Christmas Spirit

Hot cocoa anyone?


Diego and I spent one afternoon opening our own stand while Carmen napped on and on. Occasionally she'll take these mega three hour naps, which had I known, I would have joined her.

I asked him what time the cafe opened and he said, "It opens in spring."

"When does it close?"

"16:48."  (Four year old time.)  So that's what the sign says.




I remembered one year when Diego didn't know whose birthday was on Christmas so we had a little conversation in the car the other day.  I reminded him that Jesus' birthday is on Christmas and this is how the conversation unfolded:

Me:  Jesus' birthday is on Christmas so that's why we celebrate Christmas.

Diego:  Jesus has an invisible head.

Me:  What does that mean?

Diego:  No one can see Jesus' head, they can only see his body.

Me: Oh.  (It started making sense because somewhere in the Bible it says no one can look upon God's face.)

Diego: Only his friends can see his face.

Me:  Who are his friends?

Diego:  The people that walk with him.

Now if that isn't profound, I don't know what is.



Two nights ago, we set out around 7pm to look at some local Christmas lights.  You should have HEARD the incessant bickering that went on between the kids.  I believe I said the dreaded "S" word to the kids and the angels above gasped!
"Shut up!"
We threatened to go home with enough meaning in it that they finally stopped.  But there was one house that made it all worthwhile...a beautiful light show set to music on a radio station.  We even thought about getting take out the next night and parking our car in front of their house to eat...it was that cool.



I pulled out our Child's Story Bible yesterday to read the story of the holy birth to the kids and went on to read about the wonder of the star and the wicked King Herod.  It was a wonderful retelling and perfectly timed by God for when we went to the Zoo's Christmas pageant last night.   It was pretty last minute, but we thought we'd hit the 7:45pm show...and so did everyone else in Richmond.  It took us a while to park, and I even suggested we forget about it several times, but I'm glad we didn't.  Once we were parked, we stood in line for a bit while the Roman guards approached and told us to tell them if we saw where the baby to be king was.  (We knew better, of course.)

JP sprang for Krispy Kreme doughnuts and hot cocoa, so the night was perfect.  And we watched the story that we had heard earlier in the day come to life.

Our Christmas spirit continues to ebb and flow.  Joaquin even stated on the way home, "I'm much better behaved when it's not Christmas."  Aren't we all.

It's just another reminder of how grateful we are that a little baby was born in a manger long ago.

Merry Christmas!



ps.  If you're interested in making your own hot chocolate cafe, you'll probably need:
cups
cotton balls (or white pompoms)
spoons
cut up brown craft foam or paper
brown grocery bag for the sign
recycled containers
money
any other extras you can think of

Here's a link to the original idea.  Enjoy!

ornaments and other stuff

"I want to do 'crafting time'. " That's what Diego says most mornings.  (Yay, I still have one that likes that stuff!)  Well, he either says that or "I want to watch TV."  But I prefer the first.

Lately, we've been busy making ornaments.  The first were filled with natural items and a little fake snow.



We did this with the Garden Club at school, and I mistakenly bought glass ornaments.  One year, I wanted glass and the stores only had plastic, and this year, I wanted plastic and they only had glass.



Either way, these are my favorite ornaments...you can do ANYTHING with them.  I had Diego make a handprint on one...I haven't tried it with Carmen yet, but it's definitely on the 'to do' list.  Others were filled with paint, pompoms, feathers, or beads.  Anything you can find that fits in that little hole makes a beautiful ornament!



There's nothing simpler than beads on a pipe cleaner.  Diego stayed well-occupied making these.  I tied them with some embroidery thread...



...but this one is even easier and was his favorite.



This is our advent calendar.  Twenty-four is an awesome number if you have 2,3,4,6,8, or 12 kids.  They've been taking turns well, and it's all we can do not to open number 24.  I know I pinned a lot of homemade advent calendars, but I always wait until November to do that, and then there's never enough time to actually make them.



Our elf has made an appearance.  The kids have questioned him this year because he is different from those scary looking elves at other people's houses.  But ours is from Bolivia, so that makes sense.



