A Very Merry Christmas

This year was our first Christmas as a family of four and we have tried to make the most out of the whole month! This time of year is my absolute favorite and I have such fond memories of Christmas as a child. I go to great lengths to make sure my girls not only love the magic of Christmas, but also remember that ultimately, it's all about Jesus! This year was great in both regards. Maddie and I talked about Mary/Joseph/baby Jesus almost on a daily basis. JTB really helped her put things into perspective this year too! She was also super excited about Santa this time and was always asking about him. A few highlights from our month were:

• looking at Christmas lights
• watching Christmas movies and drinking hot chocolate
• Maddie helping mommy decorate the tree
• shopping for our yearly Christmas ornament
• going to the Cracker Barrel and getting Brooklyn's stocking
• Tyler Christmas Parade
• Journey Through Bethlehem
• talking to Santa and later, writing him a letter
• making cookies and other snacks
• daddy's Christmas party in Longview
• Maddie's Christmas party at church
• young adult SS class scavenger hunt
• Christmas stories

It was a busy month (always is) and I intentionally cram as much in as possible! There are so many fun and memorable things to do! On Christmas Eve, we went to my parent's house and ate some fabulous chicken and sausage gumbo. Then we stuck around long enough to listen to my dad read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas so that we could all sign the book. Then we scurried out the door and drove down the road back to our house so that we could do our own things before putting the girls to bed. We made some cookies for Santa, and while those cooked, we read How the Grinch Stole Christmas (a favorite of Jaime's from childhood) and the story of Jesus' birth from Luke. Maddie was then allowed to eat one cookie and watch a short Christmas movie before heading to bed. I told her that she HAD to stay in bed tonight and go to sleep as quickly as she could so that Santa would stop by. I think she listened because I didn't hear a peep and began wrapping gifts around 10 or so. I was able to get in bed at about midnight only to be woken up at 2! Maddie told me that she saw a shadow and thought it might be Santa!! I asked her if she looked at the tree yet and she hadn't so she ran into the living room. She was gone for several mintues and I just knew she was destroying all the presents, so I got out of bed. However, I found her quietly sitting in front of the tree, thumbing through a Christmas book that was propped in front (she gets a new one very year)! It was so cute. For a few minutes we sat in front of the tree, oohing and aahing. We then decided we better go back to sleep! Luckily, the family slept from that point till 7:30! Then we got up, opened presents, ate breakfast and headed to church for a worship service. After that, we headed back out to Nana and Papaw's house to spend the day doing Christmas with them. We opened more presents, took naps, played with new toys, and ate the greatest chicken and dressing meal ever. The green beans, sweet potato casserole, homemade monkey bread, and turkey weren't too bad either! ;) Yumm! By the end of the evening, Jaime and I were completely worn out but it was such a fun day!

Now, a new year is approaching us. Jaime and I are about to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary and we are both very excited to see what the Lord has in store for us this next year as we reflect on the past year of 2011. We are already so blessed!



JTB 2011

When I tell you that I love Journey Through Bethlehem, I mean I really LOVE it! And this year was no different. Actually...it was maybe my favorite year in all the 14 years that I've been a part! I had the opportunity to witness some really neat things that still brings me tears when I think about it.

Since the beginning, we've always been known for the drive-thru portion of the town, but within the past few years we've also started offering a guided walk-thru. In a nutshell, you are led through the town by a shepherd and you stop at a few "key places" along the way(i.e. the census taker, the inn, the manger, etc...). Each night, for atleast and hour or so, Brooklyn was in the manger as baby Jesus and she did great! Maddie was also baby Jesus when she was little but we did not offer a walk-thru at that point so I didn't get to totally experience what I did this year! It was amazing! The neat thing about walking thru versus driving is that you can get a little closer to the manger. That is a pretty cool thing when there is a real baby there to interact with you! Oh, Brooklyn was such a big hit and I could not have been more proud! She wore a white gown and I covered her with an additional white blanket. Since we were in the manger, we were blocked mostly from the wind so she never really got too cold. Two of the four nights, Jaime was able to be my Joseph and it was such a fun time to see and hear people's different reactions. I can't always hear what people are saying from their car, but when they are standing right next to you, there's no question!

What stood out to me the most this year from my experience as Mary was:
-the oohs and aahs over Baby Jesus! It didn't matter if Brooklyn was flapping her arms and talking or letting out a cry from getting tired, the people loved it all!
-moms and dads kneeling before the manger and telling their own little ones that that baby was baby Jesus!
-one little girl sang a special song to Jesus and it was the cutest thing ever. Brooklyn simply smiled at her. Melted my heart!
-a mentally challenged guy came through and you could tell that he was so excited and stimulated by everything that was going on. He kept saying "Hi, my name is John" and "I like your baby" over and over again. What sweet innocence!
-a certain lady cried in front of the manger this year too. She was a first time visitor to JTB and loved every second of it. She just had to touch Brooklyn on the shoulder before she moved on, not believing that she was a real little baby!

It was wonderful and I already look forward to next year! Our feedback is always so positive and on Saturday night, we set a new record showing over 900 people the real meaning of Christmas! Wow! Many people also told us that it's just not Christmas until they load up their car and drive their family through JTB. What a blessing that is to us as a church to hear! It makes all the invested $, sick people (from the hay, cold, smoke), late nights and long work hours SO, SO very worth it!

Tyler Christmas Parade and JTB

Every year, our church puts on Journey Through Bethelehem; a drive through nativity scene. It's my favorite event of the year and we always have a huge turn out! The past few years, we've decided to enter a float in the Tyler Christmas Parade to spread the word even more. This year was my first opportunity to participate in the parade and it was a lot of fun! Since I have a litle baby again, I was given the honor of dressing up as Mary and showing off the most adorable baby Jesus (2nd only to her big sister)! Brooklyn did great as we rode through downtown. It was so cute to hear the crowd clap for her and take pictures of my precious little one! They really got a big kick out of seeing a "real baby Jesus"! Big sister was awesome too. She dressed up like a donkey and rode on the float as well, hollering "Merry Christmas" over and over again! This week, JTB begins. It will be Wed-Sat from 6-8:30 at Trinity Baptist Church and it's totally free! So if you're looking for something fun to do, feel free to take a step back in time with us and watch as we try to display what Christmas is really all about! Rumor is....there's going to be one cute baby Jesus in the manger this year..... :)