Last June, I quit a good paying job to work part-time, so I could be with my kids.  The cut in pay was over 1/2 my salary.  Big change.  We did the numbers and would make it with the cut.  But I had forgotten to add birthdays and Christmas.

On Thanksgiving, we had to humbly announce to our kids that I may finish an afghan for them, and that would probably be their gift, as we had no extra money for presents.  But presents weren't why we were celebrating, Jesus was why.  We had cake and ice cream to kick off Jesus is the Reason.

I began each homeschool lesson with Jesus was born to die for us.  We studied about Christmas.  How the world celebrates it and how we should celebrate it.  My children learned many legends, as well as history about Christmas and its symbols.  We studied Christmas every day, centering on Jesus every day.

I also began a new bible study here  http://www.pray-the-scriptures.com/ on Psalm 91.  I studied that and devotionals daily.

On December 20, our Christmas tree was still bare.  My husband would get a bonus of $250.00 on Christmas Eve.  I went to my job and I got a few gift cards, which provided  a few gifts.  We put off paying a bill and bought a few gifts.

We told the kids one gift each, but it was Jesus that was important.  They each took turns telling me that they only wanted something small, but if we couldn't get it, that was ok, because we had Jesus.

On the 24th, my husband checked and his bonus was there...  but it was over $1000!!!  We had planned on Christmas dinner being gumbo (cause it's dirt cheap to make and lasts forever) but we now had money for a dinner, and gifts!  We still put Jesus first.

Well, during this time, my uncle, who had been in prison for 10  years, called my dad and said he would come over to spend Christmas with us.  He has not spent Christmas with kids in years, and my children would be the first.

We spent hours and hours for 3 days with gifts and playing!  I took hundreds of photos!

I also was able to crochet 2 afghans for 2 of the kids, and make 150 stockings for the students at the dance studio.  I also crocheted Christmas stockings for each of my children.

The kids got board games and clothes.  They all dressed up for church, and they have spent hours playing games with my husband, my dad, and my uncle! 

THEN, we had a terrarium issue - it was too successful and too wet...  I posted and received for free a full size aquarium with light and set up new terrarium for the froggies to live in.

Our family has spent more time together - internet and cable kept going out, so we had to actually spend time together - what a blessing!

Most importantly, I had the peace of Jesus on the 24th.  I visited my baby's grave, and felt no depression or sadness.  A friend had just miscarried, and I told her that Jesus worked the nursery in Heaven and was rocking our children, and singing to them, and that Noah was probably one of the story tellers for children.  Our little babies were just fine up there, and in good hands until we get there to take over.  With that image in mind, I felt no sadness on the anniversary of Amber's death.  I was finally able to celebrate my husband's birthday and Christmas Eve, like the rest of the world.