Merry and Bright

Hello Friends,

Weeks come and go so fast.  I have had intentions of writing all week. About my funny children, about events in our lives, in response to events on the national stage...

There is more in my mind and heart than there is time to express.

Mostly there is a deep gratitude for the busy, chaotic life I have; for my energetic, messy children; for the net of friends and family we have to surround us; for our safety and health and the blessing of each crazy, overfull day.

Hugs and love to each of you, dear readers. 

And, pictures.

We went back to Wintershow last Sunday, to take in the sights by day and to pose children, and families, for photos.

We sure do love these people.

To cap off last weekend: Second Sunday Soup, the Christmas edition.

It may have been our best Soup yet.  Certainly it was the loudest, due in no small part to the presence of these three young men.  Three five year old boys, all in cahoots?  It add a while new dynamic to the party...

Greg, Max, Jack.  Here comes trouble.

 We gathered people we love and ate a wonderful tortellini soup and held conversations amid the noise and interruption of children running laps around the house and it was, really, quite sublime.

This is about half of the assembled company.  I love seeing our table so full.

End of the evening. ... and no better way to end it than with a few episodes of Shaun the Sheep.  One of our current favorites, for sure...

 This week?  Unseasonable warmth, busy days with squirrely students, putting off Christmas preparations with wild abandon.

I chaperoned a school choir concert one night (good times trying to keep 80 7th grade boys quiet for an hour!) and went caroling in Lakewood on another.

Life went on in a wonderfully routine way.

 
Around us in the world this week, tragedies unfolded in different ways.  A longtime principal in our district passed away.  A dear friend lost his brother.  And on Friday, a stark reminder of the sudden and shocking ways lives can change, the insecurity of the world we send our children out into.


Yet in our own world, life has been merry, and bright. 

 And I think that is alright.

I think in times of sadness and fear, it is alright to instead be glad.  To be glad is to be grateful and to be glad is to fight the darkness in a very immediate way.

And so we did this weekend.

Saturday we tried our hands at a North Pole party.  Inspired by the idyllic posts of a blogger Melinda and I follow, this little party was a celebration of how cute small children look in their Christmas jammies.  And how nice and cozy and magical a house can look when festooned with Christmas lights.

The consensus:  Pretty darn cute.  And pretty darn magical. 

It was  a lovely night.  While we did not fit in the scavenger hunt by flashlight (looking for items dropped by Santa of course!) or the making of reindeer food (ideas from the inspiration party), I think our evening was quite successful. The children had a ball together, Christmas music was played, and many cookies were eaten.

 It was merry and bright.

Decorating gingerbread men.

We had to rope them into listening to stories.  As you can see, the sitting still part was a challenge.

photo credit to Jack!