GingerBread House

Boys,

Making the GingerBread House last night was great fun! I wanted to give you some pictures to remember it by:




Isaac, you had already worked on the left side before it was Jonathan's turn.














Jones, I think that you were writing our last name on the back of the house in this picture.







I also want to add the picture that includes the "finished" project, with Jonah and I holding up the sliding roof!



The best part is that immediately after we were through you all said,

"Ok, can we eat it now?"




I love you guys,

Dad

Man Night

Boys,

Last night was man night.

The purpose was to get some gifts for your mom for Christmas, but it was great to just spent time with you guys. I have really been looking for ways to connect with you guys, because I haven’t done a great job of being intentional about that. It seems that other things have seemed to dominate our time, but I don’t want you to grow up without getting to see life happen while standing by your side.

The funny thing was that you guys chose Burger King and Taco Bell rather than Bocelli’s. It was great just to sit together!

I also loved the ways you picked out some of your mom’s gifts. Mom and I had decided to let you get some small gifts at the Dollar Tree, so your choices were limited, but you were really thinking things through. It is important that you continue to understand that you should never just “grab” a gift for someone you care about. The important thing is not to just “get” something, but to get something that matters. This has nothing to do with money, but the thought behind the gift. It is a cliché, but it is true.

Learn things about the people around you and then try to act accordingly to those needs. It will show that you care, and it will also let that other person feel valuable.

Thank you for being my sons!

Dad

Christmas Parade

Boys,

Tonight was the annual Shelbyville Christmas Parade. What a wonderful time. I want you to remember times like tonight, where you are a part of a community and how joyful it is to laugh and celebrate a season with others.

Eventful moments:

• You guys running from me because of my Santa hat.
• Meeting up with the Neeley's, the Jones', and the Hendricks on the square.
• The Coffee Break being open at night and mom and I getting hot chocolate (even though the weather was too warm for it).
• Isaac getting beaned in the head with a mint.
• Jonathan scraping his hand in a candy rush.
• Dinner afterward at Bocelli's

Again, remember these moments. It was fun to laugh together.

Dad

Emotions

Boys,

I joke at different times that your mom has turned me into a crybaby. There are nights now when a touching show on TV or even a small commercial or two bring about emotions that either had never existed, or at the very least had been suppressed for a lifetime. The joke goes that if you’re a man you only cry if your foot is caught in a bear trap. I want you to know that this joke, while funny, is not true.

A real man likes manly things. He is made to be rough in order to weather the elements and strong to do whatever necessary to provide for his family. It is natural for you to pick up a stick and make it a gun or a sword. Your hands were made to get dirty and the bumps, scars and bruises are memorials to remind you of adventures and days gone by.

At the same time, a real man knows when his heart is touched. The same hand that defends against attack becomes gentle when holding his child for the first time. The hand that gives direction or correction also fits perfectly around the softer hand of the woman he loves.

I used to believe that I had to hold back the tears. To be honest, it is still difficult to let them flow. However, now when my eyes fill up at a tragedy or touching story, I no longer fight to hold it all in. Show your strength mixed with compassion. Do not become cold to the cares and concerns of others around you. The powerful person is willing to fight for a cause greater than he, but you can only know those causes when your heart is tender enough to listen to the heart of God.

Be gentle. Be a warrior.

You are all three called to be gentle warriors.

Dad