Playskool Advent

Here's the Playskool Advent Calendar the kids have been having so much fun with! Each day they open a box and it has a piece for the Santa's workshop theme! It's so cute!

December 9 & 10th

Today we did ornament 9 and 10 and gift 9 and 10. I was really sick still but started feeling so much better late in the day. Thank you, Lord! Day 9 was a cluster of grapes and we were reminded how the grapes were to remind us of the Israelites and their sin. The wheat, day 10, was a reminder of Naomi and Ruth and how Ruth worked in the wheat fields and was there for Naomi no matter what! I pray, Lord, I will have that kind of love for my family! We gave in on day 10 to the kids constant begging us to open a gift - I guess this is the bad part about wrapping your gifts early. So their surprise for day 9 and 10 was to open a gift each! Brian got a clock that shines the time on the wall, Brandon got a hot wheel car set, Alyssa got some hair gel, headband, set, and Andrea got some earrings! Now, I'm off to bed! Goodnight, sleeptight, and don't let the bed bugs bite! Much love and many prayers! Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future!

December 8th

Today was one of the most fun evenings yet but I tried to do a little too much! After being sick in bed most of the day, I was able to get up and do some things around the house and then have a little fun as a family! Day 8 ornament was the Ten Commandments and Big B shared how Moses went up on the mountain and God wrote the ten commandments and then while he was there the Israelites were grumbling and building idols. Moses became angry and the ten commandments broke and he had to go back up to get them again. My memory is not remembering everything else! Our day eight wrapped item was hot chocolate with a cup for each of the kids to keep, and ornaments that we all painted and we listened to a book on tape called Ordinary Baby Extraordinary Gift! The kids have also been doing the advent calendars. We have three different ones; one in a book, one on a paper, and a Playskool one where the kids open a box each day and it has a different piece to add to a set up Santa's workshop. The kids seems to love this one. Even Andrea wants to open a box too. We also have been trying to pray for our friends and family as we get a Christmas card from them. This has been exciting too!

December 7th

We're still playing catch up with our Jesse Tree! December 6th ornament was Jacob's ladder and December 7th was the cross. We enjoyed sharing different stories relating to our ornaments! Also, Day 6 gift was Ms. Jen's Christmas party and Day 7 gift was going to ChuckECheese for our lifegroup's Christmas party! We had a great time!

December 7th

After the parties, we came home and played catch up with our Jesse Tree and our daily gifts with suprises. December 5th was a lamb and we shared the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac or almost. He was faithful to God until the end and then God provided the sacrifice that day just as he has done for us on the cross. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life! I can't remember what day 5 surprise was for the kids - hopefully, I'll remember soon! I just remembered. We talked about some Christmas items and how they relate to God. The lights are to remind us the God is our Light. The evergreen is to remind us to God is everlasting. The point on the Christmas tree is to remind us of heaven - I forgot the rest. We had a good time sharing these things!

December 7th

December 7th was fun too! We went to church and then had some time at home! Late we went to our lifegroup Christmas party! It was fun but I started getting really sick. That was a bummer. I pray no one else got sick. Here's a picture of some of our group. The rest of the group was running around Chuck E Cheese where we had our party, and here's a picture of one of my closest friend's Lisa. Thank you, God, for Rick & Lisa opening their home to us and sharing your word!

December 6th

We had a fun day! We went to our neighbor, Seth's bday party. It was awesome! We had a great time with friends! Later that night we went to Ms. Jen's Christmas party! That was a lot of fun too! The kids loved playing her dirty santa game and the past part was we all went home with something we liked - well, almost all of us! I don't think Big Brian liked his candle or Christmas socks but 5 out of 6 isn't bad! Here also is a picture of some of our favorite friends at the party! They have such a beautiful family! Please pray for Todd. His health is still struggling a lot! Here's some cute pictures of Andrea and Michaela at the party. They have been friends forever! Here I am too with my beautiful girls!

More December 5th

Later that evening I was blessed to be invited to a Christmas Card Party! This is the best idea because it was so nice to sit and get most of my cards done. Thank you, Korey, Monica, and Dawn. I had a great time! What a blessing it was to spend time with old friends and new!

December 5th

December 5th was an awesome day! It was just Alyssa and me at home so things were easy. We went and had lunch together! It was fun! After that, we went and did a little shopping! This was a nice date time together! She is one special sweet little girl. God is so good!

