Merry Christmas Eve!

Santa came one day early to the Black house! Today was Christmas morning and we had fun watching the boys open their presents. There were lots of presents for Micah to open, and the trouble was wanting to play with each toy as he opened it and not really caring about opening the next present! First up was a ride-in police car. We had to explain the difference between an indoor toy and an outdoor toy with this one, but it's such a nice day here (77 degrees), that he got to take it outside for a spin after he finished opening his presents. Santa brought Micah a couple of puzzles including one that's too easy for him, but he adores because it's got lots of pictures of different vehicles and when you put the piece in the right place, it makes the noise of the vehicle. Brilliant! This is a book of five puzzles that you can do right inside the actual book. Ideal for traveling. Liam wasn't left out! He did a lot of wide-eyed staring... ...but loved his new stuffed squeaky dog! Micah loves Mickey and Minnie Mouse, so Santa brought him some fun figurines. Here is Micah naming all the Disney characters. Liam loves his new Tigger! (Santa had a Disney gift card to use up, so that explains all the Disney toys!) Derek and Rebekah's daughter Naomi and her husband Craig sent Micah a bear after Liam was born and we saved it for Christmas. He obviously loves it - thank you, Naomi and Craig!! A fun duck game where the ducks all go around in a circle and quack a lot. Why Santa brought so many noisy toys, I don't know. Giving Tigger a ride in the police car. He got the hang of it pretty quickly - only a couple of quick detours on the lawn. Some of the loot, since I forgot to take a picture of all the presents under the tree before they were opened. Two other fun toys - a work bench and a microwave. The end!! :)

Preschool Christmas Pageant

Micah had his Preschool Christmas Pageant last night, and it was wonderful. We've been going to them almost every year, but it's different when your child is actually in it. Sooo much fun. It's children aged 2-4, and you just never know how they're going to behave. They sang a few songs, which were interspersed with the telling of the Christmas story, told in a child's language. The other tricky thing about tonight was the number of kids. All of the classes were in the front of the sanctuary together for the first time, and for a lot of the younger kids, Micah included, that was pretty overwhelming. But he did great! Here he is, all dressed up and ready to go. By the way, the shirt just would not stay tucked in, so this is the only picture I have of him with it like that. Liam was held by Derek most of the time so that Tim and I could focus on Micah. What you can't see in this picture was that he's wearing the same shirt that Micah wore last weekend to see Santa. It's size 24 months, and other than the sleeves being long, it really wasn't too much too big for him. Scary! For the first part of the performance, which his class didn't participate in, Micah sat in Ms. Pam's lap. She is one of his teachers. Here he is on stage. He sang a little bit on "Twinkle, Twinkle, Christmas Star" but other than that, just kind of stood there. But sometimes, during the telling of the Christmas story, he was laying down on the stage. Notice the legs... Sometimes he was facing in the wrong direction... But most of the time, even though he didn't sing, he was standing in his spot looking straight ahead or at one of his teachers. He did a great job!! When we got home, I wanted to take a picture of my boys in front of the tree. I think Micah had one too many cookies at the reception following the pageant but you be the judge!

Christmas, Disney-style

Last Saturday, Tim and I had a chance to take a date night to Disney by ourselves, with tickets to the see the Epcot Christmas Candlelight Processional. I know I've blogged about it before, and we've made it a point to see it almost every year that we've been here and it really gets us in the Christmas spirit. If you're ever near Disney at Christmastime, it's worth the trip. It's basically a service of lessons and carols. A celebrity narrator tells the Christmas story from the Bible and a choir sings Christmas carols at different intervals in the readings. It's just great to see something so blatantly Christian done at such a popular tourist destination, where it would be easy to take the neutral road. A Disney tree - a little gaudy, but somehow it fits in there! Our celebrity narrator this year was Steven Curtis Chapman! We've seen several different people over the years, including Steven Curtis Chapman, and he's definitely one of the best because of the passion with which he reads the words, and the belief we know that he has in the story. Singing along! A view of the whole stage. Choirs, mostly local although there were a few participating from different states at some point during the season, make up the singers on the risers. Lots of our kids from church who sing in their school choirs have gotten to paritipate. We were pretty far away, as you can tell by the picture above, but the zoom on our camera works really well, and you could see just how meaningful the experience was to Steven Curtis Chapman. A tree in Epcot that we thought was beautifully lit. After Epcot, we headed over to see the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights in Disney's Hollywood Studios. There's literally millions of lights that cover the buildings on the fake movie set in the park. (By the way, this is not referring to Ozzy Osborne, but a family from Arkansas named Osborne who donated all of his Christmas lights to Disney for this display.) Most of the time they're just lite like this, although this picture doesn't do it any justice. Peace on earth and Merry Christmas! Sometimes, though, the lights come to life and dance to the rhythm of a Christmas carol while fake snow falls from the sky. Sounds cheesy, and it is, but it's also really fun. For some reason, I can't get the short video I took to load onto this post. If I ever get it to function, I'll add it on at that time. Suffice it to say that it is a really fun experience!

Breakfast with Santa!

Micah and Liam visited Santa at the local Y this past weekend! We aren't members, but we're friends with the executive director who invited us to attend. Here was the result: Despite the quizzical look on his face, Micah did much better this year than last year, which just turned into a screaming fit. This year, I tried to explain Santa to him and asked him what he was going to ask Santa for when he got to sit in Santa's lap. He kept telling me that he was going to ask Santa for a fire truck, and is still saying that that's what he wants from Santa despite the fact that he froze while on Santa's lap and didn't say anything. We'll see if Santa knows what Micah wants anyway...

