Discovering Advent

We have been thinking about this upcoming holiday season and how we can make Christmas (as a young family) memorable, traditional, and wonderfully and joyfully celebratory! How can we celebrate treats and food and cheesy christmas sweaters and white elephant parties and gifts, not just for the sake of treats and laughter and chocolate and presents, but enjoying these things as a shadow of the greatest gift to mankind, the incarnation: the God-man, the Savior, Creator of the world, come to bear in real space, real time, real history!!!! This is amazing! And should be celebrated with the best of occasions, and remembered as a true gift to mankind.

After some thoughtfulness and research, we have found that there is so much out there that we can do as a family to remember Christ, to learn about him, to meditate on him and to grow starting today, the first of December through the 25th. I had never heard of the Jesse Tree before, but we are adopting this tradition and adapting it, to fit our family. I am so excited. The Jesse Tree comes from Isaiah 11:1: "A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots." The Branch is a biblical sign representing newness out of discouragement, and was a way to refer to the expected Messiah. Jesse was the father of David and flowing from this line is Jesus Christ, the Messiah. The ritual that comes along with this idea is to tell of God's Story and faithfulness and connecting it all the way up to the Advent Season (Advent by the way means arrival or coming - the arrival of the Lord)


This is what advent is all about. not simply a huge anticipation for December 25, and then that's it. While neither my family, nor KC's family has celebrated advent, we think that this will be a memorable and valuable. First of all, Colson's world has changed since we have started decorating our home for Christmas. His favorite thing to say right now is "what is that? What is this?" Christmas time has become a wonderful opportunity to teach Colson about God's story. For example, we put lights up in our living room and he loves them. He could tell you now that we put lights up to remember, because Jesus came into the world, and Jesus is the light of the world.

Thinking about God's wonderful story and preparing for our adaption of the Jesse Tree (which is simply part of our Christmas tree) has already made me more all around thankful: I think this will help tremendously when we are receiving gifts and partying on. A gift received in any spirit other than thanksgiving is everything we are trying to counter. We have no problem with gifts, and plenty of them, if they are given and received in a spirit of thanksgiving to our loved ones, and to our greatest gift: Christ. This is what we want to remember as Daddy and Mommy, and this is what we want our kids to remember when they're ripping open a new favorite fighter jet.

We're happy

Stout Steak

KC was so excited to come home to a steak dinner tonight. Poor man, he never knows what I'm going to be serving, whether it's mac 'n' cheese, or a delicious grilled steak, but he ALWAYS joyfully eats what he's given (with the exception of a few early marital dinner disasters!)

Hello Snow

There is nothing quite like snowfall to ring in the holiday cheer. Waking up to this fresh beauty the past two days has made these colder days much more welcome.

No Words:

Self-babble in a toddler is a marvelous thing. What's even more wondrous is faith.

I pretend to read at the table as I have ear and slanted eye shifted toward the toddler. He spots the Bible sitting on the leather recliner. The running commentary switches from trains: "It's God's Word. It's God's Word." He opens and flips from section to section, as gentle as is possible for a 2 year old. "Adam ate the fruit," he goes on. "Eve ate the fruit. The dragon came, and Adam ate the fruit." His tone turns even more dramatic: "The dragon is a liar! Jesus is the dragon slayer!"

Later he was sinking a dump truck in the bathtub as he looked at me and said, "I'm a Christian."

I smile and melt and affirmed his declaration.

May this boy, as his father constantly prays, never know a day where he didn't know and love Jesus. And may we never, in disbelief, crush this belief in him.

"'Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.' And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them." -Mark 10:13-16

In this passage, we don't see Jesus doing an age check for 8 year old baptized children. He didn't run them through the "sinner's prayer." He invited them to come. And so we, in imitation of Christ, do nothing less than bid Colson to come. And come he does, for who can resist the graces of our Maker?

I Corinthians 13

"And now I will show you the most excellent way.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but not have love, I am nothing. I I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I become a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirrors; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Favorite Maternity Clothing?

Hey there ladies, I am getting bigger, naturally, and am thinking about maternity clothing. :) I have a question for you mommy bloggers out there. What were your staple pregnancy clothes that you loved and could not live without? When I was pregnant with Colson, I got SOOOO incredibly sick of my maternity clothes, so sick in fact, that I'm still sick of them....I'm in the market now for something fun and stylish. I did get 2 awesome black dresses on sale at Gap maternity and love those, but those aren't to be worn everyday. What were your favorite jeans, brands, tops, etc???

If you wouldn't mind throwing my way an item or two that you couldn't have lived without, I would love to know.

Quote of the Day

"Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours."

-C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

To Dance

To me, this picture really captures our 2 year old. He loves music, to sing and dance, and here he is, in the middle of the street dancing on his own in front of this big-band at our local growers market.

It's a beautiful thing in him to behold, and I hope that he can see the dance in life, as he grows; and that we can see the dance in him, as he grows.

Homeschoolers for Ron Paul

This is interesting. I think you should check it out.

fighter jets and aunt jenni

Colson

Where did the time go?

9 Months

2 1/2 years old

Aunt Jenni

Jenni came to visit.
What a delight!
This pic is only a snippet of it all.

This is "Fighter Jet Colson."

ColsonBoy Ready for Worship

Hurray for Baby bellies

19 Weeks