Our Christmas Tree!

This Christmas we have a Pilipino Christmas tree!  When it was first brought into the house Emma-Joy said, "That not Christmas tree!"  I have to say, compared to what I have been used to having grown-up in North America, I tended to agree with her.  The older kids and I were excited about this new Christmas tradition we would be creating.  Here are some pictures of the kids preparing the tree Daddy selected. 

 The boys prepared the tree by cutting off the tiny parts of the branches.

 Shirley helped by performing a side-show.

 She made herself antlers so she could pretend to be a reindeer.

 Once the branches were trimmed to make the tree look like the Christmas trees in Daddy's memories, the tree was stood up in a bucket of rocks and brought into the house.

Once we brought the tree into the house, it was equally as unimpressive to Emma-Joy as it had been outside.  The kids put a few things on it because they couldn't wait to decorate it.  We had to wait until we made a trip to town to buy the necessary materials for decorating the tree.  This is what the tree looked like while we waited.

Last night we were able to go to the dollar store to buy the needed supplies: cotton balls, glue, candy, and a few assorted things of Mama's addition :-).  This morning we went to work to turn our tree into a Pilipino Christmas tree.  Daddy was in charge this year since we were making the tree from his memories.

 The first step to decorating our Pilipino Christmas tree was to glue cotton balls to the tree to make it look like it's covered in snow.

 While Daddy and Matthias covered the tree in "snow" Micah, Shirley, Emma-Joy and Mama used some foam craft stickers and some string to make some ornaments (one of Mama's additions to the tree!).

 These are the ornaments we made!

 Once we finished the ornaments, the kids all pitched in to finish "snowing" the tree.

On the trees Daddy remembers the other additions were garland wrapped around the tree and wrapped candy tied to the tree.  Our wrapped candy is definitely North American being wrapped candy canes and chocolate Christmas balls.  With our foam ornaments, a few ornaments made by Shirley, and four miniature nutcrackers, our tree was nearly complete.  Daddy suspended a star from the ceiling (again a North American addition!) and we were done!  Enjoy the pictures of our beautiful Christmas tree!

Shirley made this ornament especially for our tree this year.

This Christmas is definitely a different one than we have ever had.  Some people view different as bad or sad or disappointing.  Our family has enjoyed creating new and special memories.  We are very thankful to be able to spend Christmas together!  

Emma-Joy

Thank you for praying for Emma-Joy.  Her temperature spikes at a lower and lower temperature each day and hasn't gone above 100 degrees today.  We are very thankful.  Thank you very much for praying!

Please pray for Emma-Joy

Please pray for Emma-Joy.  She woke up with a fever of 101.8 F this morning and had a croup-type cough through the night.  It wasn't really bad, just occasional through the night.  Her fever came down when I gave her Tylenol twice today and she hasn't coughed as much during the day.  Please pray that she does not have croup or that it is not a serious case if she does.  Children that have had croup are prone to having it again while in their baby/toddler/preschool ages and she has had it once before--last year.  She and I didn't go to church this morning.  We learned the hard way last winter not to push the kids too hard as we travel.  Thank you, once again, for your prayers.  Our thanks can never be enough!

Count Your Blessings?--I can't!!!

God's promise to care for us has been kept over and over again as we travel.  Today we returned to the Haven House at Harvesters Baptist Camp after an eventful 10 days of traveling to Kenora, Ontario and Winkler, Manitoba then back here.  We have been looking forward to returning but were very surprised by what we returned to!!  Up to this point there has been a very small (hotel sized) refrigerator in the Haven House.  Our friends, Michael and Jennifer have been very kind to allow us to keep food in their freezer when we have needed to.  Today when we arrived there was a beautiful stainless steel refrigerator in the house! (Borrowed from another building and so kindly moved here just for us to use!) On the table were groceries for several meals with more to come apparently.  I texted my friend Jennifer to ask who I should thank for all of these blessings.  She told me that at prayer meeting Wednesday night (at Harvesters Baptist Church) the ladies organized to collect groceries for us.  We have been so blessed!  How humbled we are by the giving of God's people!  This is the second time in the last month we have been given groceries.  We still have a few things left from the last time God's people from another church gave us groceries!  These are only a very few of the blessing we have seen from the hand of God.  He is so faithful and we are so undeserving!

Lord willing I will post a few pictures from our trip to Kenora and Winkler sometime on Monday.  Thank you for praying for our safety.  Tomorrow we will be at Mission Baptist Church in Brownsville, ON with Pastor Rempel.  Since it's only an hour away we get to sleep here!  Have a great Sunday tomorrow!