Leading Up to Christmas

It was a busy week before Christmas...we had decorating and last minute cleaning, but most important were the family and friends visiting.  Here are some of the highlights:

O, Root of Jesse, come!

Our Advent Angel sent the following message:

"Remember why we have Jesse Tree?  We focus on the foretelling of the Messiah from the promise given to Jesse.   We also remember some other characters who stumbled into the tale thanks to a message from the angels!  Enjoy your time with family!"

A quick trip to pick up my mom and keep an appointment with our favorite hairdresser turned into an all day event!  However, the boys did not mind since they had Shane to play board games.  They loved their time with him and they were probably glad we stayed away so long!  The "girls" enjoyed our time together also.  Just wish we could have had Amanda with us.  Hoping to see her soon!

O, Key of David, come!

Today we learn about a special place in the story of Jesus.  God’s Chosen People once had to go to the only one in the world to worship God properly but now we can go to church all over the world!  God wanted all people to worship and adore him!   Spend the day with family and friends but remember to always worship our Savior and King!

We headed out to spend a day with family at Sea World.  At first, I did not think it was a good idea but as we walked around the park we were very impressed that the park actually showed signs of the real meaning of Christmas.  There was a LARGE nativity scene set up and a group of singers dressed as shepherds entered from a side path to share a musical medley to adore the king and savior!  It was a beautiful show. There was also the same appeal to remember the meaning of the season in the big Shamu show at the end of the night.  I am so glad we were able to be there during this time of year.

Also, we introduced the joy of geocaching to Christina and Shane this morning.  It was so much fun!  We all thought it was funny to find out Christina thought we were looking for a tree because I told her the cache would only have a log!  To make it even better the second cache of the day WAS in a log!  I love this hobby!  I think they will also.

O, Radiant Dawn, come!

We started out the fourth Sunday of Advent remembering the star that led the way to Bethlehem...not the one in the sky, but the true light that rises each day if we will only let him dispel the darkness in our lives.

The day has almost come for the celebration of the birth of our Lord!  After all the preparation of the home, it is time to decorate the tree and the rooms to welcome the king to your home.  Do not forget that as you decorate you must also be prepared to welcome Him into your heart.

We gave out new tree ornaments to everyone this morning.  We were so excited to give the ornaments to Christina and Shane...new dad and baby ornaments along with an owl ornament for fun!  We also gave my mom a coffee mug with all the pictures from the National Parks she visited with us.  We told her it was for all the hard work she gave to help the children earn their junior ranger badges!  We still have an ornament to give to Amanda ...an angel, of course!

We also did something crazy today...not related to Advent...we looked at homes in a neighborhood we have grown to love.  Are we crazy to want to move again so quickly?  Probably...but we are praying about it and we will see what the new year brings us!  The best part...we were able to enjoy the time with my mom as she stayed with us through the weekend!

O, King of the Gentiles, come!

Many think of the three kings as the first royalty to arrive on the scene.  However, we know that it was actually a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes!  And, the best part?   The three kings knew this as well!  Do not forget to adore the newborn king this Christmas.  Wise men still seek him!

Another busy day, but this time it was because of an appointment with Sean's doctor.  We have learned a lot about how he will transition into adulthood (only 6 months until he is 18!).  We have a lot of work to do in the next year.  More on this as we make our way through the steps to help him.  Maybe one of you will learn from our journey into adulthood for a son with Asperger Syndrome.

Mom graciously watched the children so we could give our full attention to the doctor's comments.  My brother Adrian also came to the house.  We enjoyed a nice Polish meal to honor St. John of Kanty.  Then Adrian was able to take mom home.  We sure enjoyed their visit!

O, Emmanuel, come!

The message from our Advent Angel read:

"God is with us as we enter into the special season of Christmas!  It is time to finish any last minute preparation.  He will be here soon!  Are you ready?  Take some time today to write down some of the ways you have shown love to others in the last four weeks.  Also, write down ways that you would like to improve for the next year.  This is the gift Jesus is looking for under the tree!  If you meet him there with your gift, then he will be there to share his with you!"

Christmas Eve!

It is easy to have our focus on the coming of a little baby, but we cannot forget the rest of the story.  Take some time today to remember that the baby in the manger grows up to be our savior!

We went to Mass this afternoon and there was standing room only overflowing into the hallways!  Oh how my heart desires the church to be full like this at every Mass.  What a special gift to see everyone gathered together for this celebration!

So much more I anted to share...I guess I will save that for next time!  We are looking forward to the twelve days of Christmas!  May God bless all our family and friends. And may all those who do not know the Savior come to learn about the joy he has to offer them!

O Lord and Ruler

O, Lord of Might!  We hear from high!  Do you hear it?  That is the sound coming down through the ages for the Messiah.  Did you know that some people are still calling out for the Messiah?  Not just the Jews, but many Gentiles are still looking for a Savior in their lives.  Will you help someone this season to know Christ?  The message comes from God to all His people, the message comes in many forms.

