WHO YOU WOULD CHOOSE? and HAPPY NEW YEAR 2020!

If you wanted to try making a rum cake from scratch with a difficult recipe you never tried before, who would you choose for your helpers?  

Well, I chose these two very special helpers.  

And guess what?  

The cake turned out perfectly, and I didn't need to sample the rum during our baking time- haha!

I thought rum cake could be come a New Year's Tradition.  

Maybe the other part of that tradition will be that the little boys and I are the bakers each year.  

How funny!

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

TAKING THE TIME TO "LISTEN"

Below is a video of what I found Jonah doing this morning after breakfast.  

One of the skills we have to have in communicating with Jonah is we constantly have to trace back to what we have been talking about.  Chances are something that Jonah heard us say caused him to think about something else, and that something else (or it may be a 2nd or 3rd leap of thought) is what he is currently trying to communicate to us.  

So at breakfast, Jonah and I were "talking" about the Grinch movie.  We finished breakfast, and I was cleaning things up.  Jonah started creating a scene in the living room by our tree.  Then I heard him singing.  When I went over to ask him what he was doing, he said something, but sadly I couldn't understand what he was saying (often our dilemma as Jonah gets more creative).  However, Jonah is getting more resourceful/determined so he proceeded to hunt down the Grinch DVD and excitedly pointed to it.  Then the light bulb went on for me.  

This is what Jonah acted out this morning:

This is the scene from the Grinch movie he was trying to recreate:

With Jonah, it always makes sense once you take the time to understand his context.  

The biggest mistakes one can make when interacting with a nonverbal person is assuming because he can't talk that he doesn't have anything to say.  From experience, we are realizing Jonah has some amazing stories to tell...if we take the time and effort to "listen".

  

WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS TO ME

As I stated in the previous post, Andrew and I shared with the kids what Christmas means to us.  

I think this song best explains it for me.  

The message of Christmas is also the message of the cross, and both show God's love for us!

I also think this skit we watched in church on Sunday is an eye-opener to make you think about the real meaning of Christmas:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

This was actually our annual cooking baking 2 nights before Christmas.  I was thinking the girls and I might not get to this tradition this year, but we found the time on Monday night!  Hmmm good!  Ben is in cookie heaven!

Yesterday the boys had to eat lunch by the piano bench "table" because the real table was already set for our candlelight Christmas Eve meal- filet mignon for the Lavey 5, minute steaks for the little Laveys.

Birthday Cake for Jesus!  The boys were soooo excited!  Andrew and I also shared with kids our favorite childhood Christmas memories and then what Christmas means to each us: see next post.

Off to church for our Candlelight Christmas Eve Service.  Great message about Jesus being the light of the world, and how we need to now be a light in the darkness.  

Christmas Eve family movie night- so fun watching the little boys watch the movie.  They know the lines and just giggled their way through the movie.

After the little boys were off to bed, we set up our surprise.  Five reindeer filled with each child's gifts.  I think I came up with a pretty good idea with this one!  Plus for mom: no wrapping needed.  We just placed the gifts in their boxes.  And we can use them again next year!  Even Stephen was impressed with my idea.  

We are ready for Christmas Morning!

Added bonus: Here are the boys coming down the steps on Christmas morning and discovering Santa's reindeer!

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS...except no snow

December 2019 Memories:

Lydia played a gangster in the school play- she was hilarious!

Visiting with Santa at our local Crisis Pregnancy Center Christmas party.  Jonah asked Santa for a tuba (his latest obsession).  Ben enjoyed lots of Christmas cookies!

 

The boys in our church's Christmas program.  

By the second song, Ben's shirt was untucked.

  

Jonah endorsed his own check!

Best Christmas present ever: My mom came home to have Christmas dinner at her house!

So thankful everybody home for Christmas!

Weather was so warm and beautiful today, we just had to take a hike.  

I think Elton John hiked with us...

Finally, this was the Christmas letter 

we sent out this year:

2019 has been quite a year…

January: My mom suffered a massive stroke.  It was a very scary and trying time. 

February: Continued healing and recovery for my mom.   This has been quite an emotional roller coaster for us all.  On a lighter note, we had quite a winter- LOTS OF SNOW!

March:  Andrew and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary.  Surprising because we are so young, right?

April: We hosted a German exchange student for 2 weeks, and we had so much fun.  Impressively, she survived living with our crazy family!

May: Jonah had surgery to remove his thyroid because medication was not controlling his Grave's disease. 

June: Ben celebrated his 9th birthday!  My mom moved from the rehab facility to a nursing home.  She has made an amazing recovery considering the severity of her stroke.  We are so proud of her and my dad's hard work and dedication to each other.  What a lesson in what love can do!

July: Andrew and the three older kids went on a mission trip with our church.  This was something we always wanted to do as a family.  The trip was a very meaningful experience for all.

August:  We had a fun summer with lots of swimming and visiting parks for the boys!

September: Jonah celebrated his 9th birthday.  Abigail started her last year of college, Stephen is  in his 2nd year of college, Lydia started her junior year of high school, and the boys started 3rd grade.

October: Most unusual, there was a snow storm on Halloween!  This made trick or treating interesting.

November: Again unusually snowy cold days in early November.  Does this mean a loong cold winter in store for us?

December: As we reflect on this past year, 2019 has been a challenging year for many reasons.  However, we are so grateful for all the Lord has helped and guided us through this most interesting year.  It has been a time  of realizing the importance of faith, hope and love in our lives: 

                   Faith: 1 Corinthians 2:5 That your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the                                                                         power of God.

                   Hope: Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so                                                                that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

                   Love: 1 John 4:16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God                                                             is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

 

God's Blessings to you this Christmas and in the New Year!

Love, Andrew and Mary, Abigail, Stephen, Lydia, Ben, and Jonah

HAVE A GOOD CHRISTMAS LAUGH!