Magical Winter Lights

An add on my Instagram feed caught my eye one evening when I was scrolling.  It was for the Magical Winter Lights.  I clicked the link and within seconds of being on the site knew that it was something festive that our family would enjoy.  I showed it to Benjamin and we made a plan to make the drive to La Marque after Winston's last day of school for Christmas break.    

We left our side of town at 5 PM and made a stop at IHOP on the south side of Houston for some grub.  Our family loves a good dinner of breakfast foods!  By the time we arrived at the Gulf Greyhound Park, it was completely dark outside and perfect for looking that the lights!  

Christmas Morning Essentials

After one or two Christmas mornings where I had to go looking for a very specific type of screw driver to free a toy from it's packaging, I decided the next year I would be prepared.  Now a day or two before Christmas I gather the following items from around the house and put them into a bucket.  Then I put the bucket in a place that is handy for our Christmas morning shenanigans!

Delicious Tiger Butter Recipe

Tiger Butter is on the top of the list as one of the things that reminds me of Christmas.  My mom would make batches of this to give as gifts to friends, postal workers, store owners, doctors, anyone who she wanted to give a little something to as a thank you for all they did in the year.

Houston Zoo Lights 2018

The boys and I took our annual trip to see the Houston Zoo Lights during their member's preview weekend.  This Zoo Lights event is one of the first things that we do to kick off the holiday season.  We decorate the wagon with Christmas lights and dress the boys in Christmas jammies.  The weather had turned cooler so we grabbed some blankets to bundle up with!  Benjamin was out of town so my Mom accompanied us for her first Zoo Lights experience!  

Friday Favorites

All of the holiday things were scheduled for this first week of December.  It made the week very full but very festive! 

First we got home from our yearly trip to the Gaylord Texan and went right into opening all the advent calendars!  I has been my favorite to see how excited the boys have been opening their calendars they get home from school this week.  

They both have Lego advents and we are doing Truth in the Tinsel this year.  It's Truman's first year to participate and the time we've spent together making the crafts and talking about the stories that surround Jesus' birth has been a favorite!

Also, the boys' Santa shark jammies are one of their favorites this year.  They glow in the dark!  You can find them here.  

I shared a few of our favorite Christmas books to read together in the evenings in this post.  

I volunteered at Winston's school this week making copies for his teacher and then being an elf in the Holiday Shoppe!  I was able to stop by his class for a hug.  When I got home I checked my purse for something and found this little note folded and stuffed inside!  Winston is a little sweetie and by for my favorite note of the day! 

Wednesday night was our children's choir Christmas production.  Winston was Inn Keeper #3; he gave Mary and Joesph his stable for baby Jesus to sleep in.  He was pumped for his role and did a great job!  This little wave was my favorite of the night.  

The next morning was Truman's little Christmas concert at school.  I had promised Winston that he could come along.  He was excited to leave school for a little break to cheer on Trumy.  My niece's class was performing their song at the same time which was special to be able to see her class perform too!

NaNo took my camera and I found this little gem of two of my favorite people!  

Truman did an ace job singing Jingle Bells and shaking his bells along with the song.  He gave Winston a big hug when he came down the aisle.  Truman beamed the entire time he was on stage and was precious next to baby Jesus.  He requested to wear his favorite Christmas shoes for the special occasion!  

I took Winston back to school mainly because his class would be visiting the Holiday Shoppe and he was not going to miss out!  He wrote his list and did a fabulous job shopping.  He was so excited to give his gifts.  When I asked if he wanted to save them for Christmas Day he said, "No Mommy.  These are my gifts to give and I get to to decide when!"  He can't keep a surprise and was bursting with excitement!   He found exactly what he wanted to get Truman; a green monster truck!  And Truman has not let it out of his sight yet!  

He proudly gave me the bag that held my gift.  He was so excited to see my reaction.  I said "Oh its orange, my favorite color!" and he said that's exactly why he picked it out.  He was chuffed that I had made that connection.  Picking out presents with definitely Winston's favorite and I will always cherish this sweet necklace!

Whew!  That's a full week, right?!  But how can we be anything then filled with joy because this is the season to all the festive things.  I think we'll may make some Christmas cookies, watch a few Christmas movies and take a ride to look at Christmas lights.  What are you doing this weekend?

