Celebrating Christmas

A few ways we’ve been celebrating Christmas around here with a preschooler:

Reading the Christmas story from The Jesus Storybook Bible or from The Story of Christmas most days before naptime.  Sometimes we’ll add in a Christmas carol or two. 

Playing Hide and Seek.

Getting ready to give gifts.  Wrapping.  Shaking. Guessing what’s under the tree.  Encouraging Mommy to open her presents early (which hasn’t happened).  Caleb is also starting to realize that letters make words, so he understands that if a present has a label starting with L, it’s for Luke, etc. 

Making and eating Christmas cookies.  If we have time today, we’ll package some up for our neighbors.  These cookies were great for Caleb to make almost all by himself.  He had a blast unwrapping all the Rolos! (He is his father’s son.  He unwrapped all the gold ones first, then the green, and then the red.)

Decorating for Jesus’ birthday party:

And decorating some more…

And some more.  Caleb wanted to keep making these, so they are everywhere!

   Making a cake for Jesus’ birthday party:

We’ll be throwing a birthday party for Jesus today before we head out to see family and celebrate some more.  Have a great Christmas!

P.S. Caleb has been asking about going to Grandpa’s house for a week, about 20 times a day.  “Caleb, we’re going on a car ride to the store.  Let’s get your boots on.” “Grandpa’s house?”  or “Caleb, eat your peas". “Grandpa’s house?”  In the process of explaining when we’ll be going to Grandpa’s house, Caleb has starting learning the days of the week.  “Twosday…Threeday!”

Hide and Seek: Christmas Edition

We’ve been playing a Christmas version of Hide and Seek the past few days.  Here’s how it works: Take Jesus from your nativity set and hide him. Take a star ornament from your tree and put it somewhere above Jesus.  Then go find Jesus! 

The Box that Became a House

Yesterday Caleb decided to build a house out of the box.   Bedtime.

Suppertime.

Thankful today that turning a box into a house is simply a fun way to play and not a harsh reality!  

Baby Jesus

This Christmas season, I’ve been reflecting on the fact that Jesus—the Savior, Creator, King—came as an infant.  An infant whose Mama could have dropped him on his head, or not responded immediately to his cry, or misinterpreted his cries and didn’t feed him when he was hungry.  Who knows… the chickens in the barn could have started pecking at him and although he could have fought back with his God-powers, he chose to be a helpless, vulnerable infant whose only defense was to cry.  The God who sees inside everyone’s heart committed himself to be an infant who couldn’t even see across the room.  The God who knows the ultimate best committed himself to be a sinless, obedient child of young, inexperienced, and sinful parents.

So what?

Through Christ coming as an infant, I see…

…God’s power to bring about his plan. Jesus survived all manner of hazards (high infant mortality rates, absentminded chickens(?), and King Herod) and accomplished his purpose on earth.

…Jesus trusting his Father. Can you picture the scene if Jesus didn’t trust God the Father?  “You want me to be a baby? in diapers? in a barn? in unsanitary conditions? to a teenage girl? to a poor family? What if she drops me on my head? What if the chickens peck at my eyes? What if…” Instead, Jesus was a healthy baby (despite high infant mortality rates and unsanitary conditions), survived to adulthood (escaping King Herod’s killing spree), and died at God’s allotted time and in God’s plan.  (Anyone else ready to celebrate Easter?)  

Glory to God! I marvel at the way you work, Lord. 

Christmas Shopping

One more reason to shop online:

 

(You know you’re loved when you get one of these hugs!)

 

In addition to playing with boxes on Christmas day, you get to play with them before Christmas!

8 months

Sophia

8 months old, 5.5 teeth, 2 naps, orange (but not green) veggies, applesauce (but not bananas), sensitive tummy, sunny disposition, loves chasing her brother, 

Loved.

Jesus Storybook Bible

I’ve mentioned The Jesus Storybook Bible before.  It’s been part of Caleb’s bedtime routine for almost a year now.  Caleb often requests it during the day as well.  When we started reading it, Caleb was too young to sit for an entire story, so we would abbreviate the stories or simply look through the pictures.  All that to say, it’s been a great resource for our family.  Yesterday I came across several youtube animations of the Christmas story as it’s told in The Jesus Storybook Bible.  Check them out if you’re interested in the book, need a few minutes of entertainment, or you just want to hear the Christmas story told with a British accent. 

Snowmen (and boy)

 

Acorn eyes, carrot noses, stick arms…snowmen!

Someone looking through the window wishing she could join in the fun. 

Expensive Entertainment

This time someone else paid the bill.

What a difference 2 years makes.

January 2009

December 2010

Sophia

    Confusion

Curiosity

Joy

Celebrating Thanksgiving

This past Thanksgiving weekend, we spent Thursday at home:

eating pumpkin pancakes, smiling, baking, relaxing

and enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with the fancy plates. 

On Friday, we traveled to my parents’ place, where we enjoyed their company,

their toys,

their books,

and their carpet. 
(Sophia’s trying to figure out how to move on carpet in this picture.)

By the time we were at Luke’s parents’ place on Saturday, Sophia had figured out how to crawl on carpet and get to those toys she desperately wanted to eat.  Luke also found his shoebox full of old track medals, his boy scout badges, and his old piggy bank.  We also discovered his high school ID badges, which have some awesome pictures on them.

We have much to be thankful for—tiny new family members, family that lives close enough to visit, good books, good toys, good food, siblings that play with our kids, one child who sleeps in the car.  We are rich.