Sensory Overload

. . well, not really. But, it seemed like a fitting title as I mentally laid out this blog post.

Sound -- We are becoming more and more aware of Caroline's dislike of loud noise. And to be honest, God love her heart, she was not born into a quiet family. Quite the opposite, actually. She has this look that she gets on her face when things get chaotic. She gets a stressed expression on her face, and her little lips form an open "O" shape. If she's not being held by one of us, she clamors to be held as soon as possible. I keep praying that she'll accustom herself to what she considers "noise" soon. Things like: laughter, our small group (few people, but lots of laughs), babies crying, our worship band at church (includes Mark and me), and fireworks. Because, these are all wonderful sounds -- even babies crying. She'll get there, it just may be one of those roads that longer than others.

Smell - Tonight, at small group, we did the "Christmas Get to Know You" meme as our activity. And, it was FUN. We learned a few things about each other, and laughed (to Caroline's chagrin). But the first question had to do with real vs. artificial trees. I related the story when we were first married, the apartment we lived in did not allow real Christmas trees. In fact, Katie the "Nazi" Apartment Manager (we really called her that) scheduled Uri (seriously, it was his name) to come around and inspect everyones' furnace filters during the 10-15th of December. We knew better. We knew that the Russian Spy was looking for real trees for our Nazi Landlord. But, relating that story reminded me of the smell of a real Christmas tree. . . and there's nothing like that smell.

Touch - I am currently *still* in the process of making Christmas presents. Yesterday, in my search (not yet frantic) for fabric for some Christmas ornaments, I remembered why I love fabric so much. I love the feel of fabric. I love flannels, and chenille, and cotton. Good, sturdy cotton. It just makes me happy.

Taste - Tonight, after our small group left the house, I put together two cookie trays for others to enjoy. One is going to work with Mark. That large tray will be accompanied by a container of peanut butter and traditional chocolate fudge, as well as peppermint bark. The other tray is going to school with Caroline. I hope they enjoy these cookies. I know I had fun making them. I will try to post some recipes later on. Some of them are "classics" around here, and the recipes are definitely worth sharing.

Sight -Well, after last night's post, I cannot help but post the sight that makes me happiest right now. I took a couple pictures tonight of my new Nativity Scene. I absolutely love it. Next year, it will be on a different table. But this year, the piano is a fitting place for it to be. In case you don't know what I'm talking about, I did take a few pictures. The thing I love the most? I already had three angels from this designer. One was a gift from a friend when Caroline was born (the praying angel), the angel with the star came from my mom and dad last year (I think) for Christmas. The third angel was a gift from Mark's Aunt Shirley, who recently passed away. She was one of Caroline's many prayer warriors. And, as she was a retired teacher, the angel with the arm full of apples is especially precious to me. So, here you go. . enjoy this sight. I can assure you.....I am.