My Christmas Favorites!!

I LOVE Christmas - it's the bestest time of year and if anyone knows me well I kind of overdo the Christmas decorations a bit in my house - I enjoy it though and it makes my house feel fun and festive throughout the holiday season. As I was putting up my decorations this year I took my camera and captured a few of my favorite Christmas decorations. I know that as the years pass my taste in what I love will change so I thought I would capture what is my favorite right now.

An antique sled that Jeremy and I found in his grandparents barn. We asked if we could have it and they were more than obliged to give it away. It's one of my most favorite things and I have a difficult time putting it away after the holidays. It's just so stinkin cool that it deserves a permanent place in our house, but it may lose it's luster and awe for me if it was out all year.

I think my mom got this for me for Christmas last year. I LOVE IT!! I wish it was usable but it works well as a decoration in our kitchen.

My Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" village. I only have a few pieces but I LOVE them so much! I hope to extend my collection.

There is nothing like the voice of Bing Crosby at Christmastime - nothing!

My lanterns have always been a favorite of mine and for Christmas I put candycane candles in them and use them as a focal point in my living room.

My bright red snowflake blanket that my friend Bekah gave me a few years back. I love it's bright color and I snuggle with it every evening when we watch our favorite tv shows.

My nativity - I need to begin to collect more pieces but I love what I have.

And of course the Christmas tree - a "real" one! I have refused to join the "fake" tree bandwagon. I understand it's concept but there is something magical and Christmasy about a "real" tree. I hope to continue to beg my husband each year to keep up with this tradition. Each ornament on our tree holds a special place in my heart and as the kids grow older and make new ornaments it will begin to be even more special and will ALWAYS be a favorite!

To say that these are my only favorites would be far from the truth. I seriously LOVE all of my Christmas decorations. I just chose a few of my most favorites to share.

Advent Day 11- 15

Advent Activities day 11 - 15:

Day 11 - Addison's Birthday Party!
Day 12 - Make a Birthday Card for Jesus and put it under the tree (pending completion)
Day 13 - School Christmas Program
Day 14 - Free Hot Cocoa stand
Day 15 - Addison's Birthday - have uncle D and Aunt TeeTee over to play games and watch a movie (Disney's pictionary and Alvin and the Chipmunks)

Candyland Party

Party friends

Christmas program

FREE HOT CHOCOLATE!! (My niece and nephew joined us this year)

Enjoying a taste in between customers

My beautiful niece

My nephew Chade and Landon

Addison and Mauryn enjoying their hot cocoa

Daddy brought Addison flowers to her school for her birthday. She was so excited!! I still can't believe she's six!!

Addison's Birthday

So - for Addison's birthday this year she had a Candyland party. I was super excited when she came up with this idea last January! So, all year long I had been looking for ideas and I came across so stinkin many! However, our budget lacked the funds to create such a spectacular display as the "bloggers" I had come across. That and the lack of time for any extremely creative things. I had these grandios plans of how to decorate and the games we would play - but, her birthday party came and went with little else then a small game of "real" Candyland and Addison's made up version of duck, duck, goose (gumball, gumball, lollipop). Needless to say I was disappointed in myself but soon realized that Addison had a blast and that is all that matters. I guess I would have been more disappointed if I had planned a huge party with lots of fun games because only a few of Addie's friends could make it to the party. Poor girl was born at a terrible time of year to have a birthday :(

We decided to have her friend birthday party in the afternoon and then her family party that evening. She got to have her cousin Kenna spend the night which is one of her favorite things. It was a good day!

Invitations to Addison's party

My big "little" girl

Candyland birthday cake - Grandma Nancy made it for Addison!

getting ready to eat cupcakes!

"Happy Birthday to You"

The Party Gang

Candy display

Helping herself!

She finally got a Leapster!

