Christmas was another blessing!

Our Christmas started out earlier this year with Mike's family getting together last weekend.  It was nice because the weather seemed like Christmas with a few flurries dancing in the air!  It also opened up our Christmas weekend a bit more. 

 

I cooked up some seafood and specialties for an early dinner on Saturday.  Then we decided to attend our first Christmas Eve service as a family!  We went to Keystone Church and enjoyed the singing and service!  I love Christmas music and so singing and worshiping Jesus and celebrating His birth was refreshing!  The best highlight of the service was when they passed out glow sticks and we sang holding the glowing sticks in our hands!  We came home and jumped into our PJ's for a relaxing night at home!!! 

 

The kids opened up their Christmas stocking gifts before we went to the church service and so when we got home, they opened their bigger gifts!  Hadassah got to shop online for her first real pair of volleyball shoes!  Matthew opened up a new hoover board and has been buzzing around the house with it ever since.  Ashlyn received some books and play dough.  Austin got a new bat and ball and a Nerf gun.  Mike was so excited to give my present.  I didn't have a clue what he got for me but he had strike orders to not go into the small garage!  He wheeled in for an old antique bicycle.  It works and is classy!  :)))  I'll have a hard time trying to keep up with him though on a bike!  He opened his gift and I was excited to see him like it!  He requested the whole series of Andy Griffith shows!  We've been watching episode after episode ever since!  :)

 

Because of families wanting to have their own Christmas Eve's with their children, Mike's parents started going to each of their children's homes on Christmas Eve.  They just drop in, stay a little while and then go to the next child's home.  It's getting a little harder with Ben's living out of the county and they can't hardly make all their rounds in one evening.  They did drop in at our house though!  We sat and chatted and ate some snacks and they watched Matthew buzz around on his hoover board.  It was so relaxing to sit, watch the fireplace and listen to the children play! 

 

I have to say that it feels so good to be moved and settled in this year instead of last year just moving right before Christmas!  (Don't you just love it when you tell the kids to go dress up for our dinner and Ashlyn comes out with orange shorts!  I chose to make no fuss.  We had a great time in shorts and Christmas attire!  :))) )

(Then I noticed I still had my cooking apron on.  So much for nice attire.)

Our boys love to play ball!!!

A new adventure Bible and shirt!

I figured a new hat would be nice for Hadassah since she needs to wear hats at the donut shop!

Norman Rockwell coffee mugs ...

He is so pumped for this!

"This is the best Christmas gift ever!!!"

Always happy to have new Shopkins!!!

This little guy loves guns!!!

 

We stayed up late and had a great time as a family!  The next morning, was Christmas day!  We slept in and ate a late breakfast.  We got the house cleaned up from the night before and packed for the cabin!!!  My family spent the next four days at the cabin!!!  Austin slept the whole ride there!  Ashlyn, on the other hand, asked about a dozen times, "Are we there yet?"  "Soon?"  "How about now?"  She hates the three hour drive but loves the cabin life!

 

We arrived at the cabin late afternoon.  The rest of my siblings and their family arrived before supper!  Mom and Dad cooked up a bunch of seafood and Jody made her famous pizza for the non seafood eaters.  The food was amazing! 

 

Mom and Dad went out to the woods and cut down a fresh Christmas tree and had it in the cabin living room when we all arrived.  They had lights, ribbon and tons of ornaments ready for the children to put on the tree.  The kids loved this!!!  We sang songs while they decorated.  Then soon dad was starting "God is great and God is good!"  Now, we like that song but really?  What ever happened to Christmas carols?  :)))  We ended up laughing instead of singing! 

 

Our original plans were to open up gifts Monday afternoon but after supper we were all gathered and we decided to open gifts then!  Why wait?  The kids were super excited and even though it was a noisy clatter for awhile, we were blessed with more gifts! 

Dad would get the ornaments ready and the kids would put them on the tree!  :)))

And here they are!  Grand kids with the BIG kids!  :)))  Seriously Dad!!!!

Dad's needed a new grill for the cabin!

Mom was pleased with a plaque of Daudy D's favorite saying painted on it!

Austin got some farm animals with a run in shed!

She wanted a small shelf or hooks for her jewelry!  Perfect!!!

There was a bit of snow here and there.  These girls got all bundled up and played in the tee pee and woods!

Mom even put a small train around the tree!!!

Austin and Colson ... so cute!!!  Love their stage!!!

