Tis' The Season

Whew! Life certainly got busy the last two weeks. Things seem to fly this time of year! I'm finally able to sit for a few minutes to update.

The Power Pump Girls are doing GREAT! Kacey settled in nicely with the extra button pushing steps on the Animas pump compared to the Cozmo pump. She is LOVING that remote feature and when you ask her if she misses Goober, she quickly says "Nope!". Could I ask for a better transition? Nope! I am pleased we made the switch for her but I can honestly say...those 2am checks take a little longer since there are a few more steps involved. And what do I miss most? THE ALERTS! The alert for lows....the alert for highs...the alert for site changes. *sigh* But I guess if I had to give those up in exchange for the remote and a very happy baby girl...then I am happy that we did it.

We finally got all the Christmas decorations up inside. That is such a chore! But now my house feels so cozy and ready for the holidays. We still can't get the outside done yet because the ground is too wet. Guess thats the price we pay for living in a flood zone!

Each year around this time, we choose an angel from the Angel Tree. We've done this since the girls were little. We choose one for each girl, as close to their age as we can. This year, the girls decided to change the plans a bit.

They chose to be a Santa to a Senior living in a nursing home/assisted living center. As they made their way around the tree to choose the person they would be buying for, I listened to their coments.

"Wow! This lady is 80."

"Do you think they will know us?"

"Do they have family to bring them presents?"

"I wonder if we can visit them?"

And then....Mabel. Who is she? What kind of life did she lead? None of that mattered to Kacey. All she saw was "Diabetic candy and white socks". Yep...there was an instant connection! I felt like my heart grew 10 times it's size and I felt my eyes well up with tears. Kacey immediately grabbed this ornament off the tree! "I want her Mommy!"..."She has diabetes too!"..."She needs good socks for her feet!"..."I wonder if she has diabetes all her life?" She was spouting stuff and jumping around with excitement like she'd just won the lottery. She didn't care that this lady was in a nursing home. She didn't care that she was 80 years old. She didn't see the simple things she needed for Christmas...things that tugged at my heart strings. She only saw the connection she had with her.

Kayleigh chose Olivia. She wanted some of the same things that Mabel did. It didn't matter that she was 80 years old. Kayleigh just wanted someone to buy for this year. 

As the days passed, we purchased what these ladies needed. But the girls kept asking questions like, "Can we go visit them?"..."Can we take them presents in person?"..."I wonder if they can talk?"..."Do you think they have family that comes to visit them?" Some of the conversations really choked me. It's easy to explain the Angel Tree to the girls. It's for kids less fortunate. But how do you explain the Santa to a Senior? Especially when they ask some of those difficult questions. My girls felt this heart tug and wanted to deliver these presents in person. How do I tell them "No"? I knew we couldn't visit them...or could we? The whole process is supposed to be anonymous anyway. So I sat them both down and explained that their hearts are in the right place and if they wanted to write cards out for them both then we could put it inside the bag so they knew a child shopped for them this year. I didn't dare tell them that the card would probably be trashed when the gifts were picked up for wrapping. They were both so excited to write to these ladies and once again my heart exploded with love.

I've done my best to raise my kids on the straightest path, despite the crooked world around them. I've worked hard to instill morals and values in them ....and encouraged them to stand strong when everyone else around them is tempted. It's hard...very hard...but no one said parenting would be easy. I've been open and honest with both of them and I think that is the key to it all. We talk about things, we pray about things and they're slowly but surely beginning to see how God is working through them. And that is how I was able to explain it all in a nutshell.....God put you in front of that tree. You don't know this older lady but God does. God knows her needs and He chose you to help Him with it. It doesn't matter what age she is...a senior from the tree or a child from the angel tree...the bottom line is you took the time to help someone in need....and for that, you will be blessed. God blesses those who listen to Him and are good and faithful servants. You don't have to be personally connected to the person to help them.

How did they respond? With smiles and tears in their eyes! They knew they'd done something good this year and it was a GREAT feeling! As a matter a fact...I asked them both when we got to the store to deliver the bags..."How does your heart feel?"
Kacey: "It feels better than Christmas morning!"
Kayleigh: "Its an amazing feeling to help someone, Mom!"

Mission accomplished! We did what we were set out to do!

During the holiday season, I urge you to help someone in need. Pick an angel off that tree and buy for a less fortunate child. Make a meal for a struggling family so they don't have to cook. Send a card to someone you may not regularly speak to just to let them know you're thinking of them during the holiday. Give and make God smile and bless you!

And on another happy note....I'm super-dooper excited about winning Hallie's contest! Thank you Hallie for being an amazing D-Momma and awesome blogger. Thank you for working hard to hold contests all month long. Kacey is going to be thrilled with this prize. She's never had a custom made pack from any place online. My Mom has always made her packs for her so this is an extra special prize for us to be able to create one of our own. Thank you to Too-Sweet Boutique for donating this wonderful prize. We're so blessed!!