Christmas baking, normally I would skip on by this post, but these pictures just make me laugh.
This was MW the whole time. Eating PB and stealing bites of whatever he could.
MW: Um, do you think mom will notice if I eat the dough?!
MW: I got some and no one sees me!
MW: Dare I try again?! Look at Gammy she isn't even looking...
So I got these aprons from my Grandmother as we were helping her clean out her house so they could move...Made me feel like Donna Reed. HA! Just need my pearls. ;)
Leighton was quiet the cookie master. She went to town. Good thing because I was not feeling well and have little desire to keep going.
Obviously eating nothing but PB and sugar can wear a kid out!
Yep, that seems like the right amount of icing...
SPRINKLES!!!
Our BEAUTIFUL masterpieces! I kid you not Lo did most of those.
And of course you have to burn a few or it just isn't baking day at my house. Every year.
so that sums up baking day. We only got sugar cookies and PB balls made. I was hoping to get some York peppermint patties made, but time evaded us. Maybe for New Years?!
Wow. So the year and Christmas season is nearly over.
This year I have started some new and fun {hopefully} traditions with the fam.
We are doing Elf on the Shelf. What can I say I love the magic of Santa, and while we have fun with that I make sure we don't forget the true meaning either.
We are doing "Baby Jesus' Manger" Where the kids put in "hay" in a larger manger as they are caught doing something kind, compassionate or nice. Then if there is enough hay Baby Jesus will come on Christmas Eve. {Idea from my friend Ginger}
In the morning we will sing Happy Birthday Jesus before we do anything else. Read: play with our Santa gifts.
Note: this is MIL manger scene. It is lovely.
Lo worries about the Baby Jesus being out in the cold,
so she brought him in because it was suppose to rain later. Bless her.
Along with that tradition on Christmas Eve, while we are writing letters to Santa about how good we were, I want us to stop and write a gift for Jesus. It is as simple as writing down an action/characteristics that you would like to work on during the year. Such as mine "Using kind, calm words towards everyone and little less yelling." And then placing them in a gift box for Jesus. Then next year we can get them out and see how we did. {Crediting J&A Co. for this idea}
And a fun night out looking at Christmas lights.
We loaded up after dinner with our special cookie treat and "stir it up" aka chocolate milk. And headed out to see the lights.
We had fun especially at this one house. While I am sure their neighbors are less than thrilled we all loved it!
Then a few nights later we were on the West side of town
and went looking for lights there. When we turned into an addition there
were 3 THREE! Does standing there. I rolled down my window and could
have almost petted them {if they would let you! HA!} I tried desperately
to get a picture, but I am not adept enough at my camera to get it to
focus in the dark of night. :( This is the best I got and if you squint
your eyes just right and tilt your head to the left, maybe you can make
out their white tails!
I promise they are there! Click the pic and you might be able to squint them out better.
#learnbetterphotogskills2013
This encounter made Lo's night!
Of course we do other things like bake, and watch Christmas movies but those are the big ones. I love reading about people's traditions. It is so fun!
The song takes my breathe way, just imagining Mary giving birth and holding Baby Jesus.
You ever just go through life accepting the facts and nodding along, but then one day it just hits you like a freight train and you "get it" and really see it for the first time.
That is this song for me. I love a lot of traditional Christmas songs, but our Christian artists have seemed to step it up this year with some newer amazing songs.
The lyrics are below. Drink them in and imagine. This may be easier for a mother and especially mothers of baby boys. If you have boys AND girls, you know there is a difference in how we view them, love them, dream for them and protect them.
Your Here
Hold on now, got to take a deep breath.
I don't know what to say when I look in your eyes.
You made the world before I was born,
And here I am holding you in my arms tonight.
Noel, Noel
Jesus our Emmanuel.
(Chorus)
You're here.
I'm holding you so near.
I'm staring into the face of my Savior,
King and Creator.
You could of left us on our own.
But you're here.
I don't know how long I'm going to have you for,
But I'll be watching when you change the world.
Look at your hands, they're still so small.
Someday you're going to stretch them out and save us all.
Noel, Noel
God with us, Emmanuel.
(Chorus)
You're here.
I'm holding you so near. Oh, oh.
I'm staring into the face of my Savior,
King and Creator.
You could of left us on our own.
But you're here.
You're here.
Someday I'm going to look back on this,
The night that God became my baby boy.
Someday you're going to go home again,
But you'll leave your spirit,
And flood the world with joy.
(Chorus)
You'll be here.
I'm holding you so near. Oh, oh.
I'm staring into the face of my Savior,
King and Creator.
You could of left me on my own.
But you're here.
You're here.
Hallelujah, you're here.
Hallelujah, you're here.
Songwriters: GLOVER, BEN / BATTISTELLI, FRANCESCA
Just pause and think about giving birth and looking in your child's eyes and then realizing that child, is Jesus, God incarnate. HE made this world. HE created you and now you are holding HIM, so HE could be with us, to SAVE US! Mind blown.
You are staring into those big brown {or blue} eyes and smiling, but all the while knowing He has come to be our Savior. That gives me chills. He "could have left us on our own," but HE CAME.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are singing Everything Changed at all 6 of our Christmas Eve services. Another song that blows me away. The video nearly brings me to tears (both happy and sad).
Sometimes we tend to melt Mary and Joseph into the background of Jesus' birth, like they are unimportant bystanders. But watching it play out, well I can't imagine the sacrifice that both made to bring this baby into the world. This isn't today's society where being pregnant out of wedlock is no big thing. It was a HUGE thing in those times. I am fairly certain Mary could have been stoned for such betrayal {being pregnant NOT by her betrothed}. But instead Joseph listen and obeyed God and stayed with Mary. That had to not been easy. I am pretty sure whispers were made as they would have been in today's time, but Joseph never wavered. The courage and faith to listen and follow God's plan and raise Jesus...well that is nothing short of an incredible task.
Then I think about how we all have dreams and hopes for our babies, for their futures. To look at your newborn, that innocent, tiny, fragile newborn and know that HIS future will be death to pay for our sins. Wow. How? How as a mother do you comprehend that? The faith Mary AND Joseph possessed is incredible to me. Would I have done it?
I just love this whole plan and history of Jesus' birth.
Maybe it took becoming a mother to truly understand a mother's heart and the sacrifices parents make for their babies, even if you baby boy was Jesus.
Thank you Jesus for coming. You didn't have to, but you did. For me. For us.
I pray everyone finds the true meaning in Christmas this year and everyday.
