Journey to Bethlehem

Last night our family took a little trip down to the Church of the Cross in Grapevine, Texas for a special journey to Bethlehem. We've tried to attend this event since 2007, but for one reason or another it has never happened. This year I was determined to make it happen and I'm glad we did.
We arrived at 5 pm and the doors opened at 5:30. We stood in a long line out in the cold, but fortunately made it inside after about 30-45 minutes. All in all, the event was about 3 hours, which at times was difficult with young children, but well worth the effort.

Journey to Bethlehem is a live performance of the journey Joseph and Mary would have taken to Bethlehem to participate in the census and pay taxes. Each person is given a travel passport to carry with them on the journey and a Jewish family (played by members of the congregation) leads your family on a very memorable journey.

At the beginning of our journey, we were nervous that Andrew would not make it. He was terrified by the loud Roman soldier who burst into the room brandishing a sword and asking for our passports. In the silence of the room, you could hear his little tearful voice saying, "I don't like it . . . I want to leave!" The only thing keeping him in that room was the hope that he might spot a monkey on our outdoor journey. I have no idea why he was so intent on seeing a monkey, but I decided not to break his heart by telling him there would be no monkeys on this journey. There were lots of camels, donkeys, and horses, but unfortunately no monkeys for little Andrew.

The spirit was present at this event. As we walked along the dirt path, my thoughts turned to the real journey taken by Mary and Joseph many, many years ago. Having delivered 3 children of my own, I thought of the tremendous travail Mary must have experienced as she not only gave birth to her son, but also traveled many, many miles to get to Bethlehem. Laurel remarked that the path was scary, especially when the Roman soldiers would approach our group. There were also thieves along the road who tried to rob us. I had never imagined the fear they might have felt on the journey, but they must have felt some trepidation.

As we approached the walls of Bethlehem, our family searched for a place to stay. When we least expected it, we came across the manger scene where Mary and Joseph stood holding their newborn son, our Savior. It was such a peaceful experience. What touched me most was watching my children experience the moment. There was a special reverence that overcame both Laurel and Andrew and I think it is something that they will remember.

The words of the song, "Breath of Heaven," came to my mind as I walked through our journey to Bethlehem. I love the Amy Grant version of this song. The words are posted below. As our guide reminded us, each of us must take our own journey to Bethlehem where we find the Christ child and let Him into our life to help us through the ups and downs of life. Some of our journeys involve trials of sickness, sin, heartache, and loss, but the end result is glorious. We will find eternal life through our faith in the Lord as we follow and live His teachings. What a beautiful reminder this event was during this Christmas season. Here are the words to the song:

I have traveled
Many moonless nights
Cold and Weary
With a babe inside
And I wonder
What I've done
Holy Father
You have come
Chosen me now
To carry your son

I am waiting
in a silent prayer
I am frightened
by the load i bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone
Be with me now
Be with me now

Breath of Heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of Heaven

Breath of Heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me, your holiness
For your holy Breath of Heaven

Do you wonder
As you watch my face
If a wiser one, should of had my place
But I offer-all I am
For the mercy-of your plan
Help me be strong
Help me be
Help me

Here is one final picture from our evening. Even though Ryan was heavy to carry at times, his warmth helped get me through the cold evening. I particularly loved his little Santa cap that his Grandma Chris gave him.

Family Pictures 2010

Life is good because we finally got our family pictures taken over Thanksgiving weekend! I think every mom stresses about this big event each year. What should we wear, should we color coordinate, will the kids behave, will any of the pictures turn out, etc, etc? Well, we were fortunate to find a terrific photographer who was patient enough to deal with our family (namely Andrew's unwillingness to sit still and smile for the camera).

It's hard to believe that 10 years ago, our family began with the two of us above and has now grown to include our 3 beautiful children below. No matter the hassle, no matter the pain, family pictures ARE worth all of the time, trouble, and money. I keep telling myself that one day our kids will thank us for these precious memories we've been able to have captured on film. More pictures to come from this eventful family photo shoot.

Ryan is 5 Months

Dallas Arboretum - Fall Festival 2010

Life is good because Ryan is in our lives. Five months ago today, I gave birth to this little sweetheart. As you can see, Ryan is well fed and well cared for. I'm pretty certain he is the chubbiest of our kids. Last time we checked, he had almost reached 18 pounds and doesn't show any signs of discontinuing that trend. To put it all into perspective, Laurel weighed 20 pounds at the age of 2! He loves to eat and loves to be held, especially by his mommy. One of the big events of this month is his first introduction to solid food (rice cereal). Although it was messy, he was more than willing to practice his techniques during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Now anytime I pull out the baby spoon and his little bowl, this little chunk starts to squeal with such delight. I wish I got so excited about flavorless paste!

As for other developmental accomplishments, we're slowly getting him used to tummy time. Ryan would much rather be on his back side looking at a fan or smiling at anyone interested in playing with him. He seems to be pretty close to sitting up on his own, which I'm really looking forward to.

Ryan is an absolute joy to have in our family. He sleeps most of the night, he's good natured, and he just loves his family. We love him, too, and are thankful that he is such a big part of our family.

Happy Thanksgiving

Life is good, because our family had a fantastic Thanksgiving this year! Although our plans were changed at the last minute, we recovered and put together a fabulous Thanksgiving feast, Christensen style.