Today I'm linking up with Andrea, Erica and Narci for my Friday Favorites!  

Christmas Books

I love bringing out holiday books from our collection at the start of each new season.  It breaks up the routine of what we read at bed time.  We get to enjoy some of our favorites and since I'm always adding to the collection, have some new ones to add to the round up too!  

First up is The Jolly Christmas Postman.

Here We Come, Santa Claus!

Every November I get very excited because I know that Christmas is right around the corner.  I start I shopping the holiday sections on H&M, Boden, Hanna Anderson and Tom's for coordinating outfits for the buddies.  I live for all the themed clothing!  I also start planning out some of our favorite Christmas activities.  On the top of that list is visiting Santa Claus!  Each year since Winston's first visit, we always go to Market Street so that we can visit the Man in Red.  

Kid Behind the Blog: December Interview

1.  Which Reindeer is your favorite?

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer!

2.  What do you want for Christmas?

Some new cars.... and that's it!

3.  What would you do if you caught Santa in your house?

I would want him to give presents to me and I would give him a hug.

4.  What if Santa got stuck in your chimney?

Well Santa might get a boo boo.  I would get him a bandaid and then try to push him out!

5.  Have you been naughty or nice this year?  Why?

NIIIIICE!  I've played with my Mom.  I'm a great big brother to Truman!

6. What is your favorite Christmas movie?

Frosty!

I just love Christmastime!  Everything about it is magical and special.  And this little human has caught my love for everything to do with it!  I was sorta surprised when he said his favorite movie was Frosty as we have been watching Elf and The Grinch on repeat for a few days now.  However I love that he still adores Frosty and his friend Karen.  :)  We visiting Santa last week and he told him that he wants a house full of people.... If anyone has any idea what that might mean, please let me know!  

I have had such a great time participating in this link up this year.  I have enjoyed hearing Winston's answers and being intentional about capturing them.  The days fly by in the blink of an eye.  I am amazed at how much he has grown and matured this year.  Makes my mama heart burst with all sorts of emotions!

Merry Christmas!!

"The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.  He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.  But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."  John 1:9-14

What a glorious event and beautiful portrayal of love.  Jesus, the true light, came for everyone.  For those who believe in his name, we receive the best gift of all this season: the understanding that Christmas is more than the festivities.  It's about the birth of our great Savior who came as the perfect sacrifice for our sins so that we may live a life that is full.  Full of love, hope, peace, goodness, and joy.  A fullness that can only come from abiding and believing in Him!  

May your Christmas be full of the good things this beautiful season!  

A Christmas Light Adventure!

Our Saturday started quite like most of our Saturday mornings: Daddy and Winston going out to get donuts + hash browns.  Yes, that's right.  Winston loves McDonald's hash browns as a side for his Saturday morning donuts!  And while they are out, this is how Lulu stays...

...curled up, under our covers in what we like to call fat pig pose!  She loves a good lie-in on Saturday mornings!  

After breakfast we went in to "let's get it done" mode!  Benjamin made trips to Good Will and storage while Winston played and I cleaned out.  By the time the morning was complete, we had successfully set up Truman's crib!  That in itself felt amazing.  Now, no matter when he arrives, Truman won't have to sleep on the couch!  Haha!  

We signed, sealed and stamped our Christmas cards with the help of a little Winston elf this year!  He was all about writing in the cards {well, for at least 12 minutes!} and helping to put the stamps on the envelopes!  I am thankful that he loves to be a part of whatever it is that we are doing.  I have learned that even though I can do it better, faster, neater that's not what matters.  Taking the time to teach him how to help in a task, even as small as putting stamps on an envelope, means he gets to be right where we are.  And he looks so proud to help and be part of the conversation!

After nap, we tried out the newest restaurant to open on our side of 45, a local pizza place named Crust.  I had never been to any of their other locations and was delighted with the taste of everything!  Winston ate the entire kid sized pizza and man, is their strawberry green iced tea delicious!  If you are in The Woodlands/Spring area, I highly recommend them!

Because we ate dinner at 4:45pm {yes, we are old people at heart!} and the weather was perfect, Benjamin made a list of houses with awesome Christmas light displays and we headed out on a festive adventure!  We knew that we wanted to visit Dearing Dazzle and in his research, Benjamin discovered a group called Lone Star Holidays and their amazing map where members pin the location of their awesome lighting displays!  Most of the displays are programed to Christmas music that you can listen to in your car or that they have playing outside in the yard.  Also, a lot of the houses have specific days and times that they run their displays so be sure to check before you head out!  