Tons of ornaments.

Boys and their toys!!!  John Micheal used the chain saw to carve a long seat out of a huge tree trunk!  It turned out really nice!!! 

Marble Chase.  It's the new game for our family!!!  We played game after game after game of this!!!  You can play with eight people and we laughed to tears at some moves and mistakes!  It was way past midnight till we got to bed most nights because of this game!

We stayed at the cabin until Wednesday!  Thank you Mom and Dad for hosting us again and for the lovely gifts and yummy foods!!!  This was a fun Christmas for our entire family!!!

Merry Christmas!

 

Merry Christmas!!!

 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,

that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16

 

The Christmas music is playing.  The lights are strung on the Christmas tree.  Candles are glowing on the dining room table.  The story of Jesus’ birth is being retold at our church’s live nativity, in our homes and in our schools.  For truly that is the reason for all this celebration!  There is no other holiday throughout the entire year that is more fun, more divine, more prepared for, more enjoyed … than Christmas!!! 

 

Reflecting on the Christmas story that happened so long ago still brings hope and joy to our world!  Two young people were traveling from their home in Galilee all the way to their home town called Bethlehem to pay taxes.  It was a decree sent out by Caesar Augustus.  (Luke 2:1)  The only way Joseph and Mary could make sense of the timing was knowing that it was prophesied that a baby would be born in the town of David and that God was with them!  Mary was great with child and Joseph tried to comfort her as they went from one small town inn to another just trying to get a room and let Mary rest.  She was in intense pain, thinking maybe labor pains have begun, and they really needed to get somewhere warm and dry!  The whole town was packed to the limits because many others were there to pay taxes too.  Joseph tried everything he knew he do, until finally, he asked for just a small room in a stable!  Somewhere!!!!???!!!  Anywhere!  It would be better than laboring and giving birth along the town streets!  Fresh straw was layed and Mary was finally able to breathe through her contractions without balancing herself on the donkeys back.  It felt so good to finally lie down and even though she didn’t stay in one position for very long, her labor pains were getting worse.  Maybe tonight she would give birth to their son?  An angel appeared to both her and Joseph back in Galilee months ago and told them that they would give birth to a baby boy and they were to name him Jesus.  (Matthew 1:18)  She hoped that would all happen tonight!  Joseph hoped so too.  Throughout all the commotion and travels and hard labor pains and trying to stay warm and out of the cold wind, Mary did give birth to a baby boy!  Just like the angel said!  Even though the stars were out bright, the animals in the stables ate their food, and tired travelers were sleeping nearby, this was no ordinary night for Joseph and Mary!!!   They were so grateful to have somewhere off the streets to be on this night of delivery.  They were now holding and tending to their baby son!  The son promised by the angel.  Their son named Jesus!

 

It wasn’t long before shepherds came barging into the stable!  They could barely talk because they were so excited to see this baby that another band of angels proclaimed was born tonight!  (Luke 2:8)  It must have been grand seeing all those glowing angles in the night sky while those shepherds listened intensely at every word the angels sang.  This was the first time ever that the shepherds saw something like this and after the heavenly host disappeared back into the dark night, they ran off to see this baby the angels talked about!  After searching and looking through the town, it was an honor and miracle to see this special baby boy lying in a manger!  Wise men were on the lookout too!  (Matthew 2:1)  They did tons of studies about this amazing star they spied on high.  They decided to go search it out and see what it must mean.  The star took them to Bethlehem.  It rested a roof top.  They have followed a bright star in the sky all the way to the boy Jesus.  The wise men have been searching for so long and maybe now they would be able to present their gifts to this King!  Their hearts must have felt overflowing as they finally gazed at the tender face of Jesus.  Presenting expensive spices now made their many miles of dessert travels and hot sand so worth it!  It was by far their best part of their faraway travels! 

 

I never get tired of this amazing story!  You can read the entire story with many more details in Matthew 1 & Luke 2!  Jesus came to earth to save sinners from eternal damnation!  Believing in Him will promise you an eternal home in heaven!!!  Jesus was born on earth to die for my sins.  For yours.  For the whole wide world!!!  This was God’s plan to save His most beloved creation of all, mankind.  With the holidays among us, please don’t forget to take a look at your heart.  Be thankful that God sent his son to be born for you and me!  Thank Jesus for dying on the cross.  Take time to reflect on all your blessings.  Jesus longs for the whole world to hear about salvation and turn their hearts to Him.  He will heal your broken heart.  He will restore you.  Rejoice in the birth of Christ!!!                       

