December is Here and Flying by Fast!

 

Second week of December and time is already flying. Took our traditional photo at the plaza earlier last month to beat the crowds and Noah continues get taller and towers me. It is such a bittersweet time knowing these moments are going to completely become obsolete once he leaves the nest. I have two more years with him and will take advantage of these moments every chance I get! Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season without the hustle! 

Santa At The Plaza!

     

Love the tradition of going to see Santa at the Plaza! Although I think Noah may be getting to that point where he feels he may be outgrowing Santa. (In other words he's getting too big to sit on his lap!) Oh, how I don't want our these days to end but eventually they will and then he will be sitting on the steps like his sister! Nonetheless the kids had a nice talk with Santa. I love how Santa tells them to mind your parents, and to be good kids. Gifts were mentioned but not as much as the gift of love he mentioned to our kiddos. Pretty much the same advice he gave to them last year. I love this santa! More pics below...

Tree Hunting!

We had so much this past weekend going to Wyckoff's tree farm again. We debated on getting a colored tree this year, but oh what a mess it would make in our living room especially when we haul it in to our house! I noticed that last year when Noah and I first discovered this place. So we decided to stick to the traditional green. It's always fun to go the farm to pick and cut our own tree. A tradition we started back in 2013. I captured a few moments of our outing, and once again had so much fun making memories with my shrinking crew...

Building Traditions With The Youth of Your Church!

As I was looking through some old photos when we lived near Cherry Hill I was blindsided by nostalgia with this picture. All I could think about were the kids that are in this photo as well as the sister missionaries that were serving there at the time. I think about how they're doing, and what they're up to these days. I thought about the time I was in the stake young women, and how I would do everything possible to unite our youth in the stake as well as our ward.

Hooray For Christmas in Lighting The World!

"The holiday season is a perfect time to reflect on our blessings and seek out ways to make life better for those around us" has become one of my new favorite quotes. It helps me to remind my kids what Christmas is all about. I love that we have built traditions around the holidays, but also love this time of year because it helps me to reflect more on the Savior which helps give me an even deeper appreciation for those who are without, having hard times whether it be physical, emotional, or financial, and are in need of comfort, kind words, love, friendshipping. Teaching my children the true meaning of Christmas is enough for me when it comes to the holidays. 

Sure we have fun decorating the tree, going to new york to see Christmas in the city, visiting Santa, driving around to see the Christmas lights, baking cookies (them, not me...I'll just frost them), and other various activities that we will fit into our schedule, but I have come to the realization that at the end of the day, it's all about peace, hope, and time. Peace because I am a mother, and with that comes a lot of parental concerns, hope because all I want for Christmas is joy, and time because it's important to make times for the things that matter most.  

Light The World is a project that my church has been doing since December 1st, and I love the idea that comes from it. This is definitely one way where we can continue to remind our children what Christmas is all about. Finding ways to light the world" by serving others, and for us to become better christians. 

Last weekend the kids pulled out their little tree, and all their ornaments, and decorated it. I even made a little video that you can view here. I've had this little tree since Lexie was born, and they have so much fun decorating it each year. This is something they have done on their own since Sierra was about 10. It's been a fun tradition watching them decorate their little tree, and I'm not sure if I'll ever get rid of it. Some of the branches have fallen off, and glued back on, but it's still standing and the kids love it! 

I captured a few photos for my posterity in hopes that my future grandkids will read this and build their own traditions. 

We love pinecones, and Noah had fun putting them inside the vase. He is such a good little helper, and really got into the spirit of Christmas doing it! 

He's especially proud of decorating their little christmas tree with the help of his sisters.

Going to the Macy's parade is another tradition we started eight years ago when we moved here, and hope to always make it to the parade. It's one of the ways we start off the Christmas season. Noah is proud of his pin that was given to him by one of the people participating in the parade. He will not take it off! 

I also took a few photos of these two dancing with the christmas lights, and getting tangled in them. Even though these two have their moments, at the end of the day it all ends with love, and laughter! 

One of our favorite books, and Christmas traditions is reading this book to the kids. It helps them remember the true meaning of Christmas, and that it's not about the worldly gifts, but the gift that comes from God which is the Savior. 

Here's hoping y'all are enjoying the festivities that this holiday season brings! 

Building Christmas traditions

I didn't have a lot growing up as a young child, and had no family traditions. To tell you the truth I only remember having a tree up three times in my life. When I was four, 12, and 16. I think that's why I have gone out of my way in the past when I only had Sierra by herself for five years, and every Christmas for her was filled with lots of books, clothes, and barbie dolls. With each child, Christmas became less and less. Although we think about not buying the things of the world for our kids, we still manage to get them meaningful things as gifts, but focus more on Christ, and family time.


There are so many traditions that families can build up together without feeling the need to give into that instant gratification. When I realized the true meaning of Christmas, and after being sealed to my husband in the temple, we decided to build traditions that would last a lifetime. From that day forward we would go to the temple each year on our sealing date as well as our wedding anniversary. We also took our girls to temple square each Christmas to see the lights and sometimes we got tickets to see the First Presidency Christmas Devotional (which by the way airs this Sunday at 6pm.) at Temple Square. Since we no longer reside in Utah we've been watching it in the comforts of our own home for the past five years.

We now try to keep the tradition of going to Macy's in New York City to see Santa, and go walk through Central Park. We are going to attempt to go ice skating this time! We also love to go to the D.C. temple to see the Christmas lights at the visitors center.


The day after Thanksgiving we get the tree out and decorate it as a family. Some families can go and pick out a Christmas tree at their favorite tree orchard, and decorate it together. We usually drive around certain neighborhoods to see Christmas lights. I remember the year Noah was born we acted out the nativity scene, had Noah as the baby Jesus, and read the story of Jesus. It was simple, and very meaningful. He was so cute all bundled up.


We always open one gift on the eve of Christmas, and because we have moved around so much we always give a little something to our neighbors that pertains to the church so that they can get a feel of who we are, and to let them know we are here for them if they need anything. Whether it's a DVD of the Savior, or even baked goodies. I also started a tradition of having a separate stocking for Jesus and putting a gift inside for Him. We usually write down the things we'd like to change about ourselves throughout the year, or whatever comes to our mind.


One of my favorite traditions is collecting Christmas stories and reading the same ones every year. One of our favorites is I Believe in Santa Claus, and the Tale of the Three Trees . The kiddos LOVE these books. Even my 16 year old! Sierra and Lexie especially love to read the The Forgotten Carols story as well as playing the songs on the piano and violin.

I feel so good inside knowing that I started these traditions with my family long ago, and no matter how hard times can get financially, we always manage to at least keep one. We are a selfless family, and it doesn't matter to us what we do.

As long as we have each other, that's all that matters.