New Year's Thoughts Part 2

This time of the year, everyone is talking about resolutions - lose weight, get in shape, get out of debt, reach out to others more, eat healthier, etc. I think that it has almost become a joke to see how long you can actually keep them before you fall right back to where you were. We have managed to become desensitized to what it means to actually set a goal and then work hard to keep it. I have set my share of these goals, some I have kept and others, well, let's just say some I didn't! But as I get older, I find myself thinking about things in different ways than I ever have and honestly, I find myself more and more holding up the mirror of God's Word to see how my life looks in that reflection.

So, as I come to my intersection with the end of 2008 and the start of 2009, have I thought of resolutions? Sure, but I am looking at it differently this year. I have looked back over the events of 2008 and reflected on things I did wrong, or didn't do as much as I wanted or did more than I wanted. Reflection is good if it is done through God's eyes and not with the glasses of this world.

There are always things that I want to do to be more like God and what He wants me to be. I want to follow Him more closely than ever and follow the path He has for me. I want to reach out to "the least of these" more than ever and love them as Jesus did. I would love to get in better shape. Getting out of debt would be awesome, too.

But these things really aren't about New Year's resolutions. Yes, that is a great place to start, but they require more than a "start the new year promise" - they require a waking up each day, committed to do my best that day - whether it is Jan 1, May 1, Sept 1 or December 31. I want to live my life in such a way that every DAY is a new opportunity to live my best, give my best, be my best for Him and for His purpose in my life. That is truly my goal! And that is how God designed it, really. His mercies are new every day! We get a "new year" every day to start over and try again! He is so good! We don't have to give up because we make a mistake - it is a whole new start the next day. That is not a license to do wrong, though. Each day should be lived as our best for God as if our life depended on it - because it really does.

New Year's Thoughts Part 1

I read this in an e-mail recently and thought that it was timely to post on here. Read it slowly and carefully - there is a lot in it!

OUR RECIPE FOR LIFE

The recipe for the year we've just spent,

Was bound together with kindly consent.

Holding measures of joy, and a measure of fear,

Spiced with laughter and a measure of tears.

There were pieces of chocolate - dark and bitter,

Mixed in with moments of sugary glitter.

Blended together, the bitter and sweet,

Make memory's contribution complete.

Momentous moments in seconds of time,

Shared smiles and tears on an upward climb;

Each man's outcome so clearly his own,

Yet each man's progress is commonly known.

The future is out there

Its course has been staked.

But to us at this point,

It's a cake not yet baked.

For the ingredient list of a human life,

Goes on and on through sorrow and strife;

Years of loss and years of gain,

Follow years of joy and years of pain.

We sum each year by a critical moment,

It's crystallized, characterized, set up to foment;

"1998! - how well I remember,

That's when my grandson was born in November!"

We toss in ingredients with scarcely a thought,

An angry word, an opinion unsought;

And thus we assemble our life's recipe,

Rarely taking account what the outcome will be.

Too soon, we give up and flee the fight,

When victory's crown is almost in sight.

Too easy, we're swayed by popular opinion,

And find ourselves caught in the enemy's dominion

But just ahead the oven's fire

Will test the ingredients we acquire.

The proof's in the final product, you see.

What we put in will last for eternity.

Author: Marjorie J. Kinnee - Christmas 2008

Homemade Gifts

The girls had a wonderful surprise for me on Christmas morning. They bought a skirt at the thrift store that I had commented that was really cute, but too short and converted it to an apron! They cut it apart and then hand sewed the seams, cut off 2 small strips to make straps and then hand sewed those as well. Then, they took a piece of extra material that I had and made a pocket which they hand sewed on and then they hand embroidered Marmee (which is what they call me) onto the pocket. It is really cute and so special because they made it just for me with love! I am so blessed!

Here is the apron:

Here is a close up of the pocket:

For Mark, they did the funniest thing! We found this book at the library called "Ductigami" about making things out of, yep, you guessed it, duct tape! Well, Mark being a guy who firmly believes in the power of duct tape, we knew we had to make some things for him. So, we started with an apron that he can use when he is grilling. From there, we decided to make a hat. The hat is not pictured to protect the innocent, but let me just say, don't attempt a duct tape hat - they are not a pretty site! They also made him a wallet and one for Caleb too. The only material used on any of them was duct tape. Pretty cool huh? Or weird, depending on how you look at it!

