:thoughts on faith // why Advent:

there are memories that i cherish growing up in a southern baptist church. for one, hugs. everyone hugs at church. to this day i will hug someone i just met simply because it's natural. i am a hugger. two, homecoming. homecoming at church as a little girl meant frilly dresses and tons of kids to play with for hours upon hours, while adults chatted over luscious desserts. three, the easter sunrise service. where parents bring their children to church in pajamas and there is a solemn silence that brings about reverence and remembrance. watching the sunrise as a church member plays the tune of amazing grace on the trumpet will always hold a sweet spot in my heart. 

one thing we did not do, as southern baptist, was celebrate the church calendar. which means i did not have knowledge of things like Lent and Advent until i went to college. 

when i came to understand these practices and the meanings behind them i fell in love with them. we now incorporate these things into the daily lives of our family during the season that calls for it. 

advent is a time of waiting and preparation for the celebration of the coming of Christ. those words alone begin a stirring in my soul, even now. the season of advent calls us to slowness. a time to refocus and redirect our thoughts towards his coming and towards loving his people.

starting december 1st we begin hang our entire advent calendar so that all 25 days are in full view. some people hang one each day so that on christmas day you have a full garland of goodness. we hang ours and take one down each day so that we can see how many more days until the arrival of Christ. 

the children take turns removing the card and calling us to worship with the reading of the scripture, usually from the jesus storybook bible. we gather in the floor and talk about what the words mean. we pray together. i may put parts of the reading on our chalkboard to keep us focused for the day. 

in addition to the reading we have an activity to go along with each day. as a family we try to make most of our activities focused on others. 

Advent Activities 

decorate the christmas tree.

make homemade ornaments.

deliver diapers and wipes to the battered women's shelter.

deliver sweet treats and hand made cards to neighbors.

collect & deliver canned goods to the local food pantry.

pay for someone's coffee & treats at the coffee shop.

sing christmas carols together.

stay up late and watch a christmas movie.

make a gingerbread house.

act out the nativity scene.

have friends & family over for coffee and homemade candies.

pick out gifts for children around the world from the world vision catalog. 

make christmas presents for friends & family.

family slumber party in the living room floor.

deliver care packages to the local nursing homes.

decorate your bedroom door for christmas.

fill a shoebox for operation christmas child.

make a christmas wreath.

collect money to donate to a charity chosen as a family.

make & mail christmas cards.

write and illustrate a christmas book.

take a late night drive in your pj's to see the christmas lights.

bake a birthday cake for jesus.

buy gifts for a family in need.

pick a name from an angel tree.

attend a christmas performance.

write a letter to santa.

learn more about jesus.

so this is why and how we celebrate advent! if you're looking for a cute advent calendar, you can find one here.  below is a video of the entire set! 

I

:the one where we are slowing down:

the days are long this time of year. jacob works well into the darkness and we wish for friday, monday through thursday. we long for weekends, time with family and friends. too often we fill our weekends to the brim with the doing.

this weekend took a natural pause. we picked up our christmas tree saturday morning with a couple of cranky kiddos. the end result of late nights with friends. we took them home for naps with the promise of hot chocolate and tree decorating when they awoke. all three babies fell right to sleep while jacob and i fell into comfy couches. we snuggled tight and even managed to sneak in a little shut-eye before post nap chaos ensued.

the children leaped out of bed to the christmas tree in a single jump, full of excitement. we made hot chocolate, sugar cookies and sausage balls while daddy added lights to the tree. then we all joined him for ornament placement. eisley, suddenly sixteen years old, delicately handling each ornament adding a hook and carefully placing each one on the tree in just the right spot. she entertained her brother and indulged his every request in her most mommy-like voice.

the grand finale was the addition of the star, twice. once for eisley and once for durgin, a photo captured of each. we sat down in admiration of our creation. deep breaths, taking it all in, always flashing forward to when they are grown. willing the moment to slow and stick for eternity in my heart.

in celebration of our tree decoration skills we ventured outside where jacob built a fire in the pit and the children built forts in the woods. there is something about climbing trees that is so darn exhilarating. the sound of leaves crunching under foot, the canopy of trees creating a darkness of sorts. they were in heaven and so were we as we took in the smell of pine and the sound of our children at play with nothing more than their imagination.

we celebrated the first sunday of advent by reading scripture and singing christmas carols as a family, totally off key, while playing keep away with balloons. laughter echoed off our walls and we delighted in the little things. we recognized His presence and were reminded of His grace.

tis the season, let us slow down and soak it all in.



*linking up with carissa for miscellany monday

{advent sunday #1}

tonight our little family gathered round to begin the advent celebration.
it was simple.
and very sweet.
we lit one candle this week to celebrate the hope of jesus' coming.
jacob read luke 1:26-38 from the message.
then i read a similar version from eisley's little bible.

earlier in the day eisley and i crafted an angel from construction paper in preparation for tonights reading.
we used her little people nativity scene to animate the good news that the angel gave mary.
eisley prayed a sweet sweet prayer thanking God for our time together.
then she blew out the candle.