Christmas Day

the table was set and ready for our friends that joined us for dinner. thanks to the Campbells for coming over!

a little reading of the Christmas story before we opened presents.

the kids got goofy after dinner!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Hallelujah Christ is Born!  enjoy this video!

and watch this one...simply beautiful!

December 24

day 11 of our 12 days of Christmas~ nativity day!

going to Christmas eve service is my favorite service of the year except Good Friday service. i love singing by candlelight!

December 23

preparing for Christmas...

i made my first GF cheesecake and it looks so good!

my little lady and i have been bookworms lately. 

she has been reading chapter book after chapter book. a whole new world is available to her now. it amazes me how good of a reader she has gotten all on her own! she reminds me of my sister, who was a bookworm just like her!

i read this book in two days, probably could have been one day if i didn't have a family that needed me.

it's an amazing story, i'm sure you are familiar with it. Elizabeth was taken from her home and kept captive for 9 months. what i loved about it was her amazing strength in God and her journey in healing and being a light for someone else who has gone through a similar situation.  at times, it is hard to read, but there is so much honesty and vulnerability in her writing that you just can't put it down.  i would love to sit down and have coffee with her.  not to talk about the 9 months of hell she went through but her journey since then.  i'm drawn to human stories like this one, when God triumphs over evil.

December 22

Day 8 of our 12 days of Christmas~go see Christmas lights!

another one of our family traditions is to drive around and look at Christmas lights. we always get a little treat. we stopped by Sonic and got their holiday shakes.

one of the places we drove by had about a dozen or so ice sculptures and they were in the process of making more.

December 21

Day 7 of our 12 days of Christmas~ a Christmas play!

we took the kids to see the play Scrooge.  some of our friends were in the play and it had a Christ-centered twist to it.

December 18

Day 6 of our 12 days of Christmas~ gingerbread day!

baking gingerbread men is one of our yearly traditions.  we always read the story first and talk about not letting our cookies run off, but they always do...with my help of course!

after they come out of the oven, a few of our little gingerbread babies take off and run around the house.

the kids always find it so silly and can't believe it! then they help me search for our gingerbread babies.  we found one of them on one of the kitchen shelves.

December 17

Day 5 of our 12 days of Christmas~ cookie baking day!

We made sugar cookies and peanut butter blossoms!

December 15

this picture is definitely not good quality, but it captures what we did on Sunday.  sometimes, even a blurry photo can be precious to someone!

we were asked as a family to do the advent reading for one of our church services.  my husband and the kids were in charge of saying a few different bible verses and i was the one who go to light the candles on the advent wreath.   the kids did a great job saying their bible verses from memory!

Day 3 of our 12 days until Christmas~ making ornaments!

they both got an ornament that represents what they were for Halloween...Dorothy and the Lion.

and then we decorated several more that i had collected over the years, that are about the birth of Christ.

December 14

                                                      Our Happy Birthday, Jesus Party!

December 13

Day 1: Our 12 days of Christmas

our kiddos found a note from Jesus in with our nativity set.  i can't think of a better way to begin our countdown to Christmas, than with a birthday party for Jesus!

 a box full of things to prepare for our Happy Birthday, Jesus party!

they helped me bake cookies and cupcakes for the party.

December 9

i went to my MOPS Steering Christmas Party, which is always a good time!

there were prizes for the best outfits this year and 3 different categories...ugly Christmas sweater, Christmas pajamas and all around best Christmas outfit.

i was in the pj's category and won a pair of earrings along with these ladies!

December 5

i love MOPS mornings, especially our Christmas Brunch!

it's a nice 2 1/2 hours to hang out with friends and chat.
all the kids came and sang to us.
we got to decorate one of our friends up as a Christmas tree.
and lastly, the CEO of MOPS International came and spoke...she was great!

December 4

this is what we woke up to this morning.

when i looked at my phone to check the weather it was only 3 degrees…burrrr!

we said goodbye to our foster girl this morning.  she's was moved to birth mom's best friend's house.  i don't like goodbyes and there were tears after she left…from myself and my little guy!  i guess we are the sensitive ones!  i'll miss her and it's weird having a kiddo in your life for 7 weeks and then all of the sudden they're gone.  it's a strange feeling not knowing if our paths will ever cross again.  my prayer is that she will come to know Jesus and that He will provide for her with whatever she needs.  being a foster parent isn't easy, but i'm at peace and trust God that He has her best interest at heart.  i also feel at peace because we are also back to being a family of 4 and that really is what is best for our family.

i've been on a craft kick!  working on any craft is therapy for my soul!  i came up with a new advent calendar.  i love layering with different materials, all things that i found in my craft room.

the last 6 weeks we have had a rainbow loom explosion!  i must admit they're a ton of fun and it's been a great way to have fun with my little lady!

i love jimmy fallon and all the songs he sings with celebrities! watch this and enjoy some funny songs...