Christmas 2011

How is it that another Christmas Day has already come and gone? The anticipation that builds and builds for months is gone in almost an instant flash it seems--no matter how many times during the day I tell myself, "slow down...savor this moment...stop and enjoy...intently pay attention to this", that moment passes all too quickly and we end up here. The next day, looking at the aftermath of Christmas (aka....the clean-up) and scouring every drawer in the house hoping it contains the necessary batteries. :) 

But regardless of how fast these two days of Christmas fly by, the very reason for these 2 days is celebrated all year long! The birth of our Savior is no "one-stop holiday"...it's a cause for rejoicing and finding JOY all 365 days of the year!! This Christmas season was met with tears (naturally, but is that any surprise to any of you?) and lots of laughter and of course, memories built upon previous memories. I may not have captured every one of them on film, but there are a few that will resonate for years. It'll be those "remember when" memories. ;) It was a Christmas filled with songs and traditions. And of course it was a Christmas that contained those beautifully wrapped packages placed ever so perfectly under that gorgeously decorated tree. The pictures explain it all so enjoy!! And we pray that you all had a very Merry Christmas and are finding the True Joy that comes with loving and serving and taking the very birth of Jesus to heart. 
                                                   
                                                Ready for the Christmas Eve Service!

 The boys always open one present on Christmas Eve...and it's always pajamas!! :)

Leaving the cookies and egg nog for Santa!

Santa left a note! ;)

my handsome guys

Christmas morning!

my little train lover!

Carson with a remote control truck!

Austin opening his new Bible! (and Bible case that he picked out!)

 

 Swords...hum...need I say more?!

the annual fishing lures for daddy!

more legos!!!! (thanks Grandma!!)

Hey...in a house full of boys, I deserve a little pink, right?! :)

 Somehow, almost without fail, Andy does a little something that brings a tear--this year, it was a photograph of my " MN home" (the farm) that he took years ago. It's of a MN sunrise over the frozen creek, the view from my parent's house....yep, that brought some tears. Thanks babe. :) I love it!!!

Yep--it's a Merry Christmas! ;)

 Christmas afternoon/evening was spent at Andy's parents house!

Kyle and Jen and girls

Mitch and Heather and boys (sorry...PJ was sleeping in his car seat but he's still "in" the pic!)

 One of the things on Carson's list was a snoopy and Austin really wanted a blue robe (think Polar Express and the little boy...)--thanks Nanny and Pappy! :)

 MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Winter Break!

It's only the end of day two of our winter/Christmas break and it feels as though we've already packed a lot in...from lazing around all morning in our pj's sipping on coffee and actually watching GMA to playing countless games of hangman and UNO, even a date night with my hotty-hubby and finally finishing that looming thing called present wrapping! And yes, we even baked another batch of those cut-out sugar cookies! Insane? Maybe. Or perhaps I just didn't think we had enough sweets in this house to last us through winter. Reality? We gave most of those kind away and my boys love to decorate and create specialized cookies for those certain someones, so I whipped up another round of sugar cookie dough and away we went a-frosting and a-sprinkling!
 Here's just a few snippets I captured over the past 48 hours....

A new Charlie Brown puzzle

it was 100 pieces but they did it!

Daddy's home for 2 weeks!!! (mason LOVES it!)

 It has been bone-chilling cold out here in the west but the boys have bundled and wandered out into that brown "nothingness"....we may not have white fluffy snow, but we still have crunchy leaves!!!! :)

The boys enjoyed a little cousin-time with Aven...

 

Mason and Aven "chatting" :)

 






...and as previously stated, we've played a few hands of UNO. But I must tell a little Austinism (as I call them) from our game today. Carson changed the color from green to yellow with a WILD card. Austin's turn was next and at first he was highly disappointed as the color was green and he was about to hit me with a green Draw 2! When he noticed that he did indeed have a yellow in his hand and would not have to draw a card from the pile, his voice went up about 3 steps with a song-like "Praise" escaping from his lips. I thought I might see his little hand raise the roof a bit! Needless to say, I rolled over in laughter. And I do believe he went on to win that hand.

my UNO playing boys!

The older two boys have also been busy playing a younger version of Santa as they have put together gifts for Andy and I--they don't even take the time to wrap the box, but rather use their own artistic abilities to "wrap" the box. I like it even more. 

 And even though I showered the last posting with cookie picture after cookie picture, I had to add a few more this time around. They may not be award-winning or be the most glamorously decorated cookies with all the frills and the delicacies of some, but the uniqueness that goes into each hand-crafted one is, in my book, priceless. I'm sure it won't be the last time you see visions of these gracing the blog. 

A cup of tea, a frosted cookie or two (or three...hey, who's counting?!), and a Christmas movie...a quiet way to end the fun chaos of day number 2. 

Baking 101

Counter-tops lined with parchment paper, sprinkles sprinkled on cookies (and the floor), baking pans taking over whatever space was available, bowls filled with dough, the oven temps ranging from 325 to 400 at various times, and little hands working tirelessly at frosting/decorating/sprinkling/rolling/flouring/and taste-testing--that was the scene at our house this past weekend.

We have been talking with our boys about some tangible ways we can show God's love to others, especially this time of year as we celebrate Jesus' Birthday. Making up plates of cookies and distributing them to family, friends, neighbors, and even those we don't know all that well seemed like a simple (and delicious) way to give to others, to spread a little Christmas cheer. They have been talking about it for weeks and were so excited to dive into that dough as we discussed how many plates we would make up and where we would go to hand them out. 

 

YUM!

The boys could hardly contain their excitement when it was time to load up the plates with goodies--seriously, I had to tell them to "slow down" a few times because they were so anxious to pick that perfect cookie for that special someone. Either that or it was a race to see who could fill up their plate the fastest. I'll assume the first but believe the latter. Needless to say, watching them be so eager to give warmed my heart--they could hardly wait to pile in the van and head out into the community to do a little giving!

my awesome helpers!!

Mason looked in the tin, gasped, and said "WHOA!"

                                    
At one particular house early on in our delivering, we were walking back to the van and Austin looked up at me and said, "Mom, that was so much fun!" And he is so right! There is something satisfying and even energizing about giving...about watching the delight in the receiver's face...about hearing the surprise in their tone when getting something unexpected. My boys caught on. A simple way to show God's love and it may not seem like much with just a plate of cookies, but hey...there is some Jesus lovin' in those peanut butter balls. :)

We came home tired, but grateful. I couldn't resist in snapping this picture of Mason as he snoozed away...he loves to lay (asleep or awake) with his hands behind his head. Yep, it was a good day. 

tuckered out :)