It has been a very busy weekend for us, as I am sure it has been for most of you out there as well. I have lots and lots of pictures I can't wait to share, but since I am thinking of my pillow with great longing, it will have to wait. There will actually be some down time for me on Christmas day, so that will be our Christmas gift to all of you! ;)

I am mainly hopping on here to ask you to continue to keep the Hufty family in your thoughts and prayers. Jack (one of Gabe's module mates) had surgery to connect his esophagus and stomach. We have been reading his blog daily, checking multiple times per day for updates. He seems to be doing well, which is a great blessing. On the flip side, they will be celebrating Christmas in the PICU at Riley. I know they are grateful to be there and grateful that Jack is through this huge hurdle and one even bigger step closer to "normal", but it can't be easy either. Big brother Logan (Justin and Kendrick's NICU buddy - I think they may have formed a "Module 3 Big Brother's Club, but I am not positive) surely misses Mom and Dad, as they probably miss him as well. I know most of us will be heading to Christmas and/or Christmas Day services and I ask that while you are there, send up a prayer for Jack and his family.

That's all I wanted - it will probably be a couple of days until I return, so Merry Christmas to all of you. To all of you we won't see, we miss you! It seems this is the appropriate time to thank everyone out there once again for all of the love and support we have received from you this past year, especially the past 7 months (yep - Gabe will be 7 months old tomorrow). We appreciate all of the emails, cards, phone calls, text messages and ofcourse, the blog comments. They have kept us going and we are grateful. This is such a busy time of year, it's easy to get caught up in the details - I like seeing to the details, since it makes everything extra special - but I admit I can overwhelm myself. When I get overwhelmed, I get, well...like most of us get I suppose - cranky would be the nice word for it. Even in the midst of the hecticness (is that a word?) there is usually a moment when I manage to capture the sense of calmness that this time of year is supposed to be about. The sense that although we tend to assign great significance to those details, they are really unimportant in the big picture. The sense of something bigger and greater, which brings comfort that can sustain me throughout the year. These moments come to me when I need them most and I find that my mind is quiet, my heart is full and still. The point of this last paragraph is to wish you that same sense of peace - peace of heart, mind, and soul. I hope that you are able to capture that moment for yourself, and hold on to it for as long as you can.