christmas eve

Christmas Eve this year was so much fun! We started the evening with our Christmas Eve service at church. I was a little nervous with trying to handle both of the girls during the service. Pastor Sam had a sweet time of inviting the kids to the stage and reading them a story. Emma ran on up, but Ava decided to stay with me. Halfway through the story, Ava jumps up out of her seat before I could catch her and heads up onto the stage. Jason was able to get her seated with the rest of the kids. The story ended and all the kids got up to go back to their parents. Well, all except Ava. She thought she would just hang out with Daddy on stage. Pastor Sam was able to coax her off and over to me. I really wasn't in the mood to climb on stage 9 months pregnant. You never know what little Ava will do next!

We have started a tradition of going out to eat just the four of us after the service. We had a yummy dinner at Outback and then headed home to do more celebrating. We started the time off by letting the girls pick a present each to open.

Sweet Ava was so meticulous in opening her presents. I'm pretty sure this one present took her 5 minutes to open.

Emma opened a giant sized puzzle.

Ava opened a Gigi video.

Emma with the finished result of the puzzle.

Posing in front of the tree...

Ahhh, sisterly love!

Next, we had a birthday party for Jesus. I had made red velvet cupcakes earlier in the day. So, we stuck a candle in the cupcakes for the girls, and they sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus.

I love this pic of Ava!

The icing is Emma's favorite part of cupcakes!

I wish I had pictures of what we did next, but I am incapable of correctly operating Jason's mammoth camera. After we had cupcakes, Jason pulled out his guitar, and we all sang Christmas carols around the table. Then, Jason took the girl's to the couch and read them a book about Jesus' birth. I loved that when it was over I was able to ask the girls questions about Jesus' birth, and they were able to answer and recite the story for me.

Nothing could touch this parent's heart as much as knowing that your children understand the concept of why we celebrate Christmas. During our time of singing, we sang the girls' favorite song, "My Soul Magnifies the Lord". A line in the chorus says, "He has done great things for me." I asked Emma what was something that God had done for Emma that was great. She told me that it was just great that He loved her. So basic and so true. At the heart of it God loved us so much to send his only Son as a baby to rescue the world from sin and darkness. I am thankful that at 4 years old that my child knows the most basic of truth that God loves her!

Of course, no night would be complete without setting out a little something for Santa. Jason told Emma and Ava that Santa loves cupcakes and chocolate milk. Needless to say, "Santa" cleared his plate!

crafting in lila's room

I am so excited.

I now actually have a camera I can use. It's dummy proof which means I can use it. I love the pics my hubby takes, but I also love having a point and shoot camera that I can use myself. Now, I don't have to wait around on him to take the pictures.

I have slowly, I mean very slowly, been working on pulling together Lila's room. I am so excited about it because I have been making a lot of the things that are going to go into the room. I can't wait to see it all together!

The quilt, the inspiration, for the room. Then, I found a cute coordinating fabric by Henry Glass. I still have to pull together and do some sewing for the bedding. Nothing like waiting to the last minute...

The lamp shade that I redid in the fabric. Please ignore my crafting table in the background... it's slightly a mess.

Lila's blocks that I also made for her shelf.

And the door hanger I made.
Maybe in the next couple of weeks I'll have pics of the finished room up!

a busy sunday

We had quite the busy day Sunday! It started with church that morning. Emma was to sing in "big" church with the preschool choir. Surprise, surprise. She was the only child in the choir that would not sing. When I asked her why would she not sing, she just said, "Because it's scary up there."

Amen, sister. I completely understand. I am still holding out hope though that she has more of her Daddy in her when it comes to singing.

After that, we went caroling at a nearby nursing home. Emma was a different child. She had her paper of carols printed off that she was "reading" as she sang to the group at the nursing home. No shyness from her during that performance. Daddy and her even did a little duet together. When we all finished singing, Emma went around hugging all of the elderly people's necks. I was so proud of her!

Later that night, we had the worship team Christmas party. It was so nice! Santa Claus even made an appearance. He "appeared" on the rooftop and then came in later to hear all the kids' wish lists. We didn't have our camera with us, so I was happy when a friend of ours had theirs.

christmas cookies

We have a tradition ever year, as most families do, of making Christmas cookies. This is one of the girls' favorite things to do at Christmas.

I was desperate to come up with something to do tonight since we had been cooped up for 3 days in the house. Tuesday, Jason came home from a meeting at night with a fever. Then, Ava woke up in the the middle of the night with a fever and a cough. I took her to the doctor yesterday and she had tonsillitis, an ear infection and a sinus infection. Of course, this morning Emma woke up with a fever after she also began developing "the crud" over the past few days.

So needless to say, my girls have not been in the best mood. They missed their last week of school and their Christmas party. So they were not happy and neither was Mommy. So, we were in need for an activity since we are "go" people, hence the family making Christmas cookies.

Some of the finished product.

This was Ava's reaction when she found out there was no more cookies to decorate.

Eating the goodies...

"Oh, we get to eat them? Okay, I'm happy now."

christmas decor

I was going to link up to Nestor's Christmas Decor Tour, but of course I forgot and never got the pictures up. But, better late than never!

This year I felt like I didn't go all out on the Christmas decorations. I had so many ideas of things that I wanted to do, but never got around to doing it probably because of my "condition". I was so jealous as I was "touring " other homes on other blogs. Oh, well. There's always next year.

This is our main tree in the living room. It looks a little worse for the wear after being beat up by 2 preschoolers and a 30 pound cocker spaniel chasing cats. This year I made the colors very subdued. I wanted a relaxing tree with relaxing colors. So I just jumped in with decorating and ended up with a "snow" themed tree. The ribbon I used has a winter's scene that runs through it with snowmen on it and I used many ornaments that were snowmen or snowflakes.

