Merry Christmas!

'Twas the Weekend Before Christmas...

And all through the house,

My children were literally jumping from couch to couch!

We loaded up the girls & headed down to Fayetteville to see the lights.

The weather was so nice Sunday that we decided to go ice skating.  However, because the weather was SO nice our little outdoor rink was closed because of some melting.  The girls were already SO looking forward to it & there was NO changing their minds at that point so we headed to the mall where they had a free rink set up.

Turns out it is free because it isn't really ice.  It was some sort of wax over snap together tiles.  Bferg said it was slicker than snot.  Aubrie actually got the hang of it pretty quick.  Lily spent most of the time on the "floor" which meant she was covered in wax shavings by the time we were ready to call it quits.

Merry Christmas Eve!

I hope my two little anxious girls can go to bed tonight!!!

Till He appeared & the soul felt its worth, 
A thrill of hope; the weary world rejoices!

Party In Your PJ's

The girls wrapped up their last week of Pre-K until the new year yesterday  Both days included pajamas, sweets, games & all around FUN!

My Loves.

Multi-Tasking.
Eating candy while playing a game!

Lily just kind of enjoyed her cupcake.

Aubrie & her sweet friends!

Now for a relaxing weekend...

"Children are a gift of the Lord."

Psalm 127:3

Some Joy

Our hearts were heavy all weekend after Friday's tragic & sad act in CT.  As a Mom I just cannot fathom.  Cannot.  My prayers continue to be with the families who woke up Saturday to empty beds & hearts.  

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."

John 14:27

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

John 16:33

After a day of errands we decided to let the girls visit Santa & then do their Christmas shopping for each other.  Lily has always been more leery scared to death of Santa.

2009

2010

2011

She was totally fine with letting Aubrie do all the talking but she wrote out her little list just in case.

Watching & Waiting...

Big sis offering up words of encouragement.
And a hand to hold.

Santa reading her little list.

Success!

I love the look on her face!  She is so proud of herself!

Santa is not the main element of Christmas in our house but his presence this weekend brought our family a little smile & joy to our day.

Joy to the world the Lord has come!

The Gift of Giving

"What shall I render to thee for the gift of gifts, thine own dear Son, begotten, not created, my Redeemer, proxy, surety, substitute, his self-emptying incomprehensible, his infinity of love beyond the heart's grasp.... O God, take me in spirit to the watchful shepherds & enlarge my mind; let me hear good tidings of great joy...to look upon my Redeemer's face...let me with Simeon clasp the new-born child to my heart, embrace him with undying faith, exulting that he is mine & I am his.

In Him thou has given me so much that heaven can give no more."

(Excerpt from The Valley of Vision pages 28-29.)

I love this old puritan's prayer.  I love the word pictures that walks my finite mind from the shepherds, to the manger, to Simeon...but the last sentence is the climax. 

Jesus' birth was the ultimate gift.  

Heaven emptied it all that cold night in Bethlehem.

Take this Christmas season to give.

Take time to teach your children to give.

Give because HE gave so much for us.

A New Tradition

With our girls being older this Christmas & being able to fully grasp the real meaning of Christmas we decided to start a new Advent tradition.

Advent: The arrival of a notable person, thing or event.

Our kids obviously anticipate Christmas (understatement of the year) so this year we are taking that anticipation and adding Scripture to each day reflecting on Christ's birth & His goodness.  

Therefore we are celebrating Advent.

I found some pre-cut strips of paper & I had a rough guide of some Scriptures (thank you Pinterest!)...25 Days of Scripture that also doubles as a count-down to Christmas.

I made two (one for each girl) so that there is NO fighting over who gets to tear the link as well as some of the passages were too long for one strip of paper.  

It has been great!  

It has been fun to see their excitement over reading a new one each night & then having a kid friendly but completely intentional Spiritual discussion on each verse.

It will definitely be a tradition that we will continue!

"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; 

And the government will rest on His shoulders;

And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 9:6

'Tis the Season

We dove right in to the holidays this past weekend by heading to Silver Dollar City with some of our best friends.  Apparently 10,000 other holiday celebrators were diving in too...SDC was packed!  It was overwhelming at times but we still had a blast!

Our Family

Aubrie, Gabby & Lily

Watch Out!

Lily & Gabby

Can you spot the pigtails?

Watching the parade...

Merry Christmas to all & to all a good night!

Thanks to the Paladino's for sharing their free passes with us!  

Colorado Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving in Colorado...yes, please!

Mountains.

Shopping.

  Hot Tub Time.

Cousins.

Christmas.

And Sledding.

We had a great week full of relaxation, enjoying time with family & all being back together in the mountains.  

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"

2 Corinthians 9:15

Tuesday's Travels

I have the two most amazing travelers in the world!

Giving Thanks

I am thankful for my Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ.  I am nothing without Him & all that I have comes from & through Him.

I am thankful for my family.  

My husband.  He is a man who loves God, loves me & works so hard to provide for our family.

My precious girls.  They are healthy & happy.  I do not take that for granted.  My greatest blessing & my dream come true was becoming a Mommy. I pray I lead them well & know that ultimately they too are the Lord's.

My parents.  They love me unconditionally & have taught me well.  They are true servants.  They are amazing grandparents to my girls.

I am thankful for my friends.

I am blessed to have amazing friends both new & old.

I am grateful to have relationships that keep me grounded & that challenge me in growth.

I am thankful for this past year of change & growth. 

 I normally don't like change.  I don't seek it out & tend to run the other direction from it.  But this year we have changed both jobs & churches.  God has been in the center of both & His presence has been felt in all of our decisions.  

I am thankful for my own personal spiritual growth.

I have been challenged & guided by God this past year in ways that I have never had before. God has revealed areas of growth needed in my life & areas that I needed restoration in.  He has been faithful & I am grateful that He guides with grace & mercy.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name.  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits."

Psalms 103:1-2

Favorite Thing Friday

Lists have been made, our bags are in the process of being packed & our excitement level is at a 10!  A Thanksgiving trip to the mountains of CO with our whole family is just right around the corner!

I cannot wait to relax, eat too much, drink coffee by the fire place & KISS these sweet babies' cheeks!

Much to be thankful for!!

Close Encounters

When it takes you a month (or more) to download pictures from your camera you sometimes forget what happened.  When you give said camera to your husband at a petting zoo you laugh out loud at the pictures you download.

Close encounters with farm animals in AR!

Rachel

A Walk in the Woods

A beautiful fall Saturday spent in the woods with my favorite people...

We jumped from rocks...

Found the mouth of a cave...

Stopped for some fun...

Got a little tired & a little cold...

And then slept the whole way home in the car.

"On the glorious splendor of Your majesty & Your wonderful works, I will meditate."

Psalms 145:5