Life is a test. We are not present on earth to just exist; we are here to learn. Life is a lesson. Love one another unconditionally. Love thyself unconditionally. We spend our whole lives learning to do this. Some succeed and some never have a clue. I'm trying. Love my fellow man. Don't react and don't always have to be right. This is one I'll have to work on for the rest of my life. Appreciate each day and recognize positive and negative as a part of life's experiences. Look around me and see life at it's best. The joys of living come as you strive to achieve your dreams. Its the quality of each day that is important, not the distant dream once achieved. Teach and nurture my children. You can never give them too much love. -Randa Jex 1/1/94

Tuesday, January 4

January 4: 2011: Christmas at Casa Jex

This Christmas was much more low key than usual. I started by only getting out about 1/4 of the Christmas decorations because I was so tired that first week of Christmas. At first I felt like Scrooge and then I realized my 25% Christmas = a sane person's 100% Christmas. If you know me very well you might say I have a tendency to go overboard but I am working on that one holiday at a time because I know once Baby Jex arrives life as we know it will change. So no garland on the banister, no garland swags with white lights and red bows on the outside porches and no Christmas tree upstairs with our childhood ornaments. This year we also decided it was the last year for a real tree...although it is so fun to pick out the tree and smell it every day when you come home the hassle of always cleaning up needles, watering it daily, and my insane fear (after watching a YouTube video) that it will go up in flames and burn the entire house down in 14 seconds flat just isn't my cup of tea. So I am on a hunt for a pre-lit 11 ft fakie...any suggestions? Since I had been so sick the week of Christmas we spent many of those nights home by the fire. Not sure who snapped this lovely pic of us but it pretty much summed up our Christmas...

Christmas Eve was my favorite and for the last time ever it was just me and Zach. We went to Christmas Eve service and then grabbed dinner and ate it on the couch with our pups in front of the fire. It was so wonderful to have a quiet night at home counting our blessings. It seems like society is making the holidays into such a superficial gift-driven event that it was such a blessing to have that down time where you turn your focus to God and the gifts He provides. Christmas night we had dinner with the entire Jex side at our house and opened presents and then the day after Christmas Mom, Dad, and Grandma came to town. It never feels quite like Christmas until your family comes to town....we had a great time and since I was feeling much better we toured a house, did some serious shopping and ate (like the Rosses do best!)

This is Jules playing with the step stool I made her. She had Kellen hold her hands and she would step up...and then down..and then up.. then down. It was so cute!

At our tour of The Towers...such a cool experience!



The pups in their new harneses so they don't choke themselves on walks. They look so darn cute! Thanks Gramma and Grampa!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Will you make me a stool like Julie claire's, I can't reach the bowls in your kitchen. :)
Love you,
Mom