We enjoyed Christmas Eve with the kids. Wish Matt and Sherlyn could have been here but they were able to come for Thanksgiving which was awesome. Since Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday this year the other meetings were canceled and we all just had Sacrament Meeting and so got to start our celebration earlier this year. We did things in a slightly different order so that we could get the important things done before Chad and Anney wanted to leave early with Finley. They're at the point in their little family where they want to start their own Christmas Eve traditions and I fully support that. Finley was excited to make "strawberry cookies" for Santa when they got home. We had our traditional pizza, veggies and fruit and then it was time for the Christmas story from Luke with Finley moving around the Fisher Price nativity set pieces to go along with the narration. Time for presents after that and Finley was higher than a kite! I had him open his "space" quilt first that I had made for him and it was a success. He jumped into/out of it and wrapped it around himself and put a big smile on my face. He ended up with a themed year as I found a cute rocket ship toy, some rocket/space/astronaut books and then I made him an astronaut suit to dress up in. He was adorable.
After Chad and Anney left we watched "Muppet Christmas Carol" with Derek and Shelby. Zofia slept in my arms the whole time. Derek kept asking if I wanted to put her down. Heck no! I was loving snuggling with her. There's nothing like a new baby and to have her at Christmas time and ponder on the babe in the manger was especially poignant for me.
As this year winds down and the new year approaches I seem to spend a lot of time pondering on the whys, wheres, hows, etc. I need to make some changes in my life and hope I have the strength to do so. I had an awesome experience several weeks ago. With kids that question church teachings at times I find myself needing to reassure myself that what I know is true and that questions I have will be answered eventually. A few weeks ago the closing hymn in Sacrament Meeting was "I Know That My Redeemer Lives." I was singing along, perhaps not totally paying attention to the words, when suddenly the words sunk deep into my soul. I felt a deep peace and a joy that I DO know that my Redeemer lives. As I wept through the rest of the song I knew that it was enough. I was grateful for that peace and answer that I had been seeking. I may not know everything, and I certainly don't understand everything, but I do know that my Redeemer lives!
