Christmas Eve

First up, we welcomed Gary and Kathy into town yesterday so they could hang out with us for Christmas. The girls were excited to see them and the carload of presents they brought!

As for Christmas Eve, we had a wonderful day celebrating and anticipating. Being Sunday, we started our day at church. It was a low key, unplugged service where the girls joined us in worship. Singing Christmas worship music with my family and reflecting on the gospel in light of a baby were just what I needed to prepare for Christmas.

We spent the afternoon hanging around the house and preparing for tomorrow. Patrick and Anna prepped the cinnamon roll dough. Yum! I wish I could say it was an easy afternoon, but I got word my grandmother is not doing well and decided to book a flight for Christmas day in order to meet my mom in WA. I'm looking forward to seeing Grandma and being with my mom for a few days. Fortunately, Patrick will hold down the fort with the girlies while I'm away.

In the evening we were able to participate in one of my favorite traditions: Christmas Eve in the Fields. The weather cleared with no rain and it was in the comfortable 50's. My two handed out candles and ate more than their fair share of homemade cookies. Patrick played in the brass ensemble before the service which meant lots of practicing this week. Anna loved sitting with Caroline and Paige kept my lap warm. It was a beautiful night and filled my heart with joy.

Now we're cuddled up on the couch watching It's a Wonderful Life and waiting for some people to fall asleep so we can fill stockings. Merry Christmas!

Palmetto Trail

I have been in love with this warm SC weather lately. It's no secret that I'm not a big fan of the cold. I can tolerate some sweater weather, but things get below 60 and I'm just not a happy camper. So we've been soaking up the sunshine this week.

Patrick found some info on the Palmetto Trail which is 350 miles of trail from one end of SC to the other. We drove some back roads to the trail head in Jenkensville and enjoyed a wonderful hike. There are several old train tresses that are no longer used, but have been converted to walking paths over the rivers. We were able to cross the Broad River on one and the girls were a mix of anxious due to the height and excited by views.

We took a couple of detours off the trail to enjoy some creeks and a picnic area where Paige caught a lizard. Poor wild reptiles and amphibians don't know what they are up against when a Paige is around.

We also found several deer stands and the girls wanted to climb one.

Most of the walk was spent discussing a future trek from Columbia to Oconee in the upstate where my parents will have a lake house soon. Anna schemed about camping and hiking the entire way. I think we could actually do it one day, but Paige might need to be a little bigger because these people would have to carry packs. We'll have to see where our family adventure lead us!

Feliz Navidad

We switched things up this year and had our annual Feliz Navidad dinner with the Powellsa little early. The girls were looking forward to this for a year since we missed this tradition while in DC. Let's just say there has been much talk and planning from the kids!

Paige and Anna made some sweet presents for the Powell kiddos which they exchanged. I had nothing to do with them and was glad to see them be so thoughtful without prompting. There were also a few dances in the living room, wearing sombreros and shaking a maraca. Never a dull moment!

Rudolph the Red Bowed Jonathan

We have also reached the stage where the kids eat at a table all by themselves while we enjoy dinner together. You can hear their peels of laughter and corny jokes from the other room. It makes me smile! Of course, dinner was yummy-mexican food is a must for our Christmas celebration.

Afterward, Ashley, Andrea and I went driving around the area to look at lights. Our neighborhood definitely rocked it! I loved our girl time and conversations. What a fun night with friends!

Elf antics, Rudolph pancakes and cookies

We're loving some sweet family time at home this week. The weather at the beginning of the week was warm and mild which meant lots of outside time. We went on a hike around a nearby tract of land which happens to border our neighborhood lake. Patrick and I were discussing our location when he decided to swing out over the lake on a rope swing. Anna video taped it and the whole thing was just hilarious. Fortunately, he did not go swimming. 

We also drove down to the River Walk for a stroll and picnic lunch. It was so warm and lovely at 72 degrees. There's just something about a beautiful day filled with sunshine and a warm breeze to make you smile. 

Our stretch of sunshine ended with some rain today. But that didn't stop up from having some fun! Anna woke up on a mission to make her own good news video so we played with the iPad for a bit. Then it was time to make Christmas cookies, my favorite! We decide on pistachio pudding (Anna's absolute favorite), monster with Reese's Pieces and cranberry orange cookies. The girls have gotten to be such good helpers in the kitchen. I end up keeping the flow going by washing dishes and getting ingredients going. Other than that, Anna whips out the recipes and Paige scoops them off the trays. It's a well oiled machine! Even Patrick jumped into help and I smiled to hear Anna bossing around her helper. 

Other than that our days have been filled with pajama mornings, snuggling in bed, Christmas movies, board games, trumpet sounds (Patrick's playing on Christmas Eve), advent readings, Rudolph pancakes, putting together our Christmas Liberty puzzle and elf antics as the girls rush to find Goody every morning. 

I've been reminded this season as we had a scare with my Grandmother, that our time on Earth is limited. We have broken bodies and we live in a broken world, BUT the Good News is God's gift to us in the form of a baby, His only Son. Even when I think of Jesus as a baby, I can't help but be pointed to the cross. Jesus came as a baby to die for us. His earthly birth was entirely meant for His death...for me (and everybody). I love God's sweet reminders of His mercy, grace and love during this advent season. For me, this year has not been focused on one day of hype, but rather a time of preparation in my heart as I remember His coming and ultimately His sacrifice. 

Christmas Lights at the Zoo

 We enjoyed a fun and unseasonably warm evening at the Christmas Lights at the Zoo checking out all the festive decorations. This year we were able to meet up with our friends the Powells, which meant some extra silliness and fun. These kids wanted to stop at every statue and take a picture. They also spent a ton of time in the fake snow. One of the funniest moments was when they spotted the Galapagos tortoises giving "piggy back rides." Ohh boy!

Love that Ash and I finally got a picture with the two of us!