It's great having Steve home to help teach school!
We began to prepare for Christmas. Steve had started reading 'Tabitha's Travels' by Arnold Ytreeide for Advent (3rd in a trilogy that we highly recommend). Then we talked to our dear friend, Amy, in Tennessee. She'd been sick with pneunomia, so we prayed and decided to travel to Tennessee to see what we could do to help. Gabe and Missy kept our pets for us and Jim Moser kept an eye on the cabin (THANK YOU, THANK YOU!) After getting the 'come on down ya'all' from Andy, Amy's husband, we were on our way. Andy kept our secret and we managed to COMPLETELY surprise Amy and the kids (no small feat) when we walked in their front door.
We got to meet Michael, the latest Christensen addition, for the first time and celebrate his first birthday.
Girlfriends on the trampoline. We hadn't seen the Christensens for a year and a half. We all enjoyed our time together. Here are a few more things we did...
Moriah and Mercedez..friends since they were babies.
Grace, Moriah, and Mercedez doing a science experiement. We all enjoyed homeschooling together.
Decorating sugar cookies! (and eating frosting)
Alexis, Grace, and Mercedez. We all enjoyed the warm Tennessee weather, especially considering that it was getting well below zero at the cabin.
Then we met the neighbors, Patrick and Adrian, a most wonderful couple!! They own a horse farm and were happy to show us around. Patrick hooked up her little pony to the cart and let the kids enjoy themselves. Adrian taught some of the kids how to drive his ATV. And on top of all that, they gave us the tour of their beautifully renovated classic Tennessee home, and served us homemade treats and hot drinks. We just loved spending the afternoon with them! No one wanted to leave.
Steve read Tabitha's Travels to everyone each night.
Trouble-shooting a septic problem. The gentleman on the left is Harold Miller, a new friend we made while in Tennessee. Derrick works Saturdays for Harold and John got to go along too. We made other new friends too..so glad Andy and Amy like to share!
The Baby Doll Sheep at Andy and Amy's hobby farm.
Alexis did a beautiful solo at the Christmas program.
Benjamin also did a great job!
When we arrived in Tennessee Amy was weak and wheezy. After six days she was sassy and ornery..back to the Amy we know and love. We all had a great time together. Time to go back to the frozen north...
We spent an extra day in Iowa and got to celebrate Gabe's birthday (34..I must be getting old..yikes!).
Ben, Rebekah, and Joseph got to help celebrate!
Forest and Willow...
Willow having fun with her aunties.
And then it was time to get back to the cabin. We arrived to lots of snow, a cozy cabin with a fire crackling in the woodstove (thanks Jim!), and deer waiting to be fed. It was five days before Christmas. We were glad to have done some preparation early in the month, very uncharacteristic for us (thanks God for your leading). We had just enough time to get ready to celebrate the birth of our Saviour. We had a quiet, simple, peaceful, blessed Christmas with the kids. With all the traveling we'd done, we were grateful for the continuity of celebrating Advent.
Don't know which is more fun...baking our traditional soft, thick sugar cookies...
...or frosting them!
We pray God's blessings for you all!
