Here are a couple of shots of the kids with our tree. We enjoyed putting up our tree and honestly, it was late for us so I was chomping at the bit to get it done. As you may have read previously, we had to delay Isaac's birthday party quite a bit, so this delayed Christmas decorations. Anyway, we have a tree and have been enjoying it tremendously. We buy decorations from every place we travel so it is very sentimental putting this all together and recounting all the places we've been. This year, the most significant ornament was this past summer's ornament from our coast trip. It is almost funny the one we chose is a shell with a hole in the middle and a pearl hanging in there. I told Nick that this was very symbolic of this trip. It was NOT the perfect trip by far, but God has used this trip and I believe will continue to use the accident that happened on the trip to produce something good in us and even in our friendship with my sister and her family. (If you're totally confused look for the post from this past summer on our coast trip.) The beautiful shell with the hole symbolizes the imperfection and the pearl the beauty that God can make from the trials or broken expectations of our lives. I hope you all enjoy this process and have time to reflect on the meaning of the season and how God has blessed your lives so richly over the last year.
