tis the SEASON

"Let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show it by our actions."
1 John 3:17

My Favorite Things...cookies, playdough delivery, homemade cards, Christmas inspired lunches, waking up the boys to see Christmas lights, family time...love my family!

STAR WARS...May the 5th be with you!!!

We celebrated Tanner's 5th birthday...STAR WARS style!!
Tanner has been asking for a Star Wars party since we drove home from his 4th birthday party:)

When the young Padawons arrived they received a Jedi training robe
and
began the task of decorating their training light saber.

The Padawons were given instructions for the events...
in order to become a
JEDI
these rules had to be followed!

 

Training Light sabers were used to:

balance balloons

pop bubbles

practice light saber skills

...when we finished each Padawon showed the others a special light saber MOVE!!

Next their skills were tested as they balanced on the ROCKS in the HOT LAVA

in order to shoot

DARTH VADER

with the STAR WARS nerf gun!!!

We destroyed the DARTH VADER pinata!

Candy was collected for FUEL!!

R2-D2 made a guest appearance!



After the Young Padawons completed their JEDI TRAINING

they were presented with

an

OFFICIAL LIGHT SABER...

just in time...

because DARTH VADER appeared and the new JEDI

had to defend our house against DARTH VADER!!!

making meRRy and briGhT

OK...let me just say I love the holiday season...it may be crazy busy but I love spending time with my family celebrating this amazing season of Christ's birth!  And what other time of the year is there a perma-excuse for a messy house???
...we were wrapping presents honey
...the playrooms a mess b/c we are cleaning out to donate
...those dishes are from baking...where are the cookies...um we gave them away!!
...crafting with the kids sweety

Gingerbread houses...daddy did the construction!
I would show you Sam's but just imagine tanner's WITHOUT the candy!
We read Gingerbread Friends by Jan Brett.

EUMK 4's CHRISTMAS PROGRAM
What a sweet blessing to hear Tanner singing about God and the baby Jesus.  I love hearing him tell people his birthday comes right after Jesus' bithday!
(both classes...Tanner's is on the left side)

Let It Snow!!!!

Dear Santa,  All I want is new nerf guns! Tanner

Dear Santa, Santa has finished shopping and nerf guns were not on the list! Mom

Our favorite Christmas activity each year is at this sweet church!  Sam was big enough to go in each houses and do the activities with Tanner's help this year! 

A little advent crafting...memorizing

LUKE 2:14

"Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

Dear Mom, Could you please make one of these trees for our houses...you know how I love balls! Sam
...the picture captured such a sweet moment
...he kicked the tree so hard balls fell off
...the little old lady laughed and smiled and said "Merry Christmas!"

Married to a Marathoner

He DID it...I am so proud of Chris for finishing his first marathon last Saturday!
For those of you who don't know...he started running in July when he decided to say good-bye to his long habit of dipping.
He has wanted to quit for a long time and after years of praying that he would quit God finally put the words in Tanner's mouth...
"don't step in that mud puddle...it looks like what daddy spits"...
and just like that conviction finally came at the hands of a 4 year old!

So he decided he needed a new hobby...

Thank you God for answering my prayer and for putting a new common interest in our marriage!!!

ADVENT

ADVENT at our HOUSE

This Christmas season we will...

 focus on Christ's birth,

give generously to others not ourselves,

hide God's word in our hearts

and celebrate Christ birthday

by

spreading a little joy though small acts of kindness!

 

 

We printed these verses http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/Verses_for_Advent_Countdown_Chain.pdf  

and made our CHRISTMAS countdown chain.

Each night we are reading our SCRIPTURE, a story and doing an activity(many from hubbards cupboard)!

DAY ONE

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with a child and will give birth to a son, and we will call him Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14

 The boys were given a nativity set tonight.  Hopefully playing with this will spark some questions...Tanner wants to know "what a birgin is?"!!!!

DAY TWO

Luke 1:13

We went as a family to select our Angel Tree Family....we choose a family with boys to teach our boys the great JOY in giving to others.

 Tonight we talked about NEEDS and WANTS...we talked about how blessed we are as a family!!

DAY THREE

Luke 1:30-32a

Tomorrow morning we will buy breakfast for the family behind us at Chik-fil-a! 

other ideas...

make gingerbread houses

clean out and donate toys

make nativity pb and pretzel for lunch

make peppermint playdough for friends

make a science experiment star

make wrapping paper

video tape family telling about why we are thankful

leave candycanes for mail lady, garbage men and our public librarian

take from our piggy banks to give to Salvation Army bell ringers

memorize Luke 2:11

memorize Luke 2:14

make nativity puppets and let Tanner tell Christmas story

playdough Chrstmas trees...decorate with buttons

make Gospel cookies for neighbors

buy groceries and donate to Food Ban
Movie night... Polar Express?
J is for Jesus scavenger hunt
HOPE Dec. 23rd @ 5:00
singing Christmas songs with my family
Alpine Christmas Village
Christmas lights...and hot cocoa 
deliver cookies to neighbors
bake a cake and have a party for Baby  

 

  

Christmas times a coming...

It is starting to look like Christmas (or Jesus' Birthday as Tanner would say) around our house.
The boys loved decorating the tree..although I am not sure all the ornaments will make it! When we decorate the tree we like to drink hot chocolate and listen to Christmas tunes!!We started Advent last night (a post on this later)!
I have finished about 95% of my shopping
so
we can really just focus
on
THE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS!

It's beginning to look alot like CHRISTMAS...

We enjoyed 

ZOO LIGHTS

with

SWEET friends

and my 

SISTERS!!