The season we're in.

     I should tell you about the beauty of having all four of my babies home, in my arms, reading about the first Christmas.  The PC version of the Higgins' family Christmas would talk of how amazing our parents are (they love us well no matter the mess we are in),that our kids were thrilled at the simplicity of Target $1 bin gifts or that our hearts are on all the babies not in their mamas arms.  All this is true.  The reality is that our boys' version of "Happy Birthday to Jesus" involved telling our Savior he "smells like a monkey and looks like one too" (I'm pretty sure Jesus would laugh at that), that we already donated a few of the new toys to charity and that my favorite gift was what I gave my husband: a night of 8hrs of uninterrupted sleep in a hotel across the river.  That is real life here and now.
    This Christmas season has been a lot of struggle for Ryan, myself and our Etienne.  This is nothing new.  I am so grateful that the old testament writes of the promise of Jesus' birth, when times were tough beyond my measure, that there was and IS hope for our salvation.  I have been holding onto Isaiah 35, when  "everlasting joy will be on their heads," with the promise of Christmas.
     So we don't sleep.  The greenery has seen its greener day.  Our 3rd child lives somewhere between time out land and attached to mommy's back world.  But we are here, together and it's a season of hope, joy and love.  I don't want to be Debby Downer.  I'm just being real.