I always love the view out our dining room window! I took this photo the week before Christmas and all the snow was melted by Christmas Eve, but it was too pretty not to post.
Snow dingleberries! Otto (and now Sophie, too) loves the snow!! Matt's trained him to go to his bed and eat the snow off his furry little paws after he comes in. So much better than finding little puddles of cold water all over the floors.
J, Schmabbers, and Banana have really enjoyed participating in our Parish's fledgling children's choir this year. Banana, especially, is totally comfortable performing in front of everyone. She's completely lacking in self-consciousness, lucky girl! She insisted on having her own sheet of music and proudly held it upside-down in front of her as she sang. Schmabbers, on the other hand, gets a little silly and nervous, but loves being up there every week. She's even hitting the right notes more consistently! J had his hair cut two weeks ago, so he no longer looks like a hippie. ;) It was a traumatic, but neccessary trip to the barber shop. His hair is so thin and fine I didn't want to be the first one to layer it because any mistakes will definitely show! Now that it's been done, I can do the maintainance cuts to keep the slightly longer, shaggy look he likes.
The children's music was a wonderful addition to a beautiful Christmas Eve Mass. I just love taking the time to worship our Lord before starting the Christmas Day celebrations. The hymns and carols and the reminder of who it's really all about. I can't even imagine how pointless life would be without personally knowning the One who made us, and loves us, and who even rejoices over us with gladness, singing joyfully because of us (Zephaniah). Sadly though, our world is full of people who have been beaten down by hurts and disappointments. People who are feeling rejected and lonely; who live every day without knowning how passionately they are loved by the One who created them. I think most of us have struggled with the dispair, the anger, the cynicism, the feeling of hopelessness that comes from life and the people we care about letting us down. We've all covered our pain and desperation with laughter, drugs, alcohol, relationships, obsessive ambition. We've run hard and hidden well the pain we were drowning in. No one would have ever known what was really going on behind our well-constructed masks. And all the while, we had a Father who loves us unconditionally and whose arms ached to hold us and soothe our hurts ways. A Father who loves us so much He sent his Son to walk among us and show us His love, and ultimately to offer Himself as the required sacrifice for our rebellion. All so that we would be free to run into His arms and find the very things we so futily search for down here. Christmas is a reminder for me to renew my committment to pray for the hurting, confused, and lost people in our world. I was one once, and without the prayers of some very dear people in my life, I would still be one. But I covered it well, and no one would have known, so I pray.....perhaps for you.
As much as I love my fancy-dancy camera, I've been consistently disappointed with nearly every photo taken in low lighting. After two Christmases in a row without a single good picture taken on Christmas Day, I found a forum online in which several other owners of this model have grumbled about the same issue. At least I know it's not a user error! Ironically enough, Matt's cheapo little camera takes beautiful indoor photos, but of course we didn't think to use it until after the day's festivities were over. Sigh....maybe next year we'll have some photos of the kids that aren't orange or blurred or dark. We surprised the kids this year(BIG understatement!!) by getting them a Wii. (Maximum cool points with that one!!) We've all had a blast challenging each other to Guitar Hero, racing, boxing, and Dance, Dance. What a great investment! We were sure that K would feel let-down by a major family gift rather than a big personal gift this year, but she's shocked us by sneaking down to play by herself whenever she can. She's never had a use for video games, and now we can't keep her off it! The kids are looking forward to boxing with their Grandmas!
We opened the door and were greeted by a very enthusiastic, albeit half frozen, Oompah Band. We stood and smiled back as they finished their song (What is proper etiquette when called outside by a group of local musicians? Are you supposed to tap your toes and share in their enthusiasm or maintain decorum and effect a slightly unaffected look? The neighbors across the drive didn't even come to their door as the band stood on their stoop, so maybe we were breaking protocol altogether by venturing out to face them at all!), then sent the kids in to grab a plate of cookies to pass around. Fortunately our uber-generous neighborhood Oma had made another enormous plate of traditional German cookies for us and we had plenty to share.
As the plate made the rounds I realized we knew the cutie in the white cap below. His Grandmother made all the cookies everyone was munching on! (Probaly another social faux pas!) Matthew (the grandson) lives, as many Germans do, in a house shared by multigenerations. Oma and Opa live on the first floor and Matthew's family lives on the upper two; it's a great set-up! His family is one of the many reasons we want to stay here as long as we can. They are generous, friendly, kind, and exceptionally patient with our noisy, chaotic family! While the kids and I were in the States this summer, Oma and Opa Meier invited Matt over a couple of times for coffee and Oma Meier's fabulous cakes. For as long as I've known him Matt has despised cherries, but he nearly asked Frau Meier to run away with him after eating a slice of her Kirschkuchen! (Never mind the fact that they speak not a word of each other's language - she can throw-down in the kitchen! After we'd been married for a few months Matt confessed that if I hadn't been a good cook/baker he would have stopped dating me!! Good thing I didn't have to rely soley on my sparkling conversational skills!) Frau Meier is a phenominal baker of traditional German cookies and cakes! She sends over platters of piping hot Krapfeln, small yeast donuts almost exactly like what my family called "scones". Yummy! Her rhubarb cake is the first we've tried that we all actually liked! (Who knew rhubarb really was good for something!)
After leaving our house the band wended their way around the corner, stopping to play at each house, and finally ended at Matthew's family's home where Herr & Frau Meier invited them in (for some delectable treat, undoubtedly). I should have grabbed a kazoo and a stocking cap and tried to blend in!! The band can only manage to spread their holiday cheer through half of our village each year, so when they come back in 2010 I'll have my hat and gloves ready!
