O Christmas Tree

Day 117.

It's Saturday and boy did it seem to fly by!

We started the morning off with Hudson's golf lesson. He did really well today. My parents met us there and then after the lesson we dropped a car off at the house and went to go pick out our Christmas Tree. Yes, we still get a LIVE tree every year. I always get razzed for that, but this is one of my favorite traditions. We decided to go to a cute little family owned tree farm this year instead of just going to Lowe's or Home Depot because I had stopped by the farm and they had some beautiful trees and they looked so fresh. I knew they were going to be a bit pricier, but I just decided to go with it this year. Well, God showed up in that detail too....the 7-8 foot trees at Lowe's were $70 this year and the same size tree at this lot were between $110-$150. We didn't find "the tree" right away, so we asked if they had any more Nobel Firs (I'm a stickler for it needing to be a beautiful Nobel Fir) that were the size we were looking for. The guy saw that Alex was on FaceTime with us (thank you technology...yes, Alex was able to help us pick out our tree all the way from Kuwait), and when he came back he told us his brother was deployed and that the tree he found was 8 feet tall and that the price was $69.99. You guys....this tree fits perfectly in our home and it's perfect. There is one silly little branch that sticks out, but Madison was so excited to be able to hang her TinkerBell ornament on it because usually it's hard to find a brach that has enough space under it for this particular ornament. The guys at the farm tied the tree up on the roof and then we brought it home. I was very thankful that my parents were able to come and help with the tree, especially getting it inside the house and into the stand.

Once the tree was standing, we all went to have lunch at The Habit. Then my parents left to head to the Post Office, to mail Alex a care package and the kids and I went home to finish decorating the house as well as the tree. While we decorated the tree, we had our Christmas music blaring and laughter was abounding....I missed Alex terribly (especially as I pulled out the ornaments he usually helps adorn our tree with), but the delight in the eyes of my children brought me so much comfort and made me thankful that we were even able to have had Alex on FaceTime earlier as we picked out our tree.

We had a blast today and the kids finished decorating their personal trees too. They each have an artificial 3 foot tree in their room and they get to fill it with their homemade ornaments and a few others, that I share with them. ;) 

Tonight for movie night we watched Elf and the kids just kept saying how much they love our tree and how pretty it is and how amazing it smells. Before they went to bed, I snapped a quick picture of them in front of the tree. You can just see how much they love Christmas in this picture.

After the kids went to bed, I wrapped some presents and watched Christmas with the Kranks. Then I updated their Christmas lists a little more because I realized I needed to find a couple more items. 

Now, I'm sitting here at the computer with the only lights on the glow of our Christmas lights from the tree and the many different strands of garland all over the house. The Christmas music is playing, as I reflect on the fact that tomorrow starts the beginning of Advent. As soon as I finish up here, I am going to be reading and prepping for our first day of our family advent study. Alex and I are so excited to be doing this and I am super excited that we are going to do our best to do it in the mornings before school if Alex is able to be free. 

I pray that this Christmas season, whether you are entering it during a time of sorrow, a time of celebration, a time of loneliness, or another situation entirely, that you feel the love of our Father and are filled with the Joy that comes from knowing that the whole reason we celebrate this time of year is because our Savior was born. Because of this we can walk confidently and need to fear what is to come, for He is with us now and always. 

Where Are You Christmas?!?

Day 116.

It's Friday....


I'm back.


Sorry I had a couple weeks there that literally knocked me to the ground. Please don't mistake my lack of posting for not wanting to share and be real, I was just processing and dealing with a lot and trying to navigate through some things. Most of you know that I wear my heart on my sleeve, and because of this I just felt for the sake of everyone, it was better if I kept my journaling in my actual journal where I cried out to God and He walked me through those two weeks, along with a few friends that came alongside and made sure I was still alive.

Anyway, all is well and we ARE IN DECEMBER!!!!! Another month gone and I am another month closer to having my man back in my arms.

So tonight, Madison's sweet friend Mackenzie sang one of my favorite sentimental Christmas songs tonight at a special performance. We didn't end up being able to go because my kids were wiped out...Madison even asked to leave gymnastics early....that never happens. They were both in bed by 6:30 and Madison was asleep by 6:45/7:00.....and Hudson was not far behind her.

Anyway, listening to a recording of Mackenzie singing this song, not only brought tears to my eyes because she did a beautiful rendition of the song, but the words to the song struck a chord tonight.

Where are you Christmas
Why can't I find you
Why have you gone away
Where is the laughter
You used to bring me
Why can't I hear music play

My world is changing
I'm rearranging
Does that mean Christmas changes too

Where are you Christmas
Do you remember
The one you used to know
I'm not the same one
See what the time's done
Is that why you have let me go

Christmas is here
Everywhere, oh
Christmas is here
If you care, oh

If there is love in your heart and your mind
You will feel like Christmas all the time

Oh, I feel you Christmas
I know I've found you
You never fade away, oh
The joy of Christmas
Stays here inside us
Fills each and every heart with love

Where are you Christmas
Fill your heart with love

I can totally relate to the words of this song during the season I'm in right now. I LOVE Christmas. It's quite literally my favorite time of year. But, this year, with Alex being away, it's been harder to find the motivation to decorate the house. However, I have done a decent amount and will finish this weekend, especially after we get our tree, because Christmas is about JOY and the birth of our Savior who is so patiently walking beside me on this journey as I try to navigate all the feels that come with not having my love home with me right now. I want the kids to have a MAGICAL Christmas and to know the LOVE of Christ and that no matter what our circumstances, that love never changes. I LOVE that we have family traditions and while it will be hard without Alex here, I still have every intention of keep the traditions alive. The JOY of Christmas lives inside each and every one of us and we simply need to dig deeper if we are struggling to find it this year. We are surrounded by amazing people that love on us and pray for us. We also have friends who regularly text, email or message daily just to see how the day is going. These thoughtful gestures mean the world to me. Some days it's really easy to get swallowed up by emotion, but then I'll be reminded that God has us and He sends sweet little reminders in so many ways, all throughout the day. 

I'm excited for this weekend. We have some fun in store for the days to come. Hope everyone has a LOVELY weekend too!