It's beginning to look more like Christmas...

As of the latest word, we're NOT moving after all, until February or so when our permanent house is available! So, with that in mind, the kids convinced us to get the tree out. By the time the 3rd ornament was up, Isaac had already pulled the whole tree over (thanks, Chad, for catching it just before it crushed him!). So, we got creative, and it now sits on top of our deep freezer. Rather odd vantage point, but you can actually see the ornaments better because they're at eye level! Perhaps we're starting a trend...

I almost didn't bring our ornaments, thinking they would be safer in storage and I would be so sad if we lost them all. But we all had so much fun rediscovering our favorites and recreating the memories of when we got each ornament, I was glad we did bring them after all. There was only one casualty, and it wasn't a critical loss. And bonus!!! Several of the ornaments were wrapped in American Kleenex, and you have NO idea just how soft that feels! (OK, yes, I did fold them up and put them in the closet to use on my next runny nose! The ornaments can go back in Malawian newspaper!)

The kids Christmas program was this week. Ethan was cast-typed as a...what else? An angel! He sang beautifully, and even sat still for the 2-hour production(!) Anya performed a dance with her ballet class. After I showed her this picture of her and her best friend (a Honduran-Scottish Malawian resident named Daniella!) she gave me a big hug and said, "Oh mom! I'm so beautiful!" Perhaps we don't need to work on the self-esteem part of life quite so much! But she was beautiful, and she danced so well! I can't tell you how happy I am to be able to offer the kids these little tastes of life back in the US, only with a distinct international flair!

The kids get out of school today, we'll make gingerbread houses (minus the molasses which you can't find here, so who knows how they'll taste!) over the weekend, singing of the Messiah on Tuesday, carol singing on Thursday, and a mission-wide Christmas dinner on Friday. Sounds like fun!!! We'll make it down to the lake the next week, to get the necessary annual Christmas-holiday-sunburn if we can find gas!