MERRY MERRY

We had such a wonderful Christmas celebrating with our sweet boys! Sam was really into Christmas this year. I think it was the 1st year he really understood the "reason for the season". Cupid, our elf, came a few days after Thanksgiving and Sam spent every waking moment asking questions about Cupid. He wanted to know "do Jesus and Cupid talk?" Tanner was starting to ask us really hard questions about some of the "magic" of Christmas. I was really sad at first but then I realized through all of his questions that he understands the IMPORTANT WHYof the season...Jesus' birth. The closer Christmas got the less questions he asked but he is my serious and practical guy so I'm sure his wheels are still turning.

We started our celebration of Jesus' birth with the Phillips family.

 We spent the next afternoon with my parents and sisters. There is something so nostalgic about Christmas with my parents. I love the little traditions they have for the boys some of the same ones they did for my sisters and I.

See that excited face on my mom???

My parents are SO hard to surprise with GREAT gifts because they always just buy it for themselves.

This year I took the boys to a friend, the owner of MiniMasters, to paint a painting for my parents. Look in the photo below to see the painting...its the long rectangle in front of the other painting. We also had the boys do a painting for Mr. and Mrs. Phillips. I think they turned out really well!

It's hard work being so loved and spoiled with oodles of gifts. The boys were exhausted after round 2 and we still had more to go. They are so very blessed. I hope that the things we do like Christmas shoeboxes, baking for community helpers and writing down our gift for Jesus help the boys realize how very blessed they are.

BEST GIFT...SNOWBALL FIGHT

(below)

We have played with these at least 20 times since they opened them. Mom ordered each of the boys a "bucket of snowballs" from etsy. They were about the size of baseballs, made from really soft fabric and the boys just blast each other! BOY HEAVEN!

Traditions. When my sisters and I were little we opened new jambes every year on Christmas Eve. My mom still gives us all new jammies every Christmas Eve. 

Chris and I wanted to give the boys a gift on Christmas Eve also so we decided a few years ago to do a new Christmas book.

This year we got:

Christmas morning

I always love to see what's a big hit Christmas morning. The boys each picked a play-doh set for the other and they played with them for hours Christmas morning!

I absolutely love gifts that keep the boys outside...our house is small and their energy is big!

Phillips cousins minus one sleepyhead. It was so much fun this year watching all of the little ones at Christmas!

glory to the newborn KING

Merry Christmas

Love,

The Phillips Family

Rev 19:16 KJV - 16 And he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

gingerbread house making

GINGERBREAD HOUSES

Sunday night we had some good friends over to make Gingerbread Houses with the kids.

This is the first year the adults really didn't have to do much supervising

although

in the photo it looks like they are all eating the candy and not putting it on their houses?!?!

crafting for christmas

Sam made these adorable ornaments at "Sew School" at Grace St.Luke's!

He kind of looks like a baby in this picture...I love it:)

Sam had so much fun I bought the materials for sewing the ornaments:

3-4" wooden loom

yarn

beads

plastic needles

The boys made these ornaments for our mail lady, garbage men, favorite grocery workers, librarian, and teachers.

Sam likes to craft in front of the mirror...so he can see himself!

Gingerbread men...we put these in our playroom kitchen to "cook"with.

a little more fine motor work

sweet moments

Tanner is our official "prayer" guy this Advent. 

Every night when we close he reads the written prayer then closes with his own prayer.

 I am so very proud of the young man he is becoming. 

He is so blessed to have such a Godly father who has taught him to pray.

tis the season

1st Night of Advent

Every night we read our scripture, then the story and say a prayers.

We use a (made up by us) version of the Jesse Tree. 

This year the boys are drawing a picture each night to add to our tree.

Weekly Advent Calendar

Sunday-Light candles and sing/listen to hymns...we like the Third Day versions

Mondays-Baking special thank you's: friends, teachers, service workers

Tuesdays-special treat/lunch note

Wednesdays-christmas craft...sewing, beaded ornaments, name of Christ ornaments, etc

Thursdays-writing cards/drawing pictures for people who serve us and mailing them

Fridays-family movie night

Saturdays-special family date to a Christmas activity

Westminster Christmas Program

1st grade recited Luke 2:1-15

It was beautiful!

For some reason Chris and I got the FATTEST tree on the lot. It takes up like 1200 feet of our 1660 foot house.

It fell...so now it is bolted to the wall...don't ask?!?!

And no worries...Sam emailed Santa and "Cupid" the elf his Christmas list!

S'mores

A highlight of the mountain vacation was making s'mores! Sam must have eaten 3. Tanner loved roasting the marshmallows in the fire. The boys have a great daddy who went through so much trouble to get the fire going just for 30 minutes of entertainment.

Mountain Home, AR

Thanksgiving Vacation 2012

8 days of heaven for my boys

I think the pictures speak for themselves...it is beautiful here. The boys are in their element and so are Chris and I. When he finishes school, I think we will apply to every city that has mountains. We spent our first day about an hour from Mountain Home in Ponca. I am still amazed by how far the boys can hike...my it band was not so happy but it will have to corporate this week!

RAGNAR RELAY 2012

Chris and I just finished running the Ragnar Relay. 

(with a bunch of other crazies and a great van driver...thank you Wilson)

We ran with 10 other friends from Chattanooga to Nashville.

196.3 miles

2-15 passenger vans, lots of GU, lots of stinky clothes

no showers, no sleep for 30 hours

Everyone ran 3 legs.

This was the 1st exchange for Van 7...it was leg 7.

Some legs were in the middle of the night!

This is the part of the race where I heard team members saying "why did we do this again?"

This was our Van...Van 2.

I can't believe after 30 hours of NO sleep everyone in the van is still talking to one another.
We had the perfect van:)

We had to wear really cool safety gear...and wave a flag to cross the street.

And the best part of the race was of course checking out my hot husband in his spandex!

By the end of the weekend...everyone was planning for next years race!

I guess that means Shake, Rattle and Run will be running RAGNAR in 2013.