The Awesomeness of Prayer

I am thankful for prayer.  I count it as one of the greatest blessings that God has given us.

Nativity

I purchased the first part of our Willow Tree nativity set (shown above) within the first month of our marriage.

Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus were bought at a Christmas store in Estes Park, Colorado two weeks after we were married. 

The starry background piece was a housewarming gift from Mr. Blessings' parents.

The shepherds were a gift for our first Christmas as a married couple.

The wisemen were a gift to commemorate the impending birth of Baby P. 

I made the Bethlehem painting to frame the scene, the winter of our first Christmas as a married couple and our first Christmas living in our first house.

The set is complete.

It is going to be one of those things that was just "always there" for Baby P. and all of our future Baby P.'s .  Our children will probably never wonder where it came from or realize the significance that it holds for me - - marking so many of our newlywed milestones.

They will, I hope, spend countless hours looking at it and rearranging the figurines.  I remember my sister and I doing just that with our mom's nativity set.  We had so much fun setting up all of the important players that were present at the birth of Jesus.  We would try to find the best arrangement, only to find a new "best" the next day.  

I hope that, as our family grows, our nativity set will spark endless conversations about the birth of our Savior. 

♥ brooke

Choosing Godparents

Long before my baby bump was visible, before we knew if Baby P was a girl or boy, before we started thinking about things like daycare and pediatricians, Mr. Blessings and I decided who this baby's Godparents would be.

We are going to ask my sister and Mr. Blessings' oldest sister if they will accept this honor and responsibility.

I grew up with two Godfathers - one of my dad's brothers and one of my mom's.  I have always felt a special connection with each of them.  I like that I have one Godparent on each side of my family tree.  These two men are both very strong Christians.  The fact that my parents chose them to be my Godparents makes me think that they really took the time to consider which of their friends and family would be the best Godparents to me.

We haven't asked our sisters yet.  I'm not sure when you are supposed to do that.  (Anyone know?)  I am quite sure, however, that they will both happily accept the job and faithfully pray and care for this little one.

♥ brooke