Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas...

It's freezing cold outside today, and all of my Loves have horrible colds inside today. There are fevers and headaches, coughing and runny noses afoot - so even if the weather were beautiful, today would have been an inside day for all of us, regardless.

Ooooooh Christmas Tree....  Please tell me this looks like a tree.  The boys all mocked me.

But, it's cozy...and it's quiet...despite all of the sickness afoot.
So, that's nice.

Psycho Rudolph.

The day before yesterday was our Family Christmas Hurrah...with Kaden already feeling on the edge of yucky. So, we kept our festivities pretty chill...and I told my boys the story of the year when I was sick one Christmas.  I can remember just staying sprawled on the couch all day, unwrapping my gifts in a horizontal position, and watching the festivities all around me.  Sick - but still happy and content to be right smack in the middle of all of the crazy that was my family.

Our Housemates downstairs.  They now know all of our secrets....

That was Kaden just a little bit yesterday.
And that is Kevin, Kaden, and Jesse fo' shizzle today...with London also starting in on a runny nose.
...And Shandy and Silas and Isaac downstairs a bit, as well.

This morning, she be quiet.
We're supposed to head up North to my Ma's and Pa's this morning...but I'm just not sure what to do.
Tis the season for sharing all the love...just not sure if this bug really wants to be shared with all the cousins.

Clues. From the attic to the basement...and back up again we sent them.

Friday night was Christmas Eve, for us.  It was also Charlie's 32nd birthday.  So, we figured we'd lump a whole lotta' festivities together and simply dub the evening "The Booker/Hodsdon Christmas Birthday Extravaganza!"

Shandy made Charlie his fave supper of Chicken Alfredo which all of us big people ate, and I made all five Hoolies reindeer pancakes.  This is always our Christmas breakfast tradition, so we figured we'd just mix things up a bit this year and include the Hodsdon's in some of our fun.  I always let the boys open one gift on Christmas Eve, as well, but they have to work for it.  I send them all over the house looking for clues.  And since this was a Booker/Hodsdon meshing of the families bash...we decided to send all five Hoolies all over the place looking for their gifts that we as the two families got for them.

Breakfast upstairs in the big boys' room for the next morning.
Simple things so we wouldn't have to go downstairs and wake up our friends.

Just silly little Dollar Store things at each station ending with a craft kit at the kitchen table.  Kaden looked like The Walking Dead all night during their adventure, and I tucked him into bed with a fever, but he told me:  "I really did have fun, Mama!  I was just really weak."  Poor Love...

And then they all went to bed with visions of sugar plums and tylenol dancing in their heads...

Everyone slept in until 7:00 - which shows that they were a bit under the weather, but it was still really fun and exciting for the boys to wake up knowing it was our family Christmas that next morning.

I had hot chocolate, marshmallows, banana bread, mini applesauces, little yogurts, fruit, individual oatmeals, poptarts, and juice boxes at each of their places at the table.  They could eat as much or as little as they wanted, and they snacked away while Kevy read the Christmas story.

It was cozy and silly, special and increasingly louder, as the boys started waking up more and more and as their little bellies were getting filled fuller and fuller....they started feeling better...and then the Crazies started setting in....which made me happy because usually my boys are not ever mellow...so when they are I know they don't feel good...but then when they get loud, I get crazy because I get all stressed about them waking up our housemates downstairs who are also starting to feel sick...but anyway...

All that to say, my boys were back in town after being awake for about an hour...

And then London woke up.

And this is what my sweet little baby girl gave me her Mama for a Christmas present.
And uber-dee-duberly wet wet diaper.  Like soaking wet.
Like she drank 10 gallons of milk wet.
Merry Christmas to me.

My Jesse's sweet little gift to me.
He has a passionate love for the glue gun.

And my Kaden's sweet little card - complete with a homemade bracelet.
I've always told my boys that I love homemade gifts far more than store bought.
They also bought me "our favorite candy" in my stocking.

London especially liked the wrapping paper.
I especially like to kiss her little spikey haired head.

Might I interrupt this Christmas re-cap to draw your attention to my most favorite in the world sweat pants and the larger than life bright pink splotches on each leg.  This resulted from my very first and very last attempt at painting my baby girls' toe nails.  Everyone else made it look so easy.  I spilled an entire bottle of polish on me.  They lied to me.....

It is NOT easy painting little baby girl's toenails...

And once again, Kevy printed me off my entire last year's worth of blogging into a hardcover blog book to give to my babies someday when their Mama is old and grey...

My dedication to them.

I plan to print each year off into a book, and this will serve as a year by year scrapbook of our Family's Life together.  Even more than that, though, it will serve as sort of a journal of my life as their Mama, and as their Daddy's wife...as a woman trying to walk life raw and real....and hopefully as a testament of my love and faith in Jesus.

