{iPhone Rewind} :: December

Bible study leader fellowship- so thankful I get to serve alongside these ladies!

Mike took Maddie to Pioneer Girls, so I got a night with the boys. They chose watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas and building robots!

Granny had left us 5 Christmas presents to open in December, and we were so excited to find Christmas mugs with our names on them! Perfect for hot chocolate :)

This girlie LOVES meats haha {and writing about it}

Aiden said wistfully, "I wish I had this much money..." One day, buddy. One day.

**The rest of the photos in December are marked with the loss of my brother. I still haven't quite figured out if or when or how I will blog about this time, but I do know that there are ways the Lord took care of us that I do not want to forget. So for now, I will put some photos of family and the kids here.**

I am SO PROUD of these 3. They are such troopers, and they did so great with all the last minute travel. And I can't tell you how many people were shocked that Mike was handling all 3 by himself {it actually started to annoy me}. I had zero worries, because I knew he would do just fine {if not better than I could}. And he did. 

Sweet cousins who had matching Christmas pajamas and cookie decorating waiting for our kids when they got off the plane in Texas.

Sweet Airalyn turned 13 the day Michael went into the hospital, so we wanted to be sure to find a time to still celebrate her. She LOVES claw machines, so we spent the afternoon at ClawZania!

In all the last minute rush, Maddie ended up in Texas without pajamas! And even when I was going through all the clothes, I missed it completely as well, so poor girl had to wear her brother's shirt. She was a good sport, and Aiden was ok with it...only because it wasn't garbage day ;)

My kids have brought so much laughter and joy to a hard few weeks, but they have also brought their love and gentleness. I have been amazed at their sensitivity and how they have cared for the adults with their love and hugs.

We have received an outpouring of love and support from our own church family, even while we were in Texas. But when we arrived home, there was more waiting for us. From meals and cards to flowers and love gifts for flights, we have been overwhelmed by the body of Christ and its care for us. 

The normal Christmas activities we had planned didn't happen in the same way, but we still made a little time to do a few things for the kids. On the morning of Christmas Eve, we let them paint some Christmas ornaments.

Living their best Christmas Eve life :)

A hawk came to visit us on Christmas!

We had 2 down sick the day after Christmas...

Eli helped Mike up at the church, and he was so proud of his work :)

This is the medication insert for my Stelara. Granted, a lot of it is directions for use. But there are a lot of fine print warnings too. It's just a lot of small print, front and back. I just try not to think too much about it...

The last few days of the year have been pretty rough. Mike was pretty much the only one left standing, and we have seen who is a good sick person and who...definitely is not haha.

Christmas 2024

Christmas was different this year, but we did our best to keep it as normal as we could for the kids. Despite the heaviness and sadness surrounding the holiday, we were all grateful for our Savior and the chance to celebrate His birth and the whole reason for His coming. 

Mike preached Christmas Eve, and we held 3 candlelight services. The kids and I went to the earlier service, and it was such a blessing to be with our church family again. Pastor John read a Christmas book for the kids, and had them join him on stage, which was so sweet and fun for them.

Our friend C came to Christmas Eve service!

Christmas morning, we ate cinnamon rolls {thank you, Pillsbury} and then we opened our stockings and presents. It seems like we always have a kid sick on Christmas. Thankfully it wasn't poor Aiden again, but this time it was Maddie girl. Poor girlie was pretty miserable, but she did seem to rally enough to get her presents from under the tree and open them ;) 

The kids were SUPER excited about their stocking stuffers {simple things I had collected throughout the year}, and it made me think we probably didn't really need gifts haha!

A sweet family in our Community Group had provided an entire Christmas meal for us, and we were able to enjoy that together. It meant so much that they had cared for us in that way, and it was such a gift that I didn't have to think about what I was going to feed my family on Christmas. It was so kind and generous, and I know that I felt incredibly loved and cared for.

Later in the day, we got to do Skype/Zoom calls with Grandma/Papa/Aunt Vi/cousins and Granny/Grumpz. We wish that we could be with everyone, but we are thankful that we could still "see" everyone and talk with them even being so far away.

