Setting up the Christmas tree!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!

Although we're still in flip flops and t-shirts, Christmas is definitely in the air. It has been for awhile. As a general rule of thumb we don't do Christmas till after the American Thanksgiving. Unless Joe is at work. hehe. I've been playing Christmas music for awhile now. 

Currently, my favorite Christmas album is:  

Christmas worship. This is the whole point of this time of year. To worship. The newborn King, the life He lived, the life He gave up, the life He still has --resurrected & reigning on the right hand of His Father--our Father! What a gap He has filled! What a glorious day it was when God came to earth in the flesh. Our messed up world welcomed God Himself as a little baby. So humble, so vulnerable, so tiny. I often think about Mary as I cradle my own sweet baby and see her tiny fist clinging to my finger. The sense of awe at the perfection of this little miracle. And yet my baby isn't perfect and still needs a Savior. The Savior that was away in a manger on that night long ago. My heart overflows. Christmas worship. The most wonderful time of the year.

What does a Christmas tree have to do with worship, anyway? I don't know. It's tradition; it's memories; it's our culture all wrapped up in the confusion we have turned Christmas into. At any rate, we have fun doing it and this year put the tree on the main floor and invited our neighbor boys over for a little Christmas party! 

Peanut butter popcorn balls, fun Christmas music, and lots of lights & laughter! A great way to bond with the kids. I don't know how, but I now have 1 candy cane on my tree out of the box of 18 that I bought. haha...boys!

Our little helper! :)

These kids are just so precious! Love them!

Wesley hanging his ornament on the tree! It's the little stocking we hung on the tree in his honor the year I was pregnant with him. It's now his to hang on the tree every year! Briana also has one that I hung on the tree in her honor last year! Since she was sleeping I'll have to take a photo of her with it later. :)

Some of the boys worked on a paper chain, while others worked on wrapping a gift for us!

I found out later it was some of Wesley's stuffed animals that they put in a pretty box with a card the made for us. haha, it's the thought that counts!

I'll post a pic of our finished tree a little closer to Christmas.
We are doing a daily advent with the kids. They're still young so we're keeping it REALLY simple. Every day we tell a Bible story while Wes & I color a picture reflecting that story. We're bringing him through Creation to the birth of Christ. We then hang the picture on the tree. It's a special time together, and the thing he gets the most excited about it writing the number on the back of the picture. We'll have 25 by Christmas! It's a fun little project for us and a good way to prepare our hearts for the celebration of God's arrival to earth as we worship Him for the greatest gift that could ever be given: His life!

Lord, give us boldness and creativity in communicating this message to these beautiful children you've brought into our home!