Here is Mark wearing the apron and holding the wallet:

Merry Christmas!

Hello to all my friends and family in blogland. I pray that you have all had a happy, healthy and safe holiday filled with all things you love the most.

We spent the last 2 days baking, laughing, singing and being together. Baking is even more fun when your children are involved with you.


MaKenna made peanut butter chocolate chip cookies:



Holly made buckeyes:



We also went carolling 2 more times! Now, I must add that if you have never gone carolling before, you should do it! It is so rewarding and fun and meaningful.


Yesterday we delivered our regular Meals on Wheels and some goodies and then sang. We were able to pray with a couple of people as well.

Here are all of us who went this time:



Then, today we went to Florida Hospital and sang for those who had to spend Christmas day in the hospital. Wow! It was really a great experience. It will be an annual tradition for our family. We sang as we walked through the hallways, passing out candy canes, goodies and beanie babies to those we saw along the way. I hope that maybe you will feel inspired to try it and I know that you will be blessed!

Ok, here is a Christmas present from you to me! We made this yummy bread for breakfast this morning:





It was so yummy and easy. I used my homemade dough, but you can buy 3-4 cans of biscuits as well. You just chop up a small green pepper and a small onion and mix them together. If you are using dough, pull our small pieces and roll into balls and put into a large bowl with the green pepper and onion. If you are using biscuits, cut each one into 1/4's and do the same. Add cheese and bacon bits, put a lid on and shake gently till the dough is well coated. Put into a well greased bundt pan and let rise. When ready to go in the oven, pour a stick of melted butter over the top and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or till lightly browned. Mmmmmmm - so good!

Last picture for now - here is Maggie all tuckered out after her first Christmas with us:





Isn't she cute?? My computer is giving me a problem uploading a couple of pics of things the kids made for Mark and I, so that will have to wait for another post. I am going to go relax after a full, wonderful Christmas Day!

DPP Day 23 - Oh Come Let Us Adore Him

After Christmas Caroling, we walked outside and the kids ran to the Nativity scene out front and just looked so sweet coming to feet of the baby Jesus:

A Productive, Rewarding and Fun Day

Productive - Holly baked a batch of snickerdoodle cookies while we cleaned up, got out more craft things and prepared for our afternoon events. These cookies will be delivered to our Meals on Wheels group tomorrow for our annual carolling delivery.

Then, Caleb made homemade orange juice from oranges given to us from Sister Barbara:

Rewarding - Next, we met up with my friend Nina and Helen and Edward joined us at a nursing home where we had a wonderful time singing to and with them. They were the sweetest bunch of elderly people! When we were through singing, we went out to interact with them and those people just touched my heart. They have so many memories to share and were so thankful that we came. That was the rewarding part of the day. Here are the children who were there (except Jonathan and Amber who were a little late!). MaKenna, Holly, Max, Charlotte, Madilyn, Caleb and Jack:

This is a part of the group who gathered to hear us sing:

Fun - We came home from there for a short time before leaving again to head out to Uptown Altamonte and Cranes Roost Park. Each year, they have Light up Cranes Roost, but they have added many new things this year. We walked around the lake and looked at all the lights, talked, sang and laughed.

The Christmas Tree on the lake:

The really neat thing is that they have a new thing with lights, water and music. I can't even think of how to explain it, but we took a couple of videos that you can watch! You have to listen close to hear the music over the people, but you can get the idea anyway.

After we left there, we remembered that nearby, there was a neighborhood that does the coolest thing every year for Christmas. Starting at the beginning of the neighborhood, there are signs posted in various yards that tell the Christmas story. They have beautifully decorated houses and all along the way, they have manger scenes set up and completely focus on the true meaning of the season. This is a picture when you first enter the neighborhood:

Here is one of the signs:

I pray that you had a happy day no matter what you were doing!

Christmas Thoughts

I have had so many things in my heart the past several days and have been praying for a way to put them into words on here. Christmas is just so special of a time - more than presents and lights. So, I will do my best to sort through my thoughts here and pray that they will make sense!

When I first came to know Jesus for myself, I questioned the customs that surround this time of the year. I surely didn't want to follow the traditions of this world if they were not what I should be doing. I truly wanted to be pleasing to God in all that I did.

