How we celebrate Christmas

This is a collection of some of our favorite ways to celebrate and prepare our hearts for "the coming" of Jesus at Christmas during Advent.

If you click on each picture, it will take you to the post where I've previously blogged about it over the years. I hope your family will enjoy these as you expectantly await the celebration of our Savior's birth!

Handprint Nativity Animals

Christmas Book Countdown (includes list of books)

Our favorite Christmas album (kid-approved, but not really made for "kids")

Shepherd's Pouches

A list of Advent Activities

(Another list of advent activities.)

And a few others we'll be doing this year:

KatherineMarie is the best!

Only $4. Has all the directions you need to lead your kids in creating their own 'Tale of Christmas'. We started this at the end of last December and didn't get to finish it, but what we did, my kids enjoyed. So, we'll start over again this year!

Does your family celebrate with any fun traditions? Or any that you're eager to try this year? I'd love to hear them!

Full Hands.

This is the announcement we used to share our "big" news with the Facebook World. While I really liked my boots in the picture below, I thought the above pic more clearly communicated the message. But back to the boots...I mean, who even knows how much long I'll be able to squeeze my unavoidably growing ankles into those cute boots? So, I will keep this picture and dream about the days when my pregnant body will once be manageable again...so vain, I know. 

This is how we told the older two. They were SO delighted to hear about their new baby. So much so that the next morning, as soon as McKlayne saw me she ran up to me and started kissing my baby belly as she gushed, "I just can't believe it, we're having another baby..." Followed by Asher who told me, "When I was laying in bed last night I just couldn't sleep...and tears were even coming out of my eyes because I'm so excited." McKlayne has told me no less than 6 times in the last 24 hours, "Oh, Mommy, your belly is getting BIGGER!!!" Yes. Yes, it is. And, it will continue to for the next 30 weeks...I have already begun warning her that it will also take a while to get "small" again after the baby is here.

Okay, this is a long video, but I thought that at least the grandparents might want to see it:

Speaking of growing...how did this two get so big? It just seemed like they were making this video. But  it's already been over two years!

Chicken pox

The entire month of April we were quarantined to our home with the chicken pox. Calamine lotion every couple hours and oatmeal baths twice a day had become part of our routine.

On April 1st, I noticed some small red marks (some were fluid filled) on Asher's trunk and face as he was getting ready for church.  And then I remembered that two weeks earlier our niece, Elaina, had broken out in chicken pox within 24 hours after we'd seen her. I told Charlie, "I think he has chicken pox!" He thought it was an April Fool's joke.

The joke got old after it plagued all four kids for the entire month. (And L even ended up getting it a SECOND time which is VERY rare and almost never happens. Her first round was very mild, though.) Asher was first. His lasted about 4-5 days from the first sighting until they were scabbed over.  Calamine lotion and oatmeal baths help them dry out quicker, I learned. And, though they get itchy at this point, if you stay on top of them, you can really quicken the process.

McKlayne broke out exactly two weeks later, as Asher's were just fading. She probably had them the worst out of everyone, yet is the only one who doesn't have any scars from it. (For the most part, McKlayne really enjoyed all the attention of having the pox. Truly. She wore her pink and white polka-dot Minnie costume with the white gloves for a full five days and colored in her new giant coloring book most of the time "to keep her hands busy so she wouldn't scratch.") 



And five days later, as the worst of McKlayne's pox had come to an end, the babies both broke out with their first signs of the pox.  Is anyone really surprised? I mean, why wouldn't they start the same day? They share everything.  I sewed socks to a couple pairs of the babies' long-sleeve jammies to keep them from scratching while they were sleeping. This really seemed to help.

I was hesitant to even post about this because I know this can be a very controversial topic.  And, depending on the which side you fall on...whether to vaccinate for chicken pox or not...both have compelling persuasions. I'd mentioned on facebook, in jest, about having a "pox party" for my other non-vaccinating friends who wanted to expose their children, and it quickly spiraled out of control. I received some ugly comments about it being "child abuse to intentionally expose children to a disease" and even threats about CPS becoming involved. Yikes. The last I'd heard, chicken pox was a virus. Choosing not to vaccinate for chicken pox was a decision that Charlie and I had made in faith, with much prayer and research. (And, as a foster parent, I might be a little more sensitive than the average person about what constitutes child abuse. I want to be gracious, but please, please consider the weight of such words. Whew. I had to tame the Momma Bear rising up in me with all those comments.) Boy, times have changed since we were kids, huh?

I have gotten numerous email about this over the last month, so I'll just answer why we believe it was best, for our generally very healthy kids, to have not received the chicken pox vaccine:

1. The vaccine has the potential to "wear off" in some cases.  Mostly, we reached our decision because we were just not comfortable with the "newness"of the vaccine, which came out in 1995. Because of that, the long-tern effects are still unknown. There is potential that the vaccine may not have lifetime immunity, meaning it may "wear off" after a certain number of years. In some cases it has been reported to wear off as early as 6 years after the vaccine.  So, wouldn't it be better to let our kids get it the old fashion way when they're young and can have true immunity?  We think so. 