And hopefully...just as I am sure my flaws will be forever engrained in their memories as larger than life...when they read my "journal," I hope they see my love for them just as large. 

No perfection. 
Many mistakes. 
On journey with Jesus. 
Honored at the privilege of being their Mama. 
And madly in love with their Daddy.
Hopefully, this is what they'll remember, as well.

Hopefully.
I seem to like this word today.

This year, I tried a different format than I did last year.  I chose to have my book printed exactly as it looks on my blog - as opposed to printing it off in the most space saving way possible, like I did last year.  I do like the layout better; however, I had to print my pictures small - as opposed to medium, like I normally do - or else my book would cost me eight million dollars.

Next year, I'm going back to the previous, space saving format, and I'll be having my pictures be the medium sized again.  Far easier on the eyes, and far less white space in the book.  Live and learn.

And for my trickiest trick of all...
I surprised Big Daddy Kev with this bad boy 3-d deer target.
It was hiding in the shower...and I made him play "hot and cold" like we were five again in order to find it.

I had some birthday money saved up, and for the last couple of weeks, I had been "skimming" off the tops of my tips to round out what I needed for this present.  Like I said in a previous blog post...our family rule about lying is that it's completely acceptable during the Holiday season.  So, for the past two weeks, I've told Kev that I was making about 10 or 15 bucks less than I really was, and he was none the wiser.  It was great fun!

And for the rest of the day, we just vegged out and played with each other...and I resisted the urge to run around like a crazy lady and put everything back in its place and get all neat and organized.  We stayed in our jammies all morning, we played with our treasures, and then we got ready for our traditional Christmas lunch that we always have....which is Chinese food...because nothing says Merry Christmas like your local Chinese buffet.  We rounded the day out with another tradition - watching a movie we've never seen before - which was "Frozen" which was really, really good....and then we came home and crashed for the rest of the day.

And everyone got sicker, and sicker, and sicker....
But it was Merry.
And it was Simple.
It was silly, and it was special.

And it was our very last "First Christmas" in this home to ever celebrate...ever again.
Waaaaaaah....

Making Merry.

Welp.

The Hoolies tromped out in the woods and chose and cut down their very own tree for the playroom.

I'm not sure if it's my age, or this fourth baby, or the move, or the schooling of two wee Hoolies at home for the first time...or the combination of all of the above..  But, whatever it is, my Christmas preparation is at an all-time simplistic low this year.

Not a whole lotta' Hooplah going on over here.
Last year, I was up to my eyeballs in hot glue, making little homemade 3-dimensional cork boards for practically everyone I knew.  I think I made about 50 of those things.

This year...not so much.

We are keeping it simple.
But, we are also keeping it sane.
And that's a win for everyone, I tell you.

But, we are also still making merry.
We're just doing it super slow and steady.
We're still doing some homemade lovelies....
And we're just doing a few (rather than whole-hog-full-tilt-crazy) of our favorite traditions.
'Cause I do love me some tradition.

So, here are a few of the things that we've been up to.
This year we are doing an uber simple Advent countdown.
Every year I try something elaborate, and every year I get to about day twelve and call it quits.

This year a little insert came in the Thriving Family magazine (which by the way is through Focus on the Family, and it's free.  It's an awesome magazine. Just call 1-800-A-FAMILY and you'll start getting them in the mail).

This says Day 1 with the first week's candle lit.  I promise we've made it further than that.  This year, anyway...

Anyway, this Advent is done through Adventures in Odyssey (another awesome resource), and it literally takes about five or ten minutes each day to do, it's very kid friendly for all ages, and for my three crazy boys that's just about the right amount of time.  I will be saving this and doing it again next year, most likely.  Just simple and sweet.

(Although, in the interest of keeping things super real - there are still days when my boys are hanging upside down and just not "into it."  But, for the most part, they are the ones initiating this start to our day, and so far this year, we've made it up to Day 19.  That's a record for us. They also like to play with fire.  That's a bonus).

We've been doing just a wee bit of cooking for friends and for family.  Really simple things that my boys can make right along with me.  One of our favorites is ye old stick a hershey's kiss or a rollo on a pretzel, bake at 350 for two or three minutes, and then smash a Christmas M&M down onto the kiss and a pretzel down onto the rollo.  Voila!  Super cute in a mason jar with burlap wrapped around it.  Joy to the world.

And since, my sisters in the law don't read my blog, I can show my little crafty crafts that I've been working on for them this year.  In the attempts to keep things simple between the siblings, we do homemade gifts for each other...which is always my favorite anyway.  Well, this year I stumbled upon an amazing discovery at our local Chez Marden's.  Or, to truly give credit where credit is due, my Daddy-O stumbled upon these treasures and knew that I would be stoked beyond all things imaginable when he told me the news.

