Nothing says Merry Christmas Eve like frozen pipes! Good thing I'm married to a country boy...and we have them as neighbors that show up with a blow torch!
While they were getting things working outside, this little doll and I were busy baking inside.
After a long day of baking and not having much success with the water and having to bathe at the neighbor's house and on and on and on...we called it as it was and moved on. First stop was Scott's mom's for his family Christmas. One of Scott's buddies and our groomsman in our wedding, Donte, and his family surprised us and showed up. We were in a whirlwind there between their service and heading to ours so this is the only photo I got. But, the kids opened presents and got to visit a little before we had to head out.
We decided to attend the Candlelight Christmas Eve Service for the first time with our kids {it's held later in the evening}. It is a tradition that I always loved as a kid...especially the sanctuary being lit by candles while everyone sings "Silent Night" at the end. It was definitely our kids' favorite part this year, too.
We are finding more and more the importance of raising the bar for our children and teaching them to set their standards high. Church shouldn't be about being entertained {although it can be fun at times for sure!} but about God getting all the glory and honor. I don't want to walk out and complain about not liking church because of this or that because church isn't about me...it's about God! I think that a lot of the western churches are missing that these days and seeking to make it fun over focusing on reverence. One of the things that has surprised us back at RHBC is that even their modern service has a liturgy to it now. What was once all about the lights and electric guitar and impressive vocals is now more focused on Biblical truths. It's refreshing and refocusing and exactly the balm our weary souls have needed.
And that's a wrap on Christmas Eve...presents are out and Bo is guarding them. ha!
What a treat to begin our Christmas Sunday worshiping together as a family!
Afterwards, everyone came to our house for brunch and gift exchange and lots of time together.
A whole bag of peppermints makes this girl very happy!
Grandaddy and Bubba sharing all the secrets!
Mimi on the balance beam with the grand girls.
And Christmas night for me and mine! We were toast but our hearts were full! We had hot water at full pressure again {thanks to my hubby discovering a clog in the filter}, a clean-ish house with a garage full of trash and four kiddos under one roof! And, JOY that only Jesus brings!
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