Jesus is coming

I really like the Advent season. A lot. It's the beginning of a new (Church) year and a time to renew ourselves as we are filled with the anticipation and hope of the Christmas season. Looking at this season through the eyes of a (my) child makes it all the more meaningful. I've mentioned a few times previously (here and on my Facebook page) how I was looking forward to celebrating the Advent and Christmas season with Gemma (Kolbe too, but he's still just a baby) so I thought I'd try and keep a record here of some of the special things we are doing.

The Advent Wreath
A really great "outward sign" I think. We keep ours on the kitchen table and have a special prayer time around the wreath each morning. We sing a few Advent songs and I've been just using the closing prayer from Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours for lack of a better daily prayer. I really had trouble finding a book out there of daily Advent meditations/prayers for young children. Anyone have any recommendations? We also have an Advent Calendar with little doors that open and each one has a different Scripture verse behind it for every day. I picked up a book for Aaron and I that has some daily Scripture/reflections/meditations that hopefully we can do together each night after children are asleep. The white candle in the center of our wreath is Jesus' birthday candle, and I found a nice small wreath with greenery, pine cones and berries to put around it come Christmas day.

Our paper chain
This is a great visual for Gemma to help her count down the days until Christmas. The colors coordinate with the candles on the Wreath (purple for weeks 1, 2 and 4, rose for week 3 and white for Christmas day), and each link has something special for Gemma to do for the day. For example: share a special toy with your brother, paint a picture for your cousin, say a prayer for your godmother, etc. Simple, but something nevertheless.
Weekly Scripture verse
I've been really bad lately about a.) keeping our weekly verse up-to-date, and b.) actually remembering to say it repetitively enough for Gemma (and I) to learn it. I thought Advent would be a good time to get back on board with that. I decided to start using Sunday's responsorial psalm for our verse. It's something Gemma has already/will hear, and I just think the Psalms are a great place to go for Scripture memorization. I also color-coordinated our Scripture paper with the Advent candles. Here's this week's.
Nativity scenes
On our prayer table we have the violet candle, a book about the kings' journey to Bethlehem, and a Nativity that we will add pieces to as we go (Jesus on Christmas, kings on Epiphany, etc.)
This is our 'fancier' Nativity. Since we have the "add the pieces as you go" one at eye level for Gemma, I went ahead and put all the pieces out (save baby Jesus) for this one so it would look complete.
And of course we have our Fisher Price Nativity that I just absolutely adore. What a cool toy for kids.
Currently I believe the entire population is sitting in a pile on our sofa (after being toted around in a laundry basket that was apparently a swimming pool for part of the morning); and Kolbe likes to chew on baby Jesus. But it works.

I have some special activities planned for some of the Advent saints and feasts (Nicholas primarily, plus Our Lady of Guadalupe, Lucy, Immaculate Conception, etc.) and as we near Christmas I hope to help Gemma make some homemade Christmas gifts for family and loved ones.

If you're looking for good resources when it comes to Advent, I would highly recommend this book. This blog also has some really neat ideas.

So now it's your turn...I'd love to hear others' ideas when it comes to celebrating the season. Please share, and may God bless us everyone as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Funny Gemma

So Friday morning Gemma and I did some decorating for Christmas together. She really had fun looking at all the pretty things as we pulled them out of the boxes. Lots of squeals and excitement, oooohs and aaahhhs. I can tell this Advent/Christmas season is going to be very exciting for her, and I'm excited to share it with her. Aaron and I put up the tree after the children were in bed for the night, and we told Gemma when we put her to bed that in the morning there would be a surprise. Well, we get her up the next morning and tell her to come see the surprise and she comes running out to the living room, looks at the tree with obvious disappointment on her face and says, "that's not a surprise, that's a tree." Apparently she was expecting a pan of brownies (which had been a surprise several days ago). So I guess we set the "surprise" bar too high. OH Gemma...

Snoozin'

Sorry for the lack of updates. We've been enjoying the holiday, family time, and all the other good stuff that goes along with this time of year. Got the decorations up yesterday and are ready for Advent!!! I have some fun activities planned and it is soooooo exciting getting to share them with Gemma as she's getting older. Scored some sweet Black Friday deals online (and a very few in-store -- no , I didn't go out early this year...too cold, too early, too crowded...I'll shop from the comfort of my living room, thank you!) and am nearing the completion of my Christmas shopping. It's nice having most of that out of the way before Advent. Now on to gift-wrapping. Bleh. Thought I'd leave you with a picture of Kolbe snoozin' with his daddy. Ahhhh sleeping babies!

Fun in a box

My mother-in-law bought a new steam cleaner, and the box kept my children and their cousin entertained for the better part of an evening.
Where'd everybody go?
BOO!

Giving my two coins

Today's Gospel and the reflection I read on it really struck a chord with me. Here was the actual reading, from Luke 21:1-4...one all of us have read and heard countless times I'm sure.