For instance, I learned that Jesus most likely was NOT born on December 25 and that really bothered me. But when I realized that no one can tell the exact day, I knew that there had to be a day to celebrate such a wondrous occasion and December 25 was as good as any other. God was always telling His people to set aside days to reflect and remember the things that He did for them - these are shown all through the Bible. How much more important is it to remember the birth that changed the world; to have a day in which we reflect and remember that event that forever changed history? Without the birth of that one baby, we would still be living in our sins - He couldn't die for us if He wasn't born. Easter wouldn't be Easter without Christmas.

Next was the tree. What we decided to teach our children from early on is that Jesus died on a tree to save us. His tree was not beautiful as ours is, but what He did for us on that tree is more beautiful than the prettiest decorations that money can buy. We do enjoy the warmth and the memories created while making ornaments, decorating our tree and using it all to tie together what it is that we are celebrating.

Gifts - that was the hardest and the easiest and it still is! I have posted a few thougths about it recently, but came across an interesting perspective the other day that reminded me about the first gifts- Jesus Himself was the first Christmas gift. For God so loved the world that He gave. He gave His son, our Savior, the Word made flesh. The only gift that we have ever needed wrapped in swaddling clothes in the humblest of beginnings.

Then there are the gifts the wise men brought to Jesus. Those gifts each had a significant meaning to them. Gold was a symbol of His royalty, incense was a symbol of His purity and myrrh symbolized His death. They also helped make the way for Jesus to be taken to safety in Egypt when Herod sought to kill Him. God provided through gifts those things needed in His life. They were given to Him by men who only wanted to show their understanding of who He was and their love for Him. When we give gifts knowing who Jesus is, it takes on such a deeper meaning for us as well! We share in that experience all over again when we view it in the right context.

I know that there are many opinions out there on how Christians should or should not celebrate this time of the year. I am not here to debate those issues, only to share where my thoughts have taken me over the years. I truly believe that the most important thing is that, in the midst of the lights, decorations, parties, gifts, etc., that we truly remember what this season is about, WHO this season is about and that He is the center of everything that we do.

Here is something I read recently that sums it up to me. It came from Proverbs 31 ministries:

I wonder, if Jesus were making a holiday preparations list, what would He include? What if those who were there on Christ's birth day could advise us on getting ready for Christmas? What would be on their list?

Joseph might recommend we listen closely to the voice of God to prepare.
Mary may suggest we ponder the miracles of heaven.
Perhaps the angels would propose we sing about the King.
The shepherds may gently guide us to follow their act of worship.
Possibly the wise men would teach us to give Jesus our most valuable gifts.
The innkeeper may suggest "Hospitality: open your heart and home."
And Jesus' list would likely encourage us to be a light on the hill pointing the way for others to know Him.

Comparing my to-do list to the ones above, I wonder if I lived at that time, would I have missed Christ's birth? Would my busyness have kept me from slowing down to take time to worship in the stable? Unfortunately I have "missed" many Christmases in the here and now because I've not slowed down long enough to bow my knees and experience the miracle.

I want Christmas for my family to be more about an act of worship and awe than a frenzy to decorate, shop, and jump through the world's hoops. I don't want to miss the true reason we celebrate.

All that I can say is AMEN. In the midst of and even sometimes in spite of it all, I will purpose in my heart to keep Jesus as the true reason for the season. I pray that you will do the same! I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on all of this and hope you will share with me.

DPP Day 22 - Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Every year for Christmas, one of our favorite treats to make that truly lets us know that Christmas is here is pumpkin whoopie pies. Two pumpkin cake-like cookies with a divine powdered sugar, butter and vanilla filling is simply heavenly! We spent today baking up about 100 of these little guys which we will give out to my brothers, our neighbors and keep some for here for Christmas day (if they last that long!). Christmas baking has officially begun!

DPP Day 21 - Giving the Gift of Life

(Warning: This blog may not be for the weak at heart! Read on with caution if you have a sensitive tummy!)

Today was truly a unique day in many ways. Pastor preached the most awesome sermon this morning that was truly prophetic in nature and spoke additional encouragement and hope in the promises of God toward us, no matter what the circumstance. I continue to rest in Him and trust in His provision.