Now, for some updates on our family:

 

Mike – He is still working hard at Lapp Structures.  His employees and office team make it a pleasant place to work!  Thank you!  At the very beginning of the year, Mike was busy finishing up our house project!  He did a wonderful job at making us a beautiful home!  Mike loves to golf and was privileged to go on some fun golf outings again this year.  Biking to The Haft with a group of friends was an accomplishment!  He helped coach Matthew’s little league team in the summer!  Being a dad fills up any spare time Mike has!  He bumped so many volleyball’s with Hadassah, pitched a ton of balls to Matthew to hit, pushed Ashlyn high on the swing and gave daily moped rides to Austin!  We are very grateful that Mike regained his health in July after being diagnosed with Lyme’s.  God has been good to us and has healed Mike’s body! 

 

Lori – I’m living out my dream.  We have four beautiful children and my life is so busy trying to juggle the teenager that wants to hang out all the time with friends while tending to baby who still needs naps and doesn’t want to be confined to his car seat for any long amounts of time!  I became the official soccer mom as we went from soccer games to volleyball games and practices and now heading for the basketball courts!!!  It makes for a full schedule but we are so blessed to have a thriving Christian school that wants the best for our children and offers us great sports!  This is an incentive and adds so much to our lives.  Thank you!!!  This year has been a huge, very busy year for our family.  Last year this time we moved into our new home.  And since then so much work has been done!  Porches were concreted, grass seeded, landscaping done, the driveway was paved and a basketball net is now in place!  J  We enjoyed the warm summer afternoons at the pool!  Late this summer, we were grieved at the passing of Daudy D..  My grandfather was a man I knew my whole life and I got to live next door to my grandparents all my childhood years!  Daudy D. went to be with his Jesus that he loved with all his being!  We miss him so much but rejoice knowing that he is in heaven having the best Christmas celebration with Jesus we could ever imagine this year!!!  Looking ahead, Mike and I are excited to be celebrating our 16^th anniversary in January and love each other so much!!!  Our marriage is a gift from God and I am so blessed to have Michael as my loving husband!  If you would like to follow our family events throughout the year, you can visit us at:  reallife-lori.blogspot.com.

 

Hadassah - She is a freshman at Linville Hill Christian High School.  She really enjoyed the volleyball season she just went through and is now excited about basketball.  Hadassah made a public stand for Jesus this summer at her baptism service.  She loves to hang out with friends and have a good time!  Her popular statement is, “So, what are going to do tonight?”  Or, “Who can we have over this weekend?”  She shows great diligence with her school studies.  Her internship at Darla’s Hair Care & Spa is being a good experience.  In August, she started a job at Beiler’s Donut Shop.  If you are looking for a fun, tasty treat, she would love to sell you the best donuts you have ever tasted!!!  Come visit her!  Having a teenager in the house is interesting.  It takes her a bit more time getting ready to go somewhere J but we are so proud of how she cares about people’s hearts and the priority of living her life for Jesus!    

 

Matthew – Going into sixth grade at Linville Hill Christian School and starting middle school has been a good experience for Matthew!!!  He enjoys school and has good friends.  He played hard this spring at his little league games and the Tigers finished in first place!!!  Mike was privileged to help coach and lead the team to victory!  Matthew was also diagnosed with Lyme’s this summer but after a few weeks of meds, he has made a full recovery!  Again, we are so blessed and give God the glory for restoring us to good health!!!  Matthew has become a good chess player, thanks to schools electives, and ran hard playing on Linville’s soccer team.  His dream came true when a trampoline entered the back yard this summer!  Matthew is a great friend to Austin.  They love to wrestle on the floor together and “play ball” on the living room floor.      

 

Ashlyn – Our little girl is growing up so fast and is now in Kindergarten at Linville.  She loves to play with Austin and they are becoming the best of playmates.  Ashlyn loves to garden and she was the one that helped me pick the vegetables this summer.  She learned how to ride her bike without training wheels!  Her favorite snack is still cucumbers and black olives!  Ashlyn is often found lately with a pencil and paper and writing letters.  School is bringing a new level of intelligence to her!  Thank you, Miss Peterson!!!  She is super excited about the Christmas season! 

