Day 25: Light

I love the warm LIGHT of my Christmas tree, and all the memories had while hanging the ornaments.

(I really wanted a picture of a candle from the 11 service at church, one of my favorite Christmas memories from growing up, but my kiddos would never make it up that long.)

This has been a fun month counting down the days to Jesus' birthday! Merry Christmas!! I hope each one of you has a blessed holiday!

Day 24: Joy

JOY is seeing the light in my children's eye and the awe and wonder in their voices (or squeals).
JOY are the random kisses and hugs.
JOY is my baby boy asking to hold me hand, or Molley just taking it.
JOY is watching my kids play together...well, mostly play together.
JOY is looking at my kids and knowing how loved they are, knowing how many lives they have touched already and such a young age, and knowing how blessed I am to hear them call me mom.
JOY is knowing how amazing God's love can be!

Day 23: Neighboors

David loves his NEIGHBOORS from school, all of them. I don't know what he will do without seeing those kids everyday. Some have gone, and others have come. The guy on the end there has been with him since he was 8wks old. Those two can get into trouble faster than anyone I know.

Day 22: Sign

In grandma's house. How cool to have it recorded who lived there and when?

Day 21: Prophet

What is a PROPHET? Someone who has claimed to be contacted by the supernatural or devine, according to Wikipedia.            

This time of year, we hear a lot about the PROPHET Isaiah. Over 800yrs before Jesus' birth, Isaiah proclaimed that a new king would be born, and he would be a "wonderful counselor" and the "prince of peace." Isaiah spoke many times about mercy, compassion, love, and kindness.

I don't know any true PROPHETS today, but I know of oh so many people who speak of mercy, compassion, love, and kindness. These people inspire me. They challenge me. They make me a better me. They constantly put other people first and themselves last. They speak good words of all people.

We are all born knowing nothing but good and innocence. Then we grow up. I want my children to be like Isaiah. I want them to know good, speak kindly, and act compassionately. I want them to be able to love everyone equally, and treat all with the same kindness they want to be treated with. I want my children to always remember the gold rule, and of course to remember that mommy is always right. :)                                                                                          

Day 20: Good News

And the angel said "Fear not, for behold, I bring you GOOD NEWS of great joy..."

GOOD NEWS can be hard to come by. It seems as though the news is full of tragedy and heart ache. Those "fluff" pieces are fewer and farther in between. News of murder, burglary, destruction, and loss top the headlines more often than news of compassion, new life, small acts of kindness, or helpful neighbors. It's become an expectation that when you watch the news, you will be depressed.

But what about all of the GOOD NEWS out there. When was the last time you got really good news. Not just news of a 2hr delay from school or surprise money in your pocket, but really GOOD NEWS?

Ours was just over 2yrs ago. The GOOD NEWS of a baby. Prayers had been answered.

We wanted the GOOD NEWS to be remembered throughout Molley's life. Her middle name is Elizabeth, after Mary's cousin who also received GOOD NEWS. Molley was great news in our life, and we want her to always carry with her what a blessing she is in our lives. 

Day 19: Patient/Patience

"Lord, grant me the PATIENCE to deal with my blessings"

I recently saw this quote and thought YES! I need this for my house.

I am not always a PATIENT person. I'm the one who would open Christmas presents early to see what I was getting and then rewrap them. I know my mom knew what I was doing, but she never said anything.

Sometimes I'm not all that PATIENT with my children either. When I'm trying to cook and they are begging, a louder voice comes out. When all I want to do is go to the bathroom alone and 4 little feet follow me in, I want to scream.

When those things happen, I remember that times flies so fast and in a blink they'll be adults. Then I'll look back on these times and laugh. I'm sure that my parents still see us girls like this instead of moms with kids of our own.

Day 18: Mercy

There was no room for them in the inn...

How merciful of the inn keeper to give Mary and Joseph room to stay on that night oh so long ago.  It may not have been up to any of our standards, but the compassion shown was something to be proud of.

Each year the guidance department coordinates  Holiday Help for families in our school. The response is always overwhelming, and the families we help are well taken care of.  Here are a few pictures from this year. These are just a few of the families that we were able to help.

Day 17: Free

Nothing is FREE at Christmas, at least that is what I think everytime I walk into a store to feed our banana habit in our house. 

What I have learnedis FREE all year long are the smiles I get when my kids do something cute, or I am trying to explain to them something in the store and someone overhears. I love the smiles I get then. Makes me feel normal for explaining the most random things in public. Such as the following...

"Mom, why would anyone want to wear that?" said near the bra department next to an older woman in Target

"Well honey, they are for girls only, so you won't need to worry about wearing one."

"Why mom?"

"Because girls need them and boys don't"

"Why mom?"

Ignored

"Mom, why do only girls need then? Is like why I have a peepee door and you don't?" (said much louder)

Giggling from the woman, and a big smile

I love those FREE smiles. 