This wasn't the Christmas we imagined, but we are thankful for how the Lord is caring for us in this season. We are thankful for Emmanuel, God with us.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the McCulloughs!

See You Soon, Michael

There really is no good or easy way to make this post, and there is so much I still have to process. I am even backdating this post, because I just want to mark it here since my posts may not make a lot of sense otherwise. And while I know that the sequence or accuracy of my blog ultimately doesn't matter, I know that I will want a record of this time. Not because I want to remember the hard and the terrible things that have happened. But because the Lord has been so kind and gracious to take care of us in the midst of it all. And that is what I want to remember. 

So for now, I will just copy and paste the post I made on social media to let our family and friends know of what happened to Michael. But the short version? I got a text message on Friday saying that they were taking him to the ER, there were no extra details. By that night, I was booking a flight to Texas. I arrived Saturday morning, and we said our goodbyes on Sunday. Helping my parents plan my brother's funeral was not at all something I ever thought I would do. My brain is still trying to catch up, and it feels too big right now to process. So I'm just trying to take it one day at a time.

I am so very thankful that Michael is with Jesus, that he is whole and healthy and healed. That we are not grieving without hope. I am thankful for the outpouring of love and support and prayers that have surrounded us in these hard days, both in Texas and Virginia. We have been overwhelmed by the body of Christ and how they have shown up to mourn with and care for us during this time. In ways that I didn't even know we needed because I was just too tired or shocked to know. I am thankful for how the Lord has offered His comfort and strength and guidance in every step. I know that He is near, and that He will be in the days ahead.

From social media:

The last 48 hours have been a whirlwind of shock and disbelief and grief. On Friday, my brother Michael experienced a massive hemorrhagic stroke in his brain stem. There really are no words to describe our family’s heartbreak and loss. Anyone who knew my brother, knew that he would give you his right arm if you needed it, so it was no surprise to learn that he chose to be an organ donor. Today, in the midst of the heartache, we get to witness light and hope as my brother (true to character) selflessly gifts life.

As we are in the midst of this Advent season, I cannot help but feel the overwhelming weight of the darkness now. How this is absolutely not how it is supposed to be. A mother and father should never have to bury their son. A new bride should not have to say goodbye to her groom.

But Jesus…

John 1:4-5

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Emmanuel, God with us, came to shine light into this darkness. He came so that one day, all these awful things would be undone. The darkness has not overcome the light. As my kids’ Advent devotional says, “He will make the wrong things right, and the dark things light.”

I don’t know why this happened. And oh man, does it hurt. But I do know that death and darkness do not get the final word. We do not grieve without hope. Michael is rejoicing with his beloved Savior. One day, there will be no more suffering, no more tears.

I love you, bud. I’m so proud of you and how you chose to serve and love people one last time. They’re giving you a whole honor walk and flying a flag. That AND your masters degree?? You win. See you soon 

Advent 2024

I thought maybe we would be moving on from our Advent Blocks this year, but the kids were definitely still asking for them this year when we were unpacking our Christmas decorations. So we will use them to countdown to Christmas again, along with the other things I had planned.

For school, we will be walking through the All Creation Waits book. It's less a Jesus-centered book, and more a creation-centered book. Each day walks through a different animal and how it prepares for winter. While it's not a typical Advent guide, it reminds us that every good thing that God gives is worth waiting for.

For our family Advent time at dinner, we will use our Advent Wreath again. We will use An Advent Journey from Focus on a Family, which is what our church is walking through. We will also watch the Bible Project's Word Study Advent Series each Sunday.

For my own personal study, I will be reading through this book that I received as a gift from our women's ministry director. 

I have most of my Christmas shopping done, but still have quite a bit on the Christmas "to-do" list. It's definitely going to be a busy season. But I am hopeful that we can keep our hearts and minds focused more on the joy of the season, as we anticipate the coming of our King. I'm thankful for Advent, and the chance to quiet our hearts in the midst of the busy holiday season.