I love my wrapping paper this year! Also, last Christmas my mom gave me her old Christmas village. I have it displayed on the my glass buffet table in the dining room.

This year I did a fun tree in the foyer. Again, this tree is looking rough. This is the animals main play area. Also, notice how we have a row of lights out on the prelit tree. Who has the energy to fix it?

These next 2 things are blasts from the past. On this tree I hung these stockings that my grandmother hand crochet herself when my mom was a little girl. Next to the tree, we have 2 elves that are going up a ladder. I can remember as a child the elves always being next to our tree and my grandmother's tree.

I made each of our family an ornament this year...

I got the next 3 ornaments from Cracker Barrel this year. I couldn't pass them up. I love them!

The mantle...

The tree in the girls' room.

The tree is a mixture of reds and pinks, gumdrops and PB Santa.

My Christmas blocks I made...

That concludes the tour:)

a day of coloring

Sunday was one of those days. My energy was gone and I wasn't feeling that good so we ended up staying home from church that day. The girls and I stayed in our pj's and never left the house. Sometimes you just need one of those days.

Pop-Pop came to see us this past weekend and he came bearing goodies from Grammy, 2 humongous Christmas coloring books. I am pretty sure it is safe to say that the girls colored from sun up to sun down.

This is our little princess Emma. Note the ensemble she is wearing. This is what we call her uniform. Every morning, she put on the princess dress she wore at her birthday party in July. If we are at home, you can rest assured this is what she is wearing. The dress is tattered and torn from all the wear and wash. When it is finally time to retire the dress, it is going to go in her keepsake box because at this age this is just so her.

Hopefully, I will have some pics of our Christmas decor up in a couple of days. I didn't go all out this year, considering I wasn't going to be the one that felt like putting them away when Christmas was over.

Oh, and I have been working on some projects for Lila's room. I'm so excited for the way that it is shaping up. It's hard to believe we have less than a month to go before her arrival!

a little music for your listening pleasure...

We love to sing in our house. My girls especially love to sing. I guess that is bound to happen when your dad is a worship pastor.

We have a joke in our house, though, that the girls do not do kiddie church songs. I guess that is because we rarely sing them. They are into all the current contemporary praise and worship songs. In fact, during Sunday school one morning Ava's class began to sing "Jesus Loves Me" to which Ava started screaming, "No. No. I do not like that song!" When her teachers told me that story I told them, "Sorry, she's really a fan of the "New Doxology' by Gateway."

One of our family favorite Christmas albums this season has been from Chris Tomlin. We play it constantly in the car. One of our favorite songs is "My Soul Magnifies the Lord". Jason has also been playing it in church. Emma especially loves it.

Take a listen...

I love it.

She is constantly singing it around the house. There is nothing better than hearing your children sing worship music!

Christmas Wish List Meme

Not much exciting going on around here to blog about. One of these days I may get around to posting some pictures of my Christmas decorations. For now I will leave you with this meme.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?

• New, NICE makeup. Why something so ordinary you ask? Not really interested in clothes when I am as big as a whale.
• Some more of my Emile Henry cookware from Williams-Sonoma (already gotten thanks to my awesome mom)
• A personal trainer for after the baby or an elliptical
• a necklace with ALL my girls' names on it
• gift certificate to Hobby Lobby so I don't have to feel guilty about all the money I spend there

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?

Hmmm, food is good. Well, most of the time, depending on who gives it to you. I also like a good homemade craft decor gift of some kind since I enjoy making the same.

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?

So many. I wish I was artistic and could write well. Then, I could make those cute painted canvases with verses or pictures on them.

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?

So many it is hard to remember. We always got what we ask for. The funniest memory of a gift is when I pulled panties and a bra out of my stocking when I was a preteen. I didn't know Santa and his elves made that at his workshop.

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?

DRESS-UP CLOTHES!!!!! and maybe throw in a few Disney princess paraphernalia

6. What is your favorite holiday food?

Love it all.

But, I do love me some sweet potatoes. And divinity. LOVE divinity!

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?

I made some blocks with the word JOY on them. That will probably be the extent of my Christmas craftiness. I have bigger fish to fry in Lila's room in order to get it ready.

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?

Hands down, Christmas Vacation

9. Favorite holiday song?

Come and Worship, Bebo Norman

My favorite line in is, "God with man is now residing. Yonder shines the infant light." Powerful.

10. Favorite holiday pastime?

Spending time with the family. Jason usually has a week or more off around the holidays. I love watching my girls get excited about Christmas. We are starting a new tradition this year of throwing Jesus a birthday party after our Christmas Eve service. I'm glad that when I ask the girls why we celebrate Christmas they tell me because it is Jesus' birthday!

thanksgiving

We headed to Memphis to spend Thanksgiving. The day before I spent 12 hours cooking the dressing, both types of sweet potato casseroles (our family is divided brown sugar and pecan topping vs. marshmallows), broccoli casserole, homemade macaroni and cheese (made specifically for my children that they would not eat because they prefer the out-of-the-box kind), oreo trifle and an apple pie. Needless to say, I was pooped before Thanksgiving got here. Then, to top it all off I woke up with bronchitis on Turkey Day.

Despite all of that, fun and good times were still had.

Mimi and Ava looking at a book.

This is our attempt at a family picture.

My girls and me

Nana and Papa
Ava and Nana reading another book.

Saturday Jason let me sleep in and he took the girls to go get some donuts. You know, because we had not consumed enough calories in the days preceding.

Ava who had to take her princess wand with her.

Not so sure what Emma's imagination has her being here. She's wearing her Indian hat she made at school and holding onto her dog and her princess wand.

Papa and Ava enjoying donuts and aggravating each other.

Just some pics of the girls being silly.