Day 16: Strong

Mary Did You Know...

How STRONG must Mary have been! To see the angel come to her and tell her she was with child. Her, a meek and mild virgin was going to have a baby. Not just any baby, God's only son.

How STRONG must she have been to tell Joesph!

How STRONG must she have nee to flee when word of Harrod came to her.

How STRONG to watch your sone die on a cross for the sins of others. 

STRONGer than me, that is for sure. 

A STRONG Christmas memory for me is hearing my mom and her group sing Mary Did You Know a few years ago. So beautiful! I wish I had a recording of that. Instead, I'll sub my 2nd favorite group. 

Day 15: Rejoice

REJOICE in the Lord our God, for he is good!!

I sing his praises daily and REJOICE in my children. God is good, and he blessed me with two of the most amazing children in the world.

Day 14: Gather

Whenever this crew gets together, chaos is to follow - in a good way of course. Since this picture in 2011, we have added 3 more kids, and another is on the way!

Day 13: Justice

Of all the days so far, this has been the hardest for me. I just had a hard time tying JUSTICE to Christmas.

We all know that JUSTICE is about being fair. Fairness and Christmas...does that mean to have equal presents for all under the tree? Spending the same amount of time with everyone?

Maybe I'm thinking to hard about this one. Maybe JUSTICE and Christmas do go hand in hand. Maybe it's to remind us to treat others justly, not just at Christmas, but all year. Maybe it's about this little guy who is sure that it's not fair that there are others little boys who don't own any Hot Wheels cars or trains, and that is why he always needs to put money in the red bucket. "Mom, every boy needs a train."

Day 12: Hope

This is the ornament hanging on my tree for my angels. It reminds me to always have HOPE in what HE has in store for us.

Day 11: Steady/Steadfast

"STEADY as she goes!!!"

This is how I feel about God's love for me. There are not things I can do to make him love me more, nor are there things I can do to make him love me less.

This is also how I feel about my love for David and Molley. There is nothing that they can do to make me love them anymore than I already do, and there is nothing that they can do to make me love them any less.

I wonder if Mary felt the same about Jesus? What about Joseph?

As I go through life, I have come to like the STEADY constants more and more. I can rely on them - they are not going anywhere. They will be there on my best of best days, and there when all I want to do is curl up in a ball and cry.

STEADY is this guy in my life.

"STEADY as she goes!"

Day 10: Holy

Oh, HOLY night

My favorite Christmas carol. I have 10 different versions on my playlist right now. It just paints the perfect picture for what I think that night must have looked and felt. 

HOLY night, oh HOLY night.

Day 9: Delight

Oh how my children DELIGHT in so many things. To see the world through their eyes would be amazing.

To feel the excitement that they do in things that I have long forgotten about. I didn't know the eyes of my sweet babes could get as big as they have in the past weeks.

"Mom! Hurry. I need to hear the North Pole report!"
"Mom, can you believe it?! The hot coco machine went haywire! We have to let daddy hear it too!"

"AAAA" heard by all from Molley at the end of every Christmas song

"Mom, did you know that those red buckets help kids get food....and toys. Kids need toys. They don't help kids who are sick though, I do that when I ride my bike. Mom....can I put some money in the bucket?" (He did a Trike-A-Thon a few months ago.)

"Mom! Can I open the envelope tonight?! referring to our Advent calendar

"Did you know baby Jesus' birthday is almost here?"

"Where did Bury go? Let's find him!"

"AAAAA" heard by all, again from Molley, when the tree is turned on

"Mom, do you think Santa will think our tree is perfect. I think it's perfect mom."

Yes, sweetie, I can guarantee that Santa will love our tree as much as you.

Day 8: Wisdom

I had an idea once. An idea that I would grow up, become a doctor, marry rich, have 4 kids, live in a huge house and have the perfect fairytale life.

WISDOM

My high school guidance counselor, as well as every career assessment I took said that I should work in education. I laughed.

WISDOM

I hate organic chemistry. I'm not a huge fan of needles either.

WISDOM

I don't need money to be happy. Would money make some things easier, sure, but make me happier? In the short term, maybe, but money can't buy everything.

WISDOM

I love my family. I do not have the patience for more than 2 children, and some days, I'm not sure I have the patience for the 2 I do have.

WISDOM

More house=more cleaning

WISDOM

I married the perfect man for me. I do have my fairytale life. Perfect, no, but exactly what I want.

WISDOM

God knew what he was doing. It just took me a little longer to realize that.

Day 7: Ready

READY or not, here I come!

Hide and Seek - a childhood favorite.

Sometimes I feel like faith can be like this. It's strong and great when all is well, weak and wavering when things are not.  It's often hard to keep it at a constant. I think that is the great thing about faith though- it is ever changing. Without our questions, we would not get answers that strengthen us. Without the lows, we would not know the highs. I always have my faith, but it is fluid - ever changing and developing. 

