681 to 690

681. Vava picking up the crayons Sam spilled and putting them away.
682. Sam banging on the window and calling "come back" when his grandparents left.
683. Sam & Vava, sitting on separate couches, watching George. Sam gets down and asks "can I sit by you, Va?" Then he climbs up and snuggles under her blanket and asks me for toast. Ahh♥.
684. Laughter. Vava trying to climb up my legs ... me: "don't pull my pants down!" Vava: "why not?"
685. Sam in the dark, captivated by stars and more stars.
686. Friends and chocolate and chips and bananagrams.
687. Hugs and well-wishes.
688. Sam waking, scared by the fireworks; "stay, Ma?"
689. Rejoicing in hope!
690. Resting with peace.

671 to 680

671. Good advice.
672. My wise & loving mama.
673. Your strength.
674. Your mercy.
675. Your forgiveness.
676. Crispy spring rolls in hot sauce.
677. Sweet Vava hamming it up for the camera.
678. Sam vacuuming underneath the couch cushions, "oh mess!"
679. Papa Gerry doing somersaults with Sam.
680. Matante's visit.

661 to 670

661. Vava in her adorable new outfit.
662. Sam wearing size 4 today. Gak. My two-year-old is a giant.
663. Friends greeting us with crayons and a colouring sheet for Sam at church today.
664. Sam and Vava going to the same class in Sunday School together ♥.
665. Soup and friends for supper.
666. Cuddles from bright baby Sophia.
667. My lovely dish-washing mother-in-law.
668. Vava warm on this cold day in her new coat.
669. The Reason for patience.
670. The hope of seeing Your face.

651 to 660

651. Playing with the kids and their grandparents.
652. Vava trying to sing along with the music.
653. Patrick and Sam playing in the snow.
654. Snagging a nap mid-afternoon.
655. Remembering what exactly my God does with dust.
656. Knowing in whom my hope is found.
657. Letting my Comforter heal hurt.
658. Laughing at Vava's silliness.
659. Opening a gazillion presents ♥ Christmas x2!
670. Sam bringing a snowball inside and chasing me around.

641 to 650

641. Sam being Mr. McHelpington today - dishes and vacuuming, all on his own.
642. Finding an effective natural consequence for toy-grabbing ... hello peaceful afternoon!
643. Remembering that He makes beautiful things out of dust.
644. That fresh clean tidy-house feeling.
645. Sam and Vava waiting eagerly for their grandparents to arrive.
646. House full of friends, plates full of food.
647. Chrissy's birthday :D
648. Patrick rocking the party prep.
649. Finding presents I'd forgotten about for the kids.
650. Playing with my sweet kids, a nice quiet stay-in sort of day.

631 to 640

631. Waiting - an oasis of solitude and sunshine in the middle of the day.
632. Peppermint mocha.
633. The story of Esther, God's work through her - and in her.
634. Sam making up conversations between his trains.
635. Vava in a striped shirt, adorable elf.
636. Love that puts on its boots and puts the garbage at the curb. ♥
637. Sam's sleepy joke when I tucked him in. "Cold, cold." 'Oh darling, are you cold?' "No (smile); nice warm."
638. Friendly cashier at the pumps.
639. Vava playing Papa-goes-to-work, smothering me in kisses and waving goodbye.
640. Patrick making me laugh with notes on the mirror.

621 to 630

631. The kids adoring Uncle Louis long before breakfast.
632. Sam's breathless "oh wow!" when he saw his new trains and tracks.
633. Precious Vava wearing her new hat all morning ... with the mittens still attached.
634. Sam asking to go to bed during the scary part of the morning (when Patrick blew up his inflatable car).
635. Lunch with (and from) loved ones.
636. Aunt Priscilla hiding under the bed to grab Sam's toes; he squawks "no fair!"
637. Owls and stars on my tree!
638. Vava carrying around the grunty toy pig, squeezing and slapping it with glee.
639. Uncle Louis wearing my pink slippers all day.
640. Having a wonderful Christmas full of family and happiness, laughs and treats, a full table and full hearts.

611 to 620

611. That You came as a baby.
612. (Oh, of all the wonderful things: a baby!)
613. For our sweet sleepy babies.
614. And everyone, once, a baby.
615. Fresh and new like all this snow.
616. Treasured and honoured, Holy baby.
617. Wrapped and loved and worshiped.
618. Placed under a tree.
619. Shining from shadow.
620. Son of man, Son of God; a baby.

601 to 610

601. Sam greeting me with an enigmatic and adorable "moooooose gone" two mornings in a row.
602. Vava trying to show me she needed the toilet by picking up the potty seat.
603. Sam vacuuming up the sensory tray he spilled, using the wand to get every grain of rice.
604. Finishing my short story.
605. Our neighbours and their gifts and treats.
606. Presents under the tree.
607. Little neighbour asking, suspiciously, "were you guys trick-or-treating?" when she saw us coming home carrying presents.
608. Remembering it's better to give and receive love than be self-sufficient.
609. The gaps in my abilities ... handholds of blessing.
610.  Our stove working again, just in time for Christmas.

591 to 600

591. Hugs & hellos at church this morning.
592. Vava deciding to be grown up and capable all of a sudden; climbing up the stairs and announcing "pee potty."
593. Sam singing fa la la la la ... "fa wa wa wa wa."
594. Church after dark, golden and full of candlelight.
595. The song that's been playing in my heart all week? Our first hymn this morning.
596. Cozy afternoon nap.
597. Patrick putting the kids to bed while I snagged groceries.
598. More than enough redemption, grace, salvation.
599. Laughs and jalapeno soup.
600. Jesus.

581 to 590

581. Sam asking for a kiss, then saying, "thank you mama for kiss me." ♥
582. Patrick manning the kids while I sorted two closets.
583. Finding cute earrings I thought I'd lost.
584. Vava rediscovering the puppy she fell in love with during our last visit to Chapters.
585. Bright face in the window, waving gladly.
586. Warmer day: only -10!
587. Patrick assembling our armoire.
588. Freshly cleaned mattress and pillows.
589. Thick soft snow like cotton.
590. Writing to a treasured friend.

571 to 580

571. My kids yelling as the cart bumps over ice&snow and makes their voices sound funny.
572. Understanding friends.
573. Finding the song I've been looking for.
574. The zazzling effects of coffee.
575. A sweet kid who loves to share his favourite gum ♥.
576. Caroling in the snow.
577. Candles aglow in the dark.
578. Decadent chocolate truffles.
579. Vava's awe-filled wow.
580. Snagging a bunch of kisses from Sam with reverse psychology.