December 12th

I didn't title my blog today beyond the date because I wanted to blog about what a great job our Bethel Children's Choir did today, and it made me think about Madelyn's first Christmas. Let me tell you how my mind went there...

This morning our Children's Choir sang 2 songs. They were both Children's Christmas classics, Come on Ring Those Bells, and Happy Birthday Jesus. My partner in crime (Children's Choir co-director, Renee Breiholz) and I did something that most would view as a little partial...we chose our daughters to sing solos today. Don't worry, we let everyone try out, and gave out a couple of solos last month to deserving choir members, but from the beginning it was clear that Madelyn and Maylee were the best fit for Happy Birthday Jesus. They, and the rest of the choir did a really wonderful job.

I watched Maddie singing today, and I couldn't help think about how BIG she is. She turned 9 just a couple of months ago, and for some reason it just seems all of the sudden that she is so OLD. It made me think about her first Christmas. She was about 2 1/2 months old, and we went to Oklahoma City to celebrate with my parents that year. My brother Jason came with his family, and Josh was there too. It was a great year. My Dad dedicated Madelyn in their church. I remember the distinct feeling of change that year as I went from being a daughter, to more than that...a mommy. Jason and I had so much fun picking out presents for her, to which she was totally oblivious - but it was fun for us nontheless.

8 Christmases have gone by since then, and every year they have been more exciting as we have added to our family, and as the kids get older they really get into the spirit of Christmas. Today was a good reminder of a really great year.