Christmas 2013.....one to remember!

So it's that time of the year.....the time we all look forward to. Christmas music playing, decorating the house, shopping for and wrapping the presents, Christmas programs at school, going to see Christmas plays or Nutcracker ballet, looking forward to time with family and close friends......It's all so fun and festive......though I often find I get more wrapped up in all the above than what our most important! We are remembering and celebrating the birth of Jesus! Our Savior, Redeemer, God sending His own Son as man Himself!

So in the busyness of all the hustle and bustle, I know I myself so easily forget to slow down and truly focus on what is of utmost important in my life....not the presents, or the decorations, or the christmas cards ordered---but that Jesus Christ came to earth! He came to live the perfect life and die the perfect death so that I might have eternal life with Him! I love our advent calendar using the Jesse tree and scripture passages that go through all of redemptive history from creation of the world to birth of Christ!  The kids really got into it this year and I loved how each day they would recap what all the ornaments on our Jesse Tree represented!

We've also had an eventful season in other ways as well......sickness....ahh yes we can't seem to escape our typical seasonal Christmas sickness! I thought it was pretty unbelievable to see since 2008 the amount of sickness our family has encountered-----

2008: we did gather with my family and after arriving at my MIL house, Reed got sick with a virus that a few days later turned into a diagnosis of rotavirus, which landed us in the hospital for several days!

2009: Mary Etta was little (5 months old) and she was sick with a fever/virus; I got strep throat; my nephew had been in the hospital for RSV/pneumonia---so that year my family did not gather! We stayed home!

2010: uneventful....with the exception that at the first of the year we were moving into the house we had 2 months to renovate (so needless to say we didn't feel we could travel that year)

2011: we actually gathered with my family and all were healthy-yeah!

2012: Maggie just born; so no traveling for us with a 3 week old newborn!

2013: FLU!!!! oh yes the willis family was hit with the flu (or at least Maggie and Momma!) so far no other victims........so needless to say there is no traveling for us to be with my family again this year. and Christmas day Casey started with some sort of stomach flu.....then finally about 7-8 days later he was better...but then I started (and Reed had a mild version)....but wow! it's been a long 2 weeks!!!

so I find it almost funny that in the past 5 years, 3/6 no sickness and 2/6 we actually were with family! so crazy!

So now we've begun a new year.....lots to be thankful for and praying we continue to glorify Him in all we do! Happy 2014!