All the Posts I Didn't Write in December...

The photo the would've headed up our

official Christmas post...if I'd written one.

The post about Lydi's first time

decorating a Christmas tree...she loved it!

The post about good friends

and crazy parents that plan

dance-birthday-parties for two-and-three-year-olds...

The post about how we remembered

Selah on her birthday.

The post about the kiddos'

Christmas program at their school...

The post about how Gramma and Grampa

surprise-showed-up for the Christmas program

and then Gramma stayed for several days

so she could make gingerbread houses and

we could go on a date for our 15th Anniversary!!!

The post about our once-a-month-Friday-potluck-crew

that has met for years...

and how we are so thankful for those friendships.

The post about our annual-couch-Christmas-photo-with-special-friends

and how much of God's goodness and grace

can be contained in just one photo.

The post about uncles and aunts and grandparents and great-grandparents

all coming together to celebrate Christ's birth.

The post about another visit to our

all-time-favorite-pet-store...

The post about just hanging around and being together

and how thankful we are for all of our family!

The post about Christmas Eve service...

and candlelight and kids on stage and Chinese Food traditions

and the hope God offers through Jesus' birth.

The post about Christmas morning...

new baby dolls, brothers-who-are-buddies,

cooking with Gramma, four generations,

and cousins we love!

All of those posts I didn't write in December...

Because it was just too important not to miss

the moments of

real life with this crew!

But, before we actually hit 2012

just wanted to wish you all a

very-late-but-heartfelt

Merry Christmas!!!

With Love,

From all the  Chuppies

(our gift to you is the previous post...Christmas Ants Gone Wild)

If you enjoyed visiting with

The Chuppies...

Please consider connecting with us

through Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest

or by email.

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Ants Gone Wild !!!

Thanks Uncle Micah...
Best early Christmas gift ever--
(next time I will follow the directions)

Questions That Can Divide (Sharing Today Over At the Better Mom)

~ Santa as part of Christmas... or not?
~ Public school, private school, homeschool... or unschool?
~ Church on Saturday nights... or Sunday mornings?
~ Scheduled feedings... or feeding on demand?
~ Contemporary music... or hymns-well-loved?
~ Organic-everything... or that's-not-a-priority?
~ Children in sports... or less structured commitments?
~Skirts-for-modesty... or pants-are-just-fine?

Please join me over at The Better Mom where I'm sharing about the answers...

*Sharing with thanks at Finding Heaven, Women Living Well,

We are THAT Family, Far Above Rubies, and Raising Homemakers.

Today She Would've Been Four

That's what I woke up thinking this morning--
As the alarm-buzz jolted me to reality.
Those first years after she died, this day was so heavy,
Such a looming blanket of darkness...
That seemed to smother joy.

And I'm thinking of two in particular, as I write--
Who will face this Christmas in that new pain,
That fresh sting...
An empty hole where fullness once filled
A mama's heart.

Yesterday was a strange day.
We awoke to both cars rifled through.
Nothing of value taken, but--
A Matthew 6 reminder...
Where thieves break in and steal.

A reminder from Him of forever.
And the assurance of eternal safety-security-protection...
Where treasures are stored up in Heaven.
And our treasured Selah is already there--
In Forever.

And on this day, that would've been her fourth birthday...
I thank Him for the time to
Pause and Value--
As her name suggests...
~ Selah ~

I thank Him for the little gifts that remind--
Her song played yesterday in church.
The sweet messages from friends and family...
Careful, tender fingerprints,
Of His love.

And I thank Him for the promise of Heaven...
That Selah's life
And death,
Help me live holding tightly to the light of forever--
The hope of Heaven.

Because today she is four.
Not would've, but,
Is--
With Him, in Heaven,
Where every tear is wiped away and death shall be no more.

And tonight
We will remember...
Selah's life.  The gift she was.
And her ongoing life,
With Him.

We will thank Him for Heaven.
For a joy that can't be stolen.
For the tear-stained river
That leads to a pool of
Hope.

And we'll remember Selah Noelle.
Selah-- to pause and value
Noelle-- Christmas.
The birth of Christ,
In this pause before Forever.

Living in light of eternity doesn't remove my pain,

but it allows me to have hope in my moments of pain.

~Paul David Tripp

Finding God's Will In--

Decisions...

 

Read God's Word.

Pray for wisdom.

Ask trusted confidants.

Weigh out the costs.

Reason through the details.
Look for inner peace.
Seek His glory.

And then...

"...try shaking a few door handles

to see which ones are locked

and which ones He has opened...”

*Photo source

If You Aren't a Scrapbooker, but You Love Memories...

I've always been a bit overwhelmed by scrapbooking...
But I love memories.

Looking back through the years makes me so thankful.
I just wanted to share one idea that has felt reasonable to keep up on--

Our Christmas Memory Books

Over the years, we've managed to collect together photos

and sometimes a Christmas letter for each year of our married life.

It has been an easy and simple way to record our family memories.

And each Christmas it is so much fun to look back...

and remember.

Christmas is especially special to us...

We met in December 1994.

We were engaged in December 1995.

And we were married in December 1996.

Our first Christmas times together...

First apartment...

First tree...

Jason's first job out of college...

Our Christmas in Hawaii at a family reunion...

First snow in our first house...

My first year teaching high school...

First Home Bible Study...

Our dog Molly...

Laura joined us...

And the next Christmas we were expecting Colson...

By shrinking down our letters on a printer,

we were able to include our full Christmas letter each year...

(if I actually got around to writing one).

Cavan joined us...

Selah was born

and our puppy Penny joined the family...

Lots of snow in 2008...

And the heartache of losing Selah...

Lydia joined us...

Christmas in Bend...

Just a simple way to look back through the years...

and to remember God's faithfulness.

For me, the best kinds of traditions

are the ones that actually happen,

and a once-a-year-memory-book has been manageable.

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Kara (and crew)

*Sharing with thanks at Women Living Well, We are THAT Family,
Far Above Rubies, and Raising Homemakers.