Say Cheeeeese!

It's Christmas card time.

Typing that just made me {sigh} and kinda slump down in my chair.

Not because I don't love Christmas cards. I do. I line them up all over my living room and love looking at all of our friends and their smiling children.

It's the smiling children part that's killing me.

I can get my children to all smile...just not at the same time. So. I end up with a roll of pictures with 4 smiling children aaaand one that's looking away...or scratching his back...or looking like he's in pain.

But, they're having fun.






And yes, Gid's eating a lollipop. It's the only way I could keep him with everyone else instead of chasing the cat across the yard.

Joy

After our referral for Gid, we couldn't wait to hold him and get to know this little boy God had chosen to be our son. We wondered what his little personality would be like. He seemed very serious in every picture we saw. Then, we heard from people who met him that he was very cautious about new people and wouldn't smile for them. As our meeting got closer, we received updates that he cried a lot with tummy aches and was hard to console.

I started praying.

Not praying for an easy peasy baby.

But, praying for a baby filled with joy.

Who would find joy in our family.

Who would bring joy to others.





Now, what comes to mind when I think of Gid is...Joy.

In every area, he is filled with joy.

That doesn't mean he never cries.
And he has certainly won every stare down he has faced.

But, who he is, what he has shared with our family and everyone he meets.

Joy.

Thank you, Lord!

Concentrating

It might help if we take the cap off. I would love to know what he was thinking.

5 Sweet Treats

The whole gang. Ellie's wearing the same costume my mom made for me when I was in 5th grade. I can't believe it's still in good shape. Gid's wearing the costume I made for Car when he was a baby. Tate has his Pap's old army clothes. So far...all FREE! Car had his heart set on Mario - I think he just wanted to wear the HUGE sticky mustache. :) I (with quite a bit of my mom's help) made Bear's Indian costume for her. She had to be a Warrior Indian girl though, so she made her tomahawk and grizzly claw necklace.

We went to a friend's neighborhood to hang out since no one comes to our house. Gideon (aka Tex) wavered between being proud of his cowboy outfit and trying to figure out what in the world was going on. He looks confused in most of the pictures.
We definitely ended up with enough candy to fill various birthday pinatas for the course of the next few years.
Oh wait - I refuse to do pinatas.
hmm... where will all of that candy go???

Oh well, let's forget about the candy and look at this sweet cowboy.