December 2009: Wintery Highlights

December was a full month of course, with all sorts of activities and parties for various things. Here are a few of the highlights:
Santa came to visit the children of our church primary. Eyan of course was a little shy. Tate was not interested in being anywhere close to Santa.

Owen got his trophy at his Flag Football Dinner. I am so proud of how much he grew this season. The coach was reminiscing about how Owen tried to catch a pick in the last game.

Tate looked so cute dressed up all wintery for our walk that fateful day that I realized I was officially old, so I had to take some quick photos of him.

Our church had a special Christmas party this year, which I loved. It was called, "A Journey to Bethlehem" and centered completely on the birth of our Savior. We were invited to dress up as in those times and I think my boys looked adorable. Of course Owen wanted to dress up in a costume that allowed him to bring a sword. He was a nice Roman soldier:-). Those jedi robes came in handy for makeshift shepherd costumes for T and E.

My boys were also asked to sing in the program with some other boys. We had been practicing for weeks learning the song, "When Joseph Went to Bethlehem". Originally it was only going to be Owen and Eyan that were going to be singing, but Tate learned the words just as fast as the other 2, and he was darling up there singing. My favorite lines in the song are in the second verse:

Perhaps all through the chilly hours he smoothed the swaddling bands and Jesus
felt the quiet strength of Joseph's gentle hands

I love that imagery of Joseph gently holding the baby Jesus with his strong, hard working carpenter hands. It reminds me of my Abuelito and the gentleness of his soul and love for us as his great-grandchildren and his calloused wood working hands.

I love being pregnant during Christmas time. It is a beautiful thing to think about Mary and the stalwart woman she must have been and to think about the concerns and hopes she had concerning her newborn child. This year I joined Owen in participating in the Community Christmas Choirs through our church. We sang a tender song entitled, "Baby What You Goin' Be?" There is power and realness in the words of Mary:

Oh baby, Hope of all the people, what you come to do here? What you come to say?
Baby, can you be the Savior? Come to save the world one day. Baby lying in a
manger, will you save the world one day?

Another song that I have listened to frequently during this Christmas season has been a song sung by Amy Grant, "Breath of Heaven". It is another song told through the perspective of Mary. My favorite words in this song echo the feelings I feel as a mother preparing to raise another valiant spirit coming into my home:

Do you wonder as you watch my face, If a wiser one should have held my place,
But I offer all I am for the mercy of your plan. Help me be strong. Help me be. Help me.

Here is a beautifully made short video called "The Nativity" which depicts the story of the Savior's birth merged with the song "Breath of Heaven". Absolutely moving.