Christmas

Christmas for the Calvert Family is a busy time.  We celebrated with family from the 23rd to the 26th with EVERY side of the family.  We are fortunate to have our family live so close but that can make for a busy holiday trying to get to every event.  We wouldn't trade it for the world though.

We were so excited to wake up to a white Christmas on the 25th!  Technically I did not wake up to snow.  Parker decided he was ready to be up for the day at 4:00 am (too excited about presents??  further proof he is like his daddy!).  It started snowing around 5:00 am so we watched it all from our living room couch.  I am the worst morning person you will possibly ever meet but his sweet smile makes it not as painful :)

My favorite part of the holidays this year was Christmas Eve night.  Christmas Eve was a busy day for us.  Ben took me and Parker to breakfast at Another Broken Egg (yum!) and then we had lunch at my parents house with my dad's side of the family.  Right after that we went to the Christmas Eve service at Southwood with my family and headed to our annual Martin/Ware Christmas Eve dinner.  Caylen and David, we missed you terribly!  Even though I look forward to all of those things all year here comes my favorite part.  Ben, Parker and I got in our pajamas and settled on the couch to hear the Christmas story.  This year Ben read from the Jesus Storybook Bible since we received that as a gift at Parker's baptism.  I really enjoy the way it is phrased for children, but I also realize it is no substitute for God's Word.  Here is one of my favorite parts...

And there, in the stable, amongst the chickens and the donkeys and the cows, in 

the quiet of the night, God gave the world his wonderful gift.  The

baby that would change the world was born.  This baby Son.

Mary and Joseph wrapped him up to keep him warm.  They made a soft

bed of straw and used to animals' feeding trough as his cradle.  

And they gazed in wonder at God's Great Gift, wrapped in swaddling clothes,

and lying in a manger.

Mary and Joseph named him Jesus, "Emmanuel"-which means

"God had come to live with us."

Because, of course, he had.

The Calvert House after a few hours of snow

Maggie loved it.  She ran in it, rolled around in it, and tried to eat all of the snow.

The drive over the mountain on Christmas morning was not the safest decision, but the trees were gorgeous. 

Parker's first Christmas was a white Christmas!  How special!

Parker didn't really get the unwrapping gifts part of the day.   Apparently he was too busy losing his socks.

Merry Christmas!