The rest our week in Arizona...
We took Lucas to the Living Nativity at Shepherd of the Valley. This show has a very special place in my heart. It is such a beautiful depiction of the advent journey and the true meaning of Christmas. I used to perform in the production, so I know the program by heart. This year, however, I saw it with fresh eyes and couldn't help but get a little teary eyed as I watched my sweet child gaze, wide eyed, at the unfolding story. Though his interest primarily rested on the bright shiny star over the manger, his wonderment let me glimpse into the future - reading the holy story from the gospel of Luke before bed on Christmas Eve as we did growing up, seeing him toddle around as a miniature shepherd or angel in the church production, explaining the nativity as we put it up each year, singing Christmas hymns, lighting the advent candles. There is so much beauty in this season that I can't wait to share with him!
Lucas was sleeping and missed out on saying hello to our good friends Bart and Becky, but got a couple of waking visits from both Dani and Aubrey. I just love watching my friends snuggle him and, of course, it's wonderful to catch up in person. Brianne and I were in the same state for about 48 hours but missed each other with amazing efficiency both days! Dan went golfing with friends a couple of days, but otherwise we were booked solid with family events. That's the hard part about trips home - the agenda is always jam packed! There were so many people we would have loved to have seen or spent more time with!
Mom and dad hosted a dinner and open house our last night to assist with gathering everyone in one place to visit and see the baby before we left. It was great to see aunts, uncles, cousins, my grandpa, and family friends! I think it was difficult for both sets of grandparents to share Lucas with such a crowd! It certainly was a packed and NOISY house, but Lucas had a blast and loved watching the kids that were there play!
Friday morning, we left on the first flight of the day. The trip home was Lucas' sixth flight and he hasn't embarrassed us yet! Of course, it's a bit more challenging now since he really REALLY wants to touch everything in the germ infested airplane. It takes a lot more energy to try and keep his little hands busy with things I can guarantee haven't been sneezed on all month.
In the last hour of the flight, we went through several toys of the blinking, rattling and squishy variety before handing him a magazine and a bag of peanuts, which kept him occupied until we landed.
Our trips to Arizona are always a whirlwind and the holiday's events made for an even tighter schedule, but we enjoyed every second of time with our family and friends and all three of us were absolutely spoiled by both sets of parents! Though it was hard to say goodbye, I can declare with certainty that it was a good thing we were only there a week. There were far too many yummy dinners and Christmas treats!
Comments