It can be done...

This week has been a very busy week. Besides being sick, Kaitlyn had her school party that brownies needed to be baked. Taylor had her class breakfast that food still needed to be coordinated by the home room mom (oh yeah, that's me), a breakfast casserole to be baked, caramel corn balls, teacher's gifts to be made and wrapped, Christmas caroling with the youth, a hair cut and highlight (a girl has to have priorities), work, a birthday party, trip home for a birthday party, packing so Kaitlyn can go to Reef's and Taylor to my sister, Jamie's house and then on to her friend Aubrey's house, a lesson to be taught, the Ward Choir's Christmas program to be sung, leadership meeting, food to be bought, Christmas presents for the young women to be created and a sweater to be found.

Needless to say almost everything happened. I didn't get to go caroling and the caramel corn balls were substituted for a bag of chocolates because, well, I'm not super woman. I can't do everything and sometimes you do have to prioritize. The birthday party still happened without us and there is always next weekend to go home. The packing was postponed indefinitely because we don't want to give the gift of strep throat for Christmas. So the girls are home with us and our weekend was a little bit different.

Friday night was pizza and a movie night. Nathan fell asleep on the couch while I cleaned out the refrigerator. I watched a late night episode of Criminal Minds and then a romantic comedy. Saturday morning we slept in and decided to take the girls to the mall to see Santa Claus. They both wrote him letters, which were absolutely adorable.



When we finally made our way to the front of the line we learned that unless we purchased pictures from "Santa's Workshop" we weren't allowed to snap any pictures with our own camera. I was a bit disappointed, but then realized that the girls could still give Santa their letters and it would be fine. I thought for sure he would be in a hurry to move on to the next child who had waited so patiently to have their picture taken, but I was wrong. Santa took his time to read both girls letters to him. He smiled and talked with both girls so kindly. I was very impressed and in an instant he reminded me what Christmas is all about.


A nice thing that came from all of our change in plans was that I was able to have my girls with me the Sunday before Christmas. This is the day that I save their Christmas dresses for and really look forward to all year long. Nathan snapped this picture of them before church. It was freezing outside so they weren't too enthusiastic.


The choir's program was so touching. My heart was full and I was once again reminded what Christmas is all about. It isn't about the parties, goodies, gifts or trips. It is about our Savior; knowing that He lives, recommitting our lives to be more like Him and loving others as He loves them! Everything else is insignificant. Everything else is the small stuff. Life happens, it happens every single day! We can't let ourselves become consumed by the things that don't really matter. We can't let our happiness be determined by the people, places and things that aren't within our control. Happiness is what we make of it. It is a choice. Thomas S. Monson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently said, "Bringing the Christmas spirit into our hearts and homes takes conscious effort and planning but can surely be accomplished." If you want to be happy bring the spirit of Christ into your heart and home. How, well, that is a question for you to answer. It is a plan that you need to make, but I promise you it can be done!