Merry Christmas!! We had an awesome Christmas! Papa and Grandma came over from Indiana on Tuesday. We have a tradition of opening presents from the kids to the kids and from the kids to parents/grandparents. Then we each open up one presents from Papa and Grandma which is always a new pair of pajamas:) Since we have such a large family, each child picks a name out of a hat and buys a present for them. If they want to buy other people presents they can too though:) Christmas morning was a little late because the FedEx guy didn't come around. Because they hadn't delivered all of the packages, FedEx opened up on Christmas for people to come pick up their stuff. Charity didn't get an iPod for Christmas. Well at least not this Christmas. She got that one last year but its not really hers, she just thinks it is, sort of.... I don't have any pictures of the actual opening of presents because they're on everyone else's cameras. But maybe tomorrow. For now you can just imagine it in your mind:) Also the internet is being veeerrryy slow today so I don't think it would work anyway. Everyone got basically everything they wanted. Mom tricked them pretty well though because she kept saying she didn't have any money. Which was true. But she exercised her ingenious powers of coupon-ing and half priced things and Ebay. That's all for now.....Merry Christmas!! CarissaFaith:)
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I love Christmas! It is a special time that we remember the birth of Jesus. We celebrate His birth with music, lights, presents, food, fun, and fellowship! I was thinking this morning of all the special days that God had in place for Israel in the Old Testament. God placed special emphasis on the celebration days that He established for His nation. Actually, God was pretty specific on when and how Israel was supposed to celebrate. So as I got to thinking about those celebration days....I was thankful that we have established a day that we can remember the time God sent his Son down to the earth to give mankind a special gift...the gift of His only beloved Son. Our family begins celebrating Christmas with the start of the annual Christmas Parade the day after Thanksgiving. At 6:00pm on a Monday evening the entire town gathers around the large pine tree next to the local library. In the surrounding darkness,with each person holding a lit candle , we sing "Silent night" together as one large choir . It is our tradition that our family join this group as we start the celebration of the birth of Christ. When the tree is lit, each bank, shop, and business in town, opens their doors and gives away cookies and hot chocolate as people wait for the parade to start. As I look back over the 12 years of this annual family tradition. I have seen my family grow from 4 children when we first came to now, nine. I remember the time when my older ones were 6, 5, 3, 2 and I was heavily pregnant with my 5th. Walking in the crowd and getting cookies was a two adult job...each one having a hand so as not to loose those bouncing laughing little ones! :) This year, 12 years later, as we walked down the sidewalk, the teenagers were laughing with their friends, the younger ones were giggling, chatting, and bouncing down the street, and Michael and I were holding hands pushing Charity in the stroller. I am so grateful that the many gifts that God has given me... The next tradition involved cutting down the Christmas tree! The very first time we cut down a tree as a family, Joshua was three and Autumn was 2. We decided that we were going to start this great family tradition! :) We must have been given the most DULL saw on the lot because it took my husband literally 20 min to saw that Christmas tree down. He sawed and sawed and grumped... his face was red; it was some very tense moments. When the tree FINALLY fell, Autumn looked at her daddy with those big brown eyes, took her tiny hand and gently patted her daddy on the back as he was sprawled out on the ground and declared, "Good job Daddy!!" Then it was all worth it! :) We look back and laugh at it now, but back 15 years ago, my husband was not laughing. This year the tree was cut by my 11 year old son, 5 seconds flat! :) Have a Merry Christmas! I need to go feed the troops!
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AuthorGod reached down in love and rescued Cassandra from her sin at the age of 21: changing her life, purpose, and focus forever. Archives
February 2019
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