Children and the Christmas tree

I thought my kids looked so cute at church today, so I decided to capture a couple of pictures in front of the Christmas tree. I love matching them in outfits right now, but I know that one day that will not be allowed.

Family Fun

After the Primary activity concluded, our family decided to spend some time together doing a Christmas activity. We decided to drive the 45 minutes to NorthPark Mall in Dallas to see the Christmas train display. We had already tried once to go to this display the night before Thanksgiving, but showed up right after they had closed early for the night. The kids were disappointed, as were mom and dad.

The kids were excited as we loaded the car and headed to Dallas. I could tell as we got off the freeway that we might have trouble finding a parking spot. If you know Dallas, the NorthPark Mall is very popular, especially during the Christmas season. Cars and people were EVERYWHERE! We drove around the parking lot and garage for close to one hour looking for a parking spot. Much to our dismay, we finally gave up. Again, we were all disappointed.

Living in Dallas isn't the same as living in our previous cities. We never had trouble finding something to do in Chicago, San Jose, or Philadelphia. Dallas is a great place to live, but there aren't a lot of things to see and do compared to the other cities we've lived in. We settled on McDonald's for ice cream and the arcade near our home. Our kids were thrilled and the day was saved.

Laurel and Andrew enjoyed skee-ball. They had wanted to ride on the sports car track outside, but Andrew was not old enough so we scrapped that idea. Thankfully he didn't have too big of a meltdown.

This was probably Andrew's most favorite game. He enjoyed whacking the sharks as hard as he could.

The kids also took rides on the race car and rocket ship. I'm not a big fan of arcades, but when I see the joy on my children's faces, it is completely worth the discomfort I might feel. This time goes by so quickly, I just want to enjoy these days of simple entertaining.

Primary Christmas Activity

Dale and I team teach the CTR 6 class at our church. We've both really enjoyed this group of kids, especially since Laurel is in our class. These kids are great kids and they always keep us on our toes.

We enjoyed a fun, craft filled quarterly activity with the entire Primary. Our goal was to make hundreds of Christmas decorations for the local assisted living home. The kids really got into making their decorations. The activity concluded with the children enjoying ice cream sundaes, which they earned by having good behavior throughout the year. Here are some of the crafts the children made:

Each child was asked to create a fun placemat to be used for Christmas dinner. Here is Laurel holding one of her creations. I love the presents she placed beneath the snowman. Laurel was in absolute heaven at this activity because she loves to make crafts and is quite artistic.

Here is Laurel making her gingerbread paper dolls. The children decorated them with stickers, buttons, and ribbons. They were really adorable and I couldn't help but think how much joy these crafts would bring to the elderly in our town.

Tough Parenting

Last December, I warned Laurel not to go into my closet because I had presents hidden away. I warned her that if she did, the presents I had purchased from us would need to go back to the store. I thought I had gotten through to her, but one day she decided to hide from her brother in my closet. I found her right as she realized what she had done. Now, as a parent, these are tough moments. I knew that it was truly an accident, but I had to follow through on what I had told her. She claimed she hadn't seen anything specific, but I had no way to know for certain what she had and had not seen. After all, this large mermaid doll was right in the middle of my closet floor. I couldn't imagine she hadn't seen that doll!

Well, I was disappointed that she had forgotten because now I had to take back multiple gifts that I had spent the time and effort shopping for. I took everything back, except for this mermaid shown above. Each time I would go to take it back, I'd get this huge lump in my throat because I knew how much she wanted it. This mermaid ended up sitting in my closet for an entire year!

After one year, I could no longer return this to the store. I decided we should donate the doll to Toys For Tots. Laurel's school did a big toy drive this year, so I thought we could drop the donations off at the school. I spoke with Laurel, which was extremely difficult for me. She cried (as you can see in the picture) and I nearly caved in. My heart was broken, but probably not as much as hers. She told me that she hadn't seen the doll last year, which made it even more difficult. She had asked for a large mermaid doll last year, so I was thrilled when I actually found one at Wal-Mart for under $10. Dale found two girls on his front door step in tears. I felt so bad about the whole thing. Dale intervened and made sure that we followed through with what we said we would do.

I sat with Laurel a few minutes and talked with her about the situation. I told her that the doll was more age appropriate for a 3 year old little girl. As much as she felt she needed that doll, I helped her to see that there was a little girl out there who would be elated and thrilled to receive that beautiful mermaid doll on Christmas morning. As difficult as this whole situation was, it was a great teaching moment for me as a parent.

We loaded the car with the gifts (we had 3 other gifts to donate that we received as doubles last year). As we drove to the school, we talked some more about the reason for Christmas. She was still a little sad, but as we pulled into the school parking lot, her mood completely changed. She saw a group of children unloading toys from cars, as well as Santa Claus. She was so excited by what she saw. If you know Laurel, you know that she has a huge heart and loves to give and to share.

I barely got the car in park before she was out the door and in the trunk. She reached for that large mermaid doll and she immediately handed that doll over to Santa's helpers. The other toys followed, but they weren't as difficult to give since she already had them at home. I was so proud of her at that moment.

We got back in the car and she told me, "mom, did you see that little girl standing in front of the doll? She really wanted that doll and I could see how happy it made her. This feels so good!" What she didn't understand is that the little girl who took the doll from her was not the one who would receive it, but I wanted her to remember that moment just the way she had experienced it so I let her think that thought. The whole car ride home was spent listening to how happy she was to see someone else so happy.

The following week, Laurel came home from school and told me that, "it's better to give than to receive." They had read a story in school that taught that principle, which stuck with her. I reminded her that she had already experienced that this Christmas as she gave that which was most difficult to give. I'm grateful for my children who teach me so much about life each day.

