scenes of Christmas

It will be another handmade Christmas for us again this year. I've been working around the clock trying to whip up some gifts that my kids will actually play with. I can't wait to share them!

I've also been reading all those tutorials on taking pictures of your Christmas tree...I still haven't gotten one I love yet...although this one is promising :)


We made our annual gingerbread house (kit!) the other day. The best way for me to enjoy this tradition is to step back and take no part in it...except for eating the candy. I laughed to myself as Juan Pablo tried to help the kids make a "perfect" house. That icing never holds together well for us. (I came back in to the kitchen later while we were watching It's a Wonderful Life, and the roof had slid halfway down the house. I just pulled it off and ate it.)


But this activity always brings out the best in the kids. Somehow giving them free reign to make a mess and eat lots of candy helps them become the little angels in this picture.


Here's the finished product. Gone the next day. I do believe we are the only family that will actually eat their entire gingerbread house.


We're very merry.

pueblo, powhatan, AND lakota

I love school projects! OK, I admit I'm a nerd. But what is more fun than making boring old school work come to life with your kids?

Joaquin was only supposed to choose one Native American tribe...but how can you choose just one? So he didn't.

Here's his Pueblo village...painted boxes and popsicle sticks. I think this one's my favorite.


A long house for the Powhatan in winter...the shape of the house comes from a box of butter and half a canister of bread crumbs....yay! for recycling.


And the most unique one...the buffalo jump of the Lakotas. (Our yard overflows with moss which was finally put to good use.)


Could you choose just one?

a walk in Bethlehem

Friday night we headed over to the other side of town to the Bethlehem Walk. We'd never heard of it, but a good friend said it was excellent...plus it was free.

We knew there'd be a wait in a long line in the cold....so we were somewhat prepared. I had brought clementines, bottles of juice and ribs for us to eat...an odd combination, but that's what we had.

And we entertained the kids as best we could. There was 20 questions. Jumping jacks. I spy. And a new game: translate this. I was asked to translate something into Spanish, then they'd check my answer by asking Dad the same thing. (I'm happy to say I got them all right.) At some point, we were reduced to the cheek squeezing game.


We lucked out with some chairs when we got to the 'waiting' tent. A little girl was restless behind us, throwing a small fit for her grandma. I offered her a clementine, which she declined, but that little interaction did stop the tantrum. I always love it when someone speaks to me when my kids are acting up instead of ignoring me. It's so uplifting.


On to the city. We had to pay a shekel to enter the gate and were warned not to give it to the beggars before we got there. I think we were all tempted to give them away....


...but the Roman guards were not to be played with about money.


The streets were bustling with vendors that filled the air with the scents and sounds of the ancient town. Fire pits were around every corner to help us stay warm, while we walked around in awe at how realistic everything was.


There were shepherds, animals, wise men,


...and most importantly, a baby born in a manger. Every now and then, one of the actors would sing out a carol...including my favorite, "Mary Did You Know." If there is one thing we did this season that helps us understand the meaning of Christmas, this was it... and worth the simple sacrifices of warmth and patience.

recycled decorations

We have a recycling pile by the front door. It's HUGE. It started because the recycling company would not deliver us a collection box. And they never come to pick it up. So we started collecting it ourselves, and Juan Pablo takes it to his work when it gets really outrageous.

I know there's a better spot for it than the front door. But somehow it works. It's like it's on it's way out, but it's not on the porch collecting spiders and bugs.

So the other day I was getting ready to add a lunch meat container to it, and I thought, "There must be something I could make out of this."

And there was! It became some kind of a snow globe.


And the snow was Isabela's idea. I couldn't figure out what to use...I'd gotten rid of that fake snow a long time ago because it just kept blowing out of the bag and getting everywhere....and cotton balls were too big. But Isabela said, "What if we grate a bar of soap?" And it turned out perfect! Powdery and it smells good!

imperfect

It's hard to write about a less than perfect holiday weekend. It was one for the record books in unhappiness.

But don't feel bad for us.

God surely can turn a bad situation around over the course of a weekend.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him...Romans 8:28

And He did.

Our thankful mailbox was definitely the highlight. Our only complaint was too few to open. Next year, we'll have to start on November first.


