so while this post is a little late, i still have a lot that i want to say. the Christmas season came and went...all too quickly if you ask me. i love the decorations, the songs, the movies, the cute little outfits that the girls wear, picking out the perfect present....i love it all. and this year was no exception. we had a lot of family celebrations and fortunately there was no rush to get from here to there. most everything was planned on different days and that made it a little easier on the kids (and the parents). the girls got to spend some much needed time with their cousins, jackson and grayson, and they LOVED every minute of it.
it was hard coming back to daphne because, for the first time, we wouldn't be near family on christmas day. and for those of you who are blessed to live near your family, it's hard not to take that for granted. i know i did. it's just something you assume will always be there. i will say that our move has made our family stronger in every possible way. there's no crutch - no girls night outs, date nights - no one else to really rely on or hide behind. take the bad with the good because it's all you've got. i think each of us has learned how important these relationships are and how important our individual roles are. we've also had to learn how to deal with/minister to/pray for how each of our children have dealt with change AND how we deal with them. if allen and i don't like something we can verbally express our dislike or discomfort. little ones don't always have the words or know how to communicate it properly. in the same way, the excitement of change and the newness of everything has to be controlled too. all that to say, we've been in a season of learning. all of us. and we're better because of it.
we are very blessed and continuing to learn. your strengths take on a whole new meaning and your weaknesses are brought to the forefront. satan will use the tiniest thought, the tiniest bit of negativity, or insecurity and he'll run with it. and for someone who hates to 1) admit weakness and 2) show weakness, i've realized, though i knew it before, that we are mold-able. the Lord created us to adapt to and deal with change. so while some things come easily and others don't, i've learned that we can make it. not on our own merit and not on our own strength, but through God's grace. His mercies really ARE new every morning and we do get do-overs.
we have a lot of exciting things going on with the church and hopefully i will be able to update you soon - pictures and all.