Per Madrian tradition, our day began with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from NYC. As a child, I have many memories of watching that parade as my parents prepped food in the kitchen. There was always something so festive and comforting about watching that parade each and every year. This year was no different.

Dale and I prepared roasted turkey with fresh herbed sausage stuffing, sweet potatoes with pecan streusel topping, rolls (I cheated and bought the Hawaiian rolls, which I will do again because they were tasty), homemade cranberry orange sauce, gravy, fresh green beans, salad greens with blackberry vinaigrette, brussel sprouts with browned butter, and homemade pumpkin pie. It was truly a feast and could have fed a large army. My freezer is full of leftovers ready to be eaten on those future lazy Sundays when I don't feel like cooking.

Here I am sitting in front of our festive table with some of the people I love most in this world (one of which is behind the camera lens). Laurel helped me set the table by writing each of our names on the name cards we purchased at Hobby Lobby. Laurel loves to be involved with anything remotely related to crafts or art.

Right in the middle of the day, our family took a much needed break to visit Tetco (our favorite gas station here in town). As you can see, the kids are holding Thanksgiving themed coloring sheets which can be redeemed for a free Icee at Tetco. I was amazed that the kids wanted an Icee, especially considering our Dallas temperatures had dropped into the 40's. Mom and dad enjoyed the trip to Tetco with our usual caffeinated mix du jour and a nice fat copy of the Dallas Morning News, which was stuffed with all of the Black Friday ads. I'm happy to report that even after salivating over several of the large plasma screen televisions that were on sale, as well as other fun toys, we maintained discipline and saved our money.

We are thankful for so many things this year, mainly our family, our health, and the many friends we have. We look forward to a beautiful Christmas season.

7 Years Ago

Seven years ago tonight I was on my way to the hospital to give birth to my first child. At the time, Dale and I lived in San Jose. I remember stopping at Safeway (off of Montague Expressway) on the way to the hospital to buy some Swedish fish and gummy bears to get me through labor. Little did I know that I would be in labor close to 20 hours and that they wouldn't even let me eat.

I remember feeling the anticipation and excitement that comes with new motherhood. I also remember the fear I felt as I was asked to go into the bathroom and change into my hospital gown. The strangest feeling came over me as I realized that there was no turning back. Oh, and the pain . . . it certainly took my breath away, but not as much as when Dr. Hill handed me Laurel for the first time. That moment will forever be embedded in my memory. Such a sweet, sacred moment when you hold your first child for the very first time. Oh, and she was beautiful with a sweet, almost pathetic cry.

Now here we are, seven years and two cities later. So much has happened over these years since Laurel joined our family. So grateful for Laurel and the strength she is in our home. She is a sweet, loving child who loves to have fun, make crafts, and play outside with her brothers. One of her greatest traits is her desire to share everything she has. If she has one piece of gum, she'll either split it in half and share with you, or she'll just give you the entire piece. And the best part about it is that she'll do it with a smile because she loves you and wants nothing more than to show you her love by sharing. Such a wonderful trait will serve her well throughout her years on earth.

Happy 4 Months!

Little Ryan turned 4 months! We are so blessed to have this little boy in our life. For starters, Ryan is the most good natured, sweet little boy. He sleeps through the night most nights. Every now and then he'll wake up around 4:30 or 5:00 because he is hungry, but I don't mind because I'm still getting a good 4-6 hour stretch of sleep. Laurel was waking up every 2-3 hours for the first 18 months of her life. It's a good thing she was my first because I don't think I would have made it if I had had other children at the time. Andrew was a little better in the sleep department, but not much.

Compared to our other two, Ryan is off the charts as far size goes. He weighs 16 lbs 13 oz (90%tile) and measures 26.75 inches (97%tile). Just for perspective, Andrew weighed 14 lbs 1 oz and measured 24 3/4 inches at 4 months. Laurel was 13 lbs 1 ounce and measured 24 3/4 ounces. No wonder I don't feel like I have a newborn anymore!

When he's not asleep, he's often smiling or laughing, babbling, and taking in everything that his brother and sister are doing. He loves to stare at ceiling fans and especially loves listening to mommy play the piano, which she doesn't get to do enough of now that she has three kids keeping her busy. Most of all, Ryan loves to be held and loved every chance he gets. We love having a cuddly, happy baby. Thanks for bringing so much love and joy into our family!

Happy 100th birthday, Great Grandma Christensen!

Today we decided to celebrate Great Grandma Christensen's birthday by going to the park and blowing bubbles. Laurel and her dad will be traveling to Salt Lake City for the big birthday party (to be held at a later date), but Andrew and I will stay in Texas. I'm afraid to fly with pre-term labor concerns, so the two of us will be celebrating by ourselves.
Andrew has really blossomed into a fun, energetic 2 1/2 year old. He loves his sister so much and enjoys playing with her every chance he gets. I cannot believe how much he has grown the past 6 months!
Here is my little girl. This has also been a tremendous year of growth for her as she's started school and gained some independence. I'm so grateful for all she does to help me out at home. She is a good friend to both her brother and myself.

As for this blog, I'm not sure how much longer I'll be doing it. I'm sure nobody is even reading it anyway, especially with how sporadic posts are. I'm also trying to adjust to my new iMac computer, which I love, but still have so much to learn. For some reason I can't delete the first picture, so I apologize for the double. I'm really looking forward to learning everything I can do with my photos - so exciting!