Parties, Parties, Parties

Life has been one big party lately! I'm not so much the partying type, but rather the coveralls-and-muck-boots-in-a-barn type, so this month of digging deep into the closet to find something other than an old sweatshirt to wear and brushing the hay off of my nice coat has stretched me farther than I want to be stretched right about now. I'll just say it out loud, and be done with it, so I can get to the nicey/blog perfect part of this post: "I am ready for this holiday season to end anytime now. I am ready for the firsts to end, and eternity to begin, and Jesus to come back."

But since it isn't, and He hasn't, I keep plugging along; I keep facing the firsts; I keep going to the parties; I keep smiling until I can't smile anymore and then cry with those who are crying with me. Now begins the chipper blog post . . .

Our Christmas parties started with the much anticipated Shriner's party. Grace has doctored at the Shriner's hospital for the 8 years that she has been home from India, and part of the Shriner's program is loving these kids as much as it is healing them. She looks forward to the event for months, although she is scared of the guy in the red and white suit {another subject, another soap box, another post for another day, enough said} and makes Mom come up with her so she can sit on my lap instead of his {just breathe, just breathe}. Our local Shriner's group goes all out with lavish gifts and cookies and clowns and spoiling. Grandma Lee joins us nearly every year for the party, too, since she experienced nearly as much of Grace's doctoring as we did by riding down to the cities for all those casting trips.

Then we had the annual church Christmas program, where Grace played a little piano piece, Grace and Micah recited their verses, and Cole, Grace and Micah all joined in on the singing. Very cute! And then, the same day, the same weekend, we enjoyed Alexis' Community Choral concert where she had the opportunity to sing the solo "Mary did you know?" (and if I could actually download the video to blogger I would brag her up even more for the beautiful voice that God has given her~ totally a genetic fluke as nobody else in our immediate, and extended, family can carry a tune in a bucket of water).

And then came the annual swimming/Christmas get together at Grandma Lee's house. Grandma has forgone trying to buy individual Christmas presents for her twenty-some grandkids and great grandkids and has treated us to a day of swimming at a private pool party instead. All the kids love her for it! Then we go to her house and eat, and eat, and eat . . . mmm-mmm Super Duper bars!

Besides all of the Christmas parties, we also have six birthdays spread throughout the family in the month of December. Plus, there is still the other church Christmas Eve service and the actual day of Christmas left to celebrate. At about this point I start to re-evaluate the insanity of this month and declare that next year we are going to keep things simple and then realize why I am worn out and frazzled and find myself crying in a heap on the floor as I try to wrap presents for only four kids and remember that Jesus really is the reason for the season~ right???