For the Journey


Any day spent with you is my favorite day. So today is my new favorite day. ~A.A. Milne

"You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance." ~Psalm 65:11

We spent Christmas in Georgia this year. We celebrated with Pop, Mimi, MeMama, Uncle Rob, and Aunt Kristi on December 22. Mason got so many toys . . . I don't even know where to start! Pop and Mimi gave him a beautiful toy box. It matches the furniture in his room and sure is great to have something to hide all of his toys in. Mimi had a train underneath the Christmas tree, and Mason enjoyed playing with that. He would sit there and crouch down to see the train as it went around the back of the tree.

Pop likes to watch deer hunting shows on the outdoor channel after supper. Although Mason has seen the deer on the wall at PawPaw's and at Pop's, he has never really been too fascinated with them . . . until now. He could hardly wait for Pop to find the deer channel. I've never seen anything captivate his attention like that and keep him so still for so long. Every time a deer came across the TV screen, he would get all excited, point his finger at the TV, and say, "Dee, dee!" One evening his Daddy took him for a walk through the pasture and to the woods behind Pop's house, and Mason was able to see 3 deer. Of course, he let it be known as soon as he saw them, and they took off running. Seth really hasn't been hunting the past few years. I'll bet he'll soon start spending more time in the woods since it seems we have a little hunter on our hands.

We celebrated Christmas Eve with the whole Connell family at Grandmother's house. All of our aunts, uncles, and cousins - a total of 31 this year - were there to enjoy BBQ and a lively White Elephant swap. We even had a visit from Santa Claus . . . or, as Carter (my 6 year old second cousin) so eloquently put it, "Awww, that's Scott" (my cousin). Grandmother was standing at the door awaiting his arrival, and Mason was standing with her. He actually thought he could convince her to take him outside. Anyway, Santa came up the steps, and Mason grabbed Grandmother around the legs and held on for dear life when he saw him! And then he started screaming. Grandmother picked him up and gave him to Daddy. I then tried to get him to sit with me beside Santa, but he would have none of that. He wanted to be as far away as possible from Santa. Hmmm . . . wonder if Santa will remember that next year when he passes Mason's house?