Christmas 2009

This year's Christmas was the BEST...so far...(I think I say that every year!) Getting to watch the anticipation build for Santa with Isaac was so much fun! I think one of my very favorite things about being a mom is getting to be a kid again! We really did have a wonderful Christmas.

We started 2 new traditions this year that I am hoping will stick. The first one was making a gingerbread house. Isaac and I had so much fun and it actually turned out pretty darn cute! Isaac had a really hard time getting the icing from the knife to the gingerbread house (it was very tasty:)) but we managed to get enough on it to make the candy stick, which also, by the way, was quite a temptation for a four year old with a sweet tooth. When it was finished Isaac couldn't wait to show his dinosaurs.....they had a sweet tooth too!

The other tradition that we started was lighting a candle in our Nativity scene, singing 'Happy Birthday' to Jesus, and then reading the Christmas story. One of my favorite memories of Christmases past is the live Nativity scene we did at my Granny's house every year. All 16 cousins and occasionally an aunt or uncle would dress up in homemade costumes and we would stand in Granny's front yard inside a stable my Grandaddy made and sing Christmas carols as Granny read the Christmas story. The scene was complete with donkeys, calves, and whatever other animals happened to be in the area. :) The whole town of Baird would join us singing and one year we were even featured on the Abilene news! Now that we are all older and the great grandkids aren't quite old enough, Granny makes sure that we at least read the Christmas story and sing the carols before any gifts are opened. She has started such a wonderful tradition and is one of the reasons that her children and grandchildren put Christ first at Christmas time and everyday. Love you, Granny!

Besides reading the Christmas story at Granny's house, the last few years on Christmas Eve we've read The Crippled Lamb (Max Lucado) to Isaac and talked about Jesus being born but this was the first year we actually read the whole Christmas story to him at home. He seemed to enjoy it; especially the part where he got to blow out the candle:) I hope and pray that James and I can truly show Isaac and Kenzie what Christmas is about. Lord, help us to not just tell them about you, but let our lives be lived in such a way that they can follow us as we lead them straight to you.

GG and Kenzie at G Mac and GG's.

Isaac at G Mac and GG's,

Oh, I almost forgot...The BEST gift we got this year was a trip to Great Wolf Lodge from Mom and Dad....it was actually the best gift I think we've ever gotten!! We had such an awesome time and are already planning another trip there. Pictures to come later:)