THE PETERSENS

While starting to take down our Christmas decorations today, I realized that I never took the time to blog about our Christmas here in the Petersen household.  So, let me fill you in.  We started off the month with Advent.  Over Thanksgiving, Ben and I sat down and made ornaments that symbolized parts of the “Creation to Consummation.”

Ben prepared a devotional for each day which served to point us to Christ and His birth, as well as to anticipate His Second Coming.  He really did an excellent job and I am so thankful for the passion God has given Him to disciple me and his boys.  Joshua Lee enjoyed seeing each new and different ornament and now that he is older, he is picking up more and more of what we teach him from the Bible.  God is working in his life and for this we are thankful.

We put up just a few Christmas decorations.  Space and finances didn’t allow us to purchase a Christmas tree this year, but we still managed to make our home feel “Christmas-y.”

JL and I made several crafts to go along with the holiday and he loved that.  We baked and decorated cookies with Kimberly and her girls one morning and did the same with some friends downtown.  Even without family in town, we managed to keep pretty busy.

My sister and her boyfriend were the only ones who were able to fly out and see us this year.

It was the first time meeting her boyfriend, but things went great.  We had so much fun with them and we laughed more than we can ever remember.  We played Nertz, Puerto Rico and DDR, went to Chuck E Cheese’s and Red Robin with the kiddos and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning every single day they were here.

Jonathan even gave JL a mohawk one day.

It went by way too fast.  On their last full day here, we had a big Christmas dinner.

Jonathan made the turkey and the rest of us made all kinds of sides.  We ate and ate.  They flew out Christmas morning and it was awfully sad to see them go.  Many tears were shed, especially from Jennifer and JL.  JL is so fond of his Mak Ming Jen!  We were so thankful to have even a little family around this year.  Though I know that Christmas is about Jesus Christ and His birth, it’s so heartwarming to celebrate that fact with family.

On Christmas Day evening, we hung out with the Jacksons from our church family…

…and Ravi from NCState.

We had turkey again and just fellowshipped.  It was wonderful and refreshing.  So, that was our Christmas!  My hope and prayer is that your Christmas was filled with the peace and joy that comes only from Jesus, the Savior of the world.