Keep Christ in Christmas

Good morning! The world didn't end yesterday, so I guess that means we still have to get up and get busy being mommas today :-) Oh, you know I kid. We love it! We're celebrating Christmas this morning, just the three of us, so I'm about to make sure Santa arrived, get our Christmas bread going, and fill stockings! We have always been at one of our parents' homes on Christmas morning, so I'm actually loving being in our home and doing our traditions here.

We can't argue with the fact that there are special and sacred jobs reserved just for mommies. Making sure our children know the true meaning of Christmas, and making sure that they get to experience the "magic" are both special jobs reserved for the moms. I wrapped the presents yesterday, and had everything laid out under the tree when our son arrived home from his day-long playdate. He walked in, saw the tree, and yelled, "Oh wow!" Melts a momma's heart :-)

But, let's get real. That isn't the true meaning of Christmas at all. I suspect that as our son grows older, more and more I will see the pull at our Christian hearts between what we should be focusing on at this time of year, and what the world obsesses about. We must remember balance, and we must remember to turn to Him for guidance on how we should broach certain subjects, what we should and should not participate in, and how to practically keep Jesus front and center during the Christmas season. How have we done it this year with a toddler? We have read lots of kid books about the birth of Jesus, we search for our cross and angel ornaments on the tree, I have contemporary christian Christmas music playing nearly around the clock, and we have enjoyed acting out the story with his own nativity set. If you're looking for a great gift and teaching tool for your little one, check this out:

Little People Nativity Set by Fisher Price

No breakable pieces here, which is a very good thing! I would love to hear your ideas about keeping Christ in Christmas, especially with children. It is our precious job as mommies to keep our children focused, regardless of the Santa craziness which surrounds us. After all,

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--His good, pleasing, and perfect will." Romans 12:2

This year, as mothers, let's ponder on what Mary must have been feeling during the birth and after she brought forth the Savior of the world. We know what it feels like to love our own sweet babies, but just imagine the overwhelming emotion she experienced when she had the privilege of being the mother to God. Incredible! I want to leave you with one of my favorite songs, celebrating the birth of Jesus from a mother's perspective, followed by scripture from Luke 2.

"So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." Luke 2:4-20 (emphasis added)

We are off to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for ten days beginning at 5:30am tomorrow morning! I will not have access to internet, so I will not be posting until January 4. I sincerely pray that each of you has a beautiful Christmas and New Year's with your families. Much love from the McNamee family!

Faith in Pregnancy

Good morning! Have you ever read a portion of scripture that you are exceedingly familiar with, and then the Lord reveals something profound to you? Well, I experienced that this morning. Truly, I wasn't going to write today. We leave for a 10-day vacation in less than 48 hours, and we are celebrating our family Christmas tomorrow morning. Are gifts wrapped and suitcases packed? Not even close :-) Thankfully, a precious friend and I swapped kid-sitting, and she is taking my toddler for the whole day. Thank you, Jesus! Don't forget the idea of trading babysitting...a no-cost way to get things done, or to go get a pedicure :-) I digress...

God prompted me to write about this today. Someone needs to hear it. I was reading through Luke 1 this morning, a chapter I know and love, about the pregnancies of both Elizabeth and Mary. Read through it when you have a few minutes, and take special note of the underlying theme in the first part of the chapter. Faith in pregnancy. Elizabeth was a woman "well along in years," but she became pregnant with John, the man who would lead the way for Jesus Christ. Mary, a very young woman, became pregnant by the Holy Spirit with the Son of God.

How much faith do you suppose it took for both of those women to trust that God knew what He was doing? How important is the subject of infertility, faith in pregnancy, and heavenly timing to our Lord? Well, important enough for it to take center stage in the plans of getting His Son to this planet! You see, God is speaking directly to mothers in this chapter. He knows our hearts. He hears the cries from women who are desperate to be mothers. He sees the fear and uncertainty on the faces of women who are faced with unplanned pregnancies. And through these words written hundreds of years ago, the words that we read with anticipation during the Christmas season, He offers a promise to the sweet mothers of this world.

"...and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God." Luke 1:36-37

And Mary, the mother of Christ, remembered a visit from an angel foretelling what was happening to her now. She didn't question God, she didn't remind Him that this wasn't the best time, she didn't run and hide in embarrassment. She simply remembered what He had promised, and she accepted it and rejoiced.

"Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord said to her will be accomplished!" Luke 1:45

I pray that these words can be a blessing to you, or someone you know today. Especially some of you who may be struggling with infertility. Don't believe for a second that pregnancy and the bringing forth of life isn't one of His priorities. He designed it as such! And, remember that His timing is always perfect. He doesn't make mistakes. I imagine He grins from ear-to-ear at the faith built in His sweet daughters during the child-bearing years. He's right there with you, my friends, whether you are longing for a child or staring at that double pink line in shock. He knows what He's doing, and you get to play a fantastic part in His eternal plan. Be blessed, mommies!

