This is our 4th Christmas with Lil Dude and our 3rd with Aubriana and I can no longer call them my "babies" without people looking around for infants on the floor, as they are too big and well spoken for others to perceive them that way.
But in my eyes, I still see the awe and wonder that each day brings, they are still in a big phase of self discovery and new worldly experiences.
We have a Christmas tree that has a remote control to turn the lights on and off, they are still convinced, that if we count to 3 and clap, that is what turns the lights on, our own family magic. Aubriana tried this technique with a neighbor's tree, and I had to inform her our magic only worked on our tree.
2010 has been a rocky year for us, there have been heath issues to deal with, job loss, financial strain and on a larger scale, an unstable economy and changes in the world environment that make one long for easier times.
It is so easy to get caught up in the trials and stresses of our everyday life, it is necessary to take a moment or a day, or a season, to sort out the important stuff from the trivial and uncontrollable and just re-foucus on what we can manage on our own, and what we must leave in the hands of faith or fate.
I hope my children read this one day and realize that of all the gifts I strived to give them the greatest one of all is the ability to give and in turn receive graciously the love and admiration for and from others. If you are loving and loveable this journey called life is so much easier to traverse through.
To my sweet "babies" who taught me how to love anew, may all your dreams come true.
