snowy memories

Christmas at the Brays

Bailey and Raven run for cover.

"Oh, I can't believe I ate the whole thing!"

"Smile Baily"

Christmas at the Brays

Christmas '08 is officially in the books. The family gathering was small with many missing members. We missed Adam, Justine, and Brody, especially. However, we ate and played bingo as usual and as always, Mom cooked too much.

Candy's Christmas

"Ouch, easy with the hat!"

"What am I suppose to be?"

"Santa's elf or the court jester?"

"Hey, I look pretty good in this. Don't you think?"

"Dig the snowman."

Tabitha and Sean came over tonight after work to eat at Granny's and exchange gifts. I really liked all of my N.E. Patriot gear (see up coming blog), but we all got a kick out of what they got for Candy. I don't know about the elf costume, but as easily as Candy gets cold she should enjoy the sweater all winter long. Candy also got a NE Pat dog collar. Cool!

Christmas

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what [who] lies within us. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

With Christmas comes the end of yet another year. I believe the close proximity of one to the other is no coincidence. During these days, we tend to review the past year with some regrets and anticipate the next with a degree of uncertainity and fear. Thus, what an appropriate time to reflex upon the Lord Jesus and His visit to this earth some 2,000 years ago.

During the waning years of the turmultuous first century, the apostle John wrote the following to assure some rather unsettled saints, He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. When we have invited Christ into our hearts, the earthly events of the past, present, and future have no bearing on our eternal wellbeing.

Have a merry Christmas from our family to yours.

Christmas Eve

Aunt Nette, Debbie, Betty, Sherry, Cousin Gina

Debbie, Betty, & Sherry

We drove to Texarkana to eat lunch and visit with Debbie's mom and sister as well as her aunt's family. Her cousin, Gina, made it in from Dallas just minutes before we had to leave. I hadn't seen Gina since she was a little girl. Everyone looked and felt good. I am glad Debbie got the chance to see everyone and I was happy that her mother got to spend time with a few of her kids.

Christmas Past and Future

Here are a couple of pictures of my grandmothers (paternal on the left and maternal on the right). Note the terrified great-grandchildren including Tabitha in her red suspenders. Sadly, both of my grandmothers have passed on, but I know I will see them again some day. Christmas is a time for families to gather and to enjoy one another's company. There are only a finite number of opportunities for us be with one another; however, Christ came to provide us with the chance to live with him forever and to be reunited with those saints who have passed on before us. According to Jesus' own words, he came "to seek and to save that which was lost." It was the human race that was lost in sin; it was the human race Jesus came to save by his sacrificial death on the Cross. All we need do is ask for the salvation Jesus provided. Salvation comes "by grace through faith" is the way Paul put it and "not by works lest any man should boast." We each need to search our hearts to be sure we can go back to a specific time and place where we ask the Lord Jesus to provide us with that salvation-- a personal request, for personal salvation, from a personal saviour. This salvation was not something we were born with or acquired through baptism or doing good works. True salvation comes by the grace of God to those who ask in faith for what they did not earn and did not deserve. My prayer is that all who read this blog have been saved; for me there could be no greater gift than to know all of my family and friends will spend eternity in heaven.

Eye sight

This year will be remembered as the Christmas of the "big screen & the empty house." This will be the first Christmas Debbie and I have celebrated without kids in the house in a very long time. It certainly takes the air out of Christmas; we haven't even put up a tree, a wreath, a string of lights, or even one strand of tensil. And with my weight being what it is, I will not even be able to enjoy the food & candies this year either. I feel like the Scrooge's tight, grumpy uncle. Hopefully, next year things will be different with grandkids here and on the way. It will be a necessity to decorate for them. They should put the air back into the holiday season.

As for our presents to one another, we have already exchanged. Debbie got the big, flat screen TV for the bedroom and I got the big screen monitor for the computer. I don't know that either were as much a luxury as they were a necessity. Both of us are loosing our eyesight; I am already up to trifocals causing me to walk around all day looking like I am nodding to everyone (you have to wear at least bifocals to get my meaning). The big screens help out a whole bunch.

Tabitha's Baby Shower

The night finally came for her baby shower at our house. Since I do things in short spurts I have been preparing for nearly a month. The day finally came and we had a good shower. Tabitha looked so cute.

We were surrounded by our friends and family for which we are very thankful.

And lots of great food which best of all I had nothing to do with having to prepare. Thank God I am surrounded by plenty of women who love to cook and are very good at it.

Getting Ready for Tabitha's baby shower

DeRoche Church wanted to give Sean and Tabitha a baby shower and ask if we could have it at our house. It was my job to decorate which made me happy because it meant I didn't have to cook or worry with food in any way. I had a ball getting ready for the party. Stressed me out to the max, but it was still fun. I started with Brayden's name over the fire place. The nursery is done in jungle animals so I added a jungle animal theme to the letters. The pictures on the end in the lion frames are actual 3-D ultrasound pictures.

Next I carried the jungle theme a little further and created a small jungle display on the top of our wood box.

Then I added a clothes line with baby clothes on it instead of traditional streamers. Most of the clothes are hand-me downs. However I couldn't resist hanging some of the new ones they received at their shower in Rhode Island, how could I leave out the Patriots and Red Sox?.
Some of the outfits were ones I saved from when Adam and Alex were little which is probably noticable. The two on the end were theirs. Tabitha calls them "retro". I still thought they're cute.

I finished up with a diaper cake for the centerpiece on the kitchen table.

Adam's Family Christmas Pictures

I recently received some pictures from Adam. These are a few of the Christmas pictures of their family. Boy we sure do miss them!

Brody will be fun this Christmas

My favorite! No, he did not get this close to Santa -- that is Adam with a glove on. I am anxious to hear what his reaction to the real thing will be.