Christmas Eve

Nana's nativity scene -- a favorite with my kiddos.

Marlou

I have a thing for beautiful centerpieces. :)

Our Christmas Eve celebration was warm and cozy, a wonderful time filled with Mom's yummy clam chowder, gifts, and fellowship.

Ruby

helping Nana open her gifts...

Winter Dance Performance

The girls both had the priviledge of performing both a ballet and a tap-dance routine this December at the local clubhouse. They both did a stand-up job, in our opinion. Abby even fell once and got back up without even flinching. We're pretty proud, of course.

Meet Bailey

My mom found her roaming Route 66, between Barstow and Silver Lakes. She put a "Lost Dog" poster up at the post office, on craigslist, and on FB for several days without reply.

We decided she was a good match for our family -- one of the best little dogs ever. We think she's part bichon, part something else. She is potty-trained (a must), she doesn't bark, smell, or shed (even more of a must), and she's super gentle with the kiddos (an absolutely necessity).

We love her.

Big Questions

The other morning, Abby, obviously, had a lot on her mind:

Abby: Mom, where do we go when we die?

Me: Well, the Bible says that we go to heaven when we die.

Abby: So we don't go into a hole in the ground when we die? We go to heaven?

Me: Well, our body goes into a hole in the ground, but our spirit goes to heaven. Our bodies have these things called spirits.

Abby: Does our body ever go to heaven?

Me: Yes, they will go to heaven someday, but they will be new bodies.

Abby: When will they go to heaven?

Me: When Jesus comes back. The Bible says Jesus is coming back someday to take believers to heaven with him. Believers are people who believe in Jesus.

Abby: How will our spirit know which body to go back into?

Me: Uh. Well, God made our bodies and our spirits, so He will have that all figured out.

Abby: Will we all be older in heaven? Will we be the same age?

Me: It's hard to say, but many people think we will all be around my age in heaven. Won't that be fun? All of us hanging out, being the same age?

Abby: Yeah! I want to take a submarine ride in heaven. Will we be able to take submarine rides there?

Me: Yeah, I think so. He's going to create a new heaven and a new earth, so I'm sure there will be oceans to explore someday. So I'm sure we'll be able to take submarine rides there.

Abby: I want to go with you, Mom. Will you go on a submarine ride with me?

Me: Sure, I will. Maybe we could take Daddy and Essie and Caleb with us, too, 'cause we might miss them.

Abby: Yeah, I guess we could.