble on Saturday morning I sprung a slight leak and we knew time was very close. I wobbled home and rested the remainder of the morning only to wake from a nap around 2:00 in the afternoon and the leak had become a puddle so off we headed to the hospital. Contractions came on quick and hard every 7 minutes and we were navigating in Virginia Beach traffic trying to make it to the hospital. The doctor was on the golf course and so we made it to the hospital well ahead of him.

She didn’t wait long once we got there to make her appearance. At 3:33 p.m. she came flying into the world straight into the arms of the startled nurse after the first push. At 8 pounds 1 ounce she was my biggest one. The doctor arrived an hour after her birth and to this day she’s never been one to wait for any thing or any body. She wants it all now!

Flash forward eleven years and tomorrow we will celebrate her birthday with a bowling party of her closest friends and family. I can hardly wait; a bowling alley on a Saturday with screaming 10, 11 and 12 year old girls and boys. I wouldn’t trade it or her for anything in the world.

Happy Birthday my millennium baby!

Recap of CHRISTmas 2009

Twas the day after CHRISTmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring not even ME! I got up a little late, had my quiet time with the Lord and crept back to bed. At 7:30 the first little pitter patter could be heard. They got up and played and we dozed back to sleep. At 9:00 I awoke from a nice morning nap and quiet time with my husband and fed the gang. It was a great way to start the day after such a fun packed CHRISTmas day.

I pray that you all had a very Merry CHRISTmas! Our morning was great. We had blueberry and triple berry muffins, bacon, juice and milk. We listened to Christmas music of all sorts and they got the biggest kick out of the Jackson 5 singing "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus". We brushed our teeth and settled down to read the CHRISTmas story in Luke 2 and talk about the GREATEST GIFT OF ALL - JESUS CHRIST! We shared our thoughts and feelings about this season and the reason we celebrate it and then the mayhem began.

They opened their stockings from us and big brother and then we moved to the living room where the tree and their other gifts awaited them and dug in. Paper was flying everywhere, there were squeals of delight, groans at the gag gifts and lots of love and joy flowing around the room as CHRISTmas carols played in the background. All too soon the gifts were all unwrapped and the mood was somber. Is this all???

My heart stopped for a moment at those words and I gathered them around to pick up the wrapping paper, etc. and talked to them once again about it not being about presents and gifts but about Jesus Christ. They nodded and wandered off to start opening everything and the day ensued with a lot of - Can I open this? Can you help me open that? as I cooked our CHRISTmas dinner. The aroma of the ham, yams and turkey cooking filled the air and lots of thoughts filled my mind.

I decided that we have had enough of the commercialism of CHRISTmas in our lives and that next year will be much different. I know they are relatively young but this is the best time to start. We have already reached the point where they don't believe in Santa Claus as a real live person, rather he is a symbol of the "spirit of giving". So I've decided to take some very wise advise and limit the number of gifts we give our children to three apiece much like the offering of the three wise men. Don't applaud me for this great undertaking because it is not an original thought, it came from Sheila Wray Gregoire, Canadian columnist, author, speaker, and mom.

"... several years ago we started a new gift giving tradition with my children. We call it the “Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh” ritual, where they each get three gifts, and nothing more. The gold gift is something they want. The frankincense gift is something they need, like socks. And the myrrh gift is something to nurture their souls. It could be a journal, or a book, or a CD, or a movie. It’s something that reminds them of their purpose here on earth, or encourages them to think, to write, and to pray about what’s important."

This way I know that all the joy, fun and celebrating will focus mainly around CHRIST and not the gifts. It will also add joy back into our lives as we won't feel the pressure to buy, buy and buy gifts that will lose their luster within 48 hours of opening them and the headache of paying for them into the new year. Although we did the Angel tree this year and sponsored a boy and a girl I didn't let them in on the process but next year we will let them pick out the gifts for the children we choose to sponsor so they can start to feel the joy that comes from buying for others - giving not just receiving.

How was your CHRISTmas?