Cause we didn't get those Christmas cards out...

I thought maybe you'd all like to see a few pics of the family. (I scanned prints because we didn't have a digital camera until last night... YIPEE! The quality won't be fantastic, but you'll get the idea.)

This is the gift the kids gave me for Christmas. It is flattering, yet not, all at the same time. I love it!





















I love this picture of Paul with the kids. Too much cuteness on one chair!


















Just the goyls.














I don't know why I love this picture, but I do.













Blogger uploaded all of those in less than 10 minutes. WOW! I just might have to do this again soon.

"There is much to hope for, much to lose;
Much to believe God for, much to lose by doubt and fear and disobedience;
Much to expect because all of God’s promises are yea and yea (II Cor. 1:20), and
are as certain as the rising of tomorrow morning’s sun (Hos. 6:3.)..."

"...The only ultimatum I give a fig for is God’s, and it is found in Rom 12:1. If I truly make a quality dedication of myself to His service in line with this verse, and follow through with an active life of ministry in His Name, I am free from the strictures of religious or political systems, free from bondage, free, free, free. Let all the world scream, “Emergency! Red Alert!” No matter. Jesus and I have a secret inner island of peace, and when the world cries calamity and defeat I proclaim victory. Every attack of the enemy is one more opportunity to prove God by trusting and obeying Him and seeing Him vindicate me..."

"...The only crisis that matters is the crisis of the soul… Life, the Christian life, can be thought of as a series of confrontations between the believer and his God. And so often, as we pass a particular test, we are filled with a sense of His glory-presence. The real deeper life centers itself on Christ and His glory, not on theology, not on experiences, not on moral correctness..."

I really like that last sentence.

These are the words of my uncle George. Well, not really *my* uncle, but my dad’s. He wrote this is his Christmas letter. I have been getting them for three or four years now.

I don’t know that I have ever met Uncle George. If I did, I was not old enough to remember. My only real contact with him has been through these letters over the last few years. When I received the first one, I was rather taken aback. I had never heard anyone in my family speak quite this way about the things of the Lord. Now that I have had some experience with these letters, I read them eagerly, and I find myself wishing that I could sit down with him and listen to him talk about Jesus for a while.

I can’t quite place what I feel after reading his letters. Inspired? Encouraged? Challenged? Maybe all of these. I know for certain that I feel proud to have such a heritage. But, it is mixed with a little sadness at having missed out on his wisdom for so long.

I see a letter to Uncle George in my future….

This and that

Well, it is Christmas Eve.

I called the adoption agency last week and they said they were hoping to get our dossier to China this week. They were waiting for the final paperwork from one other family... I assume they are still waiting, because we have not received word that our stuff has been sent. That bums me out. No one is working today and even the mail won't go tomorrow, so anything that they haven't received yet couldn't possibly be in to the agency until Tuesday. This pretty much rules out any hope of having Bao home by August. So, Paul will likely have to take leave from work without pay to go to China. Or, not go. Both options stink.

It is frustrating to have to wait for someone else to be done with their stuff, especially since ours has been done for three weeks. So much for setting goals for our completion date, b/c it really doesn't seem to have mattered.

But, so as not to get into a completely selfish funk about it, I have to think of how frustrating it must be for that other family to be waiting through holiday delays as well. Will remember to pray for them too.

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Upon further reflection, I am recalling a few more details about good old Heather. But the memories are still foggy. Anyway, I think she GAVE me the cassette to "A Chorus Line" for my birthday, or something. And, I think the word we made up was "brevet." We used it as a verb to mean removing a wedgie. I do not know if either of these recollections are correct. Hopefully, Heather can advise.

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Just a few minutes ago, I saw two woodpeckers and a cardinal in the tree in our neighbor's back yard. I have never seen a woodpecker, LIVE, so I got very excited and called Paul in to ask him what those birds were. He generally thinks I am silly to get so excited (as I always do) when I see cool animals just "doing their thing." But, he was very kind and shared my excitement with me by suggesting I open the window and listen to the "pecking." He even stood next to me while I tried to take a picture of the three birds (which will be completely unrecognizable after developing, I am sure.) I took the picture through the open window, and he said nothing about how cold it was or how much heat we were wasting. I think he is just getting used to the fact that his wife is a kook.

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I consider myself a fairly intelligent person, but lately, Ms. Boo has been asking some questions that I am completely unable to answer, including: What day will it be next week? And How do you spell R-N-E-L-O-C-F-D?

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For those of you not living in the area, (or for those who are, but have been in a coma for the last 2 days) It has snowed a lot. About a foot at our house. It started snowing early Wednesday morning. We all went out and played a while. Mr. Bug was ready for his nap, so it was a short, fairly miserable experience for him. But the rest of us made a considerable "mess" of the pretty snow in the front yard.

It snowed nonstop all day and continued snowing at least until I went to bed at 2:30 on Thursday morning. By that time, the front yard gave absolutely no indication that anyone had played in it at all.

Of course the snow has kept us pretty well house-bound. Paul went to the grocery yesterday to get eggs and some stuff for our elderly neighbors. The roads were bad, but he made it. We also drove around the corner to see Bill and Cindy, and let the kids get out of the house for a while. Otherwise we spent the day inside making chocolate covered pretzels (a snack AND a craft, all at the same time. Boo was in heaven!) playing blocks, playing hide-and-go-seek, playing play-doh, reading (yes, I read,) and getting out a new game: Chutes and Ladders! A good time was had by all.

Very relaxing. Very fun.

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Of course the kids played outside a while too. Paul decided to go shovel while the rest of us were still in our PJs. Boo, of course, wanted to go out with him. So, while Paul was shoveling, I got Boo all ready, (even had to brush her teeth) and sent her out. Next was Mr. Bug. After considerable difficulty getting his mittens to stay on, I sent him out. Then me. Tights, jeans, socks, undershirt, turtleneck, sweater, boots, scarf, hat, coat, oh... get the video camera qeued up... one glove... AND...

in come the kids. Boo - getting too cold, and Bug - getting too crabby. Seriously... I was one glove away from going out with them.

New rule in our house: Paul and I get the kids ready together, and we all go out at the same time.

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Later.