Had our Christmas party with the bible study group tonight. Had a great turn-out, and a lot of fun! It went by really fast, though, and we didn't really get to any of the activities that we had planned... Oh well!! A few people stayed a little longer, and we read the Christmas story out of Matthew, which was a nice change-up from the more popular Luke reading.

After everyone left, James was still wide awake, and Josiah was in a great mood, so we went ahead and did our first Advent story and ornament, even though it was getting kinda late. I should have done it earlier in the day, but it worked out. Josiah put the "world" ornament on the tree. I have 8 out of 20 ornaments made. I have a feeling I am going to be rushing to make them right as we will be needing them! Oh well!!

We're hosting a Christmas party for some friends next Saturday, and I can't believe it is less than a week away!! AHHH!! It is going to be so fun and so beautiful. I have string lights that we are going to put up indoors, and we are making individual cornish hens for each guest, which is something that Seth has been wanting to do for years! We are doing a white elephant gift exchange, collecting items for the Jesus Center, and putting together a stocking for Norah in memory of Carrisa!

It was so warm today! It was nice to be able to open windows and doors and air the house out a little after being sick the last couple of weeks. I was also glad that the small-group kids were able to play outside this evening.

I'm getting nervous about running the silent auction at our church's women's Christmas dinner in two weeks! I've never done it before, and I hope that I am going to have enough help. I have been asking around for advice from people who have done them before, and I think it is going to be ok.

James has been healthy lately. This is the longest stretch of health that he has had in a really long time. Maybe ever. The daily antibiotic that the urologist has him on, along with the cranberry that I started giving him, are both working so far to keep the UTIs away. He has been crawling again, which I wasn't sure he would ever be able to do again. He and Josiah have been playing so well together, making up stories, going on big adventures, playing make-believe, and just being cute, and having cute conversations that this Momma loves eaves-dropping on :)