Lots of Babies

So many of our friends and family have babies right now, and I'm loving all of the practice as we prepare to hold our own grandbaby.

We drove to visit my cousin and his family shortly after Christmas. With three small ones in the house, life is never boring!

One of my favorite farmers market vendors, Cloud of Sawdust Farms, creates beautiful and sturdy wooden toys. When the farmers market isn't convening during the colder months, he will meet with customers and deliver! We have several of his unique and whimsical toys.

When we got an invitation to celebrate a first birthday, I knew I wanted to share one of these sweet gifts with our friends. Celebrating with this family was a fabulous way to close 2025.

Christmas Day #2

We love that our married kids have fabulous in-laws, and we don't mind sharing the holidays with them. So on Christmas morning, the actual December 25th, the house was quiet with only four of us still hanging around. 

Sarah joined me at the gym and was a very good accountability buddy, as always.

Then we loaded up the van and adventured on a beautiful hike together.

The Cove Creek Natural Area was perfect for exploring and chatting as we walked.

Our December has been so mild, and we were very comfortable in shorts and t-shirts.

What a great way to spend the day together!

Christmas Day

Our Christmas day (really Christmas Eve, but who cares when you are all together?!?) began with our traditional gingerbread waffles and fruit salad in my great-grandmother's compote bowl.

Then we transitioned to a few gifts. Books,

a computer bag made from a PNG coffee bag,

and a handmade blanket for the new baby.

A ham arrived from a thoughtful but distant family member, and the dry ice gave us hours of fun.

We played board games inside,

And the backyard hosted a rousing game of croquet.

I enjoyed an extra walking buddy in the unseasonably warm weather. Most of all, we just enjoyed celebrating our Savior's birth. Together.

 

Gingerbread House

One of the Christmas activities that brings the most laughter is building gingerbread houses together.

 From humble beginnings, each year has grown progressively more elaborate and creative.

The tropical weather and the availability of materials definitely influence what we can create,

but when we have everyone together and a wide array of materials at our disposal in a cool, dry climate,

the possibilities are endless.

So is the laughter.

I love watching each person display a unique sense of creativity and skill.

Or a lack of those things. 

It doesn't matter, because we are all working together.

The results are always beautiful and delicious.

We make lots of memories along the way and strengthen our ties.

#meatcheato

Stewardship

"Bringing our body under subjection doesn't begin with diet and exercise, but with searching for and confessing idols of the heart that interfere with the discipline to which we have been called and which grace makes possible. You see, the stewardship of our physical body is not an addition to our gospel ministry calling; it is a significant part of of it." 

~P.D. Tripp, "Lead"

As I'm trying to jog more, my knees have been rebelling. I've added a simple turmeric latte to my daily routine. Using this inexpensive turmeric with black pepper extract, I use one caplet for every 1/3 cup milk. Drinking this helps me pause each afternoon, something I often forget to do. And my knees are happier, too!

In addition to stewarding our bodies well, we strive to serve our community effectively. Sometimes that looks like standing in line to vote.

And sometimes it looks like buying from local farmers who work hard to grow sustainable meat and produce. Our Thanksgiving turkey once again came from Shaky K Farms. I sure do love this farmer friend!

Carrot Cake Oatmeal always shows up on the menu when the days get colder. Saturday breakfast on the back patio is a treat and a refreshing way to begin the weekend.

Christmas Caroling

Christmas caroling is one of my favorite things we do together as a family each year. 

Our young adults added a new twist this year, 

they drove around to each of their grandparents to sing while Aaron and I caught our collective breath after the show.

The next night, we all joined together again to drive around town to sing to our "regulars". We even included a walk around the neighborhood with the Davis family to sing to several families in the area.

 What a lovely way to spread joy this time of year!

Sunday Together

We bought our tickets to attend Aaron's last show, since it was the only one we could attend all together. But first, our day began by filling up a pew at church and delighting my heart by singing and worshiping together.

 

Because this was Sarah's last Sunday in our hometown, the pastor and elders invited us to come up to the front so they could pray over her as she prepared to leave for the Solomon Islands. Such a special time.

After church, we quickly ate lunch (yay for crockpots!) and got Aaron out the door to get dressed for his final performance.

Our young adults had some strong opinions about Aaron's facial hair for his role as Fred. Clean-shaven with mutton chops was great for playing a character from a Dicken's novel, but as Dad, they were ready for him to go back to a beard.

We were all extremely proud of his hard work to get back on stage. Watching him thrive through rehearsals and performances was a joy.

Birthdays and Babies

Our crew arrived on Benjamin's birthday while Aaron was performing in "A Christmas Carol". We waiting until everyone was together that evening to eat one of Sarah's delicious birthday cakes to celebrate 25 years with the amazing Benjamin.

One of our adopted kiddos, a Gebauer, drove all the way to and from Dallas in less than 24 hours just to see Aaron perform. We've watched Ethan perform many times on stage in Dallas and in productions at SITAG when our kids were all growing up together.

After the birthday celebrations, Connor and Olivia gave us a handful of Scrabble tiles and told us to figure out the name of their new baby. We still didn't know if it was a boy or a girl.

With a little bit of guidance and some time, we figured out that baby Alice is on her way. We can't wait to meet her in April!

Advent Music

Obviously, music plays a large role in our lives.

Especially during Advent and Christmas. The Jazz Band always has a chili cookoff and concert, and I look forward to it every year. Several of our junior high bass players partcipate. I love these multifaceted musicians! The band allows anyone to sign up for soups and desserts, and this year we brought both.

The youth symphony held a special performance in December, also jazz. What a diverse array of music these students get to experience!

We joined with some dear friends to sing Christmas carols in a nursing home, too. So many opportunities to spread hope and joy this time of year.

Advent - Trying New Things

As much as I love Advent traditions, trying new things is good for us, too! This year, Aaron sang in a musical theater production of Dickens' "Christmas Carol" as Scrooge's nephew, Fred. He hasn't done anything like this since before we had kids!

Katherine and I attended a Christmas party full of kids on the second night of Aaron's performances. The whole party walked downtown to view the Christmas parade, so she and I broke away from the group for a few minutes to pop in and say hi before the musical began.

We rejoined the group to take pictures in front of downtown's huge Christmas tree.

Instead of the same boring, flannel, plaid pajamas, Katherine requested a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer onsie. So when Colossians 3:12 showed up on the Advent tag, a bright and fuzzy onesie is what she found. 

Something else new for this year? Being invited to a youth orchestra Christmas party at the "Home Alone House" (which happens to be where the harpist lives!). Such a sweet family. Getting to know them a little bit better brought us much joy!