Sweetest Christmas Blessing

It feels like just yesterday that I was holding baby Sonya in my arms while singing worship songs at Open Door Bible Church. Then Caleb would go down for Children's Church while we'd listen to Pastor Sid preaching. Sonya was such a good baby, but as she got older, she got a little more squirrely so we started leaving her in the nursery so she could wiggle while we listened to the sermon. From there, she transitioned to Children's Church where she had a Bible lesson and time to play. She learned so much about Jesus during her time there as well as while she was in Sunday school. Her memory and recall continue to amaze me. I wish I could be more like her.

Well, fast forward a few more years and Sonya is still in Sunday school, but will soon be phasing out of Children's Church. Since she is a very active reader and has LOVED her Jesus Storybook Bible, we knew it was time for her to enjoy her very own big girl Bible. She's been wanting one for a while, but said we had to wait until Christmas or her February birthday to give her one. So, Sonya got a Bible for Christmas this year.

At first, I wasn't sure what she thought about it because we were at my parents' house and there were lots of other gifts. But... once we got home, she put it in her Bible case and opened it up to find something to read right away. She started in Matthew 1 where the verses are filled with Jesus' genealogy. Somehow, Sonya managed to pronounce all the names in the first 5 verses, but then started getting stuck so I had her skip over that part to the next verses. It was perfect because they were all about Jesus' birth and we just celebrated Christmas.

She even made us do devotions two nights in a row as she continued to read from the book of Matthew.

Today, during church, there was no Children's Church so Sonya had to sit with us. She brought her new Bible along and read most of Esther while we were there. It makes my heart melt to see her desire to know Jesus better.

Hearing and watching her read those verses has been the sweetest Christmas blessing this season.

Snowmen, Snow Angels, & Snowball Fights

On Christmas morning, the weather was perfect for playing out in the snow. It was packing snow, which is the best kind of snow for building. Our snowmen were probably about 7 feet tall. Between Tim and all the tall men in the Pauly family, they seem shorter. We had a lot of fun throwing snowballs at each other. There were a few face washes in the process and lots of laughter.