Merry Christmas

As a kid we never opened family presents Christmas morning.  My dad always preached Christmas Eve Midnight service, the Faasse family get-together always started early. So we would wear PJ's to church and after hearing dad preach, in costume, from someone connected to the nativity we would head home and to bed.  The next morning was off to Cheryl's for brunch and a Present exchange and that afternoon was the Stouten's party. There were changes year to year, this year the party was at Abby's but there are some things that just should not change, for example it's not Christmas breakfast without my moms quiche, and it dons't seem right Dad didn't preach.
As far as the Stouten side things changed there long ago, but Kate almost brought me to tears when she gave Jacqueline a lifesaver book.  Grandma Audrey always had a lifesaver book for each of us, and so I was glad to have Kate keep the tradition alive.   For a brief moment I felt like I was back in the breezeway at the house on Radcliff.  The tinsel tree lit up in the corner, the puzzle nativity atop the entertainment center, the clay santa boot on the table filled with candy canes, the memories of Christmas long ago.  The adults would talk and the giant stacks of presents would come out out and so would the spider cookies. Grandma busy in the kitchen, Aunt Marion at the table, the big square glass candy dish filled with Hersey Kisses in the living room.  There is part of me that feels like if I walked into that house today those things, those people would still be there.  I am sure somewhere in Heaven Grandma Audrey and Aunt Marion and Uncle David sat down to Christmas dinner together.  (Truth be told seeing Tom this year almost made me miss Uncle David's Christmas party and watching Kate, Tom and Steve egg him on, "Do you think you can fit the whole cookie in your mouth?" "What rank would Dann be in the Salvation army?" But that's a story for another day.)
Looking back I don't really remember many of the presents I got as a kid, but the traditions and the love that sticks with you.  Christmas is hard to write about...  I could write about presents and Santa, I could write about cookies and sweets and treats. All these things and so much more are Christmas. Christmas is more than presents, more then Santa; Christmas is really about love.  Jackie and Grace, when you think of Christmas I don't care that your remember the toys, I want you to remember the love.  The love your family showed you and the love that God give us.  God saved us all though a baby born in manger and hung on a cross.  God loved you so much he gave you the gift of his son, to bear the weight of our sin, so that we could come home to heaven someday.  Someday we will spend Christmas with those we have loved and lost because we will see them again in heaven because of God's gift of grace through his son.  What a Christmas that will be.

ELF

Christmas Parties are in full Swing.  This weekend was the party for Great-Aunt Fran and then the party for Great-Grandpa Ed.  All these parties have meant lots of time with family and lots of good food a few presents and a visit from the Elf. Maybe you didn't know but not only is my sister Kate an Easter Bunny she is also one of Santa's elves.  Jacqueline was very excited to meet a real elf and even more thrilled to see it was Kate.

 When the elf first arrived all the kiddos at the party were playing and right as Kate walked in Jackie got clanked in the head and bit her lip hard.  So as the elf arrived she was meet with crying and a bloodily lip.  Thankfully the tears did not last long when Jacqueline saw that the elf had presents with her too.    

Grace loved all the attention and decorations everywhere and it was fun to see everyone, but the best part of Aunt Frans Party to me was Jacqueline's conversation with Kate and I.  

"Jackie did you know that Aunt Kate was an elf?"   

"Yeah, she work with Santa, he watch who been good and who been naughty."  

"You were on my good list," Kate says

"Not baby," Says Jackie, "She naughty, but she still got a present."

We also got to see Tom at Great-Grandpa Ed's party, which was nice, we don't get to see him much.  Kelly told Jackie that Tom lives were Aladdin is from.  She liked that, and Aunt Sharon got Jackie some hair bows with Jingle bells, so today she has been Jingling around the house telling me over and over again that the bells came from Sharon, and Tom from Aladdin.

Grace 10 month photos

Time flies...

 It seems like it was not that long ago that most of the toys in Grace's toy box were bigger then she was and she really had no interest in them.   Now she loves to play with everything, anything that Jacqueline plays with too is extra fun, but she is very content with just about anything in her hands to fidget with.

 It also was not that long ago that I could trust Grace to stay put, but no longer.  She is an expert crawler.  And that is definably new for us because Jacqueline never really crawled.  Grace on the other hand is quite proficient at taking off crawling and so nothing is safe.  She loves to pull at plants and the Christmas tree, and anytime she can she makes a beeline for Jacqueline's room.  (Thankfully, Jacqueline is great with that, she plays with books and dress up stuff with Grace, no complaints about sharing. In fact today when I asked Jacqueline if she played nice with Grace at Oma's house she told me "Baby my best friend we always play nice."  
 Grace is also thinking about walking but just thinking about it.  She is great at moving along a piece of furniture and can typically get from one thing to the next but has yet to let go of hands and furniture completely and take steps on her own, since she can crawl and get anywhere she wants to go I don't think she is in any rush to walk.
Thinking of milestones she has been babbling a lot.  Mostly random sounds and syllables not really words for the most part.  However, three times this week she has either pointed or stretched her arms to Adam saying "dadada."  So I am pretty sure she knows what she is saying with that one.  (And no not a single mama, not one.  Oh well I am sure it will come soon enough.)

Holiday Fun

 I have been really bad a making time to blog so this one will be a little packed.  But after the fun we had tonight I just had to post.  Jacqueline has been singing Jingle Bells for a few weeks, "Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Oma's fun, ride in a horse sleigh." Tonight Zeeland had horse drawn rides and reindeer to pet so we braved the cold and went out.  Jacqueline was all smiles despite the chilly winds.

This photo is from a few weeks ago. Making snowman cookies with Grandma and Aunt Kate.  Jacqueline's cookies were loaded with  glitter gel icing and sprinkles.

 Grace has been both crawling and cruising from one piece of furniture to another walking so nothing in the house is safe.  She loves pulling ornaments off the low branches of the Christmas tree.

This past Saturday we went out to Breton Village Mall to see the train and Santa.  The  girls both loved the train.  

And then to add to the fun we ran into Austin, Ava, Cheryl, and Abby there too.  

Eventually we saw Santa.  Jacqueline told Santa that she wanted a real pink pony for Christmas.  She was thrilled to see him and very good talking and sitting on his lap, glad she wasn't scared this year. 

One more photo, of Jacqueline and Adam with the reindeer.  She did pet the reindeer too, we might have to go again this week and see the reindeer when they visit the library.

I think that catches up on most of the holiday fun.