After service, Mark and I went to give blood. I know that may sound weird - 4 days before Christmas, a busy weekend and Sunday services and we went to give blood? Well, first off, we are long overdue - it has been since May and I couldn't even give then. I tend toward anemia and if your iron is low that day, they won't take your blood. So, second, we have received multiple calls that the supply in our area is critically low and with the holidays approaching, they are trying to stock up. Those are the 2 main reasons, but to boot, they gave each of us a $10 Publix gift card for giving - whooo hoooo! Besides all of that, Christmas is about the gift of life - God's son, His life for ours, eternal life, etc - so how appropriate to give blood now. And I was able to give today - barely!

Well, when we finally got started and she began to insert the needle, I decided to look away. Then, I heard her say, uh oh. Now, if someone is sticking a sharp object into your arm, you DO NOT want to hear them say uh oh! So, I turned to look toward her and saw that my blouse (came straight from church, remember?) was splattered with blood! For some reason, when she inserted the needle, my blood thought there was a party and decided to have a time! Well, the lady felt terrible, I felt bad for her and was a little concerned about my shirt - one of my favorites! But, I know the secret of blood stains and peroxide and when we came home, we (me and Jesus) worked a miracle on it and it is as good as new! And I was ok as well! Everything went fine after that little event! Oh, a day in the life of Tammy DeVore!

Me giving blood - notice the white napkin across my tummy? The nurse felt so bad and didn't want the "mess" in the picture!


Mark - hadn't gotten started yet. He actually went through a different process where the machine they hooked him up to drew his blood and then right in front of us separated his platelets and plasma from the red blood cells - this made the blood able to be used much sooner.


Then, tonight, we had another wonderful service. Pastor had the children come up to the front and he sat there with them and read them the Christmas story from the Bible. That was such a special treat!

The first picture is a little dark and the second a little blurry, but I hope you get the idea and can see Caleb - oh how I long for a good camera!




This truly is the most wonderful time of the year - to remember the gift given to us that first Christmas morning.

DPP Day 20

Today was a very full day for us, as I'm sure it was for all of you. We had a few really good coupons to take advantage of, so we headed to the mall to try to get some last minute good deals. We made out pretty well, though only Mark and the girls bought something! I gave them the coupons that I had, though, so they could save money. (After Christmas, I will get into telling you more about how we are saving money around here!)

One of the deals we took advantage of was broccoli and cauliflower for .33 per head! No, that is not a misprint - Target had it on sale for $1.33 per head and I had 12 $1.00 off coupons! So, when we got home, we cut it apart, blanched it and put it in the freezer. We then started off using up some of the broccoli by making a yummy broccoli quiche for dinner with ingredients we had on hand and corn chowder (using a recipe from Mimi's cafe that was simply divine!!!!). Comfort food at it's best!

Our next big project was making up little packages for the kids Sunday School teachers and some of the people who work with us on a regular basis. The kids wanted to make them banana bread, so we got to work. First, we were going to make them in mini bundt pans that I have that are so cute, but after 2 batches stuck and we only had about 3 that were give awayable (is that a word?), we decided to rethink our plan. For the next batch, I would have to get creative. I found 8 medium canning jars and got to thinking. Beth made cupcakes in jars once, so why couldn't I make banana bread. It was worth a try! So, we poured the batter in til it was about 1/2 full and placed them on a cookie sheet, then in the oven to bake (sorry that I didn't take pictures - it never occured to me!). When they came out, we cleaned off the rim and put the sterilized lids on right away. Pretty soon, we heard the rhythmic popping that tells that they had sealed themselves shut! How neat! I wished that I had had more jars, but that was all that I had so that was that. We finished off by just making mini loaves.

When it came time to package them, we started with the jars. We cut squares of pretty Christmas fabric to put under the lids, attached a tag telling what it was and then placed the whole thing into fun Christmas gift bags which we tied shut with pretty ribbon. The neat thing is that we did all of this with things that we had on hand, so no money was spent out of pocket! I am getting better at being frugal every day!

For the mini loaves, we wrapped a wide piece of ribbon around them, then a thin piece of ribbon centered over that with the label attached to it. Here are some pics:

The mini loaves:



The cute little jars:


Packaged and ready to be delivered:


Though we couldn't do all that we would have liked to have done, it is important to us that our children learn to express their love and appreciation for those who weekly invest their time, talents and resources into their lives.

DPP Day 19

Wednesday night in Kid's Connection, we had a party for the children in celebration of the birth of Jesus. It was a wonderful party, but what I am most thankful for about it is the blessing of getting to work with these kids and have a part to play in their coming to know Jesus. Our goal this week, other than just having fun, was to help them: remember the true meaning of the Christmas, remember that it is better to give than to receive and learn that Christmas is not all about getting all that we want. Here are a few pictures from that night:

Dawn, me and Shanna - ready to party!


