Happy Holidays

I figured it was time to share some holiday love on here. I can't stand blogger sometimes, I can't change the order of these pictures now that they are uploaded. I should have remembered this inconvenience. Anyway, I hope everyone is having a lovely Christmas time and nobody is stressed. We still haven't done any shopping but I'm not worried...yet! I can see the lights of our tree reflected in this screen and in my beautiful babies' eyes when they stare at it in wonder. I get to watch them play with the figures in the nativity scene and Addie puts baby Jesus in her mouth, which is not sacreligious at all. I so enjoyed teaching Freddy the story of Jesus' birth as we put the nativity up on the hearth together. This is a beautiful gift and while my sweet son watches Frosty the Snowman for the 4th time in a week, I feel grateful and overwhelmed with love and blessings. Freddy is learning a lot about Jesus lately.

We tell him that alligators got in his ears when he has a bad attitude, then we tickle him or blow in his ears to get them out. This often distracts him, but lately we've talked a lot about having a happy heart. He told me yesterday that alligators were in him trying to take his happy heart. I laughed and thought that we were genious parents. We've given a kid friendly and easily understandable name to the devil himself. He's an alligator, trying to steal our joy and our happy hearts. I told him that alligators tried to take my happy heart sometimes too, and I explained that the only way to get rid of them is Jesus. He looked confused, but I explained that when we ask Jesus to come live in our hearts, he "ha-yaas" and "psss psss psss, puts those alligators in his spiderman webs" so they can't stay. There's no room in our hearts for alligators and Jesus. He scowled at me because he was upset about something and shook his head. I laughed because this is very often the same attitude I have. Stankin' alligators, they can stay for all I care!! I just told him that he would have to ask Jesus to come kick out those alligators, but not until he was ready. I'm really enjoying being at home with him!

Family picture at the Historic Museum Christmas frolic

I try my hand at having the kids paint...Addie just ate hers! We made Christmas lists.

Freddy and Aunt Whitney having some apple cider made with real oranges, cloves, & cinnamon on a wood burning stove in a log cabin in the middle of downtown Little Rock!

I told Freddy to go put some clothes on this morning, and this is what we got! All little boys need cowboy boots, and his holidays are just a little mixed up!