Chez Mardens - way over in their Hardware section - was selling 150 pound empty coffee bean burlap sacks for $1.00 apiece.  One Stinkin' Dollar!!  Is that not one of the most amazing things you've ever heard?  Well, let me tell you - instantly I got my little self on over to Pinterest and found me the easiest (no sew) burlap pillow idea in the whole wide world, and I went to town.

I like mine with the original script on the bags showing.

Sha-zam!
$1.00 burlap sacks and a $10.00 box of filler from A.C. Moore (after using my 50% off coupon).
Heavenly day, if this sleep-deprived, half-brained girly can cut out a square, fill with filler, hot glue gun and stencil on a piece of burlap to make a pillow, ANYONE can!

For gifts, I stenciled people's last names or just the word "Joy." 

Super cute.
Super easy.
Super cheap.
Made with love.
My crowning glory....at least that's as crowning as I'm going to get this year...

And other than that, we've just been having a lot of fun counting down.
After all...much of the joy and excitement is found in the anticipation.
The boys cut down their own tree for the playroom.
They've been having tea parties and making cards for loved ones.
We've been secretly wrapping presents and hanging stockings.

Making epic messes cards.

And we've been telling lies.
Lots and lots of lies.
It's okay around this time of year...I'm pretty sure it says that somewhere in the Bible...
I jest.

However, there has been an itty bitty bit of lying going around to make sure things that need to stay secret are indeed kept secret.  Full confessions will be forthcoming.

I promise.

Happy Last Day of School for some!
Happy Christmas Eve for the Bookers!

It's Friday.
I'm in Love...

God of Heaven Come Down...

O come, oh come Emmanuel...
And ransom captive Israel...

Ransom us.
Deliver us.
Open our eyes.
Set us free....

Advent.  The waiting.
We wait for you, King Jesus...
We wait.

God of Heaven who came down...and who put on human skin.
King of Kings who bent low...and who quietly slipped in the backdoor of humanity.
A baby King born...a Heavenly Groom...to woo us back to Life.
And to draw our souls to Him.

He is coming.
In this pregnant pause of "before Christmas"...it is so much more than what we make of it.
It is not about the rushing and the striving...the checking off of the lists...the do-ing and the rushing.

This is not what we are to celebrate.
This is not what we are to be about.
This is not to be my focus.

Because if it is.....than I have missed it.
I have missed Him.

Cease striving and be.
Know that He is God.
Slow....see the sacred.

We ache for You.
We wait for You.

Glory to the newborn King...

These Days.

It's Zero Dark-Thirty - and she's wide awake.
With only One thing on her mind.
I groan at the clock - trip my way down the hall.
And leave my warm blankets behind.

I try to be stealthy - all quiet and fast ~
So Ransom, her roommate keeps sleeping.
But to my dismay - her cries wake him this day.
So, back to my bed we're ALL creeping.

We snuggle in close - try to eek out more time
Before starting life for the day.
It's not meant to be.  We've been spotted - we're done ~
We hear down the hall a "HOO-ray!!!"

"Kaden!  London's awake!"
"I'm holding her first!"
"No! YOU held her first yesterday!"

They all dive right in - to this bed that's a queen.
And Mama is squished - barely breathing.
It's all arms and legs - knobby elbows and knees ~
No room left for me; so, I'm leaving.

Down the stairs for some coffee - That Kev brewed real strong.
For this girl who's still half asleep.
But these days - they are fleeting ~ This I know full well.
So, these treasured moments I keep.

I know in my heart - that these mornings will change
Not too many years down the road.
And my bed will be empty - no crowding, no noise...
And I'll cry for those days long ago.

We will lay there - just us - in our bed that's too big.
And we'll wonder how time went so fast.
In my heart locked down safe - are these moments I'll keep
So my memories forever will last.

New Mercies.

It's 5:00a.m. and we've been up since 4:00, she and I.

Crying three times in the night with one of her big brothers up with a scary dream to make it an even four, and this Mama's running on empty before the day is even started.

The week looms large with all things that are "life":  the laundry, the schooling, the work shifts, the meals to be made, the bellies to be filled, and the perpetual ordering and reordering life back from the chaos that it can so quickly spiral into with these days full of babies and boys.

Sometimes it makes a Mama overwhelmed.
And sometimes it feels a little daunting.
Sometimes it's hard to get out of the way of myself when the day starts off badly before the sun is even up.

When the day needs to be redeemed before my feet even hit the ground...

But, isn't it true that "all wonder and worship can only grow out of smallness?"  ~ {Ann Voskamp}
Well, I'm already feeling small this morning...so that's a start.

