there is hope, I found the joy in this time of year

"if there was a problem, yo I'll solve it......" and I did just that. When I have a problem, big or small, I pray. I wasn't really into being all joyful and Christmasy and I felt like my kids would miss out on such a special time of year. So I prayed after posting my last post. I prayed for my husband to forgive me for cutting a total 70's haircut and then I prayed for help and inspiration to feel the Christmas spirit. In my opinion, the Christmas spirit is remembering Christ and his life, spending time with family, serving and just having fun. I felt like I needed to read more Christmas stories to them especially pertaining to the Nativity. I know that sounds so simple but it has been fun to pick a new one from the library and then after we read it usually turns into a Christmas Q & A or just the kids talking and being excited and it does feel more like Christmas.

I had run out of excuses and had also stopped promising my kids we would "build the gingerbread houses today" because I was really looking like a liar and that I am not. Unless my husband asks me how much something cost. I don't consider it lying because if it were 75% off, it would've cost that much ;) I started assembling the houses and I had a total flashback of last years house assembling experience, I pretty much cursed the tradition. The houses are heavy and the frosting isn't that effective. I made the first house, a store bought kit, with the frosting and it worked. The second house was bought from the bountiful basket (which by the way is an awesome co-op if your family eats produce) and it was real gingerbread. Thick, heavy, flimsy and may I add, delicious. The frosting was just not going to cut it and I could feel green starting to flow through my veins. I was about to turn into the Hulk and then a thought occurred to me, "why don't I just use the hot glue gun?" And it worked like a charm and the decorating commenced.
The house from the bountiful basket came with powder, it wasn't sugar, and for some reason I assumed it was frosting so I continued to scoop it out with a butter knife to put in the frosting bags. It wasn't frosting. And this is a cashmere sweater that doesn't like to be washed.

Charlotte, I sure hope you are keeping track of how many carbs you are eating, because I'm not and I know those m&m's are loaded.






One of the few things I love about the freezing cold winter is the night. Of course the days when it warms up a little are my favorite thing about winter but I love to go outside at night in winter because the sky is so clear and the stars are so bright. It also smells really fresh and clean.

On the topic of Christmas, a couple weeks ago we went to a breakfast held for kids with diabetes. It was cool because all the food was labeled with the number of carbs it had and I was able to talk to some moms about tips for traveling, 72 hour kit, insulin pump and what not. But the most anticipated was the visit from Santa. He arrived while I was talking to a Mom and all the kids went to get in line, and for some reason, all in different spots. I don't get that. Charlotte came to me with a bear, apparently she walked right up to the front and hopped on Jolly old St. Nicks lap. Well I rounded them all up together (of course around the kid who was closest to the front) and he gave them each a present and Brody was certain this was the real Santa. We decided that the real Santa makes special visits to the hospital (that is where it was held) because kids in the hospital sometimes need Santa more than kids at the mall. It was all so magical to him and I started to get a little teary eyed seeing him so excited and so caught up in the magic of believing.

Charlotte sabotaged Abbey. She did all she could to get back on his lap.