Christmas Recap

We had a great Christmas this year. It's so much fun to watch the kids get so excited (to the point of overload!) about all of the fun. I know that it will always be a time we cherish at our home.
We started off the celebrations in Pine Bluff with Trey's family and my extended family. My kids are social creatures and I think they really loved being around all the people. Olivia really got into opening gifts while Hulse just wanted to play with everything he opened immediately. We also made a stop in to see my grandparents and I so enjoyed getting to spend some time with them. After a LONG night we headed back to our house for Santa to come. He didn't disappoint and I guess both the babies made the nice list. We had a relaxed morning at our house and I really enjoyed letting the kids just play without having to run somewhere. We had Christmas with my parents that night and again just got to enjoy the kiddos. Sunday we finished up with merriment with a trip to Trey's grandparents. We were tired and glad to have some time off after it was all over. I was off the week after Christmas and really enjoyed keeping the kids at home and spending some much needed downtime with them.
Trey always does a great job with my gifts, but he really outdid himself this year. My hands down favorite gift was the chance to sponsor a child through Compassion International. I've been really feeling God pushing me to some kind of action involving children. I haven't felt like he's calling me to adoption or fostering, but He calls all of His children to care for one another. We have an addition to the Hankins house named Moises and I honestly can't wait to correspond with him. I would urge you to check out the Compassion site and see the work that they are doing and pray about the part God might have to play in the life of someone else. http://www.compassion.com/
This year, more than any other, I found myself thinking of Mary and Joseph and that little baby in the manger. This has been a year of great spiritual renewal for me and God has been teaching me so many lessons. He's been preparing my heart to deal with situations that have come up in a way that honors Him and reminds me that He's my constant above all else. People may fail me, but He never will. His grace was my constant companion this Christmas season and I am so grateful.