Merry Christmas!

Christmas kiddos.

Each year I like to take a picture of my peeps with the tree bokah in the background.  Here's this year's!

He has only awkward smiles these days...
This one:

Or this one:

 It's his Daddy's fault.  Matt smiles the same way.  :)

 I told them if they took some nice ones they could then do crazy ones.

These two.

 

Building stuff with Opa.

 Beck is in love with that tiny screwdriver.

Gingerbread Men!

The Christmas festivities have begun!  Gingerbread men were on their "must do with Oma" list, so we already checked that one off!  

 

Q's Advent Spiral

Last week was Quinn's school Advent Spiral and Lucia Procession.  All of the school does the Advent Spiral, but only the grades get to participate in Santa Lucia Procession, so it is a big deal!  

The story of Santa Lucia is that she was a Jesus-follower in a time when the Roman Emperor didn't allow such a thing.  She tended to the poor and sick, and she would work late into the night, bringing food and clothes.  She traveled with candles on her head to light her way so her arms could be available to carry items she was delivering.  

The grades children wear white robes with red sashes (Lucia was Italian) and carry candles as they sing the song in Italian.  The first graders were so very serious and intent, as this was their first time to carry the lit candles and you could tell they were all a bit nervous!  

I sewed some of the advent robes, so it was fun for me to see the kids wearing them!  

 Then came the Advent spiral.  Each child has a candle (that they hand-dipped in beeswax, of course!) that they carry into the center of the spiral, light off the main candle, then set at a spot around the labyrinth.  Eventually the whole path gets lit.  For Christians, we know that Advent is a time when we celebrate the light of Christ coming into the dark world and, as His light, we spread that wherever we go!  Such a beautiful and simple ceremony that I enjoy every year.
This is Quinn's teacher, lighting the main candle.

Impact Christmas Shopping

We teamed up with the Tadlocks again this year to shop for an Impact family.  After tacos and Oreo Churros, we headed to Walmart with a cart full of crazies to do our shopping!  We decided this will become a definite tradition, so we'll have to have a yearly photo to commemorate our crew of little shoppers!

Grandmommy's Garden

Every year on my Grandmommy's birthday, the kids and I have a little celebration.  We keep a pansy garden we call "Grandmommy's Garden."  The weeks before her bday I weed and mulch it and trim everything back.  Then on her birthday we plant pansies and other flowers.  Here's our finished work from this year!  We also each painted a rock to add this year!

 Mine--blue and flowers because my Grandmommy loved both!

 We each also picked a non-pansy plant.  Q picked these primroses, Beck picked a snapdragon (My grandmommy was the one who taught me how to make them open their little mouths), and I chose a dianthus.    We also added a new vine to the garden that was a gift from some sweet friends to Beck and I after we spent a couple days helping them with a garden project.

 We got chocolate desserts at the bakery to share for dinner, too!  Of course it has to be chocolate on Grandmommy's birthday!  :)

Bit more Thanksgiving.....

So our little family of 4 had big plans for a long camping trip to Lake Mineral Wells for camping and rock climbing.  We'd been working out our gear situation and were excited to teach the kids to rappel and climb on-rope.  Boo for rain.  When there was way too much rain forecasted to make tent-camping feasible (combined with very chilly weather that wouldn't mix well with rain), we had to scrap our tent.  I was so.disappointed.  We've had such a busy fall and I was looking forward to several days away and lots of quiet.  But it didn't happen.

We did really enjoy getting to be with our Texas family out at the country house, as I mentioned before.  It was a lovely day and we ate, relaxed, played outside, and even had a campfire!

Apparently Madi and I hung out around the goldfish bowl all day, from the looks of the pictures Matt took!  :)

 This is Beck's boat--a fallen log.  He is dying to go back and play more on his boat!!

 This picture makes me smile.  Quinn, commanding an audience from her elevated perch, apparently telling a very dramatic story!  :)

 He was charged with the task of putting wood in the fire.  One he took very seriously.

 How he makes marshmallows:

 Cuddles for Sophie!

 A couple more pictures of this crew on the boat:

The kids begged for a bath all together.  This is what the bottom of the tub looks like when you've spent a good day playing at the country house!  We got our money's worth outta that bath!

 Having fun with their cousin!