Christmas 2013

We had a spectacular Christmas!!  We felt very blessed to have The Mr. home with us, and the time together as a family was the best gift any of us could have hoped for!  Of course, we missed our distant relatives dearly, but were grateful to be able to skype them - thank you, modern technology, for bridging the gap and making holidays so much happier when you're far from family!

Here are the children, the very first thing Christmas morning.  They are allowed to open their stockings on their own, before the Mr. and I are up - so they got right to it! :)

Each child received a gift from Santa.  Angel loved the backpack for her doll, Izzy!

Grins was super excited about his remote control helicopter!

And here is Wiggles, opening her gift....

All she asked for was a toy sword so she could have sword fights with Grins!

Of course, Grins wasted no time trying to get that helicopter in the air!

The kids were very excited to open a big package from Uncle Nay and Aunt Molly!

We recorded them opening it to show Nay and Molly.  

Our Opa - The Mr's father - started a wonderful tradition where he did a treasure hunt on Christmas day, where each child found clues which led them around the house in search of their gifts.  Since The Mr. hasn't been home on Christmas before this year, we hadn't done this before - so we started this year!  It was SO much fun!!  I had to get a bit creative, because this requires 4 gifts (one for each clue), and we only get our child one gift for Christmas (plus one from Santa) - but fortunately we received some hand-me-down books from a friend just before Christmas, which were the perfect addition to fill-in our Scavenger Hunt! :) 

Wiggles looking at one of her clues.  She got all picture clues - and she figured them out much faster than I did! :)

Angel's were much more difficult...

I guess I don't have any of Grins in the Scavenger Hunt....because this is how he looked most of the day:

Angel joined him shortly thereafter (she's become a big fan of Legos this year!)

Wiggles, enjoying her "Tangled" book

These two, still hard at work!

After we had opened presents, eaten far too many sweets, and played with toys, we headed downtown and passed out hot chocolate and Christmas treats to pan handlers and homeless people there.  It was SO cold that most of them seemed very grateful for something hot to drink.  And it was good experience for all of us to think of others.  This year we have really tried to shift our focus away from gifts, and more toward Jesus, Charity and Service.  I filled our advent calendar with a small act of service each day, rather than candy, and the kids and I had so much fun doing them!  And Ollie, our "Elf on the Shelf", left ideas for kind acts of service we could do as well.  It was amazing to watch the children forget themselves and their 'wish lists', and instead focus on what they could do for others.  And our Christmas felt so much more meaningful to me, so it's definitely something we will continue - and improve on - each Christmas!

After going around town making our little deliveries, we attended Mass at the local cathedral.  It happened to be an African congregation, so we got quite the show of music, drums, dancing, etc - with a beautiful sermon about Christ.  It was wonderful.   

We are so grateful for Christmas - for the wonderful opportunity it is to pause to remember Jesus; His birth, His life, His ministry and, of course, His sacrifice and death for us, to enable us to return to Heaven again someday.  I'm also so grateful for the opportunity to have more time together as a family, with The Mr.  We see him so rarely that having him home on Christmas day was such a rare and special treat!  That alone made it a holiday in my book! :)

Christmas Eve

This Christmas eve was pretty uneventful, except that The Mr. was actually home on Christmas Eve for the first time I can remember!!  So we enjoyed staying home together, wrapping gifts, passing out goodies to our neighbors, and, of course, leaving egg nog, cookies and a note out for Santa (and oatmeal and carrots for the reindeer).

Grins and Wiggles decided they wanted to sleep in the room with the fireplace so they could see Santa come down the chimney.   Here they are, waiting for him. :):

The Nativity

Another of our favorite family Christmas traditions is to reenact the Nativity.  (I realize this is probably everyone's family Christmas tradition - but it still feels special to me!)

This year, we were fortunate to have our good friends the Greenaways, the Missionaries, and our 'adopted Grandma' Sarah Rowell with us, so we had enough people for all of the parts, and an audience to watch as well!  It was awesome!

Wiggles played her traditional role of Mary, riding on a Daddy Donkey and accompanied by Hamish who played Joseph.

Angel played - you guessed it - the Angel.  She played the part perfectly!

 Grins was a shepherd, and Elder Phillips (seated on the couch) was our narrator.

And Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart....

The Mr. doubled as King Herod and Elder Jessee was the Wise Man.

And the whole cast:

Yule Log

One of our family's favorite Christmas traditions is what we call "The Yule Log".  My mother started this tradition in my family growing up, and we have enjoyed carrying it on since we have had children!

In the nights leading up to Christmas, each member of the family gets their own "night", on which the family celebrates that person.  The Mr. and I begin (we share a night).  We talk about how we met, fell in love, and were married.  Then we give each child a home made gift, and then we open the family ornament for the year; each year, we get an ornament representing something special we have done as a family.  On subsequent nights, the child whom we are celebrating gifts the items they have made, and then opens their special ornament.  Then we go around the family and each share things we love about that person, and finally, close by singing their favorite Christmas song.