We had a day of baking so I could keep my mind focused on something else...Why?...Because I had a secret!  We made three different types of cookies and I even let the boys watch Netflix into the evening.

I told them that I had something to show them but I was not sure when it was going to be ready.  We were in the middle of a TV drama when the doorbell rang!

SURPRISE!  Christina and husband Shane arrived for the holidays.  They are fortunate to have a long leave for the Christmas season.  They will be staying with us for the next couple of days before heading to East Texas to visit family.  Then they will return for a couple of days next week before heading home.  I was so excited for them to be here and knew it would be a fun surprise for everyone!

We ended up staying awake way past bed time but it was worth it.  And, Shane even read to the boys for bedtime...an added treat!

We added an angel to our LEGO figures.  It was a perfect addition as we also talked about the special messengers in the Christmas story.  We also added presents to the nativity scene to remind us that this is a time of giving.

I read a book about Christmas told by an angel...Bright Christmas:  An Angel Remembers.  I love it when I can read a book that relates to the lesson of the day!

It was great day of excitement!  Looking forward to the days ahead as we continue to prepare for Christmas.

The Donkey's Journey

I woke up and snuck out of the house early this morning to attend a breakfast with all the volunteers at the pregnancy center.  We had a lot of fun just talking about how much God has such a great plan in our lives.  It was really nice to be able to talk about the blessings of our ministry from the last year.

Michael did not have such a fun morning, as he took the two youngest to the dentist for a much overdue check up.  We found out their teeth are so terrible because our amazing water filtration system is taking out the fluoride in our water along with all the other chemicals.  SO...another trip to the dentist is in store for our future.  I guess this is one more way for us to get ready for the new year...healthy dental health is just as important as everything else.

Then we had a fun morning at the library with story hour and learning the letter Mm.  The older boys checked out new books and we all left happy with books in hand for the next two weeks.

We caught up on our LEGO pieces that our Advent Angel guided the children to make.  Due to our busy schedule we did not have time.  The boys made a stable, manger, baby, blankets and a sheep.

We also added a donkey to our nativity scene to show that we need to be strong and faithful.  It was a perfect time to read one of my favorite books of the season...The Donkey's Dream.  It shows the donkey carrying Mary to Bethlehem.  A great way to also start the journey of the Holy Family around our home.

Tonight also begins the mounting of anticipation represented in the calling of the Messiah with the O’ Antiphons.  We are prepared to call for Jesus and ask Him to enter into your heart to stay.  Are you prepared to make him your guiding shepherd?

We ended the evening by adding a wall to show the story of the wall that was built around Jerusalem in order to keep holy the Sabbath day (Nehemiah).

The excitement is mounting as we enter into the last week before Christmas!

Also, we finally decided on our BIG gift for this Christmas!  I can not wait to share but I will wait until we make the delivery later during the Christmas season.

Preparing and Playing

Yesterday was spent cleaning the house.  We really are trying to have everything looking nice before we start decorating on the Sunday before Christmas.  We also have some special guests coming at the end of the week.  This meant preparing a place in the "inn."  We had to clean up the guest room (It had become a storage room.) and also find a bed.  We also did some painting in the guest bathroom.

Needless to say, we were pretty busy yesterday making everything look nice.  We did have our additions to our nativity scene and Jesse Tree as well.  And, Michael continued the Advent story.

One other thing we were able to do today...complete our Christmas outfits.  I love choosing outfits that are special and will make the day special.

The motivation to have everyone working so hard yesterday was to spend today away from the house.  I spent my morning at the pregnancy center.  I had a great morning helping women in need.

Michael and the children headed to our local museum.  They arrived just in time to join a filed trip group.  This meant they were able to use the rock climbing wall.  They spent their entire visit going p and down all the levels.  Even Brendan just made the height/weight requirements to climb.  Unfortunately, Zaira had to watch from the sidelines and cheer the boys to the top.

Then we all met at the park and had lunch.  We had wanted to visit the Sunken Gardens & Tea Garden.  We found out that we could walk through the area but the gardens were drained and were being repaired.  I suppose it is more interesting to visit a garden in the spring.  We will try again later.  However, that did not stop the children from running around the area, and possibly wearing themselves out.

We were able to add our first animal to the nativity scene.  The ox represents the stubbornness that we must shed in our lives as we accept the will of God.  We then added a watchtower ornament to our Jesse Tree to remind us of the story of the prophet Habakkuk.

As I was looking at the Jesse Tree tonight, I thought about the cards we have received from family and friends.  A thought came to me to tuck these cards into the bare branches.  Now we can remember to pray for everyone every time we look at our tree!

As we continue the baking of Christmas goodies, I like to read the book about the traditional candy enjoyed during this time.  The book is The Candymaker's Gift.  A very nice book with wonderful pictures.

Gaudette Sunday

The third week of Advent begins today with Gaudette Sunday!  It is a time to be joyful as the coming of the Lord is drawing near.  The anticipation that is building is a lot like you feel when you are waiting for a special visitor to arrive from out of town or a new baby to be born.  Of course, this is not surprising to most, as this is the time we remember the birth of Jesus.  We often have family who come to visit during this time of year.

