Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Grace Christmas Program
Here are some pictures from our Christmas program at church. Lewis was adorable up on stage!!
I was so proud of my shy guy for saying his line in front of a crowded room.
Owen was disappointed that he only got to be in a small part of the program and then had to sit with us.
Turkey Cookies
The boys made sugar cookies into turkeys while we were in Fremont at Grandma and Grandpa Harms' house for Thanksgiving. Lewis especially liked Aunt Erica and even climbed on her lap during Thanksgiving dinner.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Cute Quote
We watched Prince Caspian as a family the other night. Carter and Owen sat with Corey and I on the couch, buried under a bunch of blankets with a space heater nearby. Iowa basements are wonderful in the summer and cold in the winter! Lewis watched for about 20 minutes and then decided he had had enough of C.S. Lewis for one night. He started running around, bouncing off of furniture and trying to dive bomb our little tent of blankets. After a considerable amount of time watching this silliness, Owen said, "Dad, when Lewis grows up, he's gonna be a silly daddy like you." It was very cute!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
All I Want for Christmas...
...is my two front teeth. Yeah, right. I challenge you to find me a kid who wants teeth for Christmas. They've been falling out left and right around the Harms house, and for those of you who have read my Christmas letter, the lost tooth number is grossly inaccurate. Last night, the tooth fairy had to use a tweezers to dig some cashola out of a glass piggy bank to put under this seven-year-old's pillow.Monday, December 8, 2008
Five Fat Turkeys
The Lyrics
Five fat turkeys are we
We Slept all night in a tree
When the cook came around, we couldn't be found
And that's why we're here you see!
Owen's "Winter" Concert was tonight. The little girl next to him is the lone girl of playing age in the neighborhood. She doesn't live on our street, (I'm pretty sure there is some kind of unwritten rule against little girls living on our street) but she lives close. Afterwards he said he thought the concert was really short. He was right. At Ballard West, they have three concerts in one night, and more are scheduled for tomorrow. There's a pretty strict schedule of getting people in and out of there.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
I Think I'll Call it Christmas
The following is my current column for the local paper. I have gotten the itch to write again, and usually do a column when I feel compelled about a specific thought or topic. Anyway, I had a couple people ask to see it, so here it is.
The first flakes of the year have already fallen from the skies, and stores are filled with enough glitter, lights and music to tempt the senses of even the biggest scrooge.
This over-commercialized, material world we live in flaunts itself best this time of year. With enticing advertisements for toys and diamond jewelry. With super-sales to convince us to buy things we don’t even really want. With awe-inspiring outdoor light displays and about as many variations of artificial Christmas trees as there are flavors of Jelly Bellies. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the lights as much as anyone else. And I have twice succumbed to frantically searching for the one toy that everyone wants, but is impossible to find. But, I get so tired of the focus on the material. And I am saddened by the loss of focus on the spiritual.
To so many, Christmas is a time of buying presents, decorating the tree, eating lots of food and checking things off of a long list of parties, events and family get-togethers. Nothing is wrong with those things in and of themselves. But if that’s all there is to it, I think it’s kind of like having a big birthday bash and not inviting the guest of honor.
I’m not telling anyone they have to celebrate like my family does, but at our house, the guest of honor is not only welcomed, but revered.
As we decorate the evergreen tree, we will be reminded of the everlasting love that God has lavished on us.
When we place the star on the top, we will think about the star that led three wise men to Baby Jesus 2000 years ago.
When I get my decorations out from the basement storage room, I will set aside a manger scene for my boys to arrange on the nightstand in their room, and take that opportunity to remind them that the baby represented there is the reason we celebrate, and that he is the greatest gift of all.
My boys will excitedly try to guess what is in each of their carefully wrapped presents, but they will first choose gifts to be sent to children on the other side of the world through Operation Christmas Child.
They may get a gift or two from “Santa” and will probably watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on TV, but they will always be taught that the jolly old man is not what this holiday is all about.
And when I go the Christmas Eve church service, I will not just be singing Christmas songs; I will be worshiping my Savior. And if I see you and wish you well on December 25th, instead of saying Happy Holiday, I think I’ll call it Christmas.
The first flakes of the year have already fallen from the skies, and stores are filled with enough glitter, lights and music to tempt the senses of even the biggest scrooge.
This over-commercialized, material world we live in flaunts itself best this time of year. With enticing advertisements for toys and diamond jewelry. With super-sales to convince us to buy things we don’t even really want. With awe-inspiring outdoor light displays and about as many variations of artificial Christmas trees as there are flavors of Jelly Bellies. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the lights as much as anyone else. And I have twice succumbed to frantically searching for the one toy that everyone wants, but is impossible to find. But, I get so tired of the focus on the material. And I am saddened by the loss of focus on the spiritual.
To so many, Christmas is a time of buying presents, decorating the tree, eating lots of food and checking things off of a long list of parties, events and family get-togethers. Nothing is wrong with those things in and of themselves. But if that’s all there is to it, I think it’s kind of like having a big birthday bash and not inviting the guest of honor.
I’m not telling anyone they have to celebrate like my family does, but at our house, the guest of honor is not only welcomed, but revered.
As we decorate the evergreen tree, we will be reminded of the everlasting love that God has lavished on us.
When we place the star on the top, we will think about the star that led three wise men to Baby Jesus 2000 years ago.
When I get my decorations out from the basement storage room, I will set aside a manger scene for my boys to arrange on the nightstand in their room, and take that opportunity to remind them that the baby represented there is the reason we celebrate, and that he is the greatest gift of all.
My boys will excitedly try to guess what is in each of their carefully wrapped presents, but they will first choose gifts to be sent to children on the other side of the world through Operation Christmas Child.
They may get a gift or two from “Santa” and will probably watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on TV, but they will always be taught that the jolly old man is not what this holiday is all about.
And when I go the Christmas Eve church service, I will not just be singing Christmas songs; I will be worshiping my Savior. And if I see you and wish you well on December 25th, instead of saying Happy Holiday, I think I’ll call it Christmas.
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