When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people
putting their offerings into the treasury
and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.
He said, “I tell you truly,
this poor widow put in more than all the rest;
for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.”

I remember seeing some sort of puppet video on this as a small child and it has always stuck with me, very vividly in fact. I think about it whenever I hear this particular passage. That's neither here nor there though, just one of those little things... What really struck me today was the reflection I read from The Navarre Bible's Texts and Commentaries on the Gospel of St. Luke. Particularly this part:

"The Lord does not look," St. John Chrysostom comments, "at the amount offered but at the affection with which it is offered." Generosity is of the essence of almsgiving. This woman teaches us that we can move God's heart if we give him all we can... (page 222)

I know the point Jesus was driving home in this particular parable was generosity with one's treasure, but in my mind this morning it went a bit further than that. Kolbe had a few fussy spells during the night and it was very frustrating for me. The selfish part of me was saying, "come on, you are snuggled up all cozy with your mama and have the opportunity to nurse whenever you please, why can't you just sleep peacefully so I can too?" Just like the rich people in today's Gospel passage were "giving from their surplus," I often do the same with my parenting. I give when it's easy, convenient and of little consequence to my personal life. But when it comes time to really dig in and give until it hurts, to donate my very self for the care and well-being and love of another, am I willing to do that? And, to take it a step further, am I willing to do it cheerfully, to offer my every action to God "with affection" so as to move His heart by lovingly and willingly giving Him all I can not just what I should? Gave me lots to ponder.

I don't know, obviously that is just my own rambling on the topic, but it really resonated with me and I wanted to share.

Thanks for checking in. God bless your week!

Kolbe - 10 months

Kolbe is ten months. Really? He'll be a year in two months?? I still can't believe how quickly time seems to fly. He's had a big month...he has all eight of his teeth in this first round of teething (still not sure when that happened...), and while they've caused him some grief, it hasn't been unbearable (apparently,since I have no idea when the last two showed up). Molars are up next, we'll see how he does with those. This. Boy. Can. Eat!!! He eats mainly finger-foods now, definitely prefers feeding himself to being fed (hallelujah!).
He started crawling on 10/25. He likes outlets, cords, nightlights, and other things like that. ;-D Keeps me on my toes!! He enjoys playing with balls and will "throw" them around and get very excited, chase them and do it all over again. So cute. He has started liking to nurse/be rocked to sleep which is a change for him (who previously was very partial to being worn to sleep). I still wear him in the mei tai frequently, but rocking to sleep is quickly becoming the regular method. It's nice and relaxing and gives me a brief break from things where I am forced to just sit and relax (or fall asleep) and enjoy his baby-ness. It is good. He comes in with Aaron and I anywhere between 11pm and 4am (whenever his first waking is) and stays with us for the rest of the night. Recently he will stay crashed out with Aaron after I get up in the mornings (cue "hallelujah" again), and even sleep for awhile (supervised) after Aaron is up as well. He's sooooo snuggly. LOVE it!!
He is down two solid (or not so solid ;-D) naps a day and is ready for bed around 7:30p.

He has finally figured out the sippy cup (with help) and thinks water is pretty good stuff. Nurses a handful of times during the day and when he's sleeping with us. LOVES bathtime, especially with big sis (and she enjoys his company in the tub and even requests he take a bath with her). He's crazy though, WOW. He likes to play the "let's see if I can give mom ten heart-attacks in a row" game most of the time. I can see him growing out of his babyhood and quickly towards toddlerhood and it makes me happy and sad all at the same time. I love that he and Gemma are becoming better friends everyday (except when she hits and bites or smothers him, AGH) but I am sad that my days of having a little snuggle-bug of a baby are fleeting. Each age and stage is fun and challenging and exciting in it's own rite though, so I'm just going to hang on and try to enjoy the ride! Happy ten-months bubby boy!

Monthly pic with sis
Ten months...before diving madly off the sofa into my fingernail...
And after.
He's definitely all boy!

Small successes XVIII

1. I have been making it to daily Mass with the children on a fairly regular basis and it has been WONDERFUL for all of us!

2. Jumped on the bandwagon and finally ordered some DVD's for my daughter after "Little Bear" mysteriously expired from our OnDemand (boo). I ordered Little Bear, VeggieTales and this LeapFrog ABC one. I'm excited! They'll make great Christmas gifts or something.

3. Cleared some space in the upstairs freezer for the ground venison (!!!!) my hubby brought home. He doens't deer hunt himself, but has a generous friend who shares if he helps process. The other part to this success is that I got Gemma to bed with very little issue while he was out processing said deer. (Gemma's bedtime is typically their very special time together. She's not too keen on him not putting her to bed. ;-D) But alas, both children went to bed and I had a nice quiet evening all to myself...in which I wiled away entirely too much time on the internet and ordered above DVD's.

Life is good. Share what you've been getting done over at Faith and Family Live!

