Merry Christmas!

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

~Isaiah 9:6

It's hard to believe Christmas is over for another year.  We have had a very busy couple of days, but lots of fun!  

Christmas Eve was spent attending our traditional candlelight service at Orchard Hill and then we went over to my parents' house for snacks and hang out time.  This year we actually brought James into the service because he woke up from his nap with a fever and we couldn't put him in the nursery.  It was so much fun because he really enjoyed all of the lights and the music and actually joined in for some of the  Christmas carols.  He was so sweet and did very well during the entire service.  He just sat quietly on daddy's lap and he LOVED the candles at the end.  It ended up being fun and special to have him with us.  

Christmas morning we had breakfast and opened gifts at home with the kids.  Drew got a new bass guitar and rollerblades.  James loved his things, but would have been content with just one or two gifts.  He was a little overwhelmed and we actually still have a few gifts under the tree for him to open.  Ethan had just one small gift to open... a little hand puppet book I got him.  He loved the paper!

After opening gifts at our house we headed to Nana and Pop's for Christmas with the cousins.  This year my mom had set the dining room table set for a lovely breakfast.  We always have monkey bread at her house, which I love!  I wait all year for that gooey caramel, cinnamon goodness.  It is the best!  We let the kids run around and play while we sat and enjoyed coffee, fruit and monkey bread.  Then we opened stocking presents and the kids opened their gifts.  

It was nearly 2:00 by the time we pulled out of their driveway.  We came home and everyone napped for a few hours, which was fabulous!  Then we loaded the kids back into the mini and away we went to Harmony for Christmas with Paul's side of the family.  We feasted on ham, turkey, creamy potato casserole, vegetables and rolls and later sang happy birthday to Jesus and ate cake.  Then the kids  opened their gifts for the third time.  By the time we got back in the car we were thoroughly exhausted, but it was a wonderful evening!

Now we are back home enjoying some much needed down time with nothing on the calendar.  I always enjoy having time with family and sharing in traditions.  There is so much excitement that comes along with the many events.  But it's also nice to get back to quiet and routine.   The boys are loving playing with all of their new things!

I will give thanks to the Lord according to His righteousness
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

~Psalm 7:17

Cousin Playdate

Last Friday my sister dropped off the kiddos for a couple of hours while she made a mad dash to clean her house and prepare for her husbands' family Christmas visit.  It was so much fun!  James loves having his extra  buddies around to play with.  Here are a few pictures from our busy morning:)

Sweet Charlie boy... he may be little, but he can keep up with the big boys!

Max and Sam played on our newest addition to the basement, which is now dubbed "Kid's Kingdom"!

Charlie loved the doorbell on the playhouse.

How sweet are these two playing together?!

Of course we had to have snack time!  Notice the only one still sitting at the counter...  

Charlie loves pup pups!

And so does Sam...

I tried to get them all together for a quick picture by the Christmas tree.  James was, of course, uncooperative.

Chloe read us a story.  She is an excellent reader!

And the boys played together...

Before I knew it my sister was back and the morning was over.  This is one of the things I love about the holidays.  Normal routines are lost for a bit and it's a wonderful opportunity to spend time with family.  Hopefully we will get to do this again soon!

Ethan slept the whole time they were over, but I do have this darling picture from the previous week when we had gotten together for cookie baking.  So cute!

Seven Months Old!

Dear Ethan,

Today you are seven months old!

You are such a handsome boy!

You are very busy!  I must say... you are going to be trouble when you really become mobile.  You roll all over the place and are becoming quite proficient with the walker.  This morning I caught you rolling over to the kitchen drawers and opening them to see what was inside!  When you are awake you are always looking for something to do.  You don't like to be left out of the fun either!  If we leave you in a room by yourself you pitch an absolute fit!  You always make sure to let us know how you are feeling about something whether happy, sad or mad... you make it loud and clear.  I can't imagine what life was like without you!  It must have been very quiet:)

You are such a snuggle bunny.  You are finally sleeping through the night though you do wake up quite early... you sound the alarm around 5:15.  I can usually get you to go back to sleep for a little bit, but by 6:30 you are ready to rock and roll.  You have taken to sleeping on your tummy... so sweet in your little nightgown!

Ethan, you are such a light in our lives.  Your smiles can cheer anyone up!

You're so jolly!  And we love it!

Happy 7th sweet boy!  We love you more than you will ever know!


And the boy grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon him.
                                                                                                                                       ~Luke 2:40

Phipps Conservatory 2012

Last Saturday we made our annual trek to Phipps Conservatory for a visit to Santa and to see their spectacular train display and beautiful Christmas displays.  This year was more chaotic than usual as the kids are all getting bigger and running in multiple different directions.  We got there early and James headed straight for the train display.  He was enamored!

