Joshua continues to improve and is doing wonderful! He is eating REAL food. Like cheerios, eggs, chicken, - REAL food!!! Not even pureed! I think he is starting to put on weight with the scandishakes, heavy cream, butter, etc.

We try to keep Christmas CHRIST focused. It is hard to keep the presents to a limit and not teach our children that it takes money and gifts to ‘make’ Christmas. It took a savior coming as a baby. How to keep that focus is still hard for me even though it is the forefront of my mind. I LOVE buying gifts, especially for those I know well and can find something that they would like.
Each year I still want to put up Christmas lights outside. Some years Eric obliges, but never enjoys it. He is the quintessential laid back phlegmatic, so he has no inside drive to accomplish this meaningless (in his mind) task! This year the kids even asked him (without my prompting). He has avoided the task and even those cute little faces won’t bring him to pull out the ladder and hang the lights (I think I heard him tell Bekah he might do it tomorrow??). Guilt trips do not work, begging is useless, but I have found negotiating is effective. This year I opted out of negotiating for this task, but made my real wish known.

Every year Eric and I make presents for each other. He receives a calendar with the previous year’s photos of the kids. I usually get a sculpture I’ve been eyeing all year. Last year he surprised me by learning how to make jewelry and MAKING me necklaces! Eric does not take hints well, so I had to really spell out my desire. For years I have given him an image of a nativity and asked for him to make me something for the front yard. This year I explained I wanted it as MY Christmas present and I wanted it BEFORE Christmas.

Guess what?? I got my steel nativity for the front yard!!! What a great Christmas present! I picked out the design and then Eric did the rest – he did his magic in autocad and presto chango – I have a nativity! I LOVE it!!

What do you think? Better than some lights on the house in my eyes. But I still do secretly want the lights too.



I’ve also taken a little vacation from housework and normal responsibilities. The result – Eric has been helping a TON! I think he might be afraid I have “lost it” (but really that happened long ago). I’m kind of liking the new “laid back” version… Eric says it won’t last long. He may hope it doesn’t last long! We even ran out of dishwasher soap – I NEVER leave dirty dishes around! Yuck!

Okay, so what do you do to keep the holidays from taking away from the true meaning?? I do love buying gifts, but I’m thinking next year they have a set amount of money and they get to pick it out exactly what they want… does that ruin the whole Christmas morning or does that make sure everyone is happy? My sister drew Eric’s name. He wanted a gift card to Best Buy. She doesn’t want to buy a gift card… hummm… but that is what he wants. Oh, the fun of shopping. HeeHee!

Okay, I need to pretend I am making an effort to pick up around here – we are having our Small Group Christmas Party here tomorrow! YIKES!

Love, Olivia

Oh - I also joined facebook... everyone at our sunday school class party was talking about it, so I had to join! Will you be my friend?? :0)