We May Not Have It All Together...But Together We Have It All: Christmas

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Christmas

I have absolutely loved our Christmas Holidays (except for the part where I had the stomach flu - uggghhh!) My big girl Emi became the mommy for the day. She completely took care of Kamden for me. She would bring him to me when he was hungry, and then she would take him away and take care of him. THANK YOU EMI!!

Back to the topic at hand... Christmas. Our kids will go back to school again in just a few short days, and I so wish they could just stay home with me for a few more weeks. We have had such a good time together, and with all our extended family get-togethers. We have had Ira home with us for two long weekends in a row - that has been priceless! We had all the pressing things done before Christmas arrived, and so we have been able to just kick back and enjoy being together. Our most exciting Christmas gift was that Santa brought us tickets to Disneyland for February. We are so excited to go the the most magical place on earth!

This last couple of weeks I have so enjoyed the journey of life. I am so grateful for these little ones who call me "mom", and for their dad who calls me "honey". I have loved getting Christmas cards from family and friends, and knowing that they have thought of our family as we have thought of them. I have loved the laughter we have shared with parents, brothers, sisters, and cousins during our get-togethers. I have especially loved being reminded of my Saviors birth. It is a special thing to have a baby in our home during the Christmas time. It is hard not to hold him, and look in his little face, and not think of the first Christmas over 2000 years ago.

I love Christmas, and the reminder that it is to me of all the things that really matter most in my life - My Savior and my family and friends.

Of course Santa is a pretty important part of Christmas too...or is he?

I think maybe the spirit of giving that Santa represents is pretty important.

My little Santa...

or elf!

Santa and his little elves

Two little monkeys sitting on the couch...

Of course it wouldn't be the holidays without recitals and performances!

Brayden was in an Orchestra program, playing the Cello.

Emilie's dance class danced in their P.J.'s at the nursing home.

Brayden and Emilie had their piano recital. This was Emi's first year, she was SO excited, and and has played her piece over and over ever since. Brayden received a great compliment when one of the younger boys was asked their favorite part of the recital, and he said, "Brayden".

Christmas Eve, while we waited for Ira to get off work, we built a gingerbread house.

Ira's brother Jason, and his wife Beckie sent us matching P.J.'s to be opened on Christmas Eve. This was a great hit!!! We wore them all day, and hopefully it is their new tradition for us, because (like their children), we are anxiously awaiting to see next years P.J.'s! Thank you Beckie for all your work in making them and letting us be part of your tradition.

Wrestle time with dad before going to bed (nothing like getting them hyper on Christmas Eve, right at bed time). Way to go Ira!!! However, all it took was for the kids to hear Santa Clause ringing his bells and saying, "Ho, Ho, Ho" right by their bedroom window to quiet them all down. Worked like magic!

So this year I decided it would be a "special" thing to re-enact the nativity, especially since we had our "Baby Jesus" without having to use a doll! I put the word "special" in parenthases for a reason. Special it was! I will never forget how Jarin was screaming the whole time (melt down moment), and how we were all threatening him to come be the shepherd/wiseman "or else"!

Good times, right?!

(don't know what Jarin is wearing - I think it is a wise-man crown...maybe)

I will set up our nativity just the way I want it, so they are all laid out where all the figures can be seen in just the right place. Then I go in another room for just a minute, and come back, and this is how they have mysteriously been rearranged - over and over again. I think my little mystery child has the right idea...Christ is the center of everything. He is the center of Christmas, and He is the center of my life.

4 comments:

FAMILY FAMILY FAMILY said...: Love the nativity scene rearrangement. That's how it should always be.

Love the reinactment of the nativity. But Jarin does look more like someone from StarWars, with the head thing.

Love the Brayden plays the cello. I never knew!

And I love the post.; January 3, 2009 at 8:50 AM
Amber Bradley said...: How fun! It looks like you had a wonderful time! I absolutly love the last picture. It is funny that a child can see it better than us, and makes you wonder what is going through their head when they do something like that. I wish I knew, their little minds sure work a whole lot better than mine. I am glad you have been able to have a fun relaxing break together.; January 3, 2009 at 2:06 PM
tysonandmandimoser said...: I wish it would last a few more weeks too. I want to hear Brayden play the cello.; January 4, 2009 at 1:18 PM
Sarah said...: I love the nativity scene arrangement. Your kids are darling, and Kamden is just growning way too fast. I love reading your blog. It seems you really treasure every moment of motherhood. You are a great example. I LOVED your lesson last week also. I could read that talk every day. It is a great reminder. Thanks for sharing it with us.; January 5, 2009 at 8:01 PM

Kute Komments!

