The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Like so many of you, I love Christmas and all the fun, out-of the-ordinary moments it brings.  And now that our boys have reached the ripe old age of three, we've been able to start delving into some beloved traditions.  Here's a glimpse at how we've been gearing up for the 25th of December.

~Visit with Santa~ The boys had a "riveting" visit with Santa.  After about 15 seconds, Hudson and Santa's conversation reached a stalemate while Corbin sat in awe and wonder at how long he had to sit there until he got his free candy cane. 

(Picture courtesy of my dad who happily ignored Santa's elves when they said, "No outside photography."  I always knew he was a frugally fabulous rebel at heart).

~Gingerbread house making~ It always looks so darling when people post those precious pics of their kids' gingerbread houses and cookies online, doesn't it?  So, I thought we'd create the same "magic."  So using my Ikea gingerbread kit, the boys and I created this house, turned teepee, turned slum.  (And yes, that is chocolate icing--I didn't have any white icing, and by golly, Martha Stewart doesn't live here so homemade`icing wasn't happening.)  Initially, I blamed this gingerbread mess on Ikea (Stupid furniture makers--stop designing 300 sq ft. homes and learn to make some better ginger walls and roofs!).  But then I saw my sister's gingerbread house.  Using the same kit.  Looks like I'll be photoshopping my kids into her pic. 

 

 (Okay, slight exaggeration on the grandness of my sister's gingerbread house, but you get the idea.)

~First nativity~ Now that the boys are able to understand and verbalize more, I bought them a Little People's nativity so that we could focus on the true meaning of Christmas.  The boys haven't taken to it in the way that I envisioned.  At this writing, Mother Mary has been MIA for a week, and apparently the angel and Joseph are fed up waiting for her to "freshen up" after giving birth and have decided to take a prolonged nap.

 

 ~Messiah~ Ben and I somehow managed to trick my parents into watching not one, not two, but all three kids for five hours so that we could eat a meal free of bribing, aimless wandering, and whining.  Let's just say we both sprinted to the car after shutting their front door.  The real highlight of the evening was after the meal when we went to the Naval Academy Chapel to watch the Messiah.  It is confirmed: we like sheep. 

~Frosty the Snowman and other beloved tales~ It's hard to top the Messiah, but Frosty does a pretty good job considering all the nostalgia that he conjures up.  Although as much as the boys love listening to the music of those Christmas classics, the song "What Does the Fox Say" still wins top prize in this house. 

 

~A crafty project worth keeping! (due to the fact it was under the direction of an adult other than myself)~ So the gingerbread house didn't look so hot, but a reindeer created from my boys' hands and foot--finally, a keeper! 

 

We've had fun moments, and moments that went in totally wrong directions, and lots of exhausting moments so far this Christmas season.  But I've been reminded of the same lesson that was taught in one of my favorite books, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.  That first Christmas was a bit messy, and a bit hairy at times, and definitely didn't go according to "plan."  But oftentimes, there is beauty and meaning in all the messiness.

So Merry Christmas, from our wild, busy, and chaotic family! 

"This baby would be like that bright star shining in the sky that night.  A Light to light up the whole world.  Chasing away darkness.  Helping people to see.  And the darker the night got, the brighter the star would shine." ~from The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones

Precious photo taken just moments before Jovie spit up on Hudson and he dropped her like a hot potato.