Whiney Wednesday VIII

1. Gemma hits Kolbe on the head - either with her hands or some random object - sometimes multiple times a day. And she bites him too. And smothers!!! Sometimes she is devious about it, sometimes she just does it when they are playing. Either way it hurts him. It is driving me crazy and I am having trouble figuring out how to nip it in the bud.

2. "Little Bear" has expired from our OnDemand on the DVR. I'm pretty picky about what Gemma watches, and we had been doing really good with a 25 minutes episode of "Little Bear" sometime during our day. It was such a sweet little show. Anyone familiar with any good Catholic/Christian programming (EWTN or elsewhere)? I've checked and we don't get Veggie Tales. Just something simple, cute, and around 30 minutes long.

3. We can't seem to get into a good cleanup routine around here. Gemma is better sometimes about helping than others, and it's on the "schedule", it's just one of those things that easily gets put off or forgotten and then I end up doing it by myself. I know the only way she'll learn is by working with us, and we do that sometimes, just not as regularly as I'd like to. ACK!

And there you have it. If you'd like to take a bit of time out of your regularly scheduled blogging to "whine" a bit each week, click here.

It's the little things

Sometimes it's the little things in life that bring the most satisfaction. At least that's what I've found. And it tickles me when my children find joy in the small things. Recently I bought Gemma some new cups. I like her to have water available on the go whenever she wants it, and was needing something that could be tossed in the car or my bag that I wouldn't have to always worry about putting a stopper in to prevent spills or leaks. These neat little cups have straws (bonus!) and a little plastic piece that slides back and forth to enclose the straw.
I was very excited to find them, and Gemma was quite proud of her new cups as well.
She carried the pink one around for the better part of Friday evening and Saturday. Like I said, it's the little things in life...

Kolbe Saturdays III

27 weeks
28 weeks
29 weeks
30 weeks
31 weeks
32 weeks
33 weeks
34 weeks
35 weeks
36 weeks
37 weeks
38 weeks
39 weeks
40 weeks

Autumn park-time

We have been trying to make the most of the outdoors while the weather still permits. My sister had asked us to come play at "their" park in the small town where they live several months back, and we finally found the perfect afternoon to do so. Our park days are definitely numbered, so we thoroughly enjoyed this. The park was super-neat, and there were several items (see-saw and merry-go-round) Gemma had never tried, so that was cool.

The babies had a great time hanging out in the swings while Gemma played.
Look at this BIG slide!
Having fun on the see-saw. After a few times up and down she told me to get off so she could do it herself, then was a bit confused when she stood and it didn't automatically take her up. So funny!
Taking a spin on the merry-go-round!
Just hanging out.
And then. She found a kitty. Oh. My. Goodness. Cutest thing I've witnessed in a long time. This cat must live in a house where there are children, because he was very patient with her. Although after 10-15 minutes of this, he got away and then wouldn't let her within 10 feet of him. She was hilarious though, she'd clap her hands and yell "CAT" at it, trying to get it to come. Yeah Gemma. Cats don't listen. Sorry! She had a blast with him though; and NO we are NOT getting her one for Christmas.
Then she hugged and kissed every fire-hydrant on the way home. Weeeeeeeeird...
It was a fun way to spend the afternoon, especially since the time change she and Kolbe have been getting up from their naps by 2:00 or 2:30 and that makes for longer afternoons. It was a great time for all of us! We'll certainly be missing our time outdoors in the very near future. Ahhhhhh, winter...

Happy weekend, everyone!

Rub-a-dub-dub

Priceless. Does this one really need any sort of caption? It was some wild crazy wet times, and we may never do it again, but boy was it cute!

Small successes XVI

1. Instituted a "no spending time on the laptop while my daughter (almost 3yrs) is awake" rule for myself. It's been good for us, but sometimes it's a struggle not to check into Facebook or the blog or just mindlessly surf throughout the day whenever I please. But it is a positive and needed rule for sure.

2. Buried my pride (oh pride, how you taunt me) and switched to disposables at night with my almost 10 month old. It is easier and much less bulky, and I was tickled to find that Earth's Best has a very "natural" line of disposables that seem to work well for our needs. Still love my cloth during the days!

3. Survived the time change essentially unscathed, and actually used it as an opportunity to just kind of shift all of our schedules back a bit. It is working splendidly. Except for the baby who's internal clock is still just a bit messed up. Poor guy.

It’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that. Share what you did this week over at Faith and Family Live!

Whiney Wednesday VII

1. Flies. BLLLAAARRRRGGHHHH! Go a-freakin'-way already! You make me want to scream and beat holes in our walls with the fly-swatter.

2. The time change. Although it has honestly worked in our favor with Gemma this go around, it just annoys me in general (and is messin' with my baby). And the novelty and coziness of the dark evenings wears off by about December. Or after a week. Is it April yet?

3. Have I mentioned I have patience issues in general? God, grant me patience.

Keepin' it real, keepin' it real. Happy middle-of-the week! If you're feeling whiney and want to vent, check out the rules from my friend Erika Marie.