Farewell Christmas-Hello New Year!

It's hard to believe that Christmas has been over for almost a week. I think that December 25th goes by faster than any other day of the year. Our family had a great Christmas! This holiday is so special to us, especially in light of August 2007. So many times this season, I held Caleb and imagined what Mary, the mother of Jesus, must have felt. She was holding the Son of God! I also thought about our Heaven Baby and remembered that this child was celebrating Christmas in a greater way than we ever could! Wow! Our little baby spent Christmas with Jesus! How could I selfishly ask for more? All of this to say, we LOVE Christmas! Here's what we did: Each Christmas Eve we allow Stephen to open one present. This year he opened a new Thomas Christmas DVD. He is so into trains right now. I also gave Jeremy a Wii on Christmas Eve. Needless to say, we spent most of the day playing video games. That night, the Summit had a Christmas Eve service. Jeremy shared the story of the candy cane with all the children. He did a great job, and I was very proud. It was nice seeing Stephen up on stage listening to his Daddy with all the other boys and girls. Jeremy's parents, who drove up for the service, went out to eat with us afterwards, and then we headed back to Snow Camp. After Stephen went to bed, Jeremy and I did the "Santa Clause thing." We set up toys, and like children ourselves, waited for morning. Stephen woke up early, and we rushed upstairs to get him. We read the Christmas story and again reminded him that Christmas is all about Jesus...He got to open gifts for Jesus' birthday. Stephen had a great time opening presents and seeing all the new toys. He asked us if Santa was still there. It was sometimes funny to see him open one box and then immediately head to the next. I think he enjoyed tearing off the paper as much as all the new toys! That night we had Christmas with my Dad's side of the family, and the next day headed to Winston. We spent the day after with Jeremy's family. It's always a blast having all the kids together. Now, I'm looking ahead to 2009. It's hard to believe that another year has passed. So much happened in 2008: Caleb was born, We celebrated the 1 year anniversary of the wreck, Jeremy had several more surgeries, The GROVE continued to grow, Stephen turned 2, We took a step of faith and followed God's will to the Summit...Wow! This time last year I would have never dreamed what 2008 held. I imagine that 2009 will be the same. Regardless, we are trusting the Lord to guide us. More than anything, I want to grow more in love with Christ. I want my faith strengthened and my walk closer. The humbling fact (and scary for me) is that this growth often occurs through suffering. We're trusting God. He will take us "as far as we want to go as fast as we want to go." May 2009 be a year full of God's mercy and grace. I am looking forward to every minute of it!