Easter

Easter has somehow turned into another Christmas for us. We ended up driving around and house hopping all day so we can see everyone. One of these days I'm going to say no and we are going to be scrooges and stay home. One of these days.....

This Easter we went to church at our fabulous church, which we love, and then went to my aunt's for a big lunch and egg hunt for the kids. It was so much fun and the girls love being with their "cousins". We were blessed with a gorgeous day so that helped too. 

We ate way too much food, the kids ate way too much candy, and then we headed over to my mom's for naps and egg coloring. After that we went to Mark's parent's for another Easter feast. We ate so much food that day....GOOD food though.

The egg hunt is pretty much the only thing I took pictures of. I got some good ones though. I mean how sweet is this face?

We have to get a picture every year in front of my mom's azaleas. They are so beautiful!

Family Christmas

We had a wonderful, but very busy Christmas this year. We are blessed enough to live close to all of our family....all three sets of grandparents and one set of great-grandparents. This makes for a lot of house hopping and gift giving. Every year I say I'm not going to do it anymore, I turn into the Grinch and say we aren't driving around all Christmas and that everyone can just come to our house. But somehow we end up driving around to everyone and spending most of our Christmas in the car. 

The girls had a blast and love driving around to see everyone. It was exhausting for me, especially since I'm anti-social and a hermit, AND I do all the majority of the work as far as packing/unpacking and preparing for all of our short term trips.

We spent Christmas Eve with Mark's family. The big hit at their house was princess dresses for the girls.

Two years ago, when Annie was a baby, we decided to start spending Christmas morning at our own house, and opening gifts from just us. I'm so glad we started this tradition then, because as the girls get older, I want them to remember Christmas morning waking up in their own beds and running down the stairs in our house and spending the morning just the five of us. I always make a big breakfast and we just love spending time together in our pjs on Christmas morning.

 Stella had matching pjs too but of course she peed all the way through them. I seriously contemplated leaving her in pee pjs for christmas morning pictures and then realized that would be stupid and only for appearance and not for her comfort. So unmatching pjs it is.

We usually set out one big gift for the girls....something they can all share and enjoy. One year it was a wagon, one year it was doll accessories, this year we bought them an art easel. Stella won't be able to use it for a few years (other than chewing on chalk and art supplies) but the older girls loved it.

We keep things fairly simple as far as gift giving goes. Everyone gets three gifts, Something you Want, Something you Need, and Something to Read. My friend Claire mentioned they do the same thing. Usually for the girls, this translates into a toy, an outfit or a pair of shoes, and of course a book. We also do little stocking stuffers.

Annie asked for a baby doll this year. Although we have collected quite a few over the years she doesn't have one that is just hers, so she got what she wanted.

Next year I'm hoping to hang around our house for longer on Christmas day. As soon as we finished breakfast we hit the ground running and went to my dad's, back home for quick naps, back to my dad's for a big family late lunch, then to my mom's for Christmas evening. Not really sure how any of this can be changed....of course we want to see everyone on Christmas but it's getting harder and harder to drag three little ones around and make sure everyone gets equal time. I try to make everyone happy and usually I end up making myself miserable.

Ahh the Holidays.

We are very blessed. I know many people who don't have any family to go see on Christmas. We are so fortunate to have so many wonderful people in our lives who want to see us and shower us with gifts on Christmas. I get whiny about it but really it's such a good problem to have.....to have too many places to go on Christmas. We are so loved.

Merry Christmas!

To Santa Or Not To Santa

I am being bombarded with Santa.

He is everywhere. I think I've seen Santa at least 8 times recently....and we don't go see Santa. He just pops up wherever we are!

I don't mind Santa being around. I understand that's the only reason some people celebrate Christmas, and I'm tolerant of other people's religions. And if you try to tell me that Santa is not a religion, then I would like to tell you that you are a crazy person.

Don't even get me started on Elf on the Shelf. EVERYONE is doing it! Since when do we think it's ok to straight up lie to our kids and tell them that some creepy Elf is watching them to make sure they behave?? Apparently works and behavior are all that matter anymore to parents, and bribing their children to "be good" can only be done through mystical creatures, who, let's face it, look more like molesters than helpers.

I'm not the Grinch I promise. I grew up doing the whole Santa bit. And we haven't told our kids there isn't a Santa. They sing the Santa songs and they know who he is when they see a picture of see him on one of our outings. But in OUR family, Santa is not how we celebrate Christmas. We still give our kids presents and there are even unopened gifts sitting out Christmas morning and stockings are full. But we don't say that Santa brought them. We don't really say anything. I guess we are kind of passive aggressive about it.....I don't want Lucy to be the kid at school telling everyone that Santa isn't real, but I also don't want her to think that he actually DID come to our house.

Honestly, it's never bothered me before that we don't do Santa. But this year, Lucy has been asking a lot of questions, and I started to feel a little guilty that our kids don't have the whole Santa experience. I'm all for imagination and believing in fairy tales....that's what childhood is about. The girls love Disney Princesses and mermaids, and we don't tell them that they don't exist. We let them believe and pretend because those things are important to them.

I think the difference between those and Santa, at least to me, is that the princesses and mermaids and fairy tales aren't overshadowing the truth. It's something they play. It doesn't distract them from what's real.

Santa does. We have become so obsessed with Santa and presents and freaking Elf on the freaking Shelf that we are missing the greatest gift we could ever give our children, and the greatest gift that the world was given....the gift of Jesus.

God. Himself. Came down to this nasty, fallen, sin-filled earth as a BABY, so that He could live among us, love on us, die for us, and save us. That is the greatest miracle. How Santa can fit down the chimney doesn't seem like such a big accomplishment anymore.

Mark and I listened to this the other night and it was very convicting....





Obviously John Piper is on the "Not To Santa" side.

I'm not saying you should take a side. But this was such a reminder for me to teach my children what Christmas truly is. Not just Jesus's Birthday. But what His birthday means for us. It's everything. Without Christmas, there is no Easter. Without Easter, we are all condemned forever.

Do Santa if you want. But Do Jesus more.

But please, whatever you do, don't Do Elf on the Shelf.

Happy 4th!

Despite the rain and gloomy weather, we had great 4th of July. Usually we go to the parade and fireworks in Peachtree City but they were canceled due to the weather, so Instead we had a relaxing and laid back day. Mark had a rare day off work, we ate a LOT of food, took a nap, and spent time with family.

We ate lunch and went for a swim at Mark's parents house. 

The water was freeeeezing and Annie could not stop shivering! Lucy jumped off the diving board for the first time without a float or anything....she has turned into such a good little swimmer this summer. 

Back at my mom's house for naps, dinner, some really old and questionable fireworks, and a Pinterest inspired dessert.

Annie is always up for a photo op...

This is what our dessert was supposed to look like....

                              

And this is how it turned out....mine are on the top. My mom's are on the bottom. Pinterest fail. 

They still tasted yummy!