Santa brought her just what she asked for and some stuff she didn't even know she wanted... like new cars and some Lightnin McQueen slippers! 
And this silly face she is making singing "Mary, did you know?" after her bath on Christmas. That is some serious nostril flaring! 
This year at Christmas I found myself singing that song often. Can you imagine kissing the face of the baby Jesus? Can you imagine being given the responsibility of parenting the only son of God? The notion of that song hit me a little more squarely this year than ever before. One thing I definitely took away from this Christmas season was a deeper understanding of the humanness of Jesus. He was fully divine, equal to God the Father. Yet he was, for a time, as fully human as me. While I don't know how that was accomplished, I feel like I better understand just one of the reasons why. 
And here she is a little more than a year ago on 3/30/2010. We visited the arboretum to see all the tulips and go barefoot in the grass. Leah had been walking for about 2 months but this was the first time I remember her really taking off and running. Look at her go! :) 
Time marches on doesn't it? Time marches on. Leah marches on. And stripes are always in fashion. :) 
The joy I have at Christmas comes not just from the miraculous and unique birth of a baby born in a stable, though a more blessed story has never been told... but it comes from a more sobering moment in the life of that baby, when, as a grown man, and though He was GOD in flesh, he voluntarily took MY punishment and was put to death on a cross.
His was a sacrificial life and death that were planned from the very beginning.
Jesus was born to die.
He died to pay for my sin.
And then He conquered death once and for all.
I am more grateful than ever this Christmas for all that truly matters.
One of the greatest blessings in my entire life has been to be involved in Bible Study Fellowship. For many, many reasons. I began last year with the study of the gospel of John. This year, for the study of Isaiah, I have had the EXTRA SUPER AWESOME blessing of getting to be a children's leader in BSF. I had no idea how much God wanted to teach ME through serving in a pre-school class! I get to help a class full of 4-year-olds learn to sing hymns and hear God's truth through Bible stories. And I'm telling you, little miracles happen every single week in this children's program. God is at work in a BIG way.
One of the other children's leaders shared a new rhythmic activity with our group. She said it was a favorite of her school-aged kiddos from their BSF class. (Another cool thing about BSF... there are now classes for every single person in the family! Leah is in the new "Under 2" program that just started last spring.) Anyway, we have been doing this little chant in our 4-year-old class, but I had no idea they were teaching the littlest ones! You pat/clap to the rhythm and it goes like this: The Bible is True - - Absolutely True - - Everything the Bible Says Is Absolutely True.
After BSF yesterday we visited with Bibby, Pops and Aunt Les at the office. And Aunt Leslie got this on video...
The Truth is on her lips. And I pray it makes a way into her heart.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
