Huuuuuuuuuuuuuhp!

That's the sound of my blog gasping for breath...sorry for the silence. Life has been quite busy lately as it probably has been for most of you. I wish you all a blessed Nativity, Christ is Born!

We have been decompressing from the whirlwind of celebrations, all fun but tiring! The kids are enjoying their new goods, especially Basil who has discovered the thrill of riding downhill on a bicycle! We had to work a bit on how to turn the wheel to avoid crashing into the park bench at the bottom, but he's got it now :)

Let's see....since I last blogged lots has happened. My grandfather passed away on Friday the eighth. The day before we were able to visit with him and talk with him. I'm so thankful for those last moments spent with him. It has been hard, though. He was such a special man and death of a loved one is never an easy thing. I could write more, but I won't...I'm sure you understand. May his memory be eternal and may he rest in the presence of his Lord.

We also discovered through the amazing feats of modern science that the little wiggly creature inside me is actually a baby boy!

We are all excited...Basil is happy to have a prospective wrestling partner and Juliana thinks the ultrasound pictures are of a lion! She growls when she sees them...I think we were joking about whether it was a baby lion or a baby human just before the scan. It's pretty cute.

Here's a recent photo of the kids...our camera is still out of comission and man do I feel like my right arm is cut off...I really miss being able to pull it out whenever I want. Soon enough, though, soon enough. Well, have a nice day and enjoy the post-christmas lull and don't forget to keep celebrating!

From My Mother-in-Law (who happens to appreciate coffee both literal and metaphorical)

You may have read this already as it seems like something that would get passed around. I liked it. Thanks Jean...and a happy Friday to all :)

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. The conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain-looking, some expensive,and some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee. After all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said:

"If you noticed, all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken up first, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and St ress."

"Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases, it's just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups...and then began eyeing each other's cups."

"Now consider this:Life is the coffee, and the jobs, houses, cars, things, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define nor change the quality of life we live."

"Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."

God brews the coffee, not the cups . Enjoy your coffee.