DECEMBER 4, 2008

DECEMBER 4, 2008

Well, I stayed up until 5am this morning to finish my blog, so I'm a little tired but I'm having so much fun I had to blog about today! Today I started the day cleaning the house as fast as I could and doing some homeschooling with Alyssa and Brandon. We went to the Mahaffey Theatre and saw a musical production The Magi's Gift (I think that was the name). It was a great play about the love of a married couple who sold their two most prized possessions to a get a gift for the other - the wife cut her hair and he sold his pocket watch. His gift to her was beautiful combs for her long hair that was no longer there and her gift to him was a new chain for the pocket watch which was no longer his. In the end, the moral was the greatest gift we have is EACH OTHER! I hope God will use this in my life to help remember the greatest gift I have is first is what he did for me on the cross and then my family. Help me Lord to remember that! After the show we went to the park with one of my dearest friend's Debbie and her daughter Chelsea and three other friends, Sarah, Hannah, & Rachel! The kids had a great time playing on the park!! Later that evening at home Brian shared a short story about our fourth ornament -- and we may be doing them in the wrong order because I lost my little baggy for this one and we don't have the actual Jesse Tree Devotion book that goes along with this. The camel and the tent and since we don't have the book we weren't exactly sure which Bible story this ornament went with but we think The camel and the tent represented camels and tents the Israelites used when Moses led them out of Egypt and eventually into the Promise Land. I pray I will choose to walk in the promise land daily and not in the wilderness! Galations 5:1 For it is for freedom that Christ has set you free, stand firm and then and do not let yourselves be burden again by a yoke of slavery! Then the kids opened their day 4 gift, and they each had a special dessert, chocolate chip cookies! Yum!

December 3rd

We'll we did Day 2 ornament today because yesterday we accidentally did day 3. Big Brian shared a short story from the Bible of how sin entered the world, how the serpent tempted Eve. Our ornament was an apple with a serpent. We talked about how not to listen to Satan! Then we opened our day 3 present which was a pillow! This meant a PILLOW FIGHT!! We had a great time doing a fun pillow fight!!

December 2nd Continued

Also, on December 2nd I was so privileged to spend some time at Monica's and share Christmas ideas! What a lovely friend and neighbor God has blessed me with!

Later that evening we received another special suprise! My dad, aka Popi, stopped by for a visit! We all had a great time together!!

December 2nd

On December 2nd we accidentally skipped the 2nd ornament and went to Day 3. We read about Noah's ark a short devotion and how we need to choose in life the path Noah chose - to be obedient to God. Then we opened our Day 2 gift! Each of the kids received a special little goody! They really are enjoying this new tradition!

December 1st

Brandon found our first ornament which was the Earth. We read a little from the Bible about how God created the Earth.

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

We then opened our December 1st present which was a craft activity for us to make - we decorated foam gingerbread men!

THE TWENTY FIVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

EACH EVENING IN DECEMBER WE WILL BE DOING TWO ACTIVITES.
WE FIRST WILL BE PUTTING A SPECIAL HANDMADE ORNAMENT ON OUR TREE.
THIS CONCEPT IS TAKEN FROM THE JESSE TREE. THANK YOU, BRENDA, FOR THIS AWESOME EXPERIENCE!! I PARTICIPATED IN AN ORNAMENT EXCHANGE WHERE I MADE TWENTY FIVE OF THE SAME ORNAMENTS AND THEN I WENT TO AN EXCHANGE AND RECEIVED TWENTY FOUR DIFFERENT ORNAMENTS - ONE FOR DECEMBER 1ST - 25TH. EVERY NIGHT WE WILL READ A SHORT DEVOTION ABOUT THE ORNAMENT.

AFTER THAT WE WILL OPEN A GIFT WITH A NUMBER ON IT! THANK YOU, MONICA, FOR THIS GREAT IDEA! EACH GIFT WILL HAVE A SPECIAL ACTIVITY, CRAFT, OR GAME IN IT THAT WE WILL DO AS A FAMILY! PLEASE FOLLOW MY BLOG TO SEE CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS UNFOLD IN OUR HOME - IT IS ONLY BY GOD'S GRACE!!

Only By God's Grace

As I tried to think of a title for this blog, I knew it would be difficult. My gift is not words. Only by God's Grace it came to me, and I not only thought this was great because I knew it was Only by God's grace that I have been saved, but I also I knew that it was Only by God's Grace that I have been blessed beyond measure with four beautiful children and been married to my husband for 17 years. It hasn't been easy, but I know only by God's grace have we come this far. Since I am not gifted at words, I knew it was only by God's grace that he helped me come up with a great title for the page. As I thought of a song to add, I automatically thought of one of my new favorites - although I know it's been around for awhile it's just recently been one of my new favorites - Who am I by Casting Crowns! I couldn't believe it when I played the video and the first words on the screen were: "Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; not by works, so that no one can boast! I was trying to think of that whole verse when I made the blog and then with the video God gave it to me. God never ceases to amaze me. Thank you, God, for all that you do and who you are!

Ephesians 2:8-9

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; not by works so that no one can boast.