Merry Christmas Happy Saviours Day!

Happy Saviours day was how we were requested to greet one anothe in Church this morning. Yes surprise surprise we made it to Church this morning...all 7 of us up dressed breakfasted and presents released from wrappings oohhed and ahhed over and favourites chosen to take to Church.

Rosie is doing her best to overcome the seizures that throw her into and agitated ball of confused fury once a month...this had to be the week for it to be at it's worse but the added antiepileptic seemd to be helping after breakfast and we all made it to the Bus in one piece and to Church before the service started!

Unfortunately for those on whom Rosie chose to bestow her favour the holding of the antiseizure medicine was loosing and there were a few ladies with a little less hair and hastily rescued necklaces and earings....and still they love her and tell us how much a blessing she has bestowed on their lives. However we felt it had been a stormy enough blesssing after a little while and several handfuls of hair and Sarah offered to go and play in the school room with her a while.

The Service moved on with the lighting of the advent calanders....I wish I had had the forethought to take the camera...Nic had been given a humoungous Match....electronic lighter...with which to light the candles...He could not get it to light, handed it to his eldest daughter who lit it with ease and handed it back...as he approached the first child volunteer it went out...handed it back and Bethan could not light it...someone shouted to point it downwards and it lit...Nic took it back to the candelabra and it went out...this continued for a little while and the ordinary matches came out and a taper lit...then the lighter lit and Bethan took the children one by one to light the candles....phew job done.

The candles each have a symbolism, the first is for hope.....hope in the coming again of our Lord Jesus the hope we as Christians have in His second coming to take us to be with Him. The second is for the Bible,...our message from God of the Good News of salvation. The Third is for John the Baptist who foretold and prepared the Way for Jesus. The Fourth is for Mary, the Mother of Jesus, who had such a wonderfuland awesome responsability as Mother of The Son Of God. The White Candle lit on Christmas day representing Jesus Himself. The Author and Perfector of Our Salvation.

We finished our service with Away in a Manger, Eve loves to sign along to this carol...the ladies in the congregation love to see her animation and joy as she does so with my help. Tears flow freely!

Home again then and by this time Rosie is really struggling wiht the seizures from her temporal lobe, that leave her agitated and destressed beyond belief...I manage to get some more medication into her and she ate some liquidised Christmas dinner before sleeping for a couple of hours. This gave us the opportunity to eat our lunch.

We have made a tradition over recent years of eating our Christmas dinner on Chrustmas Eve. Normally we would all dress up and the table would be decorated and things would be tidy, this year we just did not have the energy for that. The meal was delicious but we stayed as we were, and although we had tidied and hoovered and sorted throughout the day...licing on a building site the house was far from tidy.

We always finish Christmas Eve with a feeding for the Reindeer, Special Reindeer food mixed with Glitter to shine in the moonlight and show them where to bring Father Christmas. The kids love this bit but Rosie had already dropped into an exhausted sleep. So juct the four of them this year.

Christmas day we eat left overs as a buffet. Being able to put out a Buffet of non Rosie friendly food and not having to keep telling her no is a bonus so we make the most of her sleeping of her seizures and medication and eat a relaxed buffet of cold turkey, cold gammon, fresh baked bread and pickles etc....yummy!

Rosie woke again soon after and was happy for a while, taking part in the fun, helping to draw with the aquadraw...eating the pens and chewing the brush...but having fun and calm and happy for a while.

We watched some TV and then played on the new Wii...not having much spare money instead of each child having a main present we bought the Wii as a family gift...so far it has proved a hit! Even Rosie has managed to bowl the ball for the base ball game. Jonathan enjoyed a game of tennis and Eve loves to cheer every one on and repeat the term of endearment frequently shouted....RUBBISH!

Now having dealt with some more Rosie Seizure and more medication we have enjoyed Dr Who and now sat relaxing and hoping Rosie will settle peacfully soon.....her rages during this time are hard on us but must alsi be so hard on her....I hate to see her so distressed and be able to do nothing for her but medicate and send her into a drugged but I have to admit peacful sleep.....and at least she has managed to wake and have some good time with us today. Before these episodes were recognised as Seizures they could go uncontrolled and uninterupted for 72 hours solid....at least things are better than that now.

And so peace almost reigns here. Joshua and Christina are managing to avoid most arguments...although trying to explain to each where they are going wrong with each other often results in angry whinging if not shouting. Why when you say to a child please dont do dah duh dah....they have to retort I WASNT! When actually I was not saying they were doing whate4ver I was trying to help them avoid that mistake! ARGH! I would not make much of a diplomat!

Peace....hmmm along with rather a lot of mess!

It is fast approaching a reasonable hour to call time on the day. Wonderfully our Christmas present from the Ministers family is some help from Sarah tomorrow. Totally unexpected, I was not sure when we would have help again. Now I know I can relax a little in the knowledge I will have time to clear up properly tomorrow without needing to have a constant eye on Rosie!

Hope everyone has had a blessed Christmas Day.

Much love

From Our House to Yours!