Strange how the CHRISTmas spirit can't happen without Christ!

Super late Christmas Post...

I have been procrastinating this post because it is painful to write it. And it entailed super long picture loading.

Remember my candle, and all my scriptures we were going to read by it, and the lanterns we were going to make Christmas eve, and the teaching of children the real meaning of Christmas...?....?....?

Didn't happen. Sad to report but it is true. We did it a couple of nights and then life got away from us. And it just didn't happen. A huge red flag to me, that our lives our too chaotic or busy, is when we don't have time for Christ. And in this day and age, with the technology and fast paced world we live in, it seems like that is the case more often then not. It is wrong. Oh, to go back to my Charles Ingall's days. When reading the Bible by the candle and hearing pa play his fiddle was the highlight of the night.

Anyways, I really did try to get into Christmas.

We went to an ugly sweater party... Super fun!

We made ginger bread houses... I have a sweet friend, Christina, the most wittiest person you could ever meet, and she comes and helps me and the kids make gingerbread houses. They love it when she comes over to "play". I do also and without her I would never be making ginger bread houses. In fact last year when she started the tradition, the kids had never made them before that time. Now, they LOVE it! In fact Bo was saving soup cans a month ahead of time for his ginger bread house. I don't know what his plans were but I was thankful he forgot about them and made this adorable house instead!......

Fighting with the toddler over whose turn it is to use the frosting...




Look who won!

Hey! What ginger bread house making without a few little "tricks" along the way!

We made over 130 sugar cookies (I forgot to mention that my gifts to neighbors this year was to NOT deliver you any.... you know since 12 little kiddie hands were heavily involved in the making of them),

We went to the Santa display...





Love that ball room Santa!

we went to the Nativities....

We had our own Nativity (thanks to a friend's invite to do so) Can you believe we have never done that either!!! It was so fun and sweet! It will for sure be a new tradition.

No more pictures...Booo.

We went to a work party where we overloaded on appetizers...

We watched planet of the Apes on Christmas Eve again...Don't ask. No really, don't.

We went to the gingerbread houses... ( the one Justine's made with 4-H friends was on display) This one her leader made....

AMAZING!

And might I also add, Kate learned to use the elevator up and down twice... pushing the buttons all on her own in a very large facility.... when she gave my mom the slip.... Little smarty pant.

We went to piano/violin recitals and the cutest kindergarten "choir" ever.

We love that Nathan has almost grown taller that his cute little teacher...

We decorated the tree with 5 bazillion lights and it was beauteous!<>






Corey's child hood ornament... Marshmallow cow boy!



Another one of Corey's childhood ornaments. My favorite.




Last year Nathan's violin teacher made him this ornament. We love it! It is a treasure, for sure.

We decorated the tree with our homemade special Jesus ornaments. I can't ever imagine a tree without them now. I have grown to love them so much. We have quite a few of these and I am always on the look out for new pictures of Jesus.

I made homemade gifts...okay just one really. I had THE BEST EVER time sewing (which my capabilities are very limited) a little blanket and mattress bad for this little cradle I found at a thrift store in town.

Isn't it that so stinking cute? I sewed her name in it? Do you see?

So then I also got really smart and bought little new born clothes at the thrift sore and chopped them in half and cut some of the middle off and sewed the up smaller. I also sewed them tighter in the back and made them smaller to fit just a small little soft bodied baby.




WARNING: Adorable picture alert! May cause you to overload on cuteness!

Kate's present from Santa...

We tried many things to try to get the "spirit" of Christmas and we did do lots of fun things. But it just really hit me, you can't REALLY have the spirit of Christ without REALLY focusing on Christ. And I don't think we did that like the year before.

Last year we had such a truly sweet experience when we focused on Him in detail every day.

I don't want to make excuses but....

Doesn't it seem like the days go by much faster???

And also I didn't have my kids out of school for as long.....

And also Bo and Kate are so wiggly and distracting it is hard to have a quiet moment (seriously, some might not believe me, but the people who know me know it is a struggle. I have genetically programed... wild children)

Also I am vitamin deficent remember?

And also spell check doesn't work when the blogs gt this long...

And I was just mentally unprepared.

So I didn't get "focusing on Christ" done. With all the wonderful, fun, things we DID do, we didn't get our intense focus done like last year. And it was sorely missed. I assure you. Even a kid noticed.

And that is it. That is all I have to say for myself. I am thankful for new beginnings. I am thankful for all the fun we did get to have. I am going to plan earlier in the year this next time.

Yea...I dream big.