Bless Us All

As I'm preparing for Christmas Eve, crafting last minute pieces for our church play, wrapping family gifts and stirring meatballs I'm seized with moments of complete thankfulness as I watch my family interacting with one another.

This Christmas finds my family together, happy and healing. How amazing is that? God took all the broken parts and through many events He put us back together. I'm grateful that the One who sent His Son to redeem us is also the same One that makes all things new in lots of ways, both big and small.

"But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round -- apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that -- as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, 'God bless it!'" ~Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Decade: a post I've dreaded for a long time

**Disclaimer: I have piecemealed (?) this post together over several days. I'm way too lazy to change the tenses for it to make sense....enjoy!!**

On Monday, my boy is turning 10. He's going ahead and doing so despite my protests. I've tried to bribe him with money, vacations (Peyton, how would you like to go search for the Loch Ness monster instead of turning 10 this year?), groundings and trickery all so that I wouldn't have to come to terms with the fact that my baby is not really a baby anymore. And, if we're all being honest, he hasn't been for quite some time. Double digits really hits that home for this momma.

The circumstances leading up to December 26, 2001 were anything but picturesque and romantic. I don't remember where I was when I first felt him move inside my womb. I didn't do the fun watch me grow pregnant pictures. I spent most of my pregnancy dreading what was ahead and hadn't given much thought to anything after that. Details are in the past, but if I fail to mention it, in my mind, it won't be understood how such a rough start turned out to be the reason for the beautiful decade that has followed it.

From the moment he was born my life had changed completely. The selfish, self-serving kid that I was had to take a backseat (and eventually leave altogether) because he deserved all of everything that I had to offer. I hadn't prepared myself to be totally and utterly smitten by this little guy:

2001-Meet Peyton Alexander Porter

Raising him has been a dream, that's not to say that there aren't days when I want to crawl under my bed and hide for a year or three, but it's been such a wondrous decade. One very vivid moment I remember from a few hours after he was born found the two of us alone for the first time ever. I was so afraid of this sweet little gift that had just been placed in my care and I whispered to him "It's just you & me, buddy". And, for ten years, he's been my buddy. I'm still as in love with him now.

In honor of Peyton's 1oth birthday I'm going to list ten (among thousands) of my favorite things that I've learned from this boy who has held my heartstring for ten blissful years.

1. Hats are always appropriate and there is always time to run back to grab one before leaving the house.

2009-Celebrating Lincoln's 200th birthday in Washington, DC.

2. Imagination is important. This is one quality that he has to this day. He creates things out of junk and I love his excitement when doing so.

2004-Using Mia's bassinet, toy goggles and my scarf to reenact Snoopy's red baron.

3. Little boys require a lot of weapons. A. LOT. Nerf guns, water guns, marshmallow shooters, slingshots...

2006-Backyard fun is not complete until someone gets it with the water gun!

4. Cookie dough was made to sampled. Often.

2011-Making cookies on a lazy Saturday.

5. The bond between a little boy & his great-great-grandmother transcends words.

2009-Nan's last Thanksgiving with us. She and Peyton had an amazing bond.

She called him her buddy. <3

6. Watermelon is a food group. :) This kid will pick watermelon over almost every other food. And, he thinks it's always in season.

2005-Kristin's college graduation menu made Peyton very happy :)

7. Sisters are annoying.

2007-This picture makes me laugh! I'm sure Peyton (or someone else was annoying her...)

8. Trucks are cool.

2003-Peyton driving his first big boy truck.

9. Dads and Paps are built-in best friends.

2010-Peyton & Wayne in Mexico on a mission trip.

2001-My dad & Peyton the day after Peyton was born.

10. Mustaches are always in style. And, who can resist a cute kid who can whip out a variety of mustaches on a moment's notice?

2011-Showing off one of his mustaches for Aunt Becky in Disney.

Then...

And 10 awesome years later...

I'm so thankful that God saw past all of my junk and allowed that little boy to be mine. He was the start of this amazing family that we have now and I'm ever grateful for everything that Wayne and I had to go through to get here...ten years later madly in love with each other and these two beautiful kids.

Signing off here, officially the mother of a 10 year old. Sigh.

Psalm 127: 3-4 "Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. "

I want (enter random As Seen on TV junk here) for Christmas

Last Monday started off to be a very bad day. As in scrubbing the wall's in Peyton's room because he got sick early that morning bad. Emilia had crept over complaining of a "hurty belly" earlier in the morning and I was snuggled up with her before it all hit the fan. So, it was a sick day for the two little ones and a lazy day for me.

I baked some cookies, registered for my FINAL semester of grad school, put a Playmobil school back together, cuddled kids and watched a lifetime's worth of Hallmark Christmas movies. Even on a bad day these kids bring such joy to my life. I'm so blessed to have been chosen to raise them.

Along with said Hallmark movies come television commercials. And, like other kids, ours always NEED most of the junk being advertised. Ha. So Mia and I are on the couch and she is yelling "I need this, I really need this. Look Mom!" She thought in her sweet Mia mind that Dragon speak & type software would enhance her life in some way. Mom and I were laughing and she looks at me and says, "Well, Mom, I don't type very good."

The very next commercial had her wishing for this beauty:

Who knows what she saw in this bathtub chair assistant but her delight in it had me in tears. She is such a sweetheart and I love looking at life through her eyes. Even if she may very well be endeavoring to become the laziest person ever. :)

It's L-O-V-E

I'm sitting in the waiting room of same day surgery waiting to hear that my mom is finished (she's fine) and I'm trying to write the last paper of the semester on universal preschool. I've got my resources lined up and ready, my name's on my paper and that's as good as it gets. Did I mention it's due Friday?

My thoughts are wandering around Christmas presents left to buy, things that need wrapped, baked, made or cleaned. And love.

Love is these two turkeys:

Writing this paper has also become difficult because I'm captured by the 87 year old man who's also been waiting for his wife to finish her testing. Speaking loudly, like older men do, he's telling the man beside him that she's taken care of him for sixty years. She's back now, he's stroking her hair, fussing with the blanket covering her frail legs, holding her hands. That's love. I'm blessed because I know I've got that same kind of love with him.

I'm thankful for early morning snuggle sessions with my boy who has been constantly reminding me that he'll be ten in a mere 18 days. The past ten years of his life have flown by so quickly which makes me hold on a little tighter.

I'm blessed by this crazy little girl that I'm happy to call mine. She makes me laugh on a daily basis. Yesterday she was all into learning the heritages of our family for a school project and asked in all sincerity if "all of our family are African Americans, or was it just us?" I love her innocence. And for these little reminders that I'm loved:

It's L-O-V-E

How can I yell it her for using my phone when she leaves little surprises for me like this? :)