O Come O Come Emmanuel...
Advent this year was fun with the boys being older. They understood it as a season of preparation and worked hard to prepare their souls for the Baby Jesus on Christmas. With good behavior and sacrifices, they got to put a piece of hay in the manger so that by Christmas, Baby Jesus had a nice bed to lay on. The manger started out bare with just the stable, some sheep and a shepherd. Each Sunday in advent, another piece appeared to give them the sense of anticipation and preparation for Christmas.
Our Jesse Tree...a rock to symbolize the Earth created by God, and a leaf to symbolize the Tree of Knowledge
Old rainboots were set out the night before the Feast of St. Nicholas, only to be replaced with new ones by St. Nicholas himself! ;). Along with a couple treats and new PJs.
Happy boys
Special feast day breakfast with hot chocolate
...which was perfect for the snowy day!
Dominic thoroughly enjoys watching his brothers play outside and they love showing off for him
Yes...they ride their bikes in all weather! The LOVE going outside
Jesse tree is filling with more ornaments!
St. Nicholas' Feast day Party at Nana's house with the cousins
Everyone got new pajamas!
Playing games
Toss the coin in Bumpa's slipper
They love to warm themselves by the fire after a bath
Mid December, my sister Angie gave birth to her fourth girl. We traveled to where they live now (about 3 hours east of us) for the baptism as we had the honor of being her godparents
Welcome to the Catholic Church Cecilia Noelle Marie!
The boys had a blast playing with their cousins again...we've all missed them since they moved a couple months ago!
Another beautiful sunrise from my window
Rain or shine, these boys play outside
Out running errands with Daddy...and stopping for a smoothie
Advent seemed to just fly, and before we knew it, it was the weekend before Christmas! That Sunday, we went to go cut our Christmas tree and bring it home.
William taking a turn with the saw
Time to bring it home!
My handsome chap
Playing with their wagon while the temperature is more mild
Christmas Eve being on Monday, Zenith had the day off. We spent the day in preparation for Christmas with lots of cooking, baking, cleaning while Zenith crossed some more tasks of his "to do" list. After we tucked the boys into bed, Zenith and I...er..."the Child Jesus" went to work transforming the house and decorating it for Christmas.
Manger fully set up with the first gift of Christmas (the Baby Jesus) wrapped and ready for the boys to open in the morning and place in the manger
The Child Jesus came!
After setting everything up, Zenith and I went down for a nap before getting up and getting everyone ready for the drive to church to attend Midnight Mass. We took the boys out through the basement so they wouldn't see the decorations and made the quiet drive. We entered the church which had no lights on and was lit entirely with candles. The buzz of anticipation was contagious as we sat in our pew and waited. It filled up about 45 minutes before Mass, and at 11:15pm, quiet voices softly floated out from the choir above us. They came like they were calling out and waiting for a response...a rendition of O Come O Come Emmanuel that I had never heard before. It built and built until the church was filled with the joyous sound of melodious voices, unable to contain their joy and excitement for the coming of Our Savior. The Midnight Mass carols had begun and it rang out and filled us all with goosebumps. A flame was brought out to light the first of the candles held by the congregation and it passed from parishioner to parishioner and filled the church with more beautiful light. And then the bells for Mass rang out, and the procession of altar boys following by all the priests, and finally Father holding the statue of the Baby Jesus all came out and made their way to the crib, where just at midnight, He was placed in the manger. Our Lord Jesus was born and it was Christmas! What followed was a beautiful high Mass, during which the boys all did splendidly. The were so captivated by everything around them. After Mass, we made our way home and everyone was quickly tucked into bed.
Pictures just don't do it justice...
The next morning, the boys came upstairs and I had all the lights off except the manger, where I guided them to see how it was all decorated and a present waited for them. With barely a glance at the presents under the newly decorated tree, they excitedly gathered around the manger and "ooed" and "ahhed" at everything. The gift was opened and delicately placed in the manger while we all sang Happy Birthday and then Away in a Manger. Then I made the boys look away while I turned on the rest of the Christmas lights and they turned around to the rest of the house decorated with a few presents under the tree, much to their excitement.
We have a play Nativity set that I put out on Christmas that they were delighted to find again
Presents they got to open before breakfast
A new robe and pajamas for Marcellus
With Thomas the Train on it!
And Koala slippers and pajamas for William!
Christmas Brunch
Time to open the presents from the Child Jesus
Zenith opening his gift...a trail camera for our woods so we can capture videos and photos of the wildlife back there
After breakfast, we took a drive out on the Polaris to our woods and had a little walk around, enjoying the lovely day and warm temperature. Zenith found a tree to mount is camera on
And then I insisted on gathering pine boughs to make fresh garland, so my man climbed a tree with many spikey thorns growing around it, just so I could have my wish.
After a nap for everyone, we all went over to Jess' house for Christmas dinner with the family
Mom and Dad bought each of the grandchildren one small gift for them to open...they're main gift was to come (stay tuned for January's blog!)
Nothing better than a truck for a boy!
Thank you Nana and Bumpa!
Not like he was excited...;)
Christmas dessert...which of course I had to bring Pavlova for! Representing the Aussies :)
After Christmas I got out the Christmas Village set that I have been carrying around with us from rental to rental and never setting up...and set it up for the first time! It was part of the set we had at the Assisted Living Facility my parents owned that I used to set up for the residents every year. Before that I believe it was my Aunt Pam's. It was pretty special to now have part of it as my own set and I was very excited to now have it set up in my house.
Thus we close this December post. Epiphany and other Christmas adventures to be continued!
~Lindsay
