Noah's First Christmas

What an amazing day we had yesterday!  Noah slept so well on Christmas eve, and then woke up at 7 on Christmas.  We celebrated quickly at home so that daddy could get down to the church by 8:30 for our Christmas service.  After church we went to Matt's mom's house (NiNi) to celebrate with her and Aunt Shannon.  And, we finished off our day with a visit to our dear friends in Pace.  We had a super day!  I am exhausted!!

We are heading out to go visit with my family for a few days.  I am very excited for them to see Noah and to celebrate with them.  More pics will come, but for now, here are the ones from Christmas day!!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you.  May this day bring you much peace.  May the Lord bless you today & always.

Luke 2: 1-20

The Birth of Jesus

About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David's town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.  While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

An Event for Everyone

 There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."  At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises:

   Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
   Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us." They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.   Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they'd been told!

some days

Some days are just so dadgum hard.  Still, after all this time...yes, the days are just hard.  I spend all day looking, loving, tending to my son...all day missing those who didn't make it...and knowing that because they didn't make it here...he is here.  He is a miracle child.  A true gift.  And, yet, I miss them still...so much more now it seems.  I think I somehow thought that it would be easier when Noah was here, or at least that I wouldn't have as much time to dwell on those gone too soon.  I guess maybe it's also because it's nearly Christmas and rather than 3 sweet little cherubs filling my home with squeals of laughter, I have only one.  And, I am so glad to have the one....but I still miss Rowan & Levi.  Does it really ever get easier?

my mom & Noah putting Christmas flowers out for Rowan & Levi

Sow The Word Sunday: Happy Birthday Jesus

 

The Christmas Story

    This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

    But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

    All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."

    When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

    After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

    When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'" Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

    After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

    On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

    When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."

    So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."

    When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."

    After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead."

    So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."

        --Matthew 1:18 - 2:23 New International Version

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you and your family on this Saturday!  

May the Lord richly bless you with peace and joy throughout this holiday season.  May your days be bright and beautiful.  We pray that the Lord will comfort you and uphold you all throughout the new year, and that you would be blessed beyond your most amazing expectations.  

Our God is good, our God is powerful and our God reigns!!  

Thoughtful Wednesday: Just the Two of Us

 

Merry Christmas.  I know, it's still a few days away...

We believed that this year would be so different from last year.  And, it is....just not in the way we had hoped.  We are missing our babies so much this season.  It is really hard to be a parent to two dead children, but it is even harder during the holidays.  And, it is even harder still when you see family you haven't seen all year and they don't understand why you are still upset, or sad, and why you aren't just thrilled to be part of the holiday family time....

It is just hard.  I do not know why Matt and I have been assigned this portion from the Lord.  I do not understand His ways, or His thoughts toward us.  I did see something the other day that brought joy to me though:

Thoughtful Wednesday: O Christmas Tree

 

Well, it's here.  December 1st.  We usually spend the day after Thanksgiving pulling out decorations, putting up our tree and making the house cute and Christmas-y.  But this year....I was bound and determined NOT to do that...  Christmas won't be what I want it to be, and Levi won't be here with us...and neither will Rowan.  Again. Another Christmas ...just us.  But, Matt, my amazing love insisted.  So, on Thanksgiving day after we visited the cemetery, we came home and put up our tree.  It was an emotional process and took much longer than usual, but it was good.  And, it's so nice to have it up now.  It makes the house seem a little more homey.  And, we have ornaments in memory of Rowan and Levi on the tree...so I can see those everyday and it makes me smile.

A little bit o' Christmas

We had a busy Christmas holiday!



We started out by celebrating Christmas Eve with the Marchlewski's.








My family away from family!!

Then on Christmas morning we traveled to Gulf Breeze to visit with Matt's mom and sister. We then went down to Panama City to see my dad, his wife and my youngest sister, Kloe, and brother, Parker. We had fun, and it's always nice to travel with Mattie. We sing and laugh alot!

Oh, and Falcor was with us, so that made the trip even more interesting. He had been to the groomer the day before, so he'd be nice and clean. As soon as we got to dad's Falcor pooped in the middle of their living room, so we put him outside. They live on a golf course, and it has little ponds everywhere. A neighbor came to the door later with Falcor, and he was soaking wet, completely brown and smelling fishy. Matt quickly bathed him and we left shortly after that...oy vey...that dog!! I wish I had pictures of this part, but I was pretty upset with the little curious fella!!

After ALL of that we went on to my mom's. We had a delicious dinner and lots of laughs!! All in all, it was a terrific day!!





And then, on December 26th (of course) I went shopping for AMAZING deals with my besties!!! Donna & Jim.