The 12 Days of Motherhood

We've put our tree up and decorated the house, both inside and out. Here's hoping the boys don't pull the tree over and the neighbors appreciate our efforts! In preparing for Christmas, the song "The 12 Days of Christmas" popped into my head. Only I was thinking about it in the context of how crazy my day was today. So I sort of re-wrote the song. I've entitled it, "The 12 Days of Motherhood." And of course I've included photographs, all of which were taken over the last year or so. Here goes nothing! The 12 Days of Motherhood On the 12th day of motherhood, my children gave to me: 12 messy faces 11 juice requests 10 trucks to play with 9 different boo-boos 8 tickle times 7 little tantrums 6 sloppy kisses 5 hours of sleep (if I'm lucky!) 4 poopy diapers Do you really want a picture here? 3 outfit changes (these really were taken all in the same morning a few months ago!) 2 gorgeous children And a whole lot to celebrate!

Sad ending

Yesterday, searchers found Luis's body in a septic tank not far from his house. He had fallen through a hole in the tank. The hole is partially covered by grass, and the speculation is that he just didn't see it and fell into it. There is discussion about whether or not charges will be pressed against the parents (for neglect) or the owner of the septic tank for not fixing the hole that he apparently knew about. Regardless, Luis's family still needs prayer, and our community is in mourning over the loss of a precious life.

Another little boy

I normally dedicate this space to news about our family, and more specifically, our boys. But today I'm writing about another little boy. His name is Luis. Luis lives down the street and across an intersection from us. We don't know him or his family. But we know he is two years old. We know that yesterday, Luis was wearing sandals, red pants, and a blue-striped shirt with a tiger logo on it. We know that Luis has been missing since Friday afternoon. When Tim, the boys and I were returning from a Friday afternoon Thanksgiving meal, we saw a helicopter circling above our neighborhood and surrounding ones. Then we saw lots of police cars all parked along one street. We got home in time to see the 6 o'clock news, and learned that little Luis had gone missing around 3:00, last seen by a neighbor, whom Luis asked for ice cream. Our hearts are broken. The police have set up mobile command centers in the vacant lot by our housing plan. Volunteers, Tim among them, searched into the night and again today. The sound of helicopters comes into earshot at regular intervals as the police search for Luis from the air. Each time I hear it, it reminds me that a child is still lost, and it wrenches my stomach. As I was driving today, with my two boys safely in their car seats behind me, I saw volunteers searching the train tracks and wooded areas near our home, combing the brush for any sign of the lost child. Police have barricaded off the street where Luis lives, and people from as far away as a woman who is here on vacation from Vienna, Austria, are giving of their time to search for a child they have never met. Before August 24, 2007, this news would have had an impact on me, but probably only because of the proximity to our house. After Micah became part of our lives, and then Liam, I feel this story on such a deeper level. I have been on the brink of tears ever since this happened. As I go about doing the things I need to do to keep our home and family running smoothly, I am constantly thinking about where this little boy might be, and praying that he is safe. I think about the parents, and how utterly terrified they must be. Where is he? Is he safe? It was so uncharacteristically cold and very dark last night. Was he able to keep warm? He's only two years old. Would he even answer the would-be rescuers if he could hear them? Is it possible someone took him? Why? Tim left our house to join the searchers last night, returning only because his flashlight died. I think that he couldn't bear to stay inside knowing that a little boy just Micah's age was gone. I would have gone too, had I not been needed to stay behind to make sure our children stayed safe in their beds. My mind has started to wander to think about what would I do if it were Micah missing, and I have to stop myself from even going there before I get physically sick. I have seen news reported where the reporters have started to question the parents, wondering if Luis was being properly supervised when he disappeared. These reports made me extremely upset. First of all, any parent with a two-year-old knows how easy it is for them to disappear, and how quickly they can do it, even under constant supervision. Secondly, now is not the time for those questions. Now is the time to look for Luis, to search for him, to make sure no stone is literally left unturned in an attempt to find him. When he is found, then go ahead and ask questions about parenting and supervision. I do take comfort in knowing that God knows where Luis is, even when his parents, the police, and hundreds of volunteers don't. If I wasn't confident in my belief that God is still taking care of Luis even when his parents cannot, then this whole course of events would be even more tragic. Here's what else I know. Last night, I hugged my boys closer and gave them more kisses before bedtime than I usually do. When I was up in the middle of the night to feed Liam, I made sure that Micah was covered with his blanket so that he would stay warm even as he slept. I resisted doing house chores this morning, and instead read books with Micah while Liam napped safely in his crib. I don't want to let them out of my sight. So I pray for Luis and his safe return. I pray for his family, that they may somehow know peace in the midst of such incredibly horrible days. I pray for the safety of the searchers and the wisdom of the law enforcement people in charge of the search efforts. I invite you to do the same.

Pictures of Preschool Thanksgiving Feast

The preschool has an annual Thanksgiving feast for all of the kids. All parents and siblings are invited to attend. Micah's class came in to the feast with turkeys on their heads, and Micah kept his on until he got home. This was at Micah's seat when we came in for the feast. We certainly are thankful to God for Micah! Even though he didn't have a cool turkey with his name on it, we're thankful for Liam too, who was a very happy baby while everyone talked and ate over a lovely potluck Thanksgiving dinner.