Jarin: "I've been waiting all day for Kamden to grow up...when will he grow up like me?"
4-2010

We were driving by a farm which was being fertilized. Jarin sniffs a big sniff and says, "Mmmm...that smells like my strawberry nose" (the strawberry nose was a yummy smelling gas mask from the dentist)!
Jarin: "Is is "fat man or bat man"?
Jarin "My heart is dirty and needs to be cleaned." Then I wash his face, and he says, "My heart is clean!" (He watched me put lipstick on once, and thought my top lips looked like hearts. Now he thinks that lips are hearts). Which makes me wonder what he thinks when he says, "The Holy Ghost makes our heart feel good."
Jarin asked with a great big smile that melts my heart, "Mom, are you being grumpy with me?" (yes, I was - but that started us both laughing instead!)
We were having a family home evening helping Emilie to prepare for baptism. We talked to her about making good choices and right vs. wrong. We were trying to prompt her to give an answer when Ira asked her, "What's opposite of right, (he asked it in the context of right choices), and she answered, "Left." (you should have seen the look Ira and I gave each other - it spoke volumes!)
Same family home evening... we were talking about the Holy Ghost. Jarin (being very tired and very sensitive at the moment anyways), started going balistic on us. Not only did he say he was scared of the Holy Ghost. And not only was he crying because he was scared, but he was SOBBING, and it continued for about an hour (which is when he fell asleep still crying)!! Then first thing out of his mouth when he woke up was that he was scared of the Holy Ghost! We think we are doing the right thing by teaching our children, but really - we have taumatized Jarin! I can only imagine what was going on in his little imagination. Did I mention that FHE finished earlier than planned?
Ira was feeling the baby move at a particularly active time. He said, "Is he moving furniture around in there?" (some days it sure feels like it!)
There was a baby being blessed in church Sunday, and Jarin saw the priesthood men in a circle, and loudly proclaims "Look mom, their playing ring around the rosies!"
Emilie asked me, "Since our eyes are blue, how come everything doesn't look blue to us?" I explained how we see through the black circle in our eyes. She said, "Then the blue is just for decoration?"
Jarin walks around the house constantly saying, and singing "I am a Child of God, and He has sent me here." And when anyones voices get too loud, he sings, "Love at home... Love at home..." I'm not sure he even knows the meaning of what he's singing, but it stops the contention and usually starts a few giggles.
Ira was talking about leap year, and Emilie asked, "What is leap year? Is it when we leap to school?"
Ira asked Emilie if you put plastic wrap or foil over a pan going in the oven. She said tinfoil. Ira said "Good thinking Emilie." She responded by saying, "No, I didn't think...my teacher told me." (thank goodness for teachers, so we don't have to think!)
Jarin asked me if he could have something, and I had told him no. He responded by asking again, then answering his own question as if he were me, "Of course you can sweetheart." (it's no wonder he gets whatever he wants - how cute is that?)
In church today, a half a second before the sacrament prayer was being said, (so it was very quiet in the room), Jarin observed that his dad was sitting on the stand, and calls out in his loudest voice, "That's my daddy up there!"
Brayden said, "I've learned to never mess with a pregnant person."
Today I told Jarin he was a sweetHEART, and he said, "No, I have a beautiful HEART, and mommy is beautiful too." (a comment like that, he can have whatever he wants!)
This one was said a year or so ago, but it was one of the best we've had ever - so it bears repeating! Emilie said to mom, "Someday I am going to marry my prince, just like you married your prince."
Jarin said, "We don't say 'monkey butt' do we?"
Jarin see's a bumble bee and says, "It's a bum-bum bee".
Emilie singing, "Loose, footloose, kick off my church shoes."

Hmmmmm...

I copied this from my sisters blog, but it's just too perfectly perfect to not be reminded of as often as possible!

Hmmmm....
There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.'Well,' she said, 'I think I'll braid my hair today!'So she did, and she had a wonderful day.The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.'H-M-M,' she said, 'I think I'll part my hair down the middle today!'So she did and she had a grand day.The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.'Well,' she said, 'today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail.'So she did and she had a fun, fun day.The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.'YEA!' she exclaimed, 'I don't have to fix my hair today!'Attitude is everything. Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

INSPIRATION

"A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation." Joseph Smith

"The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone. The things you do for others remain as your legacy."

"Fix it up...wear it out... make due...or do without!" - Gordon B Hinckley

"In righteousness there is great simplicity" - William R. Bradford

"The most important thing parents can do for their children is to teach them to feel The Spirit and recognize when it is no longer with them."

Elder M. Russell Ballard: "There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children...What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."

The adversary would keep us busily engaged in a multitude of trivial things in an effort to keep us distracted from the few vital things that make all the difference."-Ardeth G. Kapp