December 31 – “One more day”

We finally had our family Christmas celebration yesterday.  It was a long time in coming, but well worth it to have everyone together at the same time in the same place.  And it even turned off a little chilly for the event.  At least the early part of the day, anyway.  Of course it was nowhere near cold enough to prevent the kids from playing outside most of the day.  There were even a few moments where the adults could almost hear themselves talk.  Amazing.

I gave Chris her yearly carving.  Actually she opened the first part of it on Christmas Day.  That was the carved names of our two newest little ones, Ezra and AnnaGrace.  That completes her grandkids set.  Not a big, intricate deal.  Just the carved names of the kiddos.  Well the carving yesterday was a bit of a surprise for her.  I’ve been working on the pelican for a while as well.  I managed to mention all of them at the Christmas Eve service, too.  That is another of our myriad of family traditions.  I give clues to the carving at the church Christmas Eve service.  It was easy to say something about our new grandbabies.  I had to sneak in the pelican reference though.  During the welcome I told the guests that they were now trapped in a tropical island paradise, so they would “find no Frosty the Snowman here.  There might be a Pedro the Pelican, though.”  And so it was completed.

I received quite an array of great gifts.  A book about the Astros signed by the author.  A baseball crossword puzzle book, combining two of my passions.  And an actual worker’s uniform shirt from the old Astrodome.  Sensing a pattern here?  Beyond the baseball, I received a mug with an AnnaGrace footprint that had been made into a fire department ladder truck.  That’s a real treasure.  There was also a table easel for my ukulele music.  Very nice.  Made of wood, and it even has a drawer for music storage.

We played that game that is floating around the internet where you try to unwrap a present wearing kitchen mittens before the next person in line rolls a double with a set dice.  Lots of fun.  The kids played a round after the adults, and theirs got much more intense.  I think everyone had a good time, though. 

And finally came the inevitable Cousins’ Sleepover.  Nine of the ten grandkids stayed at our house.  Ezra went home with his Mom and Dad.  AnnaGrace retired to the back bedroom with his Mom.  After the movie we made an attempt to quiet everyone down to get at least a little bit of sleep.  Jachin just told me he thinks he got the best sleep he ever has at a cousins’ sleepover.  “I was shocked when I woke up to discover it was already six o’clock.”    The girls both ended up in our bedroom, and before the night was over, they both took over our bed.  Of course there were a few others who insist that they never did make it to sleep.  I know Micah and Zak were prowling about the house well after eleven. And they were the ones who greeted me when I came out of the bedroom this morning.  Of course they were all awake when I came out of the bedroom.  And they were doing their best to get oldest cousin Jachin out of his sleeping bag.  Interesting picture.  Jachin covered from head to toe.  The other cousins kneeling on each side of his sleeping bag armed with pillows.  Smack.  Smack.  Revenge of the younger set.  Great movie ending.

Philippians 2:1-2 says, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”

Father, thank you for one more day of 2016.  It has been a full one.  Amen.