This is an impressive train display!   There are cities and small towns, farms with lush scenery, a carnival, a lake, multiple trains on different levels.  He didn't know where to look first!

We could have stayed and looked at them a lot longer, but the line for Santa was growing.  We knew James would be less than thrilled with the idea of sitting on some strange, bearded mans lap, so we had him sit with Drew and Ethan sat on Santa's lap.  Ethan was all smiles and James was very timid.  Very typical.

James was thrilled to say good-bye to Santa and even gave him a high five, but no smiles.

He was not in the mood for pictures that day and since we pretty much ran from display to display I didn't get many pictures at all!  This was the only one I got of the little boys together in their matching outfits.

Here is Daddy with Ethan.  I have a similar picture of Paul with James two years ago.

Here it is!

I wanted one of all three of the boys together and had to settle for just one of the only one who would easily cooperate.

We were going to try to get one of all the kids together in front of one of the Christmas trees and well... that just didn't happen.  Maybe next year!  We hightailed it out of there with growling stomachs and headed to the only place we could think of that would be super kid friendly... good old Eat n' Park!   They gave us our own room, which was perfect for wild little boys and a temper tantrum or two.  I left with a headache and indigestion.  I'm pretty sure that if we continue this tradition next year we will get take-out!

It was a fun morning, albeit a little crazy!  But it's always nice to have all of the kiddos together and spend time as a family around the holidays.

A Few of my Favorite Things...

Confession.  I sort of dread decorating for Christmas.  The task seems so overwhelming... dragging huge rubbermaid bins down from the attic and boxed artificial trees, putting half the house in storage to make room for everything...  But then the magic of the season always kicks in and it's fun to open each box with anticipation and remember all of these special treasures we have that we only get to enjoy for one month each year.  It's also fun to add a few new things each year!

These are a few of my favorite things.

Our Advent calendar, which I cringe every time James gets near for fear that he might break something.  He is always opening and slamming the little doors!

My Willow Nativity scene, which Paul bought for me our first Christmas together and we have gradually added pieces over the past few years.

My Giving Thanks glass cylinders that I bought from Day Spring and actually keep out all year with various different vase fillers for different seasons.

My dining room tree that I decorate with red and gold ornaments.

Some of my favorite ornaments on that tree...

Our Little People Nativity set, which we got out for the first time this year and I'm pretty sure I was more excited about it than James!

Some other special ornaments.

James got his own little tree in his room with his favorite things on it!

I am actually still decorating, which I'm sure will continue right up until Christmas day!   While it feels daunting at first, these lovely things fill our home with warmth, love and special memories during the whole Advent.  

One of my favorite things to do has always been and continues to be spending quiet time sitting by the glow of the tree with the lights dimmed either reading or just enjoying its beauty.  

This year has been especially quiet and peace filled, more simplified and focused on the true meaning.  I am praising God for this Christmas season and all His blessings within it.

Saint Nicholas Day

Growing up we always celebrated St. Nicholas Day.  We would wake to find a painted wooden shoe outside our bedroom door filled with special little treats thoughtfully chosen by our mom.  They weren't big items, just little things such as our favorite candy or a good book, and every year I looked forward with anticipation to finding that shoe outside my bedroom door.  It was a simple and fun thing to do early in the Advent season with the thought of keeping simplicity in the gift giving and keeping the focus on Christ for Christmas day.

Well, the shoes have been passed down to me and this was the first year I put them outside my boys' doors.  The true story of Santa Claus originates with Saint Nicholas, who lived during the third century in Eastern Europe.  He was raised in a wealthy home by loving Christian parents.  They died when he was young leaving him a large inheritance.  He chose to use the money left to him to follow in Jesus' footsteps and he gave everything he had to care for the poor and needy.  He lived a life devoted to God and on December 6, AD 343 he died, but his life continues to be celebrated through the tradition of Saint Nicholas Day.  The holiday is still widely celebrated in Europe where Dutch children leave carrots and hay in their shoes for the saint's horse, hoping St. Nicholas will exchange them for small gifts.

It was fun to start the tradition this year even though the boys are still too young to understand.  James loved not only his gifts, but Ethan's as well!

James got a paint with water book, Silent Night song book and a fun Santa cup with a twisty straw.

Ethan got a new bath toy and Cedarmont Kids Christmas songs, which mostly James enjoys!

I told James to open his door in the morning and look around.  In typical fashion... I got the stink eye.

He was pretty stoked though when he saw what was out there!

He showed Ethan what he got...

Then they played with the shoes:)

And then I realized that it was actually December 5th and we had celebrated on the wrong day.   Oops!  Oh well.  They didn't know what was going on anyways.  Maybe next year I won't be so sleep deprived and I will actually operate using my brain.  We look forward to continuing the tradition in years to come.