Christmas 2010

This Christmas was a little different this year. With the changes in just our little family, it felt different this year. I have a different bond with Mary than I did before. I appreciate her willingness to take upon herself, alone in many ways, the responsibility entrusted her with the grace she did. In a time where a young, unmarried woman is found expecting a child, she could have easily been stoned to death. Hiding a baby coming is impossible.
Traveling and delivery under such uncomfortable circumstances with very little physical or emotional support or rejoicing from loved ones must have made it more difficult.
As I have been the recipient of a very sensitive and sweet husband, I felt a different love and respect for Joseph. A calling from Deity, in different ways, equally difficult. To trust and support a woman that you love and want to have a family with, but that would have to wait. To carry the responsibility of protection, care, and safety for your wife and her, not yours, unborn child who would be the Savior of all mankind. Whenever I have cared for other people's children, there is an element of enormous trust that comes into play. There is always a bit of a feeling of inadequacy knowing you aren't doing things like "mom" would. I can't imagine measuring up to my step son's Father.
Even with the help and watchful eyes of the Heavens......the responsibility would be more joyous than you'd ever know and more weighty than you'd ever realized. The Holy Family, indeed.
On a more secular side........it was a Christmas of firsts for us. The first time I have been at my parents for Christmas and one of my siblings was gone. We were able to Skype with Jacob from Iraq and I've never been more grateful for cool technology. Just to see him and hear him made me feel enormous relief. Although they have stolen some of his hair, he looked great.


It was also the first Christmas I have been pregnant.......and that adds just another level of reverence for the holiday and the reason we celebrate it.
It was the Christmas I got my first gun! Darren and my parents went in together and got me a Ruger 9 mm handgun. The very one I've wanted for awhile. Darren took me in to get my Concealed Weapons license, and you should have seen the looks we got as a 7 month pregnant lady applied for it. It was hilarious!
I was VERY surprised! Thanks, honey....

This was also my first year to try making a blanket. The shocking part, is I did it all by myself, and it turned out perfectly! I made it for my aunt, who has always coveted the one I have. It has 2 sides, one which has puppy paws on it. She has raised Pomeranian pups for most of her adult life, and loves them. This last year, she had to put her last one down and so I had embroidered the names of her dogs in each of the corners of the quilt. It was so fun to give it to her. So fun it turned out! I think she is amazed and my skills in this picture......

My parents got Darren a sports coat for Christmas, and this is his surfing-GQ-Ifeelridiculousposing pose. It looks great on him and even better with a tie ensemble instead of jammies. :o) Looking up at him, I look like Shamu in these pictures, but at least it's for a good cause.

We hope (late) that each of you had a merry Christmas. I am excited for the possibilities that a new year brings to us. 2011 is looking promising already!