Advent days 6 - 10

Our Advent activities for day 6 - 10:


Day 6 - Go see the Living Christmas Tree at College Church - so good!! Addison said that she loved it and hopes to go again next year. When I asked her what her favorite part was she said that it was the coffee shop skit. I thought for sure she would say the Christmas tree lights.
Day 7 - Color Christmas pictures out of a new coloring book and have hot cocoa with marshmellows
Day 8 - Build a Snowman stickers
Day 9 - Make a gingerbread house as a family
Day 10 - Have a playdate with aunt tee-tee

Advent - The first 5 days

I have to admit - I LOVE the idea of Advent and slowing down to appreciate the real meaning of Christmas and making opportunities for fun family memories - HOWEVER, realistically it's really difficult. Working part-time, getting things for Christmas and Addie's birthday organized has left us little time to celebrate Advent. But I haven't completely failed - for the most part we've done every days activity to some degree. It's all I can do! Here is the a list of our first five days activities:

Day 1 - make a Christmas countdown chain
Day 2 - purchase a Christmas tree and decorate it as a family
Day 3 - make a nativity ornament
Day 4 - put on new Christmas socks and read Christmas stories
Day 5 - make a nativity snowglobe and go sledding at grandma's

The Season of Advent

Last year was my first year really diving into the Advent season and making the most of Christmas and the real reason that we celebrate it. I had a lot of fun and look forward to enjoying it again this year with my family. Every day we read a bible verse (or two or three), have an activity for that day and unwrap a Christmas book to read. Last year my daughter, Addison decided that she loved the Christmas books and read them all within the first few days of December and then didn't want anything to do with them. This year I wrapped them up and she can unwrap one a day - that way they will last all season. She is so excited!! I also wrapped up a few new ones as well so that will be a fun surprise.

I look forward to blogging our advent activities. I may do three days at a time due to the time it takes to create a blog post (our computer is acting up). I look forward to the memories that we will create as a family.

Volleyball

Since I was in junior high and was introduced to the game of volleyball I was forever hooked. I enjoyed serving and hitting hard and it felt so good to be a part of a team. I enjoyed it so much that as a junior in high school I began thinking of college volleyball. I however knew that my love for volleyball was much more than hitting and serving hard - it was about a team that has been together since 7th grade, it was about having fun with your friends and rejoicing in our accomplishments - I LOVED that! It became evidently clear while watching a volleyball match at NNU my senior year that being a part of a college volleyball team was going to be much different and I wasn't sure that I wanted to be transferred from an outside hitter to a defensive specialist because let's face it - I lacked the adequate height for a front row player in college. It would have taken too much of my time and I was looking forward to the social aspect of college and then there was the fact that I was going to be a part of a team that I had not even met - any of them! That was scary as an 18 year old. So - I decided against it and I have not regretted my decision.

I did however miss the game of volleyball and when I was given the opportunity to coach volleyball in Melba at the high school level I jumped on the chance. I coached for 4 years! Two years with the freshman team and then 2 years with the junior varsity team. I had a blast!! High school volleyball is what I remembered and loved and I got to coach in a small town just like I grew up in.

Once Addison was born I coached for one more year and then decided to take a break due to the time consumption of the sport and it not really fitting in with my schedule as a mom. However, last spring I got the itch to coach again, asked about it and was offered the job as the freshman coach. I was so excited at first, ready to get back into this game that I loved so much! Little did I know that it was going to take a toll on my family. I had forgotten how much time it actually took to be committed to a team for a season. It's been tough!! Childcare has become a nightmare - Rhett is struggling with the sudden seperation from mommy - Addie has had to suffer through a few practices - Jer has had to play mom more than he would like to - and I have never felt so stretched in my life.

Now as I look back on the season it seems to have flown by so fast. I truly had a blast, I loved the girls on my team and was able to enjoy the game I have always loved. It was a lot of fun!! Our team finished in third place in the disctrict which was better than I expected and I was proud of them. I don't know if I will coach next year, even though it was super fun the time away from my kids was really difficult. And if I go back to teaching full-time then I will have enough on my plate.

I'm glad I got the chance to coach again. This game of volleyball will always hold a special place in my heart.

some girls on my team relaxing between games at a tournament