Looking Back at Cai's 1st Christmas

Our 2nd Tree

The first 6.5 years of our marriage we had a 4 ft tree.  This year we moved up to a 6.5 ft tree.  Lovely.

Christmas Cheer

Advent Activities

I do realize that Lent starts next week and then Easter is after that but I am still going to post about our Advent Activities.  This is my blog isn't it?  So, I can write about whatever I want.

This year we were a little scatterbrained when it came to our advent calender/activities but we still managed to have fun.  We didn't open a door everyday but when we did we read scriptures, did activities, or we on field trips to special places in the city.

We found this idea on Pinterest for an edible snowman.  Here are the girls working on theirs.

Brian with his ice cream, twizzlers, and chocolate chip snowman.

My beautiful creation

Telia just cared about eating hers

Trying to figure out how to get a bite of her sisters

Here are a few other places we went and resources we used
Kalightoscope Christmas at The Galt House

Driving around the city looking at Christmas Lights

Lights Under Louisville

We didn't do a Jesse Tree this year but we did read some of the stories from it and colored some pictures pertaining to the stories

What did you do for Advent with your kids?  What about Lenten activities?  Anyone have any great ideas?

Snowflakes by Grandma

When we pulled up to Grandma and Grandpa Laffin's house for Christmas the girls got to see these beautiful snowflakes that Grandma twisted together with lights. They loved them so we took a few minutes one night to get some pictures. Who needs real snow when you have these?

I think Ruby is a little cold in this picture

Holiday Cooking

Over the Holidays we actually had some fun cooking and baking. Most of what we made turned out good so I thought I would share with ya. I don't have any pictures so you will have to settle with some links.

I made 2 different cookies over for Christmas: Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
and Andes Mint Cookies. I didn't save the mint cookie recipe but the link I posted looks like it.

For our Faith family get together I made a low sugar dessert for my Dad which turned out to be a hit with everyone. I made Strawberry Pretzel Salad but substituted sugar free jello instead of the regular stuff and used splenda instead of sugar.

I have decided that Christmas brunch will always consist of quiche (I never make quiche because of Brian's egg allergy but I love it) and other yummies that Brian can enjoy. This year I had some extra squash and zucchini hanging around so I made this Summer Quiche. I made it crust less, used mostly egg whites and didn't have onions or tomatoes on hand but it was still delicious!

This week I made a Breakfast Quinoa Recipe that I found on the Martha Stewart website. This was a nice break from oatmeal and most of the family loved it (minus Ruby). Telia had tons and Brian finished his bowl so that was a good sign.

For the New Year Brian made a wonderful Corned Beef, Cabbage, Carrots, Onions, and Potato meal. No recipe to follow but had to mention how great it was!

Christmas Down South

We visited Brian's parents and his brother in Bowling Green for a couple of days to celebrate Christmas. The girls had a great time with their grandparents, Uncle John, and Abby Dog.

The girls had lovely little Christmas dresses but I didn't get great pics of them in their dresses.

Grandpa L and Abby Dog

Both girls were interested in playing the piano with Grandma during this trip

Ruby was very excited that the southern part of the state got a bunch of snow for her to play in. In this picture she is actually crying because we made her put 2 layers of gloves on...it is hard to be 3 years old some days.

She quickly snapped out of it and had a blast as Uncle John and Daddy pulled her around the yard!

Christmas Morning

We spent Christmas morning at home with my parents. We read the Christmas story from the book of Luke and discovered the goodies in our stockings before Mamaw and Papaw Faith arrived.

We ate a delicious brunch (I'll post new recipes I tried on another day) with Mamaw and Papaw before opening gifts. Ruby is at an age where she really gets into the gifts and has lots of fun not only opening her own but helping everyone else. She was very happy with every gift she received and everything her sister got too.

Waiting for Mamaw and Papaw

Look at my new ornament!

Ezekiel Brian (that is our baby boys name) even got some gifts

Telia helping Mamaw open her gifts

Of course they had tons of fun playing in this big bag

My parents brought us one of their trees on Christmas Eve Eve (the 23rd) to put up while Ruby was asleep. It was so fun seeing her excitement when she woke up to a "booo-ti-ful tree with boo-ti-ful things on it" on Christmas Eve.