Molley is very much READY to take a leap of faith and run. She may not be READY to understand this magical season, but look out world here she comes!

Day 6 : Awake

When I think about AWAKE, I think about opening- our hearts, our minds, our eyes, our souls. Opening ourselves up to pain, sorrow, joy, and happiness. Opening ourselves up to the word, to the possibilities that there is something bigger than us out there.

I want to AWAKEn the feeling that I had as a kid at Christmas. That magical feeling that anything was possible, that everyone had some good in them, the wonder of Jesus' birth.

Of course, I also think of AWAKE and hope that I am not AWAKE with my little angel when Santa comes :)

(A rare nap last year at Christmas time.)

Day 5: Flood

What does the word FLOOD have to do with Christmas?

Maybe it's the FLOOD of emotions felt on that amazing night...
Maybe it's the FLOOD of people flocking to Bethlehem for the census...
Maybe the FLOOD of angels singing...
Or the FLOOD of people on Black Friday...

Maybe it's the FLOOD inside of me. The rush of emotions, of all the things I want to do with my family, all of the wonderful feelings I have of this time of year. The constant movement of everything around me, when all I want to do is stand still and take it all in.

Or maybe it's none of that.

Maybe it's the FLOOD of Christmas cards from years past reminding me that I need to do ours for this year. :)

Day 4 : Time

7:00 pm - the TIME of my first date with Nate
6:30(ish) pm - the TIME Nate proposed
1:30 pm - the TIME of our wedding
8:25 am - the TIME David was born
4:44 pm - the TIME Molley was born

TIME seems to pass by so quickly. Blink, and you've missed something.

Christmas comes and go so quickly, and then we're off to worry about or prepare for the next  big thing. I want to use my TIME wisely this year - spend time with family and friends, teach my children what is important about the season. I don't need to spend so much TIME on finding the perfect gifts, or the prefect decorations. That is not what it is all about.

I need to spend TIME this season remembering what blessings I have surrounding me and what a blessing I have in my faith.

Day 3: Peace

PEACE be with you...
...and also with you.

This is a response that we do often on Sunday mornings. We also "pass the PEACE" each Sunday during the service to greet our neighbors. This is David's favorite part of the service - it's when he is allowed to get up, shake hands, and talk. He has his favorite people that he likes to talk to, and those that he is still warming up to. Molley also enjoys this part because she can show off her walking skills.

PEACE is something that I have found is hard to teach. It's a concept that David doesn't get just yet. I am hopeful that this season, we can teach him more about PEACE through our readings and our actions.

Day 2 - Bound

Merry Christmas...
Merry X-Mas...
Happy Holidays...
Enjoy your winter break?

Over the years the way in which we share holiday greetings has changed. Sometimes I feel so BOUND to be politically correct, that even I can sometimes forget why I celebrate Christmas.

Mary, Joseph, the shepards, and the wise men felt BOUND to hide their great joy for fear of persecution. The felt BOUND to move forward to new lands until that threat had passed. They felt BOUND to keep their secret.

 

I wonder what it was like for Mary when the angel came to her. Did she feel BOUND to tell no one her joyous news? What about Joseph? Their parents?

 

This Christmas season, I don't want to feel BOUND to keep any secrets.  Lets feel BOUND to share our joy, our blessings, our love.

Day 1: Go

On your mark...Get set...GO!


...GO to find that perfect gift
...GO to make the house perfect
...GO to spend time with family
...GO to get the best deal
...GO to make the holiday season perfect

What makes a season perfect? The best decorations? Most expensive gift? The creative Christmas card? The best decorated cookie? The most original traditions?

What do we sacrifice when all we do is GO?

This year, I want things to be different. I want to feel like we GO with purpose, not obligation.

I don't want things to get left behind or forgotten. Last year, we simply ran out of time to do things, and one the first thing to get dropped was our nightly advent readings. This year will be different! We will spend that time as a family and GO on a spiritual journey to discover the real reason for the season. We will teach our children to GO forth in Christ. We will learn to GO in all that we do with love. We will GrOw in all that we do this season.

On your mark...get set...GO!

Advent Countdown

Last year I did the 25 days of Christmas countdown. I posted a picture a day to help countdown to Christmas. I enjoyed doing it. It helped me to stay in the holiday spirit. This year I wanted to do the same thing, but spend more time focused on Christ. A friend of mine posted this list on Facebook, and I decided to try this one. It comes from www.rethinkchurch.org. I like that each day I'll get to take a picture (or write) about the word and focus on the true meaning of Christmas.

1: Go
2: Bound
3: Peace
4: Time
5: Flood
6: Awake
7: Ready
8: Wisdom
9: Delight
10: Holy
11: Steady/Steadfast
12: Hope
13: Justice
14: Gather
15: Rejoice
16: Strong
17: Free
18: Mercy
19: Patient/Patience
20: Good News
21: Prophet
22: Sign
23: Neighbors
24: Joy
25: Light