And isn't it also true that since "God created the world out of nothing... as long as we are nothing, He can make something out of us..." ~ {Martin Luther} 

Well, that sounds good to me, too.
Because today I feel tired, and proud, and weary...and grumpy.
So, I'm thinking today is a perfect day for me to decrease...so that He might increase.

Today I remember I'm dust.

"O Lord, I cry out to you for help, and in the morning, my prayer comes before you." ~ Psalm 88:13.  I think some of these words were written specifically with all the young Mama's in mind.  But, His mercies are new every morning, and that's when He works best through His kids.  He does His best work through us when we know that we can't do it on our own.

His strength is perfected only in our own weaknesses, anyway...

So, when London has a fragile day...
And when the two Kindergarteners are vying for position...
When Kaden has an overwhelming school day...
And when the two littlest have a battle of the wills...
When I could give a flying flip about supper plans...
And when there is only one pair of undies left in their drawers...

There's grace.
"God fills the common moments...and God holds us in the untamed moments, too." ~ One Thousand Gifts
Today, may be anything but tame...But He is here.
And He is in it.

"The evening meal was being served...He got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.  After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him...When He finished washing their feet, He put on His clothes and returned to His place..."Do you understand what I have done for you?"  He asked them...  "Now that I your Lord have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.  I have set an example that you should do as I have done for you." ~ John 13

He stooped low.
He gave His grace away.
He served perpetually.
Sounds like the definition of Motherhood.

Might I remember... "the work we do is only our love for Jesus in action." ~ Mother Teresa.
Mama love...is Jesus love.
And when we do it unto "the least of these"....we are doing it for Him.

She snuggles down deep, our hearts beating in rhyme.
And His mercies are new every morning...

Push to Reset.


"You who seek God, let your heart revive." ~ Psalm 69:32

Tradition.

And so...
As what has often been our tradition over the years...we take the day with family, we enter a gluttonous food induced slumber, and then we wake up and begin some Christmas festivities.

I also like a nice coffee on my way to celebrating Traditions...

 Because we'll blink and it's going to be Christmas....

And so, because of that...
As what has often been our tradition over the years, the day after Thanksgiving, after Daddy has gone for a morning  hunt, we all bundle into the car and head over to our most favorite Piper Mountain to pick out our Christmas tree.

Sarah York!  You were in this wagon.....

Because four weeks from now, it's going to be Christmas....
(what? what? how did this happen?)

Traditionally, it is also often fah-reezing outside, so all of the family pictures that I take of the kids just look like piles of walking snowsuits.  I can't ever see their faces - let alone their eyeballs!  Ah well.  Tradition!

We hail from Siberia.

This year, Piper Mountain had a wee little competition going on where somewhere on their property they have hidden a little stuffed black bear.  Whoever finds it gets both the tree and the bear for FREE!  My competitive juices all got a flowing when the man handed us this little tidbit of news...until I stepped foot out of the car and my eyes started watering and the snot started flowing because of it being such a gloriously warm day outside.

Not so much.

Add to that, having an almost seven month old back-breaking chunky monkey who had on two snowsuits and a blanket wrapped around her whom I had to lug around whilst the Hoolies ran wild and free...and my motto very quickly changed from:  "Oh yeah!  That bear is SO mine!" to..."Quick!  Pick a tree!  Oh you like that one?!  Me TOO! It's perfect!  Let's go get some hot cider!  Bear?  What bear?!"

Here's our tree.  And two of my children.  I'm pretty sure....

You know.  Tradition.
I loves me some tradition.

Manly men.

And so...it really turned out quite lovely.
We saw some friends up there.  We ran into our housemates and their family.  The wind died down a bit. We ate some yummy donuts and hot cider.  And then we came HOME to get our place all cozied up for this next great Holiday.

 Oh wait!  We DID find a little bear in the trees!!

 The whole clan....

Did you know that Christmas is going to take place just about four weeks from now?
It's true.
Can you tell that I'm just. not. quite. feeling. ready?

We are THAT family...

And so...
What has also often been our tradition over the years, Kevy goes hunting in the afternoon whilst the Littlest Littles sleep.  This year, he took the Kademyster with him and Jesse stayed back with me to watch Christmas movies.  They brought home pizza for supper...and with our bellies full of goodness (that was not turkey for a change) we decorated our sweet little spot upstairs with Christmas music playing in the background.

And what has also often been our tradition over these fifteen years of marriage and babies...I found myself sitting back with the tiniest of them all - snuggling quietly, and letting the boys work whatever magic they felt like working - just simply looking on at all of the whirling and swirling that is mine...

...and feeling all the way filled up to the tippy top brim.

This Crazy is mine.
It's loud...and it's messy...and it is SURELY not perfect.
But, they love me and they claim me as their own.
And for that I am so deeply thankful.