Thanks Mamaw and Papaw for the new table!

Got our dresses on and ready to go visit all the Faiths and Bentons for dinner.

O Come O Come Emmanuel

"Advent should be dark and tense. The world desperately needs a Savior, and in advent we should feel the weight of that longing."
One of my wise pastors, Mike Cosper, wrote this on facebook and it has made me think a lot over the past 2 weeks of Advent about how we celebrate and what we focus on.




Advent Season is upon us and this year we have been a little more diligent about starting more traditions surrounding Advent. We really want our children (and ourselves) to be reminded of the birth of Christ and also the longing that we still have for Christ to return.

We have been doing a little combo Advent Calender/Jesse Tree thing with the girls. We put the Jesse Tree Ornament inside the calender (and sometimes a special treat). Ruby pulls it out and colors it as we read the corresponding story and sing a Christmas song/hymn. So far she likes O Come O Come Emmanuel and Angels We Have Heard On High. Not sure what I am talking about when I say "Jesse Tree"? Check out this link from Passionate Homemaking blog.

Ruby coloring one of her ornaments

I have also been reading the Christmas story to Ruby almost daily (they say repetition is good for little ones). We mostly read from the Jesus Storybook Bible but sometimes we have read from a little book my mom gave us called (i think) The Story of Jesus. I pick different parts from the story and find coloring pages online to color. So, the first day we colored a picture of the Angel Gabriel talking to Mary...one day we colored a picture of Joseph and Mary when they arrived in Bethlehem. This has been great to help Ruby remember more details of the story.
This is an old picture of Brian reading to the girls.
Also, here is a more recent picture of the girls. There will be more to come hopefully this week.

A look back-Christmas 09

A few pictures of Telia when she was a little over a month old celebrating her first Christmas. At this point I think she was still sleeping alot and anywhere she could.

Our Girls

I am very much in the thick of life with 2 kids, managing my home, loving my husband well, giving a lot to our community group and other friends outside of community group therefore, I haven't been posting much. Here is a quick update on our precious girls.

Telia is now 2 months old and is amazing us at how healthy and big she is. Seriously, we are not used to having a baby with chubby rolls on her legs, neck, and arms. I am faced with a new challenge of keeping those rolls clean and dry. :) I had to pull out the 3 to 6 months clothes for her last night! Telia is such a happy baby who smiles all the time and really only cries when she is tired, hungry, wet/dirty, or has gas. She is more awake during the day and has started sleeping longer stretches at night. She went for her 2 month check up this week and was in the 80th percentile for weight (12 pounds 5 oz) and the 75th percentile for height (23 inches).

Ruby is changing so much from week to week. She talks a lot and has started making up her own songs about her friends (usually Nora or Lilly) or what she is doing. She loves to pretend with her stuffed animals (especially her new hippo from Uncle John and Sharon) and likes to make us coffee and bubbles (soda) in her toy dishes and food. She is pretty good with Telia and this week asked to hold her a few times. She cooks and cleans with me everyday and although this can be quite messy I really do treasure those times. She wrestles, reads, sings, and prays with Daddy every night. Tonight she kept calling him "Dad" and we thought she sounded so grown up. She has recently developed a love for the green smoothies (smoovies as she calls them) that we make several days a week.

Here are some pics of this week and the one above is from Christmas.

Telia all bundled up and ready to go out into the world

Ruby modeling her princess dress

Telia at 2 months

Ruby was not actually praying here but somehow
I got a pic that looks like she was and thought it was cute

A Bowling Green Christmas 2009

Ruby scoping out the gifts with Uncle John

Ruby loved playing the piano and singing with her Grandma

Brian with his gift from his parents

Telia just looking cute on her first Christmas

Books

I am really excited about some of the books we got for Christmas and thought it was a blog worthy topic


Brian received the following books

Come thou Long Expected Jesus




Kentucky Off the Beaten Path


Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ


I got the following books:

The Green Smoothie Revolution

Treasuring God in Our Traditions


Ruby received

Full Moon Rising



Telia will be reading

Black on White