Advent & Emotions

It's midnight, I'm wearing snuggie. I just finished putting some overnight baked oatmeal recipe in the crockpot. One of those where the recipe says one thing so I do another. That's how I roll.  Den and I started out watching You've Got Mail together, but we ended with him snoring and me crying. Crying, people. Crying during the end of a movie that I've seen more than once. Granted, it's been a long time, but still. So emotional lately. But I think it's a good thing for me just to let the tears come at will or else later on there will be a dam break and nobody wants that. We've continued our advent calendar. The kids seem to look forward to it. We haven't lit a candle once. That's okay. We usually end up doing the verse at dinner and peeking at the activity during the day.  One night it was Van's turn to open it.  He unfolded the activity and said "I have a dog." Laughter erupted, it was a good moment. I love that he attempts to read, or at least be creative in his guesses.

Day 2 - Hug a friend (preferably not in attack mode)

Day 3 - Help someone out (I promise I'm not making these up to get out of work, but I'll take it just the same!)

Day 4 - Eat a Candy Cane

Day 5 - Dance to a silly Christmas song (Muppets 12 days of Christmas, beaker is hilarious)

Day 6 - Read a Christmas book (Notice Van's red face from his total meltdown because it was time to turn off wii for a book. He got over it.)

Day 7 - Make an ornament (Make sure mommy looks up directions and doesn't rely on her memories from Sunday school.)

Verse that overlapped for the past couple days:  Luke 2:1-3 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

It was fun to see the kids faces as they understood what it would mean for them to have to go to their birth towns (for sake of example) for a census.  Light bulb moment was witnessed!

Advent Day 1

I thought I'd try to make my own advent calendar this year. I've been wanting to for a few years now, but my ideas were always to big and thus never happened. I'm thankful that I found an easy way that met what I wanted. Cut envelopes in half, tape Christmas ornaments with the names of God (found on Pinterest, but not pinned so I don't have the source), insert Bible verse advent cards found here (via pinterest) and a simple activity. Voila! I'm trying to keep my expectations simple as well.  I just want our family to take at least one moment together each day to remember what this time of year is really about. The beginning of Jesus' journey here on this earth.

Day 1 - Decorate the tree

Luke 1:26-27

 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

Tis the Season..

for popcorn stringing, candlelight gazing, nativity playing, It's a Wonderful Life watching, advent and

taking way too long to find a tree.  Though it was a beautiful day for it!

And my first born shot his first deer today. Clean shot, way to go Jesse!