Follow the Star

This year with our Classical Conversations Homeschool Group we were able to go to the Follow the Star Nativity. We tried to go last year, but it was sold out by the time we were able to get there. It was AWESOME! The kids loved it, we loved it and plan on going every year. We started in the church singing Christmas songs while we waited for our group to be called. Every 8 minutes new groups go with a tour guide following the star to Bethlelham. It was so well done and the kids saw Roman Soldiers, Shepards, King Herad and our final stop, Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus.

Christmas Eve&Christmas

Ross and I decided that we would spend Christmas Eve as a family just us and the kids. We have loved doing this the past 4 years. This year we decided to serve in the kidszone at our church, come home and have a nice dinner and then the kids opened their Christmas Eve Box! This included a Veggie Tales Movie (which we watched that night!) and a new pair of jammies for everyone.
Our tradition also is for daddy to read the story of baby Jesus out of Luke. This is probably my favorite part. Nothing warms my heart more than to watch my husband reading God's word to our children. They absolutely love their daddy time.

Ross reading a Christmas Story to the kids at church.

Reading Luke.

Our Christmas Eve box!

Christmas Breakfast, Cinnoman Rolls, sausage, bacon, fruit and hot apple cider

 

Everyone got nerf guns, which resulted in a huge Roberts family battle! It was a blast and we have had many battles since.

Golden Tickets

 I think my favorite one was our Polar Express Ride. This however was done in our bus/giant van. I printed tickets and hid them in the kids beds. While I tucked them in daddy warmed the van, loaded the hot chocolate and bags of popcorn. When they found their tickets they were so excited and we loaded them in jammies in the car and drove to look at Christmas lights for about an hour.

Christmas Time

I had so much fun with advent this year. Instead of our typical calendar we use and fill with candy or little treats, we used this opportunity to plan different family activites. Some were while daddy was gone and some we did together. Some examples were decorating Christmas cookies, making gingerbread houses at church, watching a new Christmas movie, read a new story etc. Below are some pictures.
One other thing we did this year was every night before bed starting Dec. 1st was the kids opened one new Christmas book and we read together as a family. This was a huge hit! I found most books at Salvation Army and Goodwill for pretty cheap.

 

 

 

 

 

Catching up!

So I realized that I mailed out our Christmas Cards linking everyone to our page if they wished to follow our family and then I didn't post for two months!! So I have A LOT of catching up to do. Through most of the month of December we took time off from our "typical" school day and took time to focus on Jesus and the true reason we celebrate Christmas. So here we go...our adventures through December and January up to now.

Thankful

It's funny this comes at a time when everyone is talking about what they are thankful for. The past two days have been exhausting. I spent most of Monday in bed, or the bath, or just laying on the couch with severe stomach and back pains. It seemed to pass by the evening and I was feeling much better. Tuesday came and I decided to head to the chiropractor so the kids and I ventured out, went there then to the grocery store. I was feeling pretty good minus occasional contractions. Then around 3 it really hit me and I had non stop contractions for an hour. I decided to head in to see my midwife, kids and all! Ross was working out of town for the day so I was not able to reach him until about 5pm when I was leaving the Dr.'s office. She said I had started dilating and with contractions she wanted me to head to the hospital for monitoring, testing and an ultrasound. Poor Ross was still two hours away, however I'm pretty sure he made it back much sooner! I am so thankful my mom was still in town and I took the kids to my sister in laws and brother's house where my mom and Katie fed them dinner and took care of everything.
I have to say God is sure amazing. At the clinic she was really concerened for pre-term labor and I'm only 27 weeks so we were really concerned too because things were not looking very good.
After two hours of monitoring, testing and an ultrasound she was amazed at my results. Not only was I no longer dilated, but my contractions stopped, and my cervix was longer than they could have even hoped for in a normal pregnancy. Praise God! Thank you to all who were praying for us. I was sent home able to kiss my little ones goodnight and rest. I have been instructed to just take it easy, but no bed rest, yay! So I'm doing my best, but it's hard with 4 little kids to "take it easy" I'm not even sure what that means. There is so much to be done! So I'm trying, sitting here on the couch and enjoying just watching the kids play, I love their imaginations! This picture was posted by a friend of mine of facebook and I thought it appropriate. :-)

Faith of a Child

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as his child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven..." ~ Matthew 18:1-3

But Jesus called for them, saying, "permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." ~Luke 18:16-17

The past week has been a really rough one. This pregnancy is really starting to get to me with all of the hormones and the wear on my body. Along with the kids having a rough week this was not a good combination. My patience has been on the negative end of the scale. Every morning I wake up and think, "okay today HAS to be better." and before 9:00 disaster has already struck. Toys strung about, kids fighting, my house feels like it's in complete chaos. Yesterday was no different as I think I spent most of my day in tears more frustrated that I kept crying for NO reason than anything actually happening.

I woke up this morning hoping for a new perspective and I think I was given one, by my 6 year old. She truly has the kindest heart I've ever seen. As we sat down for breakfast this morning I remembered something she said to me last night as we were loading up to go to the library. "Mom look at all the stars. You know I think those three lights that were following us on Halloween were Angels." Huh was all the more thought I gave that statement as I hurried them into the van. Then this morning I recalled what she said and asked her about it. Her response and such simple faith blew me away. " Yes I saw three lights, they weren't like the stars they followed us like they were glowing. I think they were God's Angels protecting us. You know mom angels don't wear white robes and have wings." I asked, well why didn't you say anything to me that night? And she says,"I did you said you couldn't see anything." WOW! It really made me stop and think this morning am I really blind? Am I really in such a hurry that I don't see God's work in my life and his everyday blessings? I need to slow down and have faith of a child, see things through their innocent eyes. We can easily thank God for the major things we see good and bad, but what about the things we don't see? What about the things that we never even knew he saved us from?

So today I have a new perspective, to slow down and thank God for my blessings. Be truly thankful to have a houseful of little ones that yes cause chaos and messes all over.

"Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate." ~ Psalm 127: 3-5

I will choose to be thankful for my husbands job instead of be frustrated he works so much. I will choose to be thankful for all of my children instead of complaining that I don't have any down time and a messy house, always. Thank you Lord for helping to open my eyes to see you at work.