Christmas Travels . . .

At the time of this post, Caleb has traveled over 900 miles in the car to visit Grandmas and Grandpas with one return trip left. Wow! Thankfully, the new Learning Puppy made the return trip from Illinois manageable!

We spent the weekend before Christmas through Christmas Day with JJ's family in Esmond and both Caleb and I experienced our first "Polish Christmas!" Caleb was introduced to many he hadn't met yet and was entertained by his cousins Lexi and Mia. We had a great time, although a bout with the stomach flu for all of us (yes, everyone in the house except Jodi . . . ) cut into the celebration a little bit. We managed to get well enough to go to church Christmas Eve and hear Grandpa Larry sing - beautiful as usual! It was fun to visit with everyone at the open house afterward, too, and after another night of sleep, JJ, Caleb and I were pretty well recovered for Christmas morning. Caleb was in awe of all the paper and managed to even pull some off his gifts all by himself! Of course, Bear was right there to help him with whatever he couldn't get . . .

Now we're in Pelican Rapids for the other half of Christmas. It's Mom and Dad's anniversary today, so we'll celebrate with them tonight and do our Christmas at the same time. We did our stockings last night, for which Caleb could barely stay awake! He fell asleep on Grandpa Jim's lap as the rest of us opened ours. We're relaxing this morning with Mom after sleeping in a little bit - JJ is watching Man vs. Wild, Mom's cuddling with Caleb, and Brian is sleeping downstairs. All is well with the world! :)

Merry Christmas!

I can hardly believe Christmas is already here! We've done all sorts of fun things to introduce Caleb to the world of Christmas - we've made cookies, visited Santa, went shopping . . . he especially loves to watch the lights on the ceiling of the mall! He even has a Santa hat to wear to match Daddy!

This Christmas has been especially amazing for me. Since Caleb was born, the significance of God's sacrifice of His only Son has been more alive for me in light of the baby that has been given to us. The idea that the eternal God would give up his Son, whom He loves infinitely more than I can imagine, so that we can be with him in Heaven forever is overwhelming to me, especially when I look at my son and the thought makes my heart break. And now during this Christmas season, I think about how Mary must have felt as she looked at her tiny baby. Did she know the purpose for which this child had come to earth? Or was he just her little boy in that moment? As I watch Caleb this season and every day since he's been here, it makes me even more thankful for the gift of not only my son, but the Son of God who came to save us from our sin.

Back to Work, and Thanksgiving . . .

So I'm back to work. Ugh. I dragged myself back to my classroom on the Monday before Thanksgiving and readied myself for a flurry of craziness. I was not disappointed! Caleb got to spend the three days of Thanksgiving week at home with Daddy, and then we headed up to Pelican Rapids for turkey day. It was baptism by fire for JJ, but he and Caleb did really well - so well, it was a little like they didn't need me . . . ! : ) We went to a lighted parade on Friday night (yes, a parade!) and spent time at several coffee shops throughout the weekend. Overall, it was great to have a short week when going back to the drama of the classroom. Now only three and a half weeks until Christmas break!!!!

I can't believe how fast time is flying - Caleb is growing so much! He's rolled over (front to back) during the hated tummy time, can sit up in his Bumbo, and kicks around like a champ. He's also discovered that he can screech, so he gets revved up and lets loose with his screams quite often. It's really funny! He's really loving all the Christmas lights that are starting to show up all over - he just stares at them. Is that normal? : )

Caleb's new favorite thing from Tuesday to Thursday is hanging out with Grandma! Mom started her shift as "Mary Poppins" this week, and wow, is it nice! He's been to the mall, Caribou, and various other locations on field trips with Grandma. The best part is, between Mom and JJ, no bundling up and going out in subzero weather every morning this winter, and Caleb can stay in his jammies all day if he manages to keep them clean . . . God certainly answers prayer in ways we can never imagine!