Thankful Christmas!

Thankful my youngest ones are still little.

It's so wonderful having little ones at Christmas time!

Everything is new again!

(trying different settings on my camera)

After the Christmas Eve Vigil Mass,

we come home to a special Christmas meal, (complete with a birthday cake for Jesus)

Pictures by the tree and gift opening!

Recently my cousin brought it to my attention

what a mutual friend thought about Christmas;

that it is funny how everyone gets gifts except the Person whose birthday it is.

 

I told her we bake a birthday cake for Jesus, put on a candle for each of us,

and sing "Happy Birthday!"
She seemed surprised by this.
 

So upon further thought,

I wished I'd remembered all the things we do all of Advent.

All the things we do to prepare our hearts for Jesus.

 

We draw names and become secret "Advent Angels" for each other and

do nice things for our secret person.
We pray for our secret person all during Advent.

We look for acts of charity we can do for other people all during Advent

We do extra prayers while lighting the Advent candle.
We do the "Jesse Tree" which is daily readings
showing the lineage of Jesus starting with the creation of time
and going all the way up to His birth.
We read a ton of books all about Jesus and the reason for the season!

 

 

You see, our season, our Christmas, is all about Jesus.

We give gifts because God gave us the biggest gift ever.

He gave us His Son.
 

 

 

I wished I'd thought of this immediately when talking to my cousin.

I think I was assuming that everyone did these things.

I put myself in a bubble with like-minded people,

with people that make Advent and Christmas about Jesus.

 

I realized through this conversation though, that a lot of people

do not know how to do it.

They've never seen it done. 

Guess I should blog more.

 

It reminds me to open the conversations,
 it's the only way to spread the LOVE of Christmas.

 

Trying to get "selfies" with my middles

It's not working.....that's a wide forehead you have there....

OK best we got!

Thankful for these middles, gosh they are so  much fun! 

Thankful for my oldest son, yes, he's taller than me! 

Thankful for my oldest daughter....

Thankful for my bookend boys

Thankful at least we have fun memories (OK, not so fun)

trying to get good pics by the tree....

OH, my....

Thankful for daddy and his boys

Thankful for daddy and his girls

Thankful for this man, the love of my life! 

Thankful for all God's blessings....

He was so particular when opening....everything was new and exciting.

SO cute!

Onto Christmas at my parent's home

Yes, it's freezing in this picture.

I'm mean that way.

It's kind of cute, though, isn't it?

OH, I wasn't wearing a coat either....

Thankful for times with cousins



Thankful for my 1 year-younger-brother, John and his family

They just adopted 2 girls last weekend ages almost-5 and 10!



Thankful for my little sister Brenna

Thankful for my little brother Jordan and his wife Sarah

Thankful for my parents

(total dad face there)

He is incapable of smiling normal.

 

Onto my Grandma's Christmas

Thankful for my 93 year old Beautiful grandma!

(my dad's mom)

Thankful for fun visiting with my cousins!

I only got one picture of a cousin and it was my cousin Kristin!

(we have like almost 50 cousins and 60 some great cousins and even some great great I think!)

My dad's little sister and my mom's brother

They are married!

Cute, huh?

My siblings and I.

Why oh, why did I think I actually looked good in this outfit?

Oh, my gosh.

Not wearing it again.

I look like a COW.

 Another Christmas with my husband's side of the family at our home!

I was hosting, so there are not as many pictures....

Thankful I got this one of Grandma (tom's mom)

 Thankful for fun times laughing and giggling with cousins

 (that's fudge he's hiding behind)

Jammie time!

Thankful for our Christmas picture wall!

 Whew!!

Thankful it's all over!!

It was a wonderful Christmas

I am so very Thankful we were here this year to celebrate with everyone!

 

Now, we are all sick....

And it's really really cold outside!

 

God bless Everyone!