WHAT A QUIVER!

Celebrating birthdays of two of our grandchildren this week reminded me of the verses from Psalm 127:3a & 5a, Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,....How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. In our family all of our children have suffered loss in childbearing and yet the Lord has continued to bless them in unexpected ways with more "arrows" for their quiver.

Just his week as grandson # 4 turned 12 on 6/12, today grandchild # 8 celebrated his 1st birthday.

As each of our children's families have been blessed, so have we----as we now await surprise # 9 grandchild and only the 2nd girl in the quiver. 

Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children. (Proverbs 17:6) We celebrate the fulness of each of those quivers, even if its with blueberry pancakes instead of birthday cake! Tomorrow's "Jam Session" party for toddlers with drums will get to "eat cake."

CHRISTMAS EVE TRADITIONS

The first thing that comes to mind is our annual event---"breakfast at Bryant's with friends. This year was our 31st year.
Our first year, we had 8 adults and 10 children. Now we have 8 older adults, 10 adult children and 22 grandchildren.

The 2 women in this picture were present at our first breakfast, Molly , age 7 and Carrie who was cooking our "breakfast specials" was 26 at the time.She still looks 26 to us!
The 2 young men were no where on the radar, at the time but we are so glad they are now a part of the family!

The "Earls" were both at the first b'fast event as well but they non-gray/white hair and no grandchildren. They just hauled their kids around. This year, their haul was "crunchy ice"---40 lbs a piece to take home to serve family at upcoming Christmas dinners!

It has been "31" years of a great tradition.

Tradition, Tradition.....TRADITION!! (x30)

Most families have many holiday traditions. Our longest lasting holiday tradition began Christmas Eve 30 years ago.

We gave an unusual gift to 3 of our couple friends and their children. Not pricey monetarily but for us......relationally priceless! 

Early Christmas Eve morning, 1986, we went to each home and loaded up the entire family in our "new" tan Ford Econoline 150 van. 8 adults and 10 children, a few over the passenger vehicle limit. Seatbelts other than the captain's seats, not even an option.

The "Girls" 1986

Our gift to each was the 99¢ breakfast special at Bryant's. (still at the corner of Summer Ave. & Graham) Plus, each child was given 4 quarters to play the pin ball machines. 

What fun! What a crowd. And so it continued----tho for a few years, Bryant's closed on Christmas Eve so we met at Perkins (2-3x) and Uncle Lou's (1). From tacky sweaters to denim and more subdued colors, along with dark hair and big hair to white hair and no hair---we've continued. "Life's too short to eat low-fat food----so eat at Bryant's" on Christmas Eve.

The "Girls" 1994

Over the years the crowds increased as grands were added to the mix. Today's total would be 48---too many for the small ""counter service" type breakfast.

Original 18 and cousin Betsy

Liles 1st Bryant's with a "grand" 2002---note Life's Too short to eat low-fat Eat at Bryant's sign upper left

But nowadays many of the original "kids" can't make it "home" (AL, IL, MS, NY, NC,  TX) on Christmas Eve....needing to work, be in their own homes for Santa or preaching Christmas Eve services. 

Last year all the Liles were to be together in Colorado so hubby and I weren't even there but daughter Molly and her family were our "remnant" and had breakfast and a picture with Carrie, owner and sometimes cook, before hightailing it to Colorado.

This year the tradition marked our 30th anniversary---with 3 of the original kids and their families (7 young ones) in attendance! 3 of original kids holding "sign" to be "photo-shopped" in to pic.

Merry Christmas Eve---a great tradition!!

Christmas Eve Traditions

12/24/12 Every Christmas Eve when Hubby & I first married, we would drive to Mom and Pop’s home (his grandparents) out past the floating tree on Lake Windermere in Raleigh. It was like Groundhog Christmas---with same menu and gifts every year. We loved it.

Always country ham and biscuits---with younger ones each year learning to take on what had once been Pop’s “cooking” role. On our last Christmas Eve on Lakewood Dr. cooking that black iron skillet country ham with red-eye gravy became Hubby’s role, with his boys helping him in doing the honors. Always lots of toys for great grandkids, (eventually 21) sweaters for men, Dinstuhls’ candy for women and $$$ for mom. Always a roaring fire----even if it happened to be 70° outside.

After Mom died we invited Pop to our house for Christmas Eve’s country ham and biscuits and Pop’s favorite, deviled eggs. Plus, we started our own traditions---Christmas Eve breakfast with the Cockrell, Gurner & Higginbotham families. The first time (1986, as our gift), we piled all the families (18 of us) in our Ford Econoline tan van and took them to breakfast. Destination—Bryant's on Summer Avenue. It has continued for 27 years, though now meeting in other restaurants, since 2005, when Bryant’s began closing on Christmas Eve.

Moms, Amy and Molly, were only 8 and 7 years old at our first Christmas Eve breakfast.  Now they have  children  of their own.

Another tradition that we seem to have passed on is the last minute assembling of gifts---having been known to work into the wee hours. Just this afternoon neighbors and family felt the “crunch” as elves scurried in our carport to put together a trampoline (took 3 “redo”) and pick up a basketball goal.

Daddy elf is obscured in photo for "security" purposes.

Traditions---what fun!! I think it’s biblical to “be merry.” (Eccles. 8 :15)

We’re saving the country ham ‘til the Texans get here----so they can help Pop-Pop do the cooking---enabling them to someday carry on that tradition!