Jim's Hot Pool - Christmas Eve

I have really been struggling lately with wanting to stick with traditions for my kids sake and making things consistent from year to year.  Then I realized I have spent a lot of my time worrying about cramming so much into everyday and every holiday that I forget to stop and just enjoy the moment. I started wondering if they felt it, if they felt the pressure I was putting on all of us to have fun.  The pressure was so much for me that I never really could enjoy what it was we were doing anymore anyway.  Something has to change.  I decided to take it day by day.  Enjoy the moment and live life day by day and not event by event that has to be done a certain way cause that is what we did last year. ;)  We started tonight. . ..

It is Christmas Eve 2012 and the kiddos are excited as they always are about Christmas. We got up and cleaned and organized because the next few days are crazy hectic as they are for everyone on Christmas.  My dad came up to eat dinner with us and then we did something really exciting. . something that I could easily make a habit of.  After dinner, we called our neighbor Jim and asked if he would mind if we came over and spent some time in his hot tub. . or "Jim's Hot Pool" as the kids refer to it.  He is so sweet and of course said yes, so now we had a plan.  The kids overheard my conversation with him on the phone and that was all it took.  They talked amongst themselves about it all day.  They were overly excited and hyper all evening anyway, as the snow was falling on the ground and giving us a nice White Christmas! 

My dad and I went over to prepare and then the Micah came running over in his swimming trunks and sandals carrying both kiddos so they wouldn't get their feet in the snow.  His feet were in some pretty severe pain by the time he arrived to the hot tub, but they soon warmed right back up in that hot water.  The water was so amazing and as I was sitting there in the hot tub with my family of four, I realized again how blessed I was.  The snow was lying on the ground and on the tree limbs and just made everything so pretty, soft and bright!  The world seemed to be quiet and asleep and here we were all in our own world of warmth while enjoying the freshly fallen snow.  Such an amazing experience.  The kids were so excited that they were bubbling over and just kept saying how much fun this was and thank you thank you.  It truly was a peaceful and beautiful moment that made my heart sing.  This past year, there have been many moments that I am walking through and though I am there for the moment, I often feel as though I am not really in the moment.  This special one caught me off guard though.  I didn't feel like I was outside of the moment at all, but rather I felt inside the moment all cuddled up with people I love with all of my heart. I am so grateful for my family and for all that God has blessed me with in my lifetime.  I am a blessed and happy woman on Christmas Eve 2012!!!!