2. The severity and potential complications of the chicken pox increase with age...including, sterility in men and often times requiring hospitalization as an adult. This was truly one of the main factors that made me leery of vaccinating our sons, especially.  We have a friend who had a pretty severe case of the chicken pox when he was 19 years old.  Ten years later, after years of his wife unsuccessfully becoming pregnant, he found out he was sterile.  While his doctor said he can't be completely certain it's because of the pox, after looking at family history and sibling fertility, they've concluded it's a good chance it is because he had chicken pox as an adult. 

3. There's still a chance that you can get shingles, even with the vaccine! One of the main arguments for receiving the varicella vaccine is to prevent chicken pox and shingles, but that's not always the case. We also have a friend who vaccinated her little girl with the chicken pox vaccine and less than a year later, she broke out in shingles at the age of two!!  It's nice to know that after a month of enduring chicken pox-ridden children, Char and I were given a month's worth of boosters to help prevent shingles for us, one day.

Resurrection Celebration

We were forced to stay home this year on Easter, instead of getting to spend it with Mimi and the cousins, on account of the chickenpox. It was surprisingly restful and especially worshipful and we finally got to have our Resurrection Celebration that I'd only dreamed about the last few years.



Charlie and I stayed up WAY too late getting everything set up in the backyard so that it would be all ready when we'd wake the kids at sunrise. But, this day! Oh, this day is worth celebrating!! It's the day we'll be celebrating forever.



We kept it pretty simple using decor I already had from throwing showers, my fancy dishes, and flowers. While I worked on a table arrangement the evening before, Charlie did most of the food prep for our Resurrection Celebration: Green Eggs & Ham, YWF link-sausage, sweet potato hash, and fruit salad.

As we were getting ready to celebrate on Easter morning, things just needed to either be popped in the oven or cooked on the stovetop. (We forgot ALL about our Resurrection Cookies that we'd made the night before, though, when we were pre-heating the oven. Oops!!) We woke up the kids as we busted into their rooms telling them, "He is Risen! Jesus is alive!! The women saw an angel instead of Jesus who told them that Jesus would meet them in Galilee, just as He had promised." (Mark 16)

While breakfast was warming, the kids searched for their Easter baskets hidden in the house. This was the first time we'd hidden them and they loved the thrill of the hunt.

We were not surprised at all that McKlayne adored all the flowers and the "fancy" table. She and Asher both loved the chocolate crosses. (I searched all over town and finally found them at Walgreens...well worth the search.)

Since it was so early, we let the babies continue to sleep while we celebrated the resurrection over breakfast.  Asher and McKlayne enjoyed the "double date" and Charlie and I really enjoyed getting to focus and really be engaged in conversation with them without any distractions.

After breakfast and signing a few hymns, Charlie retold the Easter story as the kids ate their chocolate crosses. They listened intently and asked insightful questions as they tried to process the story of salvation.

Then Charlie explained how early Christians adopted an ancient tradition from the Persians that we now know as "Easter eggs".  The Persians celebrated with eggs in their Spring Festival. They used the hard shell of the egg, as it is broken open so that new life can emerge, to symbolize the rebirth of nature through Spring.  In the same way, Christians adapted this symbol a bit and began to use eggs to symbolize the rock-hewn tomb of Jesus, which was broken open when he rose from the dead on the third day, to symbolize the rebirth of mankind through Jesus.  

And with that, they were off to hunt Easter Eggs.

As they emptied their coin-filled eggs, Charlie told them about how we'd decided to put money in them to remind them of  Jesus as valuable "treasure". He went on to tell them a story that Jesus told about the kingdom being like Hidden Treasure (Matthew13). I pray that these symbols of truth are planted deep in their hearts and that the Spirit would grow them in understanding and faith, and one day soon, they'd take all that they have and trade it for that treasure, Jesus.

And, because I'm from South Texas, confetti eggs will always be a part of our celebration:

After a long nap, we went on an Easter Story Treasure Hunt, as a family.  The kids enjoyed this, too.(Maybe, I'll share that with you next year.)

As much as we were bummed to not get to spend the weekend with family, I was reminded of, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul."

A whole day to celebrate....really celebrate new life we've been given through the resurrection power of Jesus. It was activity-packed, yet full of meaning and rest as we were able to really reflect on the freedom and newness that Jesus freely extends to all who believe...even those "religious ones" who think they'd "always believed"-like me. Thank you, Jesus, for the gift of new, rich life that you extended to me, nine years ago.

²

Pumpkins are for...

play-dough-ing...

(and, of course, baking those play-dough "cookies" in their kitchen)

snacking on their seeds...

