Good News

I have super good news to share! Sarah (Sayrah) is coming back with us after Christmas! Sarah and I had the most depressing phone conversation Sunday night when we realized we wouldn't see each other much over Christmas (we're used to seeing each other a lot), but then, later, we found a way for her to come back with us, stay 4 days, and fly back on Wednesday, January 4th! Whoo-hoo! And Matt will be home that Monday which will mean even more craziness and fun.

Let me share what happened the previous Sunday which was so much fun in the true quaintness of Christmas. Rachael and Sara Cox were coming over for a drop-in visit. We didn't hear them at first b/c instead of knocking they were singing "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." Maybe that's some sort of strange, 'out in the sticks' kind of tradition they brought here from South Carolina. We traditionally hear carollers singing of Shepherds, Angels, or Joy, but they were singing of something that sounded like it happened in the backwoods of S.Carolina, not in the little town of Bethlehem! :) (Addendum: For those of you who know how much we miss Barbara and Nancy, you will be encouraged to know that Rachael and Sara are sisters and the same ages as Barbara and Nancy who have helped us decorate for the past 3 years and we were really missing them that day and then Rachael and Sara stopped by. I think that is a nice blessing from the Lord.)

We shan't complain of the homemade sugar cookies they brought. Yummy and Funny (Funny when Sara pointed out that they made a 'Simon' cookie complete with reddish hair and then she apologized because the baking made him fatter.)

They stayed for a complete meal of icecream (with cheerios, Sara?), popcorn, and pringles. We never have real meals on Sunday nights. It's usually cereal.

OH, and then they helped with our Christmas decorations. We had been delaying the inevitable lighting of the tree. Rachael helped Matt with the lights. Sara hung our stockings on the mantle! (Yay, we have a fireplace!) and I don't know what I did. I think I just unwrapped a bunch of Christmas knick knacks that I decided to rebox for whenever I actually like that kind of stuff. I did keep the nativity scene and a few candles out, though.

Well, the tree looked really pretty with just the white lights and Rachael tried to talk us into not putting up ornaments. Sara was totally opposed to the idea. I think Matt was leaning more towards the no ornaments (just because it's easier.) So was I. But two things swayed us to later put up ornaments (Sorry, Rachael)
(1) The tree with just lights is only pretty at night. In the daytime it looks kind of lame. But it's really pretty at night. But not in the day. Pretty at night. Lame in the day.
(2) Sara put just one ornament on the tree before they left to remind us of oranament beauty. It worked.

I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME! OUR FAMILY CHRISTMAS IN TEXAS IS THIS WEEKEND BECAUSE KELLY AND COREY AND MY GRANDPARENTS WILL ALREADY BE HERE FOR SCOTT'S COLLEGE GRADUATION AND BECAUSE KELLY AND COREY ARE STOPPING BY WITH THEIR UHAUL AS THEY ARE IN ROUTE TO MOVING FROM JACKSON MS TO CORPUS CHRISTI TEXAS. YAY. AND WE GET TO BUY FOR LITTLE ALEX THIS YEAR!