St. Nikolaus Tag (St. Nicholas Day)

On December 6th, Sankt Nikolaus (St. Nicholas) brings gifts and goodies to obedient children who leave clean, polished shoes at the door. This tradition, primarily practiced in Europe, is a favorite in our home. As children of a German immigrant, my siblings and I eagerly anticipated this day each year when we would receive yummy German chocolates and candies in our shoes. As you can see, little Ryan has been a good little boy. He received his first Christmas ornament this year. Aren't his shoes cute? My friend, Sharon C., gave Ryan those darling shoes when he was born.
Laurel has been a good girl. St. Nikolaus must have known how much she loves Santa bells, gingerbread cookies (in the form of a tree ornament), and Haribo gummy candy. Laurel was so excited the night before that she could hardly calm herself down to go to sleep. She awoke 20 minutes before her alarm (6:20 am!) just so she could see if he had come. Much to her surprise, he not only came, but he ate the candy cane she left for him!
We are grateful that St. Nikolaus came to Andrew this year. There are days when I wondered if Knecht Ruprecht would visit, instead. Ruprecht travels with St. Nikolaus and gives the disobedient children potatoes, twigs, or coal. Ruprecht must have known that Andrew is in his treacherous 3's and decided to cut him some slack. Andrew really is a sweetheart when he wants to be, but like other 3 year olds, he can give his parents a run for their money! As you can see, St. Nikolaus left Andrew some jingle bells, a race car ornament, and Haribo gummy candy.
Here are Laurel and Andrew showing off their loot.

Journey to Bethlehem

Last night our family took a little trip down to the Church of the Cross in Grapevine, Texas for a special journey to Bethlehem. We've tried to attend this event since 2007, but for one reason or another it has never happened. This year I was determined to make it happen and I'm glad we did.
We arrived at 5 pm and the doors opened at 5:30. We stood in a long line out in the cold, but fortunately made it inside after about 30-45 minutes. All in all, the event was about 3 hours, which at times was difficult with young children, but well worth the effort.

Journey to Bethlehem is a live performance of the journey Joseph and Mary would have taken to Bethlehem to participate in the census and pay taxes. Each person is given a travel passport to carry with them on the journey and a Jewish family (played by members of the congregation) leads your family on a very memorable journey.

At the beginning of our journey, we were nervous that Andrew would not make it. He was terrified by the loud Roman soldier who burst into the room brandishing a sword and asking for our passports. In the silence of the room, you could hear his little tearful voice saying, "I don't like it . . . I want to leave!" The only thing keeping him in that room was the hope that he might spot a monkey on our outdoor journey. I have no idea why he was so intent on seeing a monkey, but I decided not to break his heart by telling him there would be no monkeys on this journey. There were lots of camels, donkeys, and horses, but unfortunately no monkeys for little Andrew.

The spirit was present at this event. As we walked along the dirt path, my thoughts turned to the real journey taken by Mary and Joseph many, many years ago. Having delivered 3 children of my own, I thought of the tremendous travail Mary must have experienced as she not only gave birth to her son, but also traveled many, many miles to get to Bethlehem. Laurel remarked that the path was scary, especially when the Roman soldiers would approach our group. There were also thieves along the road who tried to rob us. I had never imagined the fear they might have felt on the journey, but they must have felt some trepidation.

As we approached the walls of Bethlehem, our family searched for a place to stay. When we least expected it, we came across the manger scene where Mary and Joseph stood holding their newborn son, our Savior. It was such a peaceful experience. What touched me most was watching my children experience the moment. There was a special reverence that overcame both Laurel and Andrew and I think it is something that they will remember.

The words of the song, "Breath of Heaven," came to my mind as I walked through our journey to Bethlehem. I love the Amy Grant version of this song. The words are posted below. As our guide reminded us, each of us must take our own journey to Bethlehem where we find the Christ child and let Him into our life to help us through the ups and downs of life. Some of our journeys involve trials of sickness, sin, heartache, and loss, but the end result is glorious. We will find eternal life through our faith in the Lord as we follow and live His teachings. What a beautiful reminder this event was during this Christmas season. Here are the words to the song:

I have traveled
Many moonless nights
Cold and Weary
With a babe inside
And I wonder
What I've done
Holy Father
You have come
Chosen me now
To carry your son

I am waiting
in a silent prayer
I am frightened
by the load i bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone
Be with me now
Be with me now

Breath of Heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of Heaven

Breath of Heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me, your holiness
For your holy Breath of Heaven

Do you wonder
As you watch my face
If a wiser one, should of had my place
But I offer-all I am
For the mercy-of your plan
Help me be strong
Help me be
Help me

Here is one final picture from our evening. Even though Ryan was heavy to carry at times, his warmth helped get me through the cold evening. I particularly loved his little Santa cap that his Grandma Chris gave him.

Family Pictures 2010

Life is good because we finally got our family pictures taken over Thanksgiving weekend! I think every mom stresses about this big event each year. What should we wear, should we color coordinate, will the kids behave, will any of the pictures turn out, etc, etc? Well, we were fortunate to find a terrific photographer who was patient enough to deal with our family (namely Andrew's unwillingness to sit still and smile for the camera).

It's hard to believe that 10 years ago, our family began with the two of us above and has now grown to include our 3 beautiful children below. No matter the hassle, no matter the pain, family pictures ARE worth all of the time, trouble, and money. I keep telling myself that one day our kids will thank us for these precious memories we've been able to have captured on film. More pictures to come from this eventful family photo shoot.