We took turns reading them one by one. I was pleasantly surprised by Joaquin's thankfulness for seasons and Isabela's grandiose 'God', 'Every day', and 'Everything'. (There were also the typical PSP, dogs and cats, and blankie and chupi.)


We hit the road shortly after that. It's become a tradition to stop by Bass Pro Shops on our way up to Thanksgiving. Our original plan was to surprise the kids and go to the National Zoo...but that didn't happen. Maybe next year.


Such a serious expression to be holding a pink gun.


And you better believe they weren't aiming for the ducks here.


This could be one of those 'see how much they've grown' photos, year after year.


I'll spare you the details of our Thanksgiving of silence. It wasn't pretty. Little eyes were watching us, and probably saw us at our worst.


They could feel the tension, and it affected them, too. I can only hope memories of the good will outweigh the bad.


So I did the only thing I knew to do. I picked up my Bible. It had been too long. But there He goes...turning it around for good.
And slowly the weekend started turning around, as well. I think a lifetime was lived in those four days. So much time.

And I believe that Thanksgiving has surely become my favorite holiday.

We climbed to the attic and brought down the boxes filled with decorations...and I finally realized that Christmas actually starts now.

At advent.


If you wait until December 25, while you're opening presents, you've missed it.

This year, we are following an advent book called, Celebrate Jesus at Christmas, and I highly recommend it. We're reading scripture, slowly setting up our nativity scene piece by piece, singing carols, and praying.



Today Isabela said a teacher asked her class if anyone was a Christian. (It must have had something to do with a book they were reading.) She said she was the only one who raised her hand. She said she was embarrassed, but I told her God wasn't. And I was so proud of her.

I'm excited about all the gifts this season of advent will bring...as we patiently wait...living our imperfect lives.

what's wrong with this picture?

Sometimes it's just easier this way.

happy Thanksgiving.

A quickie before we hit the road for Thanksgiving....I certainly couldn't have left the last post with 'the enemy' on such a grateful day. (And even I can admit, at times I'm thankful for you, PSP.)

Being a pleaser and a perfectionist can make holidays hard sometimes. The other day, Joaquin had an assignment to write about two traditions his family does at Thanksgiving. I got a small knot in my stomach and started thinking, 'Do we have any traditions? Are they worth mentioning? What will other kids write about?'

And really since most of 'the rocks' of my family have passed away (grandparents, parents) and since my husband's family lives in Bolivia and doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving...(except when I forced them to and almost killed his grandma)....the weight of holiday traditions now lies on my shoulders.

In my mind, our tradition at Thanksgiving was simply to eat.

But each year is different...and new memories are added. And I believe tradition is keeping the fun memories alive by repeating them...and confining the bad memories to a 'remember when' joke told while looking at old photographs.

So this year, I see some new traditions on the horizon.

I hit the library Tuesday to pick up some cooking and craft books for the holiday (...a tip I saw on the net somewhere) and in the toddler cook book was a simple recipe for cookie-cutter cookies.

Add friends to the mix, and I see a tradition brewing.


Isabela was a great chef, reading the directions, measuring, and including the smaller ones. I was busy starting dinner, so she was on her own. We moms watched them with wonder.

Would you believe we'd never made cookies with cookie cutters before? I think it's that wait time while it chills in the fridge that always put me off. Actually, it's a great little break between mixing and rolling for the kids to burn off some steam.


This year, we get to open our thankful letters...that is what I'm looking forward to. I can't wait to read what everyone wrote..knowing this family, the sky's the limit to what we might be thankful for.

And here's a game you don't want to miss. We did this one year, and it was hilarious. Everyone at the table writes an adjective on a piece of paper and puts them into a cup. Then everyone writes down the name of an animal and puts those into another cup. The cups are passed around and every person pulls one piece of paper from each. This becomes their new Native American name. (Anyone remember stinky armadillo?)

Games are fun traditions. Here's a printable one we're trying this year.

And we may have a secret tradition starting this morning. I'll let you know if it works out.

Meanwhile, I'm thankful to have this blog to write down my family's memories and my own thoughts. Thanks to all who read it! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving wherever you are. (And if you'd like a special prayer to say at the table today, here's a beautiful one. )