Here's most of our tree.  The theme?  Smother it with every ornament you own without rhyme or reason.  Diego discovered a starfish ornament this year...he's fascinated with ocean animals right now...and he turned it over, saw the little hole for its mouth and said, "So that's how the starfish gets the food in his belly."



"Yes, Virginia, Coke really does own the world."  These Coke ornaments are one of our favorites.  I've heard they have these bottles again at Walmart but have yet to see them.



And here's our NEW tree!!  I fell in love with this on Pinterest.  It's fabric from IKEA and we're using it to hang our painted advent ornaments from several years ago.   You can tell I was so excited I didn't even iron the material.



I'm amazed we still have these ornaments, but they are perfect for this new tree!



And our new COMPLETED project (unlike the fireplace demolition)...a chalkboard wall!!  Well used and lots of fun.  Thanks, Kate, for the inspiration and motivation!



I guess I could have cleaned it up for the blog...but it usually looks just like this.  Still love it.

merry christmas card 2013

This year we are sending out traditional Christmas cards...as in, there'll be no picture of the family or kids.  It seemed like a good idea when I bought them on sale last year, but a friend was surprised, "You're not sending a picture of the kids?!  Everyone will want to see the baby!"  I guess I just figured that most of the people I'll be sending cards to also read the blog so I didn't want to overdo it.

I wanted us to get a family picture, but time is passing. AND the cards that I bought are too small to even fit a picture in.  So we'll do a virtual card instead.

Yesterday morning, we did a little photo shoot with just the rowdy four.

How about a vote?? Which one is your favorite?

Xmas Card #1:  Sweet and real



Xmas Card #2:  Tallest to shortest



Xmas Card #3:  Cute little hats and antlers



Xmas Card #4:  It's snowing



Xmas Card #5:  Traditional and wow everyone is looking! (This is the same picture as the funny hat one.)



Xmas Card #6:  A little blurry, but still sweet



So?  Do you have a favorite?  Whichever one gets the most votes will be our new header at the top of the blog.

thankful

My house is in shambles.  A mixed up jumble of Thanksgiving and Christmas.  There are boxes strewn throughout each room with cherished ornaments spilling out, waiting to be hung on our Charlie-Brownish tree, and a table of overflowing pumpkins and leaves ready to be stored for another year.

I'm thankful for it all.  But mostly for my family.

Let's start with the baby.  She's always on the move...and not one to sleep if there's something better to do.  And look who's getting two teeth!!


Uncle Shep discovered that Carmen has a Williams family trait in her top lip...just like her great-grandfather.  I think she looks a little like Marge Simpson, myself.  But it is so amazing to see glimpses of your grandparents in your children.



Isabela has become Betty Crocker.  She cooked this cheesecake from scratch all by herself.  I did catch one measuring error just in time...she accidentally added 1 cup of milk instead of 1/4 cup.  I just poured most of the excess into the sink.  It turned out just fine anyway.



The annual Thanksgiving bike ride from Alexandria to DC was cut short this year because of the bitter cold...only 26 miles!



Joaquin was a little nervous but did awesome and even made it up the big hill on Connecticut Avenue from the National Zoo.  They were all frozen solid when they arrived, but thawed out after some snacks and drinks.



Here's our wonderful host Aunt Beth calling everyone to order.  It was a huge gathering this year.  Carmen kept me occupied most of the time, but she finally conked just after we ate.



And these two are becoming fast friends.  She lights up as soon as she wakes up and sees Diego.



How about that Native American headdress?  I helped with the feathers, but that design around the band is all him.  I'm impressed.



And this beautiful girl is the one that made me a mom ten years ago!  Sometimes she reminds me of myself, but she is still so unique.  I think she looks like my own mom in this picture.



She's beautiful and I love her.



And she's one great big sister.  I hope those boys will realize that one day!



And then there's this handsome man.  I'm so thankful for his unique outlook on each and every thing...which might sound like code for:  he and I agree on nothing...but it's not.  I'm old-fashioned and stuck in my ways, and he's a free spirit and ready for adventure.  He provides for us, goes along with my own crazy ideas, wears out the wild boys, and patiently calms most of our storms.  For him, I'm most thankful.