Me and an adorable snowman Sister Dixon left for us to use for decoration:


The adorable snowman himself (I told you I loved snowmen!)


Some of the goodies the kids got to use for one of the games:

For more info about our party, you can go to the KC website.

DPP Day 18

Today, my niece turned 17! Even though we didn't get to be with her, she was in our thoughts all day. She is more special to us than she knows and we are thankful that she is a part of our lives, even though we don't see her as much as we would like. She sent me this picture today, so even though I didn't take it, it is my picture for today! Happy Birthday Kir! We love you!!

More from Christmas Candlelight

I never got to finish posting about our Christmas Candlelight service and wanted to add a few more pictures for you to enjoy. I didn't get a lot of shots from the actual service because the lighting was very low, but here are some that I did get of family and friends:

My friend Nina came with her children for the 2nd year in a row. She homeschools Madilyn, Max, Charlotte and Jack:

Mark and I:

Brother and Sister Dixon, wonderful friends for many years:

More good friends, Edward, Helen, Amber and Jonathan:

My wonderful family:

I continue to feel blessed to have such an awesome family, wonderful friends and a Bible believing, truth preaching church. It is such a wonderful time of the year to count the things that we hold most dear and to remember how truly blessed we are with the things that really matter - all the things that money cannot buy and that can't be wrapped and put under a tree.

DPP Day 17

I love snowmen and have a pretty good collection of various types all around the house at this time of the year. Here is one of my favorites:

DPP Day 16

Another scene from Disney Village:



This one actually brings back memories of going to Disney Village with my family. We went there together many years ago and had fun trying on hats and shoes in the different stores, especially the Christmas store where this was taken.

DPP Day 15

Christmas Disney Style:

Disney Village

My Mother in Law is in town with us for a few days this week and today we were able to connect with some of her best friends who have been friends of the family for just about forever. We met up with them at Disney Village and had a wonderful evening catching up with them and just being together. We met up first at the timeshare where they are staying (they live in Cali right now but are going to move back here soon) and had some pizza and conversation. Then, we went to Downtown Disney and just walked and talked! Here is a visual of some of our evening:

Caleb's picture with Santa - made entirely of legos! This is his favorite store - he just loves legos!

Holly loved the lego scence of Paris, France!

The girls with the lego dragon and Rainforest Cafe in the background:

We were treated to our first visit to Ghiradelli's for ice cream and Caleb really enjoyed his banana split, except it kept melting to fast for him, so he would sip it from the edge!

This is the whole gang except me - Mark, MaKenna, Holly, Ed, Malathi, Darlene, Caleb and Terry.

We walked in and out of shops, watched a magician/entertainer perform amazing tricks, played, laughed and just had fun. It was also nice to hear from Malathi and Ed the many things that they are seeing God do around the world. They are very involved in missions work and just had some awesome stories to share. We had such a blessed evening and are just plain tired now!

DPP Day 13&14

Update: OK, I'll admit that I was trying to get off easy, after a busy weekend, to just post a couple of pictures. Then, SOMEONE called me on it, so I will be the "normal" Tammy and splain it to ya! Both of these pictures were taken at our Christmas Candlelight service at church. The mirror is in our lobby and the tree and floral arrangement were part of the decorations on the platform. We had such an awesome service with a packed out, standing room only house. I am so thankful for the birth of our Lord and the ability to celebrate that birth with fellow believers. So, there you go - a more typical Tammy post!

Christmas Candlelight 2008 - Invitation

If you live in the Central Florida area, Sunday night is our annual Christmas Candlelight at The Pentecostals of Apopka. You will be blessed to add this event to your schedule! If you don't live close by, you can stream it live at my church website. I hope you have a chance to stop by, one way or another! It starts at 6:30 PM EST.

"Friday Thoughts" A Day Late!

Yesterday was so full and busy with school, chores and then the outing last night. I thought that I would post this last night, but was just too tired to make it happen! So, for what they are worth, here are my weekly thoughts!

First, let me say that prayer Thursday night was so incredible. We had just a few of us there and one was a newcomer, but Jesus came and that is all that mattered! It is so powerful to know that you are in the presence of God - nothing else matters when you come into contact with Him.

