{nativity 2008}

We had a great time this year, but it took at least seven takes to get all the way through! I came to realize that trying to act out the nativity with 2 two year olds does not lend itself to order, or reverence in any way. But you know what? I wouldn't change it for a thing!

{merry christmas}

We got down to the wire (due to several unforeseen challenges along the way), but our last two projects are finally complete! We are ready!!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you each have a wonderful holiday, spent with family and friends.

{santa}

We made our annual trip to the Santa House this afternoon. I firmly believe in Santa Claus, however, I do know that since he can't be everywhere, especially this close to Christmas, there are helpers that fill in for him. Sometimes these helpers don't quite fill his shoes, but our kids are always excited nonetheless. Just the fact that they are able to sit on his lap, whisper their secret wishes, and feel the excitement in the air makes it worth the frigid temperatures, long lines, and the occasional lack-luster Santa Claus.

This visit was different though. He was jolly. His eyes twinkled, and his dimples were merry. His belly shook when he laughed. He had very real hair, with a very real beard, both as white as snow (Ryan even tested it!). He put his head close to theirs, spoke about Christmases past, and the Christmas yet to come. He carefully placed candy in their pockets, and happily smiled for pictures. Kate and Emma each climbed up eagerly into his lap (which I didn't think Emma would do), and told him what they wanted when he asked (a dolly). He even drew in Ryan, who had asked me earlier if he had to sit on Santa's lap.

As we left, we all turned to each other, and wondered if maybe...just maybe...we had been lucky enough to cross paths with Santa himself.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

{one week}

I'm not ready for Christmas.

It's not that my presents aren't wrapped (okay, they're not--Rick and I wrap them together on Christmas Eve, per tradition), or that I have 2 unfinished projects (almost done!). It's not even that I have peppermint bark and English toffee to make and deliver, or that I still need to make one last trip to the post office.

I'm not ready for Christmas, because that means it will be over. The best part of Christmas comes before the day even arrives. It comes in the form of making gingerbread houses, rolling out sugar cookies, cutting down a Christmas tree, decorating the house, visiting the Santa House, shopping for just the right gift, Christmas caroling, parties with friends and family, lights on every corner, advent calendars, nightly Christmas stories, Christmas music on the radio, candy canes, and friends stopping by. It's service projects, sharing trees, nativities, and special traditions.

I don't know why I'm feeling more this way this year than other years, but perhaps it's that life seems to be going so quickly. It's like I blink my eyes and the fall is over, and then one more blink and it's the week before Christmas!

Does this mean I'm getting old?

Never mind. Don't answer that.

{the apple and the tree}

Do you ever have those moments with your kids, when you look at them, and it's just like looking at yourself?

Reading has long been a passion of mine. I have always been a voracious reader, and even since I was a small child, I could never get enough. I read everywhere--in the car, at the kitchen table while I was eating (I would even resort to the phone book or the cereal box in times of desperation), literally anywhere and anytime I could. My junior library card allowed me to check out 10 books at a time, and I would read those in a day or two. We usually went once a week, and I would end up either reading those books over again, or pulling some of my favorites off the shelf until I was able to go again. Even now, whenever we move to a new town, the first thing I check out is the library. Once it passes the test, I know I can live there!

I have always hoped that this love of books would pass on to my children, and while all of them have a keen interest, Emma is the most like me of all. She is fascinated by any and all books, and has to carry them around everywhere she goes. She doesn't limit herself though, and has even acquired a taste for magazines, catalogs, and the occasional cookbook.

Recently I had her with me at the library, and I happened to be in the Young Adult literature section looking for a specific book. Emma pulled down a book from the shelf to look at, and it happened to be a teen suspense novel--not a picture to be found. She insisted on checking it out, and I (not wanting to cause a scene with a 2 year old about checking out a teen book, and after quickly perusing the pages for any unseemly material) let her. Over the next few days it traveled with us to the grocery store, church, and anywhere we needed to be. She would open the book, look at the words on the page, then turn to the next page, seemingly soaking up every bit of it. We even found her early one morning in the rocking chair, sitting all by herself, turning page by page, and totally absorbed.

So, when she insists on reading my sewing magazine over her morning bowl of Cheerios, hefting 10 books to read in church, or is begging me to read "one more", I just smile--because I know just how she feels.

{vintage family nativity...circa 2006}

We have a tradition of acting out the Nativity on Christmas Eve. For a long time it was just the three of us, and then when we had the girls, all of a sudden our available actors doubled! The year of 2006 is hands down our favorite--we love to watch it over and over. We were in the townhouse we lived in while we were building our house, and Kate and Emma were 8 months old.

We decided that Mary would be played by Kate (thus freeing me to actually film it), and that Emma would be baby Jesus. Now strategically, we should have had Kate be baby Jesus, because she wasn't crawling yet (and a little more calm). But her little round face just exuded the feeling of Mary, so we went with it. Lo and behold, Emma actually stayed where she was supposed to stay!

Please don't mind my narration--I was laughing so hard at some points that I could barely get the words out, but really, I'm just lucky that I made it through. This is certainly not a perfect video, nor are our costumes or acting, but I will always treasure it. It captures a moment in time that I never want to forget.


Merry Christmas!

{week in review}

This week...

-I don't think I sat down between the hours of 6:30am and 2 or 3am, with the exception of a couple nights.

-I went without a shower at least 3 of those days (okay, please don't tell me I'm the only one--there has to be other busy moms out there that also have those days!).

-I made more food in 4 days than I usually do in twice that amount of time.

-I bought more than 30 yards of fabric to be used over a 2 day span.

-I got 9 children up, ready, and to church on time--at 9am. (okay, so it was really like 9:02am, but I am counting it!) I could barely see Rick way down at the end of the 11 chairs we took up.

-The community Christmas concert I organized turned out beautifully.

-I didn't get one thing done for Christmas.

Why you ask?

First of all, our good friends went on a 4 day trip this week, and their six kids stayed with us while they were gone. Yes, that makes nine children! They are really great kids, and were very well-behaved (just the normal kid stuff!), and I can't say enough good things about them. But nine kids is nine kids, and let's just say I have a much greater appreciation for mothers that do it on a regular basis. I was so happy to help, and to have them stay (and I would do it again too!), and of course my kids thought they were in heaven. I also now know how much spaghetti to make to feed that many people. :)

This week was also our church's annual Nativity Exhibit, where we set up, display, and take down over 500 nativities and corresponding decorations in every room of the building in 6 days. I am one of the organizers of it, which means every day and every night is dedicated to making sure it's successful. It's a lot of hard work, and a lot of late nights, but it's something I believe in very strongly, and I love it so much, that it's completely worth it.

Next week's gotta be a lot slower, right?