our family's Christmas

Hi friends :)

Here are a couple of pictures of Christmas at my parent's house. We surprised my mom by coming on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas morning... my dad was in on it, and we pulled it off perfectly :)  We spent the other half of the day with Trevor's side of the family. It has been a good visit all around.

 My mom always goes all-out with decorating, as you can see. The light was so pretty in the morning... I so much enjoyed having my camera in hand, recording the visual moments of Christmas. I was looking through some of the images from when I got my first camera for Christmas last year, and it's crazy how much I just enjoyed capturing things that looked attractive to my eye. It was so simple. I wasn't worried about taking perfect pictures (not that I ever come close to that...). I am glad that I have grown (technically speaking) as a photographer; I just want to make a way that includes both.

If you were looking for a Maitland Christmas card in the mail, it never came. I missed every opportunity to take a family picture, and honestly, there weren't many. I didn't decorate, I didn't sew Piper a single thing (yet). I just didn't have time (which is also why the blog has been so quiet). Those things... the decorating, making things for each other, the excitement of preparation... are huge for me in celebrating Jesus' birth. But even though we didn't get to do those things, we did get to do some really meaningful things together. We participated in a re-enactment of the nativity story with our friends, we baked a turkey for a family in our church (which was DEFINITELY a family endeavor... it was my first turkey), we gathered with our church family on Christmas Eve, and Piper spent some quality time with her grandparents.

I really miss being in Bible college because I studied the Bible all. the. time. My life now is very different... so much more busy. It is beautiful in a different way. It's full of mothering, work, and activity.  Carving out time to be with God is the most worthy but difficult challenge in my life today. Sometimes that struggle can lead to despair. Yet-- God ALWAYS reminds me that he holds my life in his hands... that he will bless and sustain me. And I think this struggle is a gift because of how much I sense my need for him now. I didn't have that deep sense of need and dependence. I thought I was more self-sufficient in my knowledge... in some ways, I thought I had it all figured out. On Christmas day, I read this passage in Luke 1. Luke is writing about how Zechariah prophesied after the birth of his son, John the Baptist. 

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise will visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

This is such incredible good news to me, every day. Christmas was beautiful this year, not because of things I made or bought, but because of my sense that this was the day that God met my deepest need in such an abundant, perfect way.


In other news... you can now purchase my bags in person at Community, a boutique in downtown Athens that carries work by local folks. I am totally stoked about this. Community is located above Espresso Royale on Broad and Jackson... enter on Jackson street, just before you get to Dynamite Vintage.


It has been SO nice to have my husband around and be together all the time as a family during his break. Law school is halfway over. I will be sad when school starts back. He's doing mock trial this semester... which means alot more time spent at school... like 8 extra hours (minimum) every week, including four hours on Sunday. However-- it is a major opportunity for him to gain experience and I am glad he was chosen for it. Things are going well with our move to the farm! I am not disclosing anything at this point. Stay tuned.


AND... I am totally looking forward to New Year's Eve! An awesome family from our church is having a party. Can't wait.


Be back soon kids :)
xo
paige