(We tried several recipes and my favorite is actually our own variation: 2 cups pumpkin seeds+1/4 cup coconut oil melted and tossed in seasalt. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes on 250 degrees.)

pre-k packing it...

muffins...

(I used a 1/3 cup of honey and didn't notice a difference. Baked them in these from JoAnn's and for extra treat top them with: 1 banana, 3/4 to 1 stick butter + 1/2 tsp cinnamon all whipped together for a nice "buttercream" frosting.)

drawing faces on...

(This was great for practicing drawing shapes and drawing different emotions.  For example: "Give your jack-o-lantern two triangle eyes and a square nose." or "Draw an angry jack-o-lantern!")

dinner...

(These meatloaf muffins may not look pretty with "sweet potatoes smash" and an asparagus stem, but they sure were tasty!)

mosaics...

(I think these would make great place mats for next year once I laminate them.)

and...last, but not least, pumpkins, the baby-sister-girl-kind, are for snuggling in favorite blankies and rocking in cradles and singing to, of course:

(Of course this was all the sweeter before I interrupted with the video camera.)

Pumpkins are not for...

carving, at least around our parts. That's what we learned this weekend.

What set out to be a nice, restful Sunday afternoon of family-togetherness and good ol' fashioned pumpkin carving turned out to be a mostly single-handed effort on Charlie's part. It started out great...children were all fired up about creating their jack-o-lantern designs...

 And eager to cut into the pumpkins that they'd picked out weeks in advance...

Cutting into the lid...that's where the excitement ended, folks.  The smell...that stinky, stinky smell of pumpkin squashed all aspirations of a pumpkin carving tradition in the Apel home.  As soon as Asher took one whiff, he was ready to put the lid back on that sucker and chunk it outside. When we wouldn't let him, he excused himself to the front porch for a few minutes. (Where in the world? I often wonder, do my kids get their theatrics?)

McKlayne tried to keep the festivities alive as she relished in removing the slimy, stringy pumpkin seeds.  I think what kept her motivated was us telling her how tasty those pumpkins seeds would be roasted in the oven with "a great deal of butter" (my kids' favorite "chapter books") and some salt.  But Asher, who had returned from sulking, kept repeating, "I can't stand it...I just can't stand it."

Even my attempt at the festive treats (via here and here) could not distract him...well, they may have...just for a few minutes...but soon enough he was back to saying. "I can't stand it anymore."  When he didn't seem to be getting much of a reaction out of us he said, "What does, 'I can't stand it' mean, Daddy?"

Charlie tried to relay that just how stinky, filthy and foul-smelling the inside of the pumpkin was...that's what our hearts are like to God without Christ...and that only He can clean them out and remove the stench that sin leaves.  Jesus. He's the only one who can cleanse us and purify us before the Father, removing our filth and our shame.  And, even more than that, He gives us a new fragrance...one that is a pleasing aroma to God.

"That smell...it's making me homesick.  I'm just homesick now," is what he kept repeating the rest of the day.  So, poor Charlie was left to carving all three pumpkins by his lonesome, while Asher took deep breaths of fresh air outside...

and while McKlayne played with her "baby sister girl pumpkin"...who was declared "much too plain" without a bow in her hair...and then "nice and fancy" once she wrapped the bow rubberband around her stem.

and while I took pictures of the baby.  He was, as always, such a sport.  He didn't so much as whimper the whole time that he was in that cold, damp, slimy pumpkin.  Our precious Oliver...you are our most patient little pumpkin.

Thanks for all the drama and theatrics that you put up with, from our three little pumpkins, Char.  (And from the Big Mama Pumpkin, too.)  I'm thankful for the way you try to teach our kids through the ordinary and the everyday, even though some days it seems as if it's falling on deaf ears. We love you a whole, stinkin' lot.

Some Pumpkin Carving Remarks:

Maybe next year we'll just paint pumpkins? Anyone have any non-pumpin carving, pumpkin traditions?

What we've been up to...

I found this cool Paper City on Pinterest...where else?

So, in my effort to slow down...say "no"...unplug...and just drink in these precious ones...

We've been busy...

coloring,

 collaborating,

concentrating,

cutting,

 cherishing,

creating,

and celebrating with honey crisp apples, of course. 

 Oh...and, of course it wouldn't be a celebration without the cousins.  From left to right in birth order, the "Seewald cousins": Reid, Brynn, Asher, Stella, Camdyn, McKlayne, Nash, Rylan, Oliver.

And we didn't forget Baby Elaina. She's in the red dress above.

 (I <3 the ice cream truck!)

Want to make your own Paper City?

Our city may just keep developing...or maybe we'll wander out into the country on a road trip.

Go print them out here...and check out what else Made by Joel has in the way of coloring sheets.

But, whatever you do...

Slow down.  Say no.  Drink them in. Unplug.

They'll be gone before you know it.