Last Day of 2008

It's the last day of 2008...I have to thank God for the blessing of this year. Last year was very difficult for various reasons, so this year was a peaceful respite after a tumultuous storm. Being on this side of 2009, it is comforting to know that God is sovereign. We don't know what will happen in this upcoming year....there's a lot of unrest, instability, and economic uncertainty in the world, but in all that, we just rest in the peace that comes from knowing God.

Christmas 2008

We spent December 24th at Grandpa & Grandma Stager's house, and had a big mid-day meal. The boys were exhausted and took a nap on Grandpa and Grandma's bed...it was fun to catch a video of them napping. Christmas Day, we went to my mom's house where we met up with my sister and my grandparents. The boys had fun decorating their annual train cake and singing happy birthday to Jesus. Then we opened gifts and had a big dinner. Uggh! I ate too much good food! Then it was back down to the Matthews area where we stopped in to see Grandpa and Grandma Stager once more. We were looking through old Stager photos, and we were amazed to see that the shirt Jeff was wearing Christmas Day was exactly the same as the one Jeff's father was wearing in a photo for Jeff's first Christmas. Fun to see how styles come back around, but the hair is definitely different! The highlights of this Chrismtas season were: seeing the wonder of Chrismtas through the eyes of three year olds, hearing the boys retell the story of Jesus' birth, and having them help decorate (the house, the tree, the cookies, etc.)

Away in a Manger

One of the special traditions that we have started with the boys this Christmas season is an Advent Calendar. It has little drawers that they pull out each night and they take turns finding an ornament related to the nativity that they hang up on the calendar. It's fun to share the story of the birth of Jesus with them and sing Away in a Manger.
One day last week I was changing Seth's dirty diaper and Nathan asked me if Seth had a stinky. When Dad changes the diapers, he always makes the comment that one of the boys has a major stinky. When I told Nathan that Seth did have a dirty diaper, he looked at me with oh-so serious eyes and said, "Seth has a manger stinky." This was a good tie-in for telling the boys exactly how Jesus came humbly to this earth!

Hiking with my mom

This past April I wanted to try something different for my mom's birthday. She is one of the most giving and selfless people I have ever met. My mom constantly gives of herself everyday in all situations...especially with her work, her family and her home. So, I wanted to give something back. She has often mentioned how much she would like to go hiking, so I bought her a book about hiking in North Carolina with a promise to take her on a trail of her choice. April disappeared into May and before I knew it, August slipped by and the summer was gone. The fall was a ripe time to go hiking with cooler weather and colorful leaves. We settled on the date: Sunday, November 2nd. Mom had researched the place...she decided on Moses Cone Memorial Park in Blowing Rock. What a great day to go hiking! The leaves were in full splendor and the the upper 60 degree temperature made the day picture perfect. We hiked up near the old manor that Moses Cone had created for his wife. After we took in the breath-taking beauty on top of the hill, we trekked another 2.5 miles back down the hill. Then, we drove into Blowing Rock where we enjoyed a great lunch and spent some time laughing, talking and shopping in the unique local stores. We topped off our day with some cider and a short excursion to The Blowing Rock. I was reminded during the entire trip of God's awesome and awe-inspiring creation, but when I saw the actual Blowing Rocks, I was even more impressed with how even His creation praises him. It looks as if the rocks are bowing towards God. Perhaps Blowing Rock is a misnomer...maybe it should be Bowing Rocks. What a special place to be with my mom; in my heart, I bowed before Almighty God, thanking him for the great day that I could spend with my mom and for the reminder that he is God our Maker, our Creator. What a wonderful world He created!