Christmas is Over?

I can't believe Christmas has come and gone! It came and went so quickly this year. Since this was Mary's first Christmas, things were very different from any previous holiday. Here's a play-by-play: We opened presents with Stephen's family the Saturday before we left for Fulton last Wednesday. Mary enjoyed opening the presents, but I think she liked playing with the wrapping paper and ribbons best of all. Wednesday we packed up and drove to my family's home in Fulton, Mississippi. Mary cried for most of the drive, but Uncle Matt was in the backseat to keep her company. Matt and Mary really bonded while he was visiting; we can't wait for him to come back! That night (Christmas Eve) we put Mary to bed early (she was very tired from all that crying in the car) and then the family sat around the living room and we each read aloud a traditional Christmas story. After that, Stephen and I headed off to the guest house for some much needed sleep before Christmas Day arrived. The next morning, Mary woke up around 4:30 a.m. ready to go! Mommy and Daddy were not so chipper. However, after showers, we were able to muster up some early-morning Christmas cheer. We walked over to the "big house" (my parents' house) to find everyone still asleep (at 5 a.m. on Christmas morning! Asleep!). Stephen had his first daddy-toy-assembly job to work on while Mary and I played on the floor until some other family members woke up. However, by the time everyone else was dressed and ready to open presents, it was time for little Mary to take a nap. We put her down and then opened presents. Everyone got cute stuff, lots of homemade gifts (which are so very special), and gift cards (we're going to Chili's tonight!). Mary accumulated a little pile to open when she woke up, which was about an hour or so later.  She really enjoyed all of her gifts, especially the wrapping paper. The next day, Stephen, Mary, and I drove West to visit Stephen's grandmother and family. We had a very nice visit with "Mother" and enjoyed a delicious lunch cooked by Mother's sitter, Ethel. The next day, Saturday, was my sewing day! My mom, grandmother, and I each bought some patterns and I had some wonderful sewing lessons. After memorable times of fellowship and discipleship, I ended the day with two skirts and one jumper! Am I ready to do it on my own? Well, I can probably make another skirt without help, but certainly not the jumper. Facings and darts, oh my! This picture to the right is my brother Matt with Mary while I was sewing at my grandmother's house. Matt made them both matching headbands out of our scraps. So cute! We came home yesterday to a full mailbox and two "Sorry we missed you" notices from USPS (we're having the packages re-delivered Wednesday). I have lots to do today, including making homemade yogurt for the first time (woo-hoo!), but I wanted to jump on here quickly and give you all a glimpse into Mary's first Christmas. She had a blast, and we enjoyed making some wonderful memories!

Thanks to everyone who sent us Christmas cards; each one was special and lovely. If you're wondering why you didn't get one from the Strouds, wonder no more: we didn't send any. We hope no one is offended, but cards just didn't make the to-do list this season. 

Something strange just happened, I mean just happened. The doorbell rang. I answered the door to find a nice-looking older couple with a well-worn Bible tucked under the arm of the elderly gentleman. The man said they were visiting their neighbors and then he handed me a pamphlet with six questions pertaining to God and religion. At this point, I'm thinking, "Okay, I've made visits like this myself before, no big deal, just answer the man's questions." I didn't invite the nice couple inside (never do that unless Stephen is home), but I did answer his questions sincerely, telling him that I and my family are believers and that I was glad they were out making the rounds. Nope. That wasn't enough for the elderly couple. He opened the pamphlet, opened his Bible and read me some Psalms. Okay, I politely told him again that we believe in Jesus. He asked if I'd seen a Willowbrook commercial, and that the said commercial had some false doctrine in it. He said the commercial said that God came to earth as a baby, and that's why we celebrate Christmas. He said that was false because God can't be a baby (or something like that). Something wasn't clicking with me, I knew something was wrong here. So, I asked him what church he went to. Can you guess? Think about it... you'll get it. That's right! They're Jehovah's Witnesses. I then told the nice-but-now-persistent couple that I was a member of Whitesburg Baptist Church. He didn't look too pleased, and he asked if they could come back some time and talk about the brochure some more. What do I say?! I hate being put on the spot! I said okay. If the couple does return I'll do my best to share the love of Jesus with them. Witnessing has always been hard for me (although I know it shouldn't be, God's perfect love casts out all fear - 1 John 4:18), but I'll have the home-court advantage if we're sitting in my living room. Please pray that God would use me in this situation if the Jehovah's Witnesses return.

Well, Mary is now awake, nap #1 done. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's holiday stories as we get back into a regular routine.

Happy New Year!