It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

      Celebrating Christ's birth is in full swing around here with cookie baking, snowflake making, card decorating, wrapping gifts and kids home from school.  We even got our first snow flurry this morning.  (It only lasted twenty minutes)
     I was hoping to announce our petition to adopt two sweet little boys before Christmas, but it looks like we will have to wait until after the New Year.  Nonetheless, I am happy to say that we will permanently have a total of five kiddos all under the age of seven come the end of January.  It makes this Christmas a very exciting one for our family. During this season while we reflect on God's awesome rescue plan of His people, we feel incredibly blessed to be allowed to care for these little guys.

     This year we made a Jesse Tree as a way to discuss God's rescue plan with the kids.  Pav and I made a tree out of scrap wood and a walnut slab.  I didn't have time to make elaborate ornaments, so for this year I just used regular round balls to represent each Scripture reference.  The kids took turns putting on an ornament each night after we read from the Jesus Storybook Bible.  I think this will stick as a new tradition for our family. 

  

     Another new tradition that we started was a gift exchange between the kids.  They each picked a name out of a hat and then Pav and I took them shopping for their sibling.  We spent time talking with them about their brother or sister, and thinking about what they would enjoy receiving.  Besides it being hard for them to narrow down their gift choices it went really well and was a great opportunity to spend quality time with the kids.