  

This year, I made each child a book about some of the things we've been learning and studying about in home school the past few months.  They were a big hit!  I love how my children devour books! :)  Our family ornament was a Nutcracker, since we saw the Nutcracker together as a family for the first time.  

Angel did a fantastic job coming up with ideas of gifts for the family.  She crafted two tiny bows, quivers, and 10 small arrows out of popsicle sticks for The Mr. and Grins.  She hand stitched the little quivers all by herself; I was so pleased!  She also came up with the idea to sew a shirt for Wiggles' teddy bear, Ted, because he didn't have any clothes.  She did a great job helping me sew that as well!  I was so proud of her creativity, and the love and effort that she put into each gift!  This year, her ornament was a white angel, since she was baptized in white this year.  Things we love about Angel this year:  Her love of reading and her creativity (The Mr), her thoughtfulness and gentleness towards others in need (Mom), so many things it's hard to choose (Grins), and that she gives us presents that go with things we already have (Wiggles).  Angel selected "Silent Night" for her favorite Christmas song. 

Grins' Yule Log Night was a lot of fun!  He put a lot of love and energy into his gifts as well.  Grins surprised me with his sewing skills as he made an organizer for the Mr's wrenches.  He really wanted to make braces for Angel's doll, Izzy, but when that didn't work, he made a special little necklace for her.  He then hand drew a coloring book for Ted, Wiggles' teddy bear, complete with a little set of crayons and everything!  It was very sweet!  Grins got a little baseball ornament, since 2013 was his first year of baseball - and his mom coached his team! :)  This year, we are loving these things about Grins: his love of sports and all things active (The Mr.), his gentle care and concern for his sisters (Mom), his energy (Angel) and how he plays with me (Wiggles).  Grins' favorite Christmas Song this year was "O Holy Night."

Here he is, reading the card to Wiggles.

Wiggles loves the coloring book!

Grins and his sisters with their gifts.

Grins with his baseball ornament (and a very tired Daddy).

Wiggles was SO excited about her Yule Log night by the time her night finally arrived! :)  She like Grins' idea of a tool holder for the Mr. so she decided to make him one as well (he has lots of tools)!  She gave Grins a Star Wars shirt (alas, not home made but she wanted so desperately to give it to him that I couldn't say no.  She did wrap it herself though!).  She hand sewed some gloves and scarves for Angel's American Girl dolls - no small feat, with her attention span and hand-eye coordination! :)  Wiggles got a "Hello Kitty" ornament, since she loves all things Hello Kitty.  She selected "Mary's Lullaby" as her favorite Christmas song.  And things we are loving about Wiggles this year: her cuddles and snuggles (The Mr.), her contagious happiness and laughter (Mom), that she loves to sing (Angel) and that she can always cheer me up (Grins).

Giving The Mr. his tool organizer.

Giving Angel the gloves and scarves.

Giving Grins his card and gift.

Giving me a wax warmer (The kids didn't have the opportunity to make me gifts since the Mr. is never home to help them and they refused to let me help!  So I collected some items around the house for them to wrap for me, and you should have seen it!  They created a little wrapping workshop in my bedroom and were very secretive and hush-hush.  They locked themselves in their for nearly an hour, and wrapped all the gifts completely on their own!  It was adorable to see them so excited about it, and I couldn't believe how independent they were! :)  They are so sweet!

Wiggles with her Hello Kitty ornament.

I love this little tradition!  It is so much fun to see the childrens' creativity, and to watch them learning to enjoy the giving even more than the receiving!

Snow

I have really been enjoying the snow this year - more than usual!  So much so that I haven't even minded the hours of snow shoveling!  I know one day I am really going to miss this beautiful white wonderland, and the hours of sledding, skating, building, etc it offers us!!

This little one dug herself a little cavern and cozied right up while her brother worked on his snow fort nearby...

Grins in his snow fort.

The Nutcracker Ballet

This year, the children and I were blessed to be able to attend the Nutcracker Ballet.  Although I went with my grandmother as a child, this was my first time as an adult, and it did not disappoint!  Angel and Grins both went when they were in Kindergarten, but it was Wiggles' first time, and a special treat to be able to all go together!  One of the special perks of homeschooling: the school children were scheduled to attend as a field trip, but school was cancelled due to snow and ice, so they missed their field trip....but we were still able to go!  Hooray!

It was SO cold and icy outside that we didn't have a chance to take any pictures outside the theatre.  And there is no photography of the actual performance allowed, so I just snapped a couple of photos while we waited in the foyer.

This lovely photo of my children was photo-bombed by another child, but it's the only picture in which Grins was smiling, so I had to keep it! :)

Wiggles insisted on wearing her green mask right up until the performance began, stating she was the "Green Ninja".  Angel brought her doll Izzy along, of course - complete with their matching dresses. :)

We were VERY fortunate and scored front-row seats!  (Not bad for $5 a seat, eh?)

Angel was thrilled that we met up with one of her friends, and they even got to sit together!

My handsome date.

The Green Ninja at my side.

 
Aha! She finally removes her hat, just as the performance begins! :)

It was a stunning performance, and we all enjoyed it immensely!  What a special privilege; one which I hope will become an annual tradition! :)