Christmas Program

 The girls were in our church's Sunday School Christmas program tonight. The video quality is pretty poor and you'll probably notice my iPhone making its way into the picture because I was FaceTiming my mom during the program so she could see it at the same time as I was trying to videotape it!! Technology=amazing. While it was totally hectic trying to get both girls dressed, reasonably clean, fed, and unloaded in the right places by myself (if you saw the harried totally weirdly dressed, haggard woman running in the door ten minutes late begging friends to help get the girls where they needed to go... it was totally me... and so was the frantic seeker of car keys left on the nursery counter after the program was over!) Brad was off delivering babies today and we missed him, but it was still so fun to see them both up there- big enough to both be in the program this time! And don't they look beautiful?!

 I'm so glad I got those dresses on a whim, and also that I made them matching hair accessories that will probably not last another day with the way that we destroy things around here... they looked adorable! Unfortunately the light was not right with the camera and there were a lot of other families hankering for  for the space around the Christmas tree for pictures.

I tried again with a lovely background of wires and two sticky-fingered, candy-cane-eating girls... but the light still wasn't great- I just wasn't being very careful with my flash. Still, who cares, I'm no professional! :)

My friend Jenny and I think that we may someday be showing these pictures at the wedding of our children. ;) Collin is Nora's first "best friend" and they LOVE each other. We were so geeked when we realized they'd be wearing coordinating outfits for the program tonight.

They really are such sweet little friends- born just 5 days apart- and both the shortest kids their age in the Sunday School. They'll be the perfect prom dates. :) 

I've been really thankful for my friends lately. While I don't love that I'm dealing with this infertility struggle, I am grateful that God has placed special people in my life to hold me up and to be my friends during this time. It means so much to me to have people in my life that can understand and really be there with me. I don't get why people who are wonderful moms and dads, great Christians, and all-around good people struggle to conceive, while it seems everywhere babies are conceived with ease by mothers who don't even really want them. I wish that I  didn't know so many people who share the same heartache that I do... but I'm thankful for my companions on the road, and pray that one day we can all share the joy of new life together. As I was talking with a couple of friends the other day, I thought about their stories, and their journeys, and why God has not allowed these dear friends to conceive another child either, and wondered if perhaps God in His infinite wisdom would know how much I would need them- others in whom to confide, people who truly understand what it is to cry out to God when it feels like there's this "wall" there. People who know how it feels to pick up the pieces and move on every time, growing stronger, perhaps, but still crushing down in moments of weakness at the unfathomable mysteries of the providence of God. I still have so many more questions than answers and still feel just tired of the struggle and weary of the pain of unfulfilled longings- but I am more grateful now than ever for dear friends with whom the burden can become just a little lighter.