Christmas is upon us...

Our nativity

The beautiful tree Robert brought home for us
(We like 'em sparse and natural:))

Mommy enjoying the festivities

Daddy placing the topper on the tree
(Mary made it for us last year!)

Our pretty little tree

Oliver and Grace enjoying the fresh scent of pine

Audrey's front row view of the tree

I love December. It is a month filled with fresh snow, warm drinks, cozy fireplaces, Christmas music, and most importantly, the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who came into the world as a tiny baby so many years ago. This year the nativity story has a new meaning to me: after giving birth to three tiny babes, I feel like I see the Christmas story through Mary's eyes in a whole new way. Just last night at a Christmas tea at my parents' church I listened to a woman tell that very story from Mary's point of view. Hearing it as a mother brought tears to my eyes. To hold a baby in your arms (the Son of God no less!) and know that he is the very fulfillment of the Old Testament, to know that He came to save the world, and in doing so would have to give his very life as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins - how excruciating it must have been for Mary to know the fate of her son! And yet, how incredible it must have been to hold that little baby, and to know that the world was about to change forever! Her little baby boy became her very own Savior!

I am so excited to celebrate Christmas with our babies! Robert cut down a tree for us today and we spent the late afternoon hanging ornaments and lights while Barry Manilow and Jimmy Buffet crooned Christmas tunes (hey, that was all Robert's choosing...but I let him pick since he did march through the woods and saw down a tree for me!) The babies love staring at lights (so much so that we have to go around the house turning off lamps at night so the babies don't fry their retinas) so naturally they were entranced by the many glowing white lights on the tree. I let Oliver and Audrey touch the branches and they seemed to really enjoy the texture of the pine needles. Audrey even grabbed a sprig and gave it a good tug:) Last year I sewed a tree skirt for our tree (I was pregnant but didn't know yet!) and this year I plan to make stockings for each baby. I am eager to continue family traditions from our own childhoods and to begin new ones with the babies. This year will be so special having three such beautiful, chubby little babes around the tree, and I can only imagine how much fun it will be to watch them grow in wonder and excitement at each passing Christmas...