ho ho ho

Christmas was lovely. This was the first year of my life I can say I genuinely enjoyed watching my kids open all their stuff more than I worried about my own gifts (well, mostly ;).

We went back and forth and back and forth about whether or not to tell Sophia the truth about Santa. There are some people in life I really respect who think it is wrong to lie to your kids about Santa, and I am really, really black and white about lying in every other area of my life. But I LOVED believing in Santa as a kid. I love movies about Santa. I love love love Christmas and I as a kid always knew it was about Jesus and got all the magic and wonder of both believing in Santa and understanding about Jesus too.

But in a moment of feeling like Santa was taking over the Jesus focus, we finally told Sophia that Santa is a game we play, and he is pretend and Jesus is real, and you know what? She didn't care - it was as if we had never told her anything. She wanted to put out cookies and milk and a carrot for the reindeer, she wrote a note and was so excited to see it gone in the morning She embraced Santa wholeheartedly and just did all the Santa stuff anyway and we all had a ball- and she lit the advent wreath and sang a beautiful song to Jesus too.

I took a video of her and she explained Christmas to me, just like Emma did. This is how she sorts it : the Grinch is not real, he is on tv. Santa is different, he is a real pretend guy, and Jesus is real. And I realized that's how I feel about Santa too. He's always been a very real pretend guy in my life as well and on Christmas morning when my daughter said "Oh wow! Santa got me just what I wanted!" I felt only joy, joy, joy.

piglet

So guess who got a piglet costume AND learned to smile at cameras too?

Yay Eleanor!

whoa!

Well, exciting is right. The writer did an amazing job of the story, which you can read here and we are really hopeful good things will come of it.

The only thing is... when this picture was taken, I was wearing a bathing suit top. Apparently the magic of photo shop was employed to make my left breast appear to the world - yikes!.... I thought of calling the editor - Wade thinks I'm overreacting, but I still feel pretty naked.

My kids are sure cute, aren't they?

heroeseducatorlemonelizabethnog

We're pretty excited... our family is going to be on the cover of the Vancouver Courier newspaper tomorrow, with an article recommending our soap as "One of 10 gifts you can feel good about buying this Christmas." The paper is free and goes to 265,000 people!

Today was a good day. Tomorrow is a goodbye party for Ange and Leigh. God has helped me a lot in not grieving them before they're gone. The dark part of my soul says "well, everyone leaves". The bright part says "we're planted here for a reason" and "we are permanently connected to Ange and Leigh". Hmmm.

Jan tagged me in the same game...

Here are the rules: You must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. (If you don't have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.) When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post and then choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

Joanna Helen (Helen is my Mum's name.)

H- Heroes. I love the show "Heroes". I don't usually follow shows. I haven't followed one week to week since X Files. It's awesome... Sylar is back!

E- Educator. It is a very bold title I don't think I'm entirely worthy of, but I am a good teacher. I love to teach at YWAM, when I get to give the sermon at church, or explain something new to Sophia. Teaching gives me life and joy.

L- Lemon. Santa Cruz Organic Lemon Soda. San Pellegrino Limonatta. A perfect lemon tart.

E - Elizabeth is my sister's name and if there is anyone I could have coffee, shop with and have an extended walk on the beach with today, it would be her. I have seen her for exactly 48 hrs in the last 3 years. The same 48 hrs is the only time I have spent with her son Kawai and she with Soph. She has never met Eleanor. She lives in Hawaii and she is a kick butt single Mum & ER nurse who saved a guy's life a couple of weeks ago by breaking his ribs doing CPR on the floor of Chili's. I have been apart from her so long something in me is missing a little bit.

N- Nog. of the Egg kind. I recently ended a sugar fast when God brought in the $75,000 we needed to make the down payment on our YWAM building. (It was exhilarating - the last 23,000 came in in ONE DAY!) Every morning since I have making myself decaf half milk half eggnog lattes every morning. 'Tis a happy thing indeed.

I tag Hannah and Ryan.