I decided a few days ago to start rereading the letters to the church, beginning with Romans. If Paul felt like there were things important enough to say to believers back then, then I probably still need to hear them repeated to me today. People are pretty much the same as always - same problems, same flesh that we have to live in and deal with and same world. So, when I read Romans, it doesn't feel like Paul is speaking to people who lived thousands of years ago - it feels like he is speaking to me. That is what makes God's Word alive - it still speaks to men today!

Here are the verses that jumped out at me yesterday:

vs. 3 - "...but we glory in tribulations also" -------- whoa - pause - glory in tribulations??? That grabbed my attention! Especially since Wednesday night, Pastor preached about when Paul was locked up under the worst Caesar in the history of Caesors and ow he still labored for the Lord and witnessed of God's love. He truly knew the meaning of tribulation and how to glory in it. I have a lot to learn, still.

(cont.) "knowing that tribulation worketh patience;" - Now there is something I still lack. Hmmm, is that why I continue to go through similar tribulations? Am I just not getting it? Is God just waiting for me to become what He has designed for me to be?

vs. 4 - "And patience, experience and experience, hope:" - I read this as, if I go through tribulations and allow patience to have a work in me, I will get valuable experience that will help me to have hope that this world can not give, because it is hope in the midst of tribulation. Only God can give that. How do we get hope out of tribulation? By having the patience to stand back and allow God to work and letting Him be in control. Then, when He does, we build our faith in His provision and His answers, so we can hope, no matter the circumstance. I will be honest that a melancholy/choleric like me has a hard time remembering to "let go and let God!" I not only like to know what is happening and the reason why, but I like to take part in bringing about the answers to the problems. Boy, God sure has His work cut out in me. Thankfully, He is patient and forgiving when I forget.

As I read on, in chapter 8, verses 24-25, it says - "For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope; for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." - saved by hope? And now I see why I need patience - because we are hoping in and for what we can not see.

So, my tribulations help me learn to be patient and my patience builds experience and in my experiences I learn to hope and then I am saved by hope???

I started to see what God had in mind. In this world, we will have tribulations. But, I can learn from those tribulations and allow God to build my hope - hope in Him, in His promises, in His timing, in His ability to take care of any and every situation in my life - hope that this world can not give - in money, possessions, beauty, people, places - nowhere and nothing can give what God gives when I put my life in His hands. And that hope saves me because without it, it would be easy to give up waiting on God, to feel despair and hopelessness that would cause me to take my eyes off of God and His plan for me. Now I know that I truly can rejoice in tribulations - because God has things for me to learn and He is building my hope reserves!

I guess we are all really just on this journey of life. This is maybe not something new to you, and in some ways not to me either, but sometimes it is good to look again at God's Word and realize that His ways truly are higher than my ways. I will trust Him. And I will rejoice ALWAYS.

DPP Day 12 - Oh, the Irony!

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW!!!



Yesterday my post was about the fact that my A/C was running in the middle of December and today, I will be telling you about the snowman that Caleb made tonight! That's right - Caleb made a snowman! And he had a snowball fight. No, we did not go to Chicago to visit Tammy and Bryan (and Sarah!) though we would love to. We actually went to UCF with the youth group for an outing at something called Light Up UCF. They have built an outdoor ice rink and have the whole area lit up really neat with music playing and various groups performing holiday acts. We were a little apprehensive about the atmosphere, being a college, but it was actually not bad at all and even had a somewhat family feel. Lots of people went with their children to walk around, skate, listen to music, they even had a huge screen set up on an open field where they are showing holiday movies - tonight was the Muppet Christmas Carol - no deire to watch it, but it was there and it was free. Anyway, Here is our evening in pictures:

Everything that was lit up was choreographed to the beat of the music, so as Christmas songs would play, the lights would put on a show to the tune of the song - it was really neat!


Caleb working on his "snowman":


Caleb's snowman - he was sprinkling the snow to make it look like it was really snowing on it! I know that it doesn't really look like a snowman, but hey, it wasn't really snow, so we did the best we could and he had fun, so that is all that matters!


One of the many snowball fight vicitms - Carrigan! Caleb and Carrigan went back and forth for quite a while - he got a lot of snow in his shirt, on his face, in his eyes, etc. And that was before the other kids got involved, including a big group of the boys. He was quite wet when it was all said and done!