We started at Stone Fox Lights in Fox Run, because that was a stone's throw away {haha!}.  

When we drove up, Winston exclaimed, "They have a Bumble!" and then got lost in the magic of watching the lights dance.  Over the course of the night, we learned that there are three different types of lights that are used: RGB, LED, and Incandescent.  My favorites were the RGBs - they could do any color and pattern!  

We popped into Starbucks, grabbed some hot chocolates and petite madelines, and continued on our journey!  We stopped at two other houses, one of them being the Dodd's Family Holidays where a bubble machine and three singing trees were going in full force!  

Our final stop was the Dearing Dazzle.  We had heard about this house from a few different sources and we were all super pumped.  There was a really good crowd and a perfect spot across the street for sitting and watching the show.  And it is a show to see.  Expect smoke and fire!

Watching Winston watch the lights, drink his hot chocolate and sit snuggled in Benjamin's lap was the best thing of all.  He was jazzed when he heard the Chipmunk's sing, clapped during Jingle Bells and was mesmerized by the flames.  As we drove home, we talked about how many more days it was until Christmas, who brings presents and about Rudolph.  Benjamin asked whose birthday was on Christmas to which Winston answered, "Jesus!"  And after a small quiet pause he said, "Jesus lives in my heart."  And right there I prayed that my sweet son would continue to know and love Jesus all the days of his life.  That yes, there are so many wonderfully fun and exciting things about Christmas, but Jesus is the foundation of it all.

I think it's safe to say that we created a new tradition for our family!  How do you go looking at Christmas lights?  Just load up and roam or do you have a specific routine?  I'd love to hear!

Five Things on Friday: 12.18

I cannot believe that it is seven days until Christmas!!  One week away!  Yesterday morning Winston came down the stairs and said, 

"Santa told me that Christmas is 10 days away!"  I responded with, "Well, it's actually eight days away!"  "EIGHT DAYS!", he exclaimed, "I'm so excited!"  

one || It's true to say that Winston has inherited my excitement for just about everything that happens around Christmas!  I am soaking up all of his energy and the wonder in his eyes this year.  This is such a fun age where the magic and true reason of Christmas blows their little minds!  All of us decorated the tree this year.  Benjamin unwrapped them, Winston hung eighty percent of them and I did the few that were a little more fragile.  Winston got such joy out of carefully picking where each ornament would hang saying, "This is the perfect place for this one" and "Oh, this looks nice here!"  He loves to look at them multiple times a day, finding his favorites and making the musical ones sing.  

I sometimes wish I could just bottle him up and save him this way forever!  :)

two || Last week was Winston's Christmas program at school.  Their little age group dress as stars and sang, you got it!  Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star!  He did much better this year after spotting me in the crowd!  

three || Opposuits have become one of my favorite things this holiday season!  Have you seen them at your Macy's?  I had seen one when I was out and about shopping and thought how fun they were.  Then a day or so later a patient mentioned them to Benjamin.  One night we were chatting about them and the next thing I know he ordered one!  Now, Benjamin ten years ago would not have been so quick to order this crazy thing let alone wear it multiple times in public!  But Benjamin now - donned his suit for quite a few events this year and wears it well!  

And then there was the time when both doctors showed up in their crazy suits for one of the tacky Christmas days at the office!  The girls and patients just loved it!  

We have since added a second suit to the collection!  The plaid looks super cool and the jacket would even work on it's own with some jeans!

You can also find them on Amazon.  They have a suit for every season: Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Springtime, and 4th of July!  Of course, I think he needs them all!  Would your honey wear a crazy suit?  

four || I started gift wrapping yesterday during Winston's last day of school.  It's getting a little harder to bend this way and that with a growing Truman but I was happy with the progress that I made!  This shirt made me giggle when I saw it and so into my wardrobe it came!  It is super soft and comfy.  It is designed by one of the sweetest and funniest moms I have come across on Instagram.  Malyn lives in San Antonio and shares daily the antics of her kiddos and their day while encouraging other moms to embrace the sweet moments during the chaos and crazy that can ensue!  Check out her shop and take advantage of the free shipping she is offering this month!

five || This last weekend before Christmas, I am looking forward to enjoying time with my boys!  It's crazy to think that in two months Truman will be here and we will begin a new adventure as a family of four.  Winston continues to give hugs and talk to Truman!  He says the cutest things in reference to Truman:

In reference to cookies: "These are for big boys.  Truman is not a big boy.  He's little and will drink milk!" 

