Saturday, November 12, 2011

The Days are Long....

When I look back through the photographs of my children,
I am reminded that although the days sometimes seem long

the years go by much too quickly.

So I will treasure the moments.

The joy of riding in Daddy's arms.  The giggles over silly songs.

I'll treasure the memories and the secrets whispered into my ear.

I'll hold them close and let them go.

Because the joy of holding my babies close only grows when my children choose to run back into my arms.


Friday, November 11, 2011

Living Christmas Trees

Yesterday I had a chance to hang out with Hope and Breeley alone for a little while. We were driving to get chocolate milk, apple juice and a coke when Hope piped up from the back seat. "Mommy, turn on the 'ees song." I asked her to repeat herself several times as I normally don't have any trouble understanding her. When we stopped at a light I half turned and said, "What song, Hope?" Closing her eyes and raising both hands in the air she begins to sing, "At the cross I found my knees...." *

Our family is once again involved in our church's Christmas production. I never blogged about it last year, so this seemed like a good time to pull up all the old pictures and relive the memories.

Living Christmas Trees tells the story of Christ's life from birth through resurrection. Our dear friends are once again directing it and it is a privilege to work alongside them to share the story of Christ.

The kids absolutely love being a part of it, which I knew they would. What I didn't know was how much closer our family would grow to each other through this experience.

Doug was hesitant at first and ended by fully embracing his roles, makeup and all. So the the makeup was a stretch - he could hardly wait to get home and take it off. :) He was really great about helping put it on though. Years of helping his mom came in handy here.

Bree was a trooper. She got fussy towards the last of every evening. They were long days for her, but she hung in there and made into at least one scene in every performance.

Hope loved practice, but was a little unsure of walking into a room filled with people. She did great being a part of several scenes. Her favorite part was the make-up!

Becca grew up so much during this process. I loved watching her grow into her roles and love being on stage. During the scene of Jesus' ministry the song Healing Rain played. Becca was the "dead girl" who Jesus raised to life. A dramatic and heartbreaking scene. She did so good holding still and coming to "life" on cue.

Tyler had a short appearance as "little Jesus" as he grew into a man. Being on stage is totally his thing. He loved everything but the makeup.

We are enjoying putting in the hours, growing together as a family and being a part of telling the story of Christ. If you live in the area and would like to come, here is a link to the church website for information.


*The song she was singing is Hillsong's "At the Cross."