Twintastic

This was one of the better things I've seen come around the corner :)

Notice Norah, a gal after my own heart, even buckled herself in. I wish everyone could have a twin!

After Audrey (wearing her brubby's t-shirt, of course) pushed Norah around, they wanted to switch, and then they played a little doctor.




And just for gratuity, here's a picture from each of the kids' school Christmas parties:

Ethan had a Polar Express party

Audrey and Norah had a Happy Birthday Jesus party :)

This is the night we surprised the kids to go see Christmas lights. Shortly after they fell asleep, we loaded them in the car, which was prepared with hot cocoa, Christmas cookies, popcorn, blankets, and Christmas carols playing on the radio. We drove the neighborhoods for about an hour looking at the lights while the kids enjoyed their after-bedtime-snacks. It was SO FUN! After we got home, all 3 went quickly back to sleep and slept in the next morning. This will definitely be on our to-do list next Christmas.

Christmas

My heart is full with the spirit of Christmas all around!

It excites me that all over the world, whether people realize, accept, or acknowledge it, the truth is, the birth of JESUS, the Savior, is being proclaimed! Christmas carols sung worldwide on radios and in the mall and even on TV commercials tell the story of Emmanuel, God with us! I pray that even one person would have their heart enlightened to the true meaning of the Christmas celebration this year--That God became flesh to dwell with us, putting off his deity in exchange for human flesh with one purpose-- to take the wages of our sins (death) onto himself that we may be reconciled to God the Father through Him. His birth means our rescue. There is no greater gift.

So, REJOICE!!

And MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!


O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of angels;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be glory given;
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing

O come let us adore Him for He alone is worthy!

This video is an artistic take on how the story of the nativity might have read had a social network existed at the time of Jesus's birth. Follow this historical period as it unfolds as a digital narrative. This vignette is great for highlighting the truths and circumstances of our Savior's birth in a fresh, unique way. ENJOY! :)

When the cat's away....

the mice will play!

I don't know that I've mentioned this on the blog yet (my Facebook updates definitely trump the blog updates lately), but my little girls are all but giving up their one and only nap. The one hour of down time all day that we get. The one hour I can either put my feet up with a nice warm drink or do something snappily without four little arms entangled in my legs or close my eyes before picking up the E-man from school...I might cry just thinking about giving up that precious nap!

Nap times used to be a snap--just a quick rock, then into their cribs. Most times they would play for a few minutes, then put themselves to sleep. Somewhere over the past few months, it became more of a struggle, and sometime in the last few weeks, they have gone many, MANY days without naps. After 45 minutes of trying to get them down, it just wasn't worth it or we had to leave anyway, so they won. To make matters more complicated, Norah has perfected her art of escape, and helps herself out of her crib willy-nilly like, then entertains Audrey in her crib. Oh, and then there's the whole, "I'll take off my diaper pants and potty in my crib if you do" action....yeah.

Today Chris and I tag-teamed putting Norah back in her crib and laying Audrey back down. Back and forth, back and forth, back and....we finally succumbed to a snuggle and a half-snooze on the couch as I (at least) listened to Norah rummage around her room for a good 40 minutes. Audrey fussed and chatted, but didn't succeed in escape.

When we got up to get ready to pick up Ethan, we found this: :) :) :) This room was neat and tidy before nap time! I guess we all got a nap today, after all~

Santy Claus Visit...

"Naughty" or "Nice" List?