Christmas ( and after Christmas) Blessings

We have been so very blessed this holiday season! Please understand, I don't say "holiday season" because I am opposed to saying "Merry Christmas". In fact, I said Merry Christmas as often as possible this season! But, I say we've been blessed this holiday season because the Lord blessed us with a wonderful Thanksgiving, a fantastic family trip to Pigeon Forge, TN, wonderful days with my sister and her girls prior to Christmas, and now, we are enjoying having my dh at home until next Wednesday!

I am thankful, or course, for all the "stuff" we were able to give, and for what we received this Christmas. I got my husband some clothes and other "stocking stuffer" items with the logo of his favorite college football team on them. He was blessed by other family members with some gift cards and some other great gifts.

I received so much this year! My hubby gave me 2 seasons of one of my favorite tv shows on DVD, some new jammies and new slippers( which is what I told him I wanted for Christmas) and some neat things in my stocking. My parents gave me new pajamas ( I love pajamas!) a new purse that I DESPERATELY needed, some wonderful scented candles for my house, some bracelets that my Mom made, and ~I am so excited about this one!~ a 3 year famly membership to our local children's museum!!! YAY!!

Both my sisters blessed me with gift cards to Barnes and Noble, which I LOVE, and my bil continued his tradition of giving me a unique baseball themed calendar every year. This year, it's a Baseball Hall of Fame Calendar. I love it!

One of the "perks" of parenthood is getting to play with all the cool stuff your kids get for Christmas. My kids are blessed enough to have a large extended family, almost all of whom insist on giving them gifts each year. They get gifts from me and dh, my parents, each of my 2 sisters, my aunt, and both my grandmothers, as well as my grandfather and stepgrandmother. They also receive gifts from my dh's parents, and his sister. And, yeah, I know that's a lot. :)

It would take me all night to list ALL the the kids got this year, but these are the things I'll be enjoying with my kids :)

DD (9)~a Nintendo DS with a Hannah Montana game, High School Musical dvd game, Deal or No Deal dvd game, Sleeping Beauty Storybook playset( this thing looks like a big story book but opens up to reveal Sleeping Beauty's castle with Polly Pocket sized Sleeping Beauty characters) Hannah Montana Backstage Closet and a singing Hannah Doll, several books, and lots of lip gloss and fingernail polish

DD(7)~a big Moon Sand playset with inflatable playmat and castle molds, a Nintendo DS with a Catz game, a Cheetah Girls guitar, several stuffed animals ( her passion!) and some books

DS(5) A "Cars" racetrack, a "Cars" beanbag toss game, a red tricycle, some books, a giant army tank, 2 helicopters( one army, one from the movie "Cars") and a Star Wars light sabre that lights up and makes sounds just like the ones in the movie. Oh, and his favorite gift, an XBox with a Star Wars game.

All these things are just a partial list of what the kids received. We spent today setting aside things to give away, and finding places to put thier new things. But these are not the things that I am most grateful for this holiday season. When I think of what I am blessed with this year, these are the things that come to my mind.

The fun my kids had not just counting down the days to Christmas, but counting down the days until they would see their cousins again. I am SO thankful that my kids are able to have such a close relationship with my sisters children!

The sweet time we had taking our 3 kids and my neice ( who is the same age as my "middle" daughter, to see my dh's grandmother and her room mate and best friend at the nursing home.. The staff there is wonderful, and the girls especially enjoyed seeing the 2 cats that roam the nursing home and are pets for the residents.

The fact that both my grandmothers were able to be with us for the "big" celebration at my parents home on Christmas Eve.

Our day shopping with my Dad. We NEVER let my Dad shop alone for my Mom's Christmas gifts. This year, the entourage consisted of Dad, me, both my sisters, my 16yo nephew, 15 yo neice, and my 9yo DD. We laughed SO much, and had so much fun!!

My sweet, wonderful, loving dh, who stayed home on our shopping day to take care of our 7yo daughter, our 5yo son, and our 7yo neice ~for 8 hours!!~

The evening that my sisters came to my house and stayed with all the kids so dh and I could go out and have a nice dinner and do a little shopping by ourselves. We had a great time!

The wonderful Christmas service at church on the Sunday before Christmas.

The great day that I had with dh and the kids yesterday when we hit the mall to spend gift cards and Christmas money. We shopped and had a nice lunch, and we had so much fun!

The fact that dh does not return to EITHER of his jobs until Jan 2, and does not have to go back to his second job until Jan 7! YAY!!

God is SO good to us!!! I can't explain it except to say that we are MOST undeserving, therefore all these wonderful blessings and great memories are a testament to the infinite love, mercy, and grace of a Holy, Great, and Almighty God. My feeble thanks are grossly inadequate, but they are all that I know how to convey here.

I am looking forward to spending New Years Eve at home with my dh and kids, eating hors douvers and finger foods that I will be making myself, and probably watching my dd's High School Musical 2 and Barbie as the Island Princess dvd's, and my Everybody Loves Raymond dvd's.

We are settling down now, and just trying to relax and enjoy being together. The house was a HUGE mess until today. We spent some time getting it under control, and will finish it up tomorrow, then spend the rest of dh's time off just doing "fun stuff" together.

My prayer for each of you this New Year is that you will come to truly experience and enjoy the love, the mercy, and the presence of our loving Heavenly Father.

Happy New Year!
Vicki