 

Austin – Blonde hair.  Blue eyes.  Austin entered the toddler world and is so much fun at this stage in life!  He is starting to talk!  He loves, loves his daddy!  Animal books is something we look at daily!  He still likes his nuk and blanket.  His favorite food is pretzels but he loves cucumbers and black olives too.  J Every night when his daddy comes home from work, he begs to go outside.  This summer Mike gave him moped rides daily.  Austin absolutely loved this!!!  Austin adores Matthew and loves to follow him around the house.  Even though the toddler years have their challenges, Austin is adorable and we could not imagine life without him!!!

 

We are super excited about this Christmas season and really do want to celebrate the birth of Christ!  Too often we find ourselves running one hundred miles an hour and if we are not careful, we miss the whole reason for Christmas!!!  Yes, we’ve got cookies to bake yet, gifts to wrap, and parties to attend but we are blessed beyond measure to have good health, great family and friends!  Let’s never forget our blessings and always reflect on the goodness of God!

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

 

~ The Lapp Family    

 

Some Christmas meanings.

I can't help but think ... why did I not study on some of these subjects in school when we needed to come up with topics???  I find it so interesting and I have always been the kid that asked, "Why do we do this?  Or that?"

So, because of my little devotional book I'm reading through this holiday season, it got me thinking!  I started researching things like "why do we have Christmas trees?  Or why the lights?  Gifts?

Now the gifts tradition is rather obvious to the Christians because it was Jesus that gifted His life for all mankind.  It was a gift!  For everyone.  Also, bringing it right into the nativity was an awesome display from the Wise men that gave their gifts to the baby Jesus when they found him and worshiped him!!!  I've often asked myself why the three special gifts were recorded?  Did the myrrh, frankincense and gold have a significance in the life of this special baby?  Or was that the poplar gift given to a king?  For, wasn't the reason for all their travels to find this new King?  All the way from the east?

I did some research and found on christiantoday.com some very interesting facts!  In Matthew 2:1 it reads, "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem."  I read that "from the East" could mean from different countries.  This struck some interesting thoughts inside of my head.  These men, wherever they were all from, really meant to seek out this baby! 

Where these men called Magi or Wise men or Kings?  Magi means that they were men that interpreters omens and were astrologers.  Again in Matthew 2:2 it reads, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."  They have noticed a special star and knew there must be a meaning to all of this!  They set out to find out for themselves!  In my studies, it took me to Daniel 1:20.  "And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm."  This was common for kings to have wise men or magi.  The king in Daniel 2:5 said, "The king answered and said to the Chaldean's, "My decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap."  "The king answered Daniel, and said, "Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.  Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon."  Daniel 2:48  Joseph interrupted dreams also. 

The word "wise men" means "learned men among the Persians".  Solomon was the wisest man ever to live and in 1 Kings 10, and "when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cup bearers, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit in her.  Then she said to the king: "It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and you wisdom.  However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half was not told me.  Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard."  Then in verse 10 "she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great quantity, and precious stones."  Giving all these precious gifts were fit for a wise man! 

Or were the 'wise men' really kings?  We sing about "We three kings".  We picture them as wearing crowns with big robes!  In Psalms 72 it reads this, "The kings of Tarshish and of the isles will bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts.  Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; all nations shall serve Him.  For He will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also, and him who has no helper.  He will spare the poor and needy, and save the world of the needy.  He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; and precious shall be their blood in His sight.  And He shall live; and the gold of Sheba will be given to Him; Prayer also will be made for Him continually, and daily He shall be praised."  Matthew 2:11 says, "And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him.  And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him:  gold, frankincense, and myrrh."  Here these kings brought to this new baby King, gifts.  I find it so interesting looking at Isaiah 39.  "And Hezekiah was pleased with them, and showed them the house of his treasures-the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment, and all his armory-all that was found among his treasures."  It says in verse 6 that all this will be carried to Babylon.  So then in Daniel 5:2 says, "Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them."  So then, the wise men or magi or kings ... at Christmas they brought back the treasures to Jerusalem!!!  These men may have been the first to bow down and worship the Lord Jesus at a king!!!

So maybe today we don't really have presents of gold or frankincense but we give gifts just like they did to Jesus!!!  This Christmas, take time to remember why we do this!  Remember that Jesus is the greatest gift of all!!!  He offers eternal life!

Only 2 more days till Christmas!

Christmas is coming to town!!!  Only two more days are left till Christmas!