Christ is Lord!

While Christmas was quieter this year, the simplicity of it all was as it should probably always be. We have slowed down...way down...and it has been welcomed. It has been a huge year of growth for Soul Farms, and my amazing husband needed some time to rest. And when there's so much hustle and bustle there isn't a lot of space to reflect on what Christmas really means and why it is important and WHO it is about. Jesus is our great Savior, the one we daily thank for the live we get to live and the life we will live eternally. Praise Him!

While Daddy and Frazier were in Iowa, us ladies and the little guy went and chopped down our Christmas tree.

All loaded up on top!

We were quite pleased with ourselves to have it chopped, hauled and set up before Daddy came home.

I love being the librarian at the kids’ school on Mondays. This year my read-alouds have been focused on building empathy in the students. We completed a unit on homelessness, and the school invited families to donate items for Welcome bags. Welcome bags are given to children and adults when they first arrive at a homeless or domestic abuse shelter and contain snacks, drinks and encouraging notes.

Mary-Michael’s 5th grade class came and helped me sort all of the items, so that they were ready for each class to pack their bags.

Back at home we packed almost 100 more bags with all of the extra donations we received. 

All in all, we’ll get to deliver almost 200 bags and all of the extra snacks will go to our friends with RVA Hope Center who serve in Creighton and Mosby Courts.

We had great fun caroling, giving out hot chocolate and breakfast sandwiches and praying with families in Creighton Court on a December Saturday.

We loved gathering with some of our favorite people for our annual Christmas dinner.

Time to top the tree with the star!

Some very colorful gingerbread houses were made this year!

Leila won the Christmas spirit award for the entire middle school with this outfit!

What a gift to have a calf born on Christmas Eve.

For advent this year, we thoroughly enjoyed Ishtar’s Odyssey, which is a fictional story based on the wise men’s journey following the star. We loved the lessons and discussion it brought up, and the children loved lighting candles each night. Such expectation anticipating Christ’s birthday!

Christmas Eve found us taking a break from quarantine life and going out to look at Christmas lights. This was one of our favorites.

Thanks to a sweet neighbor who gave us a homemade cookie decorating kit, the children were able to decorate cookies while Daddy and I cooked Christmas Eve dinner.

Making Christmas cards for our annual Christmas morning gift delivery. We continued the tradition of delivering coolers of meat, bread and gift cards to neighbors. This year, the kids masked up and delivered 7 coolers. They are so much braver than they were when we first began this several years ago. Now, they just hop on out of the car and fearlessly knock on doors. I love it!

Benaiah was thrilled to find this under the tree in Christmas morning!

Love these 4 so much!

Merry Christmas from the Lawrence Family!