jewelz

Posted by juliekendall on December 24th, 2008 in General

Hello dear friends and family!

I sincerely hope you are having a wonderful Christmas Eve/Christmas Day depending on when you read this. For me, it’s Christmas Eve and I just finished making coconut chocolate balls for my family. In a few minutes I’ll start making a huge batch of mashed potatoes to take to Todd and Monica’s house for a Christmas Eve dinner and an evening of playing Phase 10. Both Jes and Adam will be there as well so it’ll be great having everyone together. (I am feeling very guilty about leaving Lily here..after all…she’s family too! But Craig insists she will be fine;) Of course, we’ll have the movie “A Christmas Story” playing on the tv the whole time!

Craig and I are more excited this year to give our kids their gifts than we’ve been in quite sometime. Both of us made gifts for each kid this year and like it so much, we think we will begin a new tradition. From now on, all gifts for Christmas will be handmade. Not only are we saving money, but we’re also helping keep so much waste down. The item I made for Adam came from GoodWill. I made a “case” of sorts for it from a refashion item also from Goodwill. Jes’ items came from yarn that I’ve had for a time and some yarn I found on clearance. I’ll post pictures tomorrow after the need for secrecy is gone!

Today has been an interesting day. Our Christmas tree is dying FAST! Good thing we only need it for one more day! I think all of us has had at least one unpleasant moment or two today and Lily REALLY needs a bath! However, it’s Christmas Eve and we are all healthy (especially Jes….we just found out on Monday that she DOES NOT HAVE CROHN’S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She has either Celiac Disease or she is gluten intolerant. We won’t know which one until her blood labs get back. However, either one is WAY better than Crohns. Her changed diet has already made her feel tons better!!) We have a house to live in (for now at least;) and a family that loves each other so very, very much. All four of us has had a challenging year since last Christmas but have come through it both wiser and kinder. While it has been difficult and trying, we have each learned to lean on God in ways we have not done so before. As parents, Craig and I are in positions where we cannot help our kids with their troubles as we have in the past. That’s a very difficult place to be. We’ve had to rely solely on God to take care of them. While that is extremely hard for a parent to do, I’ve learned that God works in my children’s lives just as much as mine.

So with all this in mind, rather than wishing you a merry, stress-free exsistance, I wish for you the deepness of life that God wants for you. I pray that you not only know Him as the innocent babe the season celebrates, but also the powerful, loving, wise and very approachable God and King that He is.