Good Ol' Buddies

My second blog post ever was after an adventure with my friend Shelby. She is an amazing woman who never ceases to serve her friends and family.
But last week she had knee replacement surgery and has been forced to recuperate and lay low at home. So yesterday after I successfully navigated the monsoon to drop Jayden at preschool we headed to Shelby's to kidnap her daughter so she could enjoy a quiet house. Zachary's and Charlotte's morning together was super-duper!
They had a jam session, made a huge mess of toys, baked muffins, and had a lunch date.

Our new morning

This morning as we celebrated the day,
I was so captivated by the beautiful sky
that I began singing

"Our God is an Awesome God
He reigns from Heaven above...".

Jayden immediately joined the melody

and then declared that I should stand outside so that He (our Awesome God) could hear me.

A Precious Moment.

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" Lamentations 3:22-23

Happy 2010

Smiling,
Sliding,Bouncing,Bjorning,Cruising,Floating,and Flyingour way into a beautiful New Year!

At 6 a.m. Christmas morning our buckles were fastened and we merrily made our way to Cathedral City to celebrate with the Sarkisian family. Playing with cousins, Ilana and Blake, is treat enough and yet there were piles of gifts awaiting us under Grandma's tree. Jayden got loads of makeup and Zach scored a rescue helicopter. Uncle Tommy rigged a skateboard so Zach could cruise around with Blake. Christmas dinner was hosted by Aunt Sheri and her kids, Simon and Sarah. Having fun can be so exhausting!

Reason to Rejoice

In my quite time this morning I'm stuck on 1 verse.

It's familiar to me, but it's a verse that should never be remembered casually.

Ephesians 3:12
"In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence."

Gotta read that again!
Check out the Amplified version.

"In Whom, because of our faith in Him, we DARE to have the boldness (courage and confidence) of free access (an unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear)."

An astounding truth:
the Creator of the Universe and Lord over all has given us access to Himself.

Through our faith Jesus we have an open and dynamic relationship with God.

An Enchanting Eve

Christmas Eve was magical. The Moorpark air was crisp and cold as a California Winter's day should be. Our 3 lil' tumbleweeds danced and pranced all day long in anticipation of gifts. And Mima, Papa, Uncle Andrew and Grandma Gladys descended upon our LED lit home for our deGrassie family celebrations and a sleep over (minus John, Kelly and our precious baby Anna of course).

Late in the afternoon we dolled up the kids and hurried off to church. We sang Christmas carols and heard a beautiful message from our Pastor about the REAL gifts we've received as Christians, and should remember at Christmas: Peace, Hope, Reconciliation with God, Everlasting Life, The Word and the Person of Christ....Then we assembled in the dining room for the traditional Eve meal of Buca di Beppo fabulousness. And then the wrapping paper went flying. Among the favorite gifts for Zach were a new Radio Flyer scooter, an 'Armor of God' dress up ensemble, and a book all about trucks. Jayden squealed when she caught the first glimpse of a new baby doll complete with diaper bag and accoutrement, and winked at Uncle when she discovered he'd given her 2 books about Princesses. Ollie acquired some excellent developmental toys and books, but of course found the most delight in a balloon from Trader Joes. Jesus was our central focus throughout the month, and Jayden especially latched on to every detail about His birth in the manger --from the Angels glorious proclamation to the Shepherds in the field, to King Herod's fear that this baby King threatened his rule. The biggest challenge is trying to get the kids to understand the connection between God's gift to us and our worldly practice of gift giving...all they see is "more stuff for me"!

They've definitely figured out, however, that there is great JOY at Christmastime...the spectacle of lit houses, the fun of school performances, the fellowship with family and the privilege opening of piles of presents.

Costco Christmas Tree

We finally summoned the strength

to tackle the adventure of getting a tree,

taking the ornaments down from the rafters,

and letting our noisy-happy-little-people put up the decor.

Talk about letting go of creative control!On our way to the tree farm

we stopped for gas at Costco

and realized we could save a fortune

by purchasing one there.

The photo op was not what I had envisioned,

but it was still fun for our kiddos.

Especially the hot-cocoa at Starbucks afterwards.