Almost Wordless Wednesday--Advent and Christmas 2012

So much happens during Advent and Christmas.  We celebrated a family member's wedding, celebrated a baptism, spent time with friends, visited with family, and spent time with my brother who was able to come home for Christmas.  So much happens and I try to document it all. Here it is in pictures.

The big kids with their present for Mr. Bananas

Family picture at Hubby's uncle's wedding

Hubby and the kids picking out our Christmas tree

Hubby hauling our Christmas picture

I love this picture.
Boogie decorating our tree

Another favorite picture.
Buggy hanging her ornaments 

Peekaboo

The kids hanging with Santa

Celebrating this precious one's baptism

Baby Pumpkin's sister who did the reading for her baptism.

My nieces ready for their sister's baptism.
Yes, that is Buggy photobombing.

Three sisters getting ready for their sister's baptism.

My niece explaining The Last Supper

Mother and daughter

Our Mini Claus

My favorite Christmas decorations

A Christmas visit from the Epitos.

My Mom playing Headbanz.
I love this picture of her because she is clearly laughing and having a good time

My brother trying to figure out he is a duck.

Siblings!

Boogie, Lolo, & Lola

The big kids making cookies for our neighbors

Who doesn't love a little boy in a bow tie.
Getting ready for Christmas Eve at my SIL's house.

Boogie's turn to open his gift from the cousin exchange.

A picture with my brother.

Goodbye Uncle Bing

Bing, my mom, and the big kids

Boogie and Bing

Bug and Bing

Bananas and Bing

Happy New Year!

Gah, where has the time gone?!? I cannot believe that it is 2012 and that it has been almost a month since my last post!  I have so much to share and not enough time to post.  Ah, so be it. I will share what I can in the few minutes I have while the baby is napping and before I pickup the kindergartner.

Um, where to begin?  First off, Happy New Year!  It is officially 2012.  I try to take it slow every Advent to really appreciate and prepare for the celebration for our Savior's birth.  However, with a SAHM's demanding schedule, it is not always possible.  But we do what we can. One of the things that I really, really enjoy doing during Advent is putting up our Nativity sets. It is a nice reminder for us what we are really celebrating: the birth of our Lord and Savior.  I love that we keep our sets up through Ephiphany.  During Advent we also light a candle on our Advent wreath, adding a new candle each week until Christmas.  I love hearing the kids respond to our "Jesus is the Light of the World"as we light the candle with "Come Lord Jesus!"

I felt pretty good about how far ahead I was on my Christmas shopping. I wasn't stressed by that, but my to do kept getting longer and longer. I was missing my much needed workouts at the gym, running errands well into the evening, and feeling pretty exhausted.  My husband kept telling me to slow down, but I felt that I couldn't, which is so incredibly stupid.  There is no reason that I couldn't have taken the time to slow down, but once I'm in that mode, it's really hard for me to think rationally about what I think needs to be done. If I could articulate how I'll reorganize my thoughts and priorities, then that would be my New Year's Resolution.  But I can't so it will drive me crazy until then.

Christmas Eve finally made me feel that it was Christmas. Every year we go to my SIL's house where we are joined by all of my husband's siblings & their families,  his parents, and a few extended relatives. I love spending time with all of them and just sitting and enjoying good conversations and good food.  I love seeing the nieces and nephews open their gifts to one another.  I love what has become our annual tradition of a Yankee Gift exchange and laughing so hard tears stream down my face over some of the ridiculous gifts we throw into the mix.  In the past my immediate family has gone to the family Mass at my husband's childhood church where we listen to many of our nieces and nephews sing in the children's choir led by Hubby's eldest sister.  This year we celebrated Mass at our church with my Filipino relatives. A different experience, but one that I enjoyed.

As I do every year I watched A Christmas Story while Hubby and I wrapped gifts. We spent time together talking about the day and preparing for Christmas morning.  Christmas morning was pretty awesome and the expressions on my kids' faces was priceless. I have to hand it to my big kids, they wanted for an hour very patiently as they waited for their baby brother to wake up so that they could open presents together.