A few more pictures from our challenge :-)

Praise Jesus for antibiotics...even if it means we feel good enough to crawl on the table!

My own little baby Jesus at Christmastime!

 

Christmas Letter

Greetings, mommas! I started a little tradition the first Christmas that we were married. I always loved receiving the picture Christmas cards from our friends and families, but I really wanted to know more about what was going on in their lives! So, I decided to let people know what was going on in our lives! Truly, I don't know how many people love receiving a replay of the McNamee's year, but it's a great way for us to reflect and review on the many blessings and challenges that came our way throughout the past months. I am fully aware that we did not create this tradition, but I wanted to share our letter to give you another glimpse of the real me, and to inspire some of you to share your stories with your loved ones. Be blessed, mommies!

Greetings from sunny and snowy Colorado! We pray that this letter finds each of you and your families healthy and happy, as you are all so dear to us. And after an appointment with Kindra's neurologist on Monday, we are blessed to announce the same! We are also totally healthy. You see, it has been a challenging year in the McNamee household...but the hidden blessings, spiritual growth, and binding together of a family would not have occurred without some serious faith-building experiences.

On December 14, 2011, the right side of Kindra's face completely stopped working. Vertigo, migraines, and intense jaw pain soon followed. 2012 held consultations with many doctors, multiple rounds of medication, physical therapy, CT scans, MRI scans, and chiropractors. No one could agree with the differing results, and many scary scenarios were mentioned, the most alarming being multiple sclerosis. But, after months of stress and uncertainty, the M.S. diagnosis has been disregarded, and Kindra has received a clean bill of health. It turns out that she had suffered from a rare syndrome that involves the cold sore virus attacking the nervous system. Her facial function has continued to improve, and she will receive yearly check-ups with her neurologist. Praise God for finally lifting this dark cloud! He is so good!

Caleb is a happy, rambunctious, feisty, talkative, athletic, outgoing, dancing, Thomas the Train-loving toddler! He fills our house with delight and joy on a daily basis. He celebrated his 1st birthday with a bouncy-ball party in July, attended by many of his friends and family! He loves playing with new friends at the Y and in the church nursery, and he really loves climbing on anything and everything. He sure keeps Mommy busy, but she loves it. Kindra has comfortably flourished in her role as a stay-at-home mom and has even started writing a spiritually encouraging blog for other mommies, filled with tips on how we make this life work (www.stay-at-homeforhim.blogspot.com). A devotional book may even be on the horizon!

The Lord has really been speaking to our hearts this year. We have both enjoyed new friendships with friends from church, attending retreats, leading a bible study, attending small group studies, and Kindra is now leading a spiritual group for young moms called Moms Connect. We have consistently prayed for deepening relationships in Colorado, and He has been faithful to energize past relationships and spark new ones.

Patrick has had to travel quite often this year, but ultimately we are grateful for a job with benefits that provides the opportunity for Kindra to stay home, and to have our needs and wants met. One perk of the job is traveling as a family on his trips! The three of us ventured to Virginia and Illionis over the summer, and we had a blast seeing our many precious friends. We also took an impromptu road trip to Kansas to escape the too-close-to-home wild fire in July! The fire never reached our town, but many homes were lost in Colorado Springs. It was a sad time for Colorado, but the faithfulness of God was evident for so many who were affected.

While Pugsley still resides at the McNamee home, Sophie was not able to stay. It seemed that toddlerdom and an anxious jack-russell do not mix, so she went to live with a sweet couple who could devote more love and attention to her. We miss her, but we know it was the right decision. Pugsley did want me to convey his frustration for not being included in our Christmas pictures :-)

Amongst the happenings of crazy life, we did manage to have some fun this year! Patrick has continued his beer-making hobby, and he is great at it! He competed, and did quite well, in a 24-hour mountain biking race, Kindra celebrated the big 3-0, we took a few weekend trips to the gorgeous CO mountains, and we continued to entertain friends and family at our home, including hosting an all-out Thanksgiving feast! We are blessed beyond measure, and we are so grateful for our lives.

Another life we are exceedingly grateful for is Kindra's Grandma, Gwendolyn Dill. She went to be with the Lord on March 13 after a long battle with ALS. She was an incredible woman who inspired others, namely Kindra, to be faithful wives and mothers. She is dearly missed, but we love God's faithfulness of bringing people like her into our lives. What a gift!