Even though we have a lot of family coming and going to celebrate, we should not forget that the most important visitor we will have in our home should be Jesus!  Many times that means sharing the story of Jesus with the people who come to your home as well.  Remember to make way for the Lord.

Today we arrived at our religious education classroom for a celebration for Gaudette Sunday.  We served snacks and made special crafts to take home.  It was a lot of fun for everyone involved.

Then we went to Mass...the deacon said something about the season that I really appreciated.  "We need to remember that joy is something we can all have if we remember that all of our joy is centered around Jesus being born so we could have salvation."  It is easy to fall into the trap that there is not enough and we lose sight of the joy that the season should really bring to us.

We then rushed home to grab a bite to eat before going to a caroling event with our 4-H group.  Read more about that on my 4-H blog.

We ended to day by FINALLY watching the end to Tora! Tora! Tora! and then off to bed.  Of course, we added our ornament to the Jesse Tree and a figure to the nativity scene.  Michael was also able to read some more of our Advent story.

A full day and it was nice to go to bed by the time we were done!

The Feast of St. Lucy

Today we were awakened by the sound of the prophets…Make way for the Lord!  We also enjoyed the special breakfast that St. Lucy brought to us this morning.  Our Advent Angel reminded us to not forget to heed her words…Make way for the Lord!

We were to take some time today to think about what you were told by St. Nicholas earlier this month and try to think about how we will be a better person for the new year…Make way for the Lord!  However, Michael spent most of the morning completing a bathroom remodel...yes we did this in the middle of all this rush of preparation!  Then he was off to work.  SO...we decided we would work on this tomorrow when we had more time to focus on our resolutions.

After our morning visitor who brought us breakfast we set in to cleaning house.  We were surprised to hear a loud sirens coming into our neighborhood.  We all rushed out the door to see what was happening.  It was our local fire department making their rounds to tell us Merry Christmas!  They did a good job of surprising us, and we will not forget them on Christmas Eve when we make our annual trip to see them with a special surprise from our family.

We added a supply of food to the nativity scene to remind us that we should nourish our souls with God's Word.  We also added a tent ornament to our Jesse tree to remind us of King Hezekiah who trusted God to find his enemy vanquished leaving only their empty tents behind (2 Kings 19).

Lost Days Recorded

Well, I lost a few days due to some technical difficulties but also because we have just been so busy!  So here are a few of the highlights from the last four days.

On Monday, Sean and I left the house early for a full day of testing at the doctor's office.  The other children were asked to start our Christmas baking by making cookies.  They made a new recipe...Chocolate Crinkles...we look forward to enjoying these during the Christmas season.  We also started a batch of Anise Cookies but the process is a multiple day event so we did not complete these until the end of the week.

We did not have a lot of time for our Advent Adventures that day...we discussed the importance of the symbol of light during the Christmas season.  This theme will come up again at the end of the week (and of course on Christmas day!).  Our family saves the lighting of our tree for Christmas Eve after we return from Mass.  

The Advent Angel was found throughout the week, and we discussed the importance of Joseph in the Christmas story.  This theme would continue for the next two days as well as we learned about his obedience, righteousness, and dedication.  We should also seek these virtues in our lives and Joseph makes a good role model.

Tuesday our morning was spent celebrating St. Nicholas with an event I organized with our local home school group.  We went to a nursing home to carol for the residents.  We also served cookies and wassail, gave out Christmas cards and read different Christmas books.  This was so much fun and the activities director was enthusiastic about our visit.  By the time we left we were talking about planning our next visit.  I hope we can go there more often in the new year.

Wednesday was filled with our routine visit to the library.  We always enjoy this visit with our friendly librarian.  We then joined some friends at the local park near our home.  We had just completed our Joseph study.  The suggestion for an obstacle course to reenact the story sounded like a great idea fora larger group.  Thankfully this work out with a impromptu set up with five stations around the playground.  Here are the events we highlighted:

• Betrothal to Mary-show love by hugging your mom!
• Dream from the Angel-lay on the rocker bench and count to ten
• Journey to Bethlehem-weave through the swings and pay tax by slapping your hand on picnic table
• Rock the Baby Jesus-rock the bouncy ride 
• Dream to Escape Herod-lay on the baby gym and run to the fallen log

The children loved the relay so much that they raced through it twice!  It was also nice to see the older ones helping the younger ones!

Another round at the doctor's office kept us buy on Thursday along with a little bit more drama then I care to share with the world.  Oy!

Then today we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  I am sure there were celebrations with traditional dances and performances somewhere in San Antonio.  We will need to be more vigilant about finding these events for next year.  We stayed home and listened to the story from one of our favorites...Glory Stories.

We also added to our nativity scene and Jesse Tree throughout the week.  We need to bake more and prepare for a special visitor.  We have a special trio arriving next week.  I also just invited my mom and brother to our house for next week.  I think our house is in need of a deeper cleaning for many reasons!

A full week and in spite of the outside events I think we were able to keep our Advent focus.