In reference to shoes: "These are sooooo cuuuute, Mommy!  Truman will love them!" 

When someone asks when Truman will arrive: "Tomorrow my baby will be here!"  {Not quite kiddo!  Let's not rush it!}

Baking, making and Christmas light looking are on the agenda of fun for this weekend!  What will you and your family be up to?

Linking up today with 5 on Friday: April | Oh Hey, Friday: September Farm + The Farmer's Wife | Friday Favorites: Andrea, Erika and Narci

Truth in the Tinsel Around the Corner!

Last year, we started something new in our family.  In an effort to be active in preparing for Christmas and teaching Winston the story of Jesus' birth, we did the Truth in the Tinsel Advent Experience!  It was a neat time for Benjamin and I as parents to watch Winston get excited about opening his red bag to see what craft was inside.  He enjoyed creating the ornaments and we enjoyed having him snuggle in our laps as we read the part of the Nativity story that corresponded with what we had just made.  My favorite thing about it was how proud Winston was to show his ornaments off to his guests, remembering pieces of the story that correlated!

I did really well last year to document our first few days on the blog.  You can find the links and a few additional photos on our Truth in the Tinsel tab.

I am super excited to do it again this year!  I am reviewing the ornaments and making modifications on a few to make them more Winston's skill level.  I am creating my shopping list and then I will start putting each day's supplies into fun bags for Winston to open each day!

If it seems like too much work to prepare, don't get discouraged!  There is a download for tinsel ornaments that your Little can color or decorate that corresponds with the daily story.

I hope that you'll join me this year in creating a new tradition with your family that will make an impact in how you prepare for Christmas!  If you know that this is something you want to do,  you can purchase your own copy of Truth in the Tinsel by clicking here!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!  

Wishing that you remember the true reason for all of the festivities and the giving of gifts.  Hoping that you steal away a few moments to reflect on the greatest gift we have in birth of Jesus.  What a glorious day it is, indeed!

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus;

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 

rather he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

And he found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father!

Philippians 2:5-11

Hands Down, The Best Christmas Tree!

If you have read our blog over any period of time, you know that I am huge fan of hand crafts.  So it should be no surprise that this hand painting has got to be my favorite of all time!  

Using a 16 x 20 canvas from Michael's and an array of Martha Stewart paints, our family Christmas Tree was created!  For the branches we used Benjamin's hands first, mine second and Winston's for the top section.  Lulu's paw is our star!  She was a trooper and very patient while we rolled paint on her paw and cleaned her up.  The canvas was looking a little bland and it needed more pizzaz, so using two different sizes of sponge circles, Winston went to town adding color and sparkle!  

I foresee this being one of the decorations I look forward to unpacking each Christmas season!  It's not everyday that all four of us get to create art and leave our mark together.  A life long treasure!

Here is a list of the Martha Stewart paint colors that we used:

Tree

Seaweed, Green Curry, Granny Smith, Pollen {All Satin}

Dots

Glitter Lemon Drop

Metallic Gold

Satin Chipotle

Satin Habanero

Joy to the World sign from Caravan Shoppe

What is your favorite handmade Christmas decoration? 

Truth in the Tinsel Advent: Day 9 & 10

Day 9: Joseph
On this day we read the Scripture and talked about how Joseph was a good man!  We again used the little wooden people cut outs I found at Michaels, sticky-back foam and some stickers for embellishments.  Winston made sure Joseph had a hat!

Day 10: Dream

On this day we talked about how an angel appeared to Joseph and said, "Do not be afraid!"  When Winston heard this he exclaimed, "Mary! Do not be afraid!"  

I deviated from the suggested ornament on this day because I felt it was a bit out of Winston's skill level.  For our alternate pillow activity, I folded together a scrap of fabric and sewed it on two sides, leaving one side open.  Our Red Bag for the day included the piece of material and tons of cotton balls!  