I'll stop here for now to post some pictures from Christmas. I'll add more because I still have to post about Mr. Bananas turning 10 months, kidisms from my silly kids, new year's resolutions, and pictures from our week together.

As we enter this new year I pray for God's blessings to cover you.  May this be a year of health, prosperity, and happiness.  May you be surprised by what you are able to do. May you grant kindness to others. May you always feel loved. Peace be with you as begin a new year!

Mr. Bananas and Buggy visiting with Santa

Boogie visiting with Santa

All the girl cousins

That is the look of pure joy from Boogs when he received a "How to Train your Dragon" playset from his cousin R.

Advent

Before kids, Advent and Christmas were so hurried for Hubby and me. We both worked full-time and sometimes we would get the tree up and decorated just days before Christmas. I felt like it was just pure chaos and it wasn't that enjoyable for me.

Over the years we've learned to slow down. Again I attribute this to being able to stay home with the kiddos. Last year during the first big snow fall I was able to bake cookies all day. While Hubby shoveled snow, Boogie played in it, and our sweet Bug was still taking two naps and she slept most of the day. I made a ton of cookies last year.  This year for the first time ever I actually have my Christmas cards ordered and in hand. The Christmas letter is also written. I've sent out the first batch on Monday and I'm looking for time in our busy schedule to finish addressing and stamping the rest.  Next year, I'll create a database and all I'll have to do is print out address labels (I hope!). I've already set out one of our Nativity scenes and once Hubby can get the others out of storage I'll put up the rest. On Friday we'll go out to cut down our Christmas tree. Again, the earliest we'll have ever done it!

I'm really learning to love and appreciate Advent. It is a time of preparation. It's a time for us to get ready for Christmas. I love the anticipation and how the kids talk about celebrating Jesus' birthday.  While the kids are aware of Santa, and Boogie is more aware of him because of commercials and the information bestowed upon him by his preschool classmates, the big guy in the red suit isn't why we celebrate Christmas.

While Christmas is usually chaotic for us with parties to attend, gifts to buy, family to see, cards to send out, cookies to be baked, and decorations to be hung, for some reason this year I'm at peace. I'm making a lot of my gifts this year and I don't feel the need to run out to the stores except to get supplies (baking or crafting). I also have the internet at my fingertips to buy things that I think of and now I'm getting better at looking for deals so I'm not running around town trying to find the best one.  I feel like I'm getting a better handle on the time that I do have and getting more done around the house and the errands and chores to be done.  I also have good friends to chat with and celebrate with for various reasons and even in our busy schedules we are able to find time to catch up.

My favorite part of celebrating the Christmas season is celebrating with family.  Every year we go to my SIL's house for her annual Christmas Eve Open House. Hubby's great-aunt used to do this every year when she was alive. She would host with good food and people would stop in and catch up. L. has kept up the tradition and all of the family arrives, including our extended relatives. Hubby's parents have 18 grandchildren and all of the kids do a cousin gift exchange. I love that my kids draw names and are excited to shop for the cousin they picked. The adults have started a fun white elephant gift exchange. The whole afternoon is filled with fun, laughter, yummy food, and great company.  Afterwards Hubby and I go to the early Christmas Eve Mass where we get to see most of the nieces and nephews sing in the children's choir. We go home, put the kids to bed and finish wrapping presents. And for me, no gift wrapping is complete without watching "A Christmas Story." I could probably quote the movie line by line by now. Then Hubby and I snuggle up and watch Bing Crosby in "White Christmas" and head to bed.

I think Advent might be my favorite part as we prepare for Christmas.  I'm learning to appreciate the anticipation and the preparation. I love sharing this time with my kids and I love the insight they bring when talk about the Christmas story (Mary and Joseph, not Ralphie and his family).  Tonight I'll bring our advent calendar and the kids will begin to hang each of the pieces up every night. I can't wait!