A few days before Christmas we hosted a dinner for my family. Caroline and Jordan had driven from Seattle and we got a few cute pictures of the babies. I can't believe how big Noah is! This threenager is a crackup.
Chris got Richie the cutest Christmas outfit for church. Of course I took the pants off because what baby isn't happier without pants??
This year I worked Christmas Eve in the morning to late afternoon. At home we opened a few early gifts and had dinner. For dinner I wanted to start a new tradition of eating a "Shepherd's dinner" to remember what it must have been like the night Christ was born. Instead of a fancy dinner we ate what was customary for the times in Israel (or at least what I could research on the internet was customary). So we ate dates, pomegranate, cooked lentils, pistachios, bread with oil and vinegar, and instead of wine sparkling grape juice.
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On Christmas we had a nice simple morning at home. For the afternoon we went to the Hendersons for presents, a little lunch, and to Skype with the Hawaii cousins. It was precious to see Lucy and Bentley (the same age of 2) tell each other they missed each other and loved each other.
I don't have any pictures of Christmas evening. But we went to my Aunt Cathy's for dinner. My cousins from Oakland and Chicago had come home for a few weeks and it was great to see them. We had a yummy dinner and hung out and talked in regular McAvoy style.
This season Christmas was more meaningful to me than usual. Part of it was being a new parent and having a more full heart and a bigger family to love. Part of it was that I started to read Jesus the Christ by Talmage. It really opened my eyes to our Savior and His ministry and the divinity of His mission. There has been so much written about Him but this book makes it so real. And the historical context that is included makes the Savior so much more real. I highly recommend it to anyone struggling with a testimony of our Savior or if you just want a closer relationship with Him.
This year I worked Christmas Eve in the morning to late afternoon. At home we opened a few early gifts and had dinner. For dinner I wanted to start a new tradition of eating a "Shepherd's dinner" to remember what it must have been like the night Christ was born. Instead of a fancy dinner we ate what was customary for the times in Israel (or at least what I could research on the internet was customary). So we ate dates, pomegranate, cooked lentils, pistachios, bread with oil and vinegar, and instead of wine sparkling grape juice.
I don't have any pictures of Christmas evening. But we went to my Aunt Cathy's for dinner. My cousins from Oakland and Chicago had come home for a few weeks and it was great to see them. We had a yummy dinner and hung out and talked in regular McAvoy style.
This season Christmas was more meaningful to me than usual. Part of it was being a new parent and having a more full heart and a bigger family to love. Part of it was that I started to read Jesus the Christ by Talmage. It really opened my eyes to our Savior and His ministry and the divinity of His mission. There has been so much written about Him but this book makes it so real. And the historical context that is included makes the Savior so much more real. I highly recommend it to anyone struggling with a testimony of our Savior or if you just want a closer relationship with Him.
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