Winston's job was to stuff the pillow and man oh man did he ever!!  Once it the pillow case was as full as possible, I hot glued the sides shut.  Voila!  A pillow for our good man, Joseph!

Truth in the Tinsel Advent: Day 7 & 8

Day 7: Song

The set of verses for this day was Mary's Song.  Winston and I talked about how Mary sang as a form of worship and praise.  Our key phrase for this day was "Holy is his name!"  We had already talked about how Mary was to name the baby Jesus so it seemed fitting that he learn that His name is Holy!

We did the exact craft that was suggested and Winston loved gluing sequins all over the CD.  

Day 8: Sun
For this day, we made our sun out of card stock and sticky-backed foam.  Winston enjoys putting stickers on things and it gave us a break from glueing.  Don't want to wear a good thing out!

Our phrase during this craft was that Jesus is the Rising Sun!  We taught Winston to move his arms over his head like a rising and setting sun.  I know I say this almost every post, but it truly is heartwarming to hear his sweet little voice say these Truths.  And its amazing to me that he recalls what we talked about in previous days.

Truth in the Tinsel Advent: Day 5 & 6

The next few days we pretty much stuck to the suggested crafts and had fun doing it!  It has been such a joy to have this intentional time with Winston each day.  I cannot say how glad I am that we decided to do Truth in the Tinsel! 

Day 5: Mary

By this time in the Advent, Winston now knows our routine: read a story, open the red bag for a craft!  He does a great job sitting and listening.  I try to make it an active learning time having him repeat key verses back to me.  Our emphasis on Mary was that she asked Gabriel, "How can this be?!", that she was to have a son and name him Jesus, and her response to Gabriel was, "I am the Lord's servant."

Peering in his bag for the day!  We normally do our crafts in the afternoon.  This particular day was jammy day at school!

I found these cute little wooden figures at Michael's.  To make Mary's clothes we used sticky backed foam.  Winston said her legs were naked so we made some leggings for her.  He also wanted some sequin.  Our Mary turned out a little jazzier than I anticipated, but hey, he was proud of her!  Here he is giving her some shoes.  :)

Day 6: Mary & Elizabeth

Our main talking point for this day was that Mary and Elizabeth both had babies in their bellies that jumped for joy!

I normally don't let Winston color with markers.  I'm more of a crayon and colored pencil lady when it comes to him coloring pictures.  However today was a special day and we busted out the trusty Crayolas for some coloring.  He remembered that Mary was pink and purple from the previous day so her outfit was repeated!  

Truth in the Tinsel Advent: Day 4

Day 4: Gabriel

Day four is Gabriel and the suggested craft seemed a little out of Winston's skill level so I found an alternative that turned out to work really well for him and what he loves to do!  

On this day we emphasized that Gabriel appeared to Mary and said, "Do not be afraid!"  We also talked about how Mary would have a baby boy and his name was to be Jesus.  The very same Jesus that was the Light of the World!  As we put our craft together I like to repeat what the main points of the Scripture for that day are and ask him questions like, "Who did Gabriel appear to?"  "What did he tell her?"  "What is Mary to name her son?"  It's so cool to hear him say the answers and be able to recall what we talked about in previous days!  

In our red bag for the day was:

• Three different types of doilies, each a different color and size {large silver, medium red, small white} to allow Winston to choose what color angel he would like to have.
• A circle, precut from peach foam
• Googly eyes
• A gold pipe cleaner
• Sequins for embellishment
• Glue

Each time Winston opens a bag, we looks inside with excitement and exclaims, "Oh, Wow!"  He chose to use the silver doily for his Gabriel.  While he picked out what color of paper he wanted, I cut the doily into three triangles, making one a little wider.  The wider piece we used for the body and the other two pieces were for the wings.   

We glued the doily pieces to the paper, glued the googly eyes on to the head, drew and mouth and then glued it onto the paper.

Winston needed a little bit of guidance on where to put the glue.  On his first try poor Gabriel's head was going to be floating off of his body!  He gets very serious when it comes to matters of glueing.  

After Gabriel's head was attached, Winston then carefully picked out exactly what sequins he wanted and knew specifically where he wanted them to go.  Once he was done, I cut the extra paper off, glued on a halo and voila!  A beautiful Gabriel!