The Christmas Celebrations Begin

Berkley and Meredith, what a busy couple of weeks we have had as a family. You were in your first Christmas parade last week, it was the Williamston parade and you rode with mama and daddy on the Martin General Hospital float. You were both very patient, as we waited 30 minutes on the float before we finally started rolling. Meredith, you sat with mama and you waved at people and shouted Merry Christmas for the first half of the parade, but then suddenly you turned to me and said anxiously, "I NEED to suck my thumb." You took your mitten off, sucked that thumb and there was no more waving after that. Berkley, you sat with daddy and had a giant, bright smile on your face the whole time as you waved and shouted Christmas greetings to everyone. It was a great memory!

We attended the Jamesville Christmas parade on Saturday morning. The fire truck sirens got a little loud at times, especially for you Meredith, you have always been very sensitive to loud noises, but overall, I'd say you guys had a great time. Every car that drove by saw you two little ones in your stroller and threw you lots of candy. All of grandma's friends came over and oohed and aahed at you two. We even had the chance to go inside Papa Tee Wee's store, The Friendly Grocery. A new store owner has refurbished it and this was grandma's first time seeing it. Grandma cried and so did mama. It was great to see how beautiful that treasured store has become and we know that Papa Tee Wee would be so happy that Jamesville can enjoy it again.

Here are you and Grandma standing outside Papa Tee Wee's store this Saturday, and the picture below that is of Papa Tee Wee and Nana before they were married. They fell in love while Papa Tee Wee was working at the Friendly Grocery and Nana was working at a store across the street. The story goes that anytime Papa Tee Wee saw Nana outside sweeping the stoop of her store, he'd decide it was time to sweep outside the Friendly Grocery. This kept on until Papa Tee Wee swept Nana right off of her feet!
And then on Sunday night our family, including grandma, participated in Piney Grove's hanging of the greens ceremony. Our family was given the stars to hang on the Christmas tree. It was a night of reflection on what our decorations and ornaments truly represent; things like the evergreen tree that represent the everlasting life of Christ, the red poinsettia which reminds us of the blood of Christ, and the star that reminds us of the glorious star in the heavens that lit the way for the three wise men to worship the Christ child. It was a beautiful sight to see you two hanging ornaments with grandma and daddy as I sang "Silent Night." This Christmas is going to be very special. You two are noticing all the bright lights, decorations, and music. You know there is something special about this time of year. I hope that Daddy and I will do a good job of teaching you that Christmas is all about celebrating the greatest gift the world every received, God coming to earth as a child who would one day sacrifice himself on the cross so that those who love Him could have eternal life. Berkley and Meredith, it is so much fun celebrating this special season with you both, our two precious gifts!

Here are some pictures we took after the "Hanging of the Greens" ceremony