As we embark upon 2013, we pray that His faithfulness will pour into your lives, as it has into ours. We never know what each year will hold, but we do know that He will continue to lavishly bestow blessings onto His children and walk with us through the valleys. Only then are the mountaintops so much sweeter! Speaking of mountaintops, we are off to Cabo San Lucas for ten days! We will be reuniting with Patrick's extended family for Christmas and New Year's, and we will be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary! We are so grateful for each one of you, and we wish you a beautiful Christmas and New Year!

The McNamee Family

And the picture challenge continues...

Can't beat reindeer jammies and cartoons with Daddy!

The camo hat is super cute while he presses his face against the glass at Chili's!

And, it's not officially winter until someone is at the doctor's with an ear infection...

Hope you're having fun with the challenge! I'm a little behind, but we'll get caught up. Enjoy the organizational tip below. It's a goodie!

Tip #48

Ever hear an idea that makes your mommy heart leap for delight, only because it will make your life that much easier?! Or, you pull your hair out because that super amazing idea is ridiculously simple, and you should have thought of it earlier in mommyhood?! Well, check this out...all you fellow mommies tending to children with double ear infections :-( Hope this helps!

Heavy Hearts lead to Restless Sleep

Good morning!

You know it's been a busy day when I wrote the previous sentence, stepped away from the computer, and am just now sitting back down at 7:21pm! I have had all kinds of great topics that I felt led to write about lately, but I am lacking the most precious commodity in a mommy's life...time :-)

Have you ever been annoyed that our bodies need to sleep? Though I know I'm tired, I have recently found myself bothered by the fact that I need to shut it all down and call it a night. If only I didn't have to sleep, I could wrap more Thomas the Train presents, prepare for another Christmas get-together, continue working on my obsessive packing list for our upcoming 10-day vacation, scrub the baseboards (they've bugged me lately), or snuggle with my hubby. I gravitate towards busy work in order to relieve my stress. Odd, huh? I've always been like this, but it's difficult to recognize when I'm in the midst of a serious stress-load. Never was my CD collection or my closet in a more perfect order than during finals week in college :-)

As I sit here reflecting, I think about how we feel this burden as women (and especially as mommies) to keep it all together. Keeping the daily balls in the air proves to be much harder if we don't allow ourselves to work through our real stressors. The activities I listed above aren't my real stressors. The real things digging at my heart recently include some physical difficulties affecting my mother, the fact that we are preparing to celebrate our first Christmas without my Grandma, and the fact that this will be the first Christmas with my dad separated from my step-mother. The fact that the McNamee family reunion in Mexico will be nothing short of spectacular, but it will mean spending a Christmas away from my family...especially hard in light of this year's events. The fact that my sweet toddler has caught one bug after another for the past few months (seriously...is he secretly licking toilet seats or something?!) has taken an enormous toll on this momma, not to mention how much of it I've done alone, since my hubby has traveled an exceptional amount.

I'm not saying this to complain. I'm saying this in hopes that some of you will get real with me. Maybe the fact that I wrote these thoughts out will help me process through the heavy emotions that each of these situations present. Perhaps you could try it. I received some incredibly great health news yesterday, a direct answer to prayer from our heavenly Father...a statement we were waiting a year to hear from my neurologist. Jesus sweetly allowed these heavy burdens that I have tried to stuff away rise to the surface yesterday, of all days, including the "dark cloud of the unknown medical syndrome" that I had allowed to follow me every day for the past year. The fact that my close friends and family were crying tears of joy at the news while I overly faked enthusiasm was a huge wake-up call to me. I couldn't fully grasp this gracious gift of good health which He had laid in my lap, because I had not fully given my heavy heart over to Him.

I've cried a lot today. It's a good thing :-) Between runs to Target, Costco, the Christian bookstore, and aiding my flu-stricken toddler, I let my emotions come out a bit. He knows we're mommies. He knows we're human. He knows we get tired. He even knows that I create more work for myself when I'm trying to mask the heaviness of my heart. That's why He created rest. It shouldn't be something we get annoyed about! We should relish our time to rest, and show our gratefulness to Him.

I pray this post can be encouraging to you, and not just cheap therapy for me :-) Remember, our children are their best when we are at our best. This season, allow Him to heal your heart, show you reasons to celebrate, and provide opportunities for rest. Merry Christmas, mommies.

Encouragement from Him

I could hardly stomach watching the coverage of the tragedy that happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut this morning. Twenty precious children and six innocent adults were senselessly murdered by a lone gunman. When we are faced with horrific tragedy that will inevitably happen during our time on Earth, it seems only appropriate to offer words from Him.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (emphasis added)

Just as Jesus says in the verse above, be encouraged that there will be a day when these things simply won't happen anymore. He has overcome the world, and He will return to make things right.

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:4

Tonight, let's all hug our babies a little tighter, thanking God for each day that He gives us to look upon their beautiful faces.

Love to all of the mommies reading this tonight...