Christmas Eve

Our Christmas Eve was perfect. I love everything about this celebration with my mom's side of the family, especially the church service and seeing row after row of people I love. Here are some of the boys' favorite moments.

Big Boy Cousins!!


Nick's new hunting knife was the Gift of the Year...

but there was plenty of other cool stuff, too...

Of course there were some Wild Times...

and luckily some Quiet Times...

And finally... to all a good night.

Advent

This is my favorite week of the year. There is always beautiful music playing, almost always something delicious in the oven, and the kids are almost almost always happily occupied with something crafty. I don't know who decided we should prepare for the birth of God's Son with baked goods and paint, but I love it!

"What are you doing?" I heard Evan ask Ethan.
"Making presents for Baby Jesus"
"Oh. Can I make sumpfing?"
"Sure!"

The Nativity Scene on their bookshelf is surrounded by paper cut up, colored, and taped back together in every imaginable shape.

Every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the Father says James 1:17.



I hope you are loving everything about this Advent, too; I hope that the anticipation of the birth of our Saviour fills your heart with joy today and tomorrow and every day of the coming year. In a few short days we will celebrate His birth, and then we can begin preparing for Him to again come to us with His everlasting grace.

Five

So I have a 5 year old. Pretty crazy. He is all boy, no hints of baby anymore. Well, except for when he is playing 'baby' and Evan is the dad who fixes tractors. But that's kind of annoying. He doesn't look like a baby when he's asleep, he sprawls out all long arms and legs. (Long being a relative term, of course, of which I am reminded after spending the weekend with my extremely long-limbed 'little' cousins. Relative to me, he is quite long.) He doesn't look like a baby in jammies, or in the bathtub. He rarely runs naked anymore at all, which is clearly a sign of maturity. Every precious bone in his back is defined and surrounded by sinewy little muscles instead of that squeezable, pat-able baby fat.

He can play quietly by himself with Legos, creating elaborate farm equipment and pirate ships. He consistently beats us at Wii games, and after a brief stint with a 'Good Sport' folder last spring, he is a good, well, sport. He is starting to read and I especially love to listen to him 'read' his favorite books, word for word and page by page. He takes care of the dogs and cats and chickens. He hauls wood and steers the truck and brings Matt tools before I can say 'what does that one look like again?'.

He is affectionate, compassionate, enthusiastic. Smart, smart-alecky. Kind, generous, brave, responsible.

I really like this kid.

What are you doing? he asked.

Writing about your birthday.

Do you have a 9?
Yeah.
Well press it!

9 Why?

Because! Today is December NINTH!

I think he is constantly annoyed by my denseness.

Right on schedule.