Advent Calendar

Advent begins the countdown to Christmas and for Christians it actually starts on November 30 and ends on December 24. To keep things simple, I start ours on December 1 and end on the 25. I like opening the last one Christmas morning before opening presents. It's just a nice way to put our hearts in the right place and remembering why we celebrate Christmas versus it just being a day where we rip open presents and throw paper all over the floor.

This year, I'm using the verses from Focus on the Family. They have it all laid out nicely for you and, like it says, if you are going to have a short Advent season then just double up on some of the verses.

Last year, I made the toilet paper roll Advent calendar:

I haven't been saving toilet paper rolls this year, so I'll be doing something that doesn't take as much architectural work. All you'll need is a printer, scissors, some type of string, and possibly two thumbtacks or however you want to hang it on the wall.

I went with simple, but kept the brown-paper color because I just really enjoy the natural colors for Christmas. I'm a traditionalist when it comes to the holiday and stick with green, red, brown, and little bit of shimmer - the numbers are glittery gold!

Advent is a time to prepare our hearts for the celebration of Jesus' birth - yes, I know, I know Jesus wasn't really born in December, but does it really matter? As long as His birth is truly celebrated by us and within our hearts, I think that's what matters. It's a time to anticipate His arrival so it should be filled with excitement! Add some fun things to do with the kiddos during this season. I don't add too many activities that go outside of the home because Christmas is a super busy time at the church. So, we do a lot of at-home activities, such as, baking, having hot chocolate, watching a movie, a craft - easy stuff - and then deliver those baked goods or crafts to our neighbors.

Also, by having the Christmas season focused on Jesus by going through the calendar and scripture AND focused on others by delivering gifts to them it keeps the focus off of the "I want that", "I want this" mentality. It provides that almost-always-needed reminder that we are to love Jesus and love others all the time, no matter what the circumstances.

To show my love for you, my fellow readers, I'm giving you the Advent stars as a free printable! The stars are 9"x 10" each and the numbers (the circles) are 3.7" x 4" if you choose to cut the numbers out and paste them onto something else. I plan to just write the verse reference on the back of the stars and 1-2 activities per week.

I hope you like them and that your kiddos have fun...Thank you!

Click on the star for your free printable!

100 Days Until Christmas

...I know, it's ridiculous, but it's true. In honor of not being even in the right frame of mind to begin my Christmas preparation, I am of sane mind to help you get started with your Christmas festivities!

Christmas tags for you & yours! Send me an email to order - motrocksdesigns@gmail.com

Let the countdown begin!

Recent Adventures

Yes, I am still catching up from Christmas. All the decorations have finally come down and are in the respective boxes and the boxes are still in the dining room. Halfway there, right? Well, to finally put the holidays to a close, I am posting the last of our Christmas-holiday-fun pictures.

On December 23 we made our finally, all day trip to Disneyland and we have never seen Baby Girl so excited! Captivating speaks truth - there really is a princess in all of us and it'll bloom and mature as long as someone doesn't come along and smash that princess to bits. Baby Girl was in love with the princesses and she doesn't even really know who they are, but something inside of her just sings whenever she saw one of them. We decided to wait in the line for the princess meet & greet Disney has now and it was probably her favorite part of the day. Minnie Mouse may have come a close second, but it was during normal naptime hours so there was a tantrum before and after the picture. Baby Dos and I waited an hour for Mickey Mouse! Insane. We wanted to end our last trip with the fireworks, but they canceled last minute due to wind...boo. Other than that, it really was a fun day, good weather, lots o' people (so many the park closed), and I think Baby Girl had the most fun she's ever had there.

Next, we went to my college roommate's wedding out in Temecula. The couple lives out in New York (so lucky! with the exception of all the snow happening right now). It was so pretty, the whole wedding, and very thoughtful. Thoughtful to their guests, to each other, and to God. He wasn't lost in all the details. I love weddings that make Him the lead role because He is the one that gave us marriage. We should thank Him, loudly. This couple has done it right from the very beginning of their relationship and I'm thankful to know them. Oh, and the cake...the best wedding cake. Ever.

Finally, the last adventure of 2013 - Mexico. I'll admit, I am not a fan of Mexico. I never went much as a kid and I don't even know where in Mexico my family is from...we don't even speak the language! Probably one of the reasons why it's not on my top ten list of places to go. Thank goodness, Pastor Husband knows it like its his first language. Anyway, we went down to San Felipe because one of our friends was going and there's a family down there Pastor Husband is very close to from all his missionary work. It was a good trip and actually very restful. The babies slept through the night and took a nap each day, which means the adults got to take a nap every day too! We took one of our youth-turned-college-unofficially-adopted-daughter with us and I don't think she's had that kind of sleep since she started college. We ate and slept - my perfect kind of vacation. We also did many things that ended with, "Only in Mexico".

Feliz Navidad

A little late...

cousins

Baby Girl's first bike

Gma and her children (minus one, he's in Ohio)

Gma and the grandkids (minus a bunch; some in Ohio, Oregon, and Florida)

Gma and the GREAT grandkids take one

Gma and the GREAT grandkids take two (minus two that are in Oregon, two in Ohio, and one on the way in Florida!)

The Christmas Wall

For two years now I've been wanting to make Baby Girl a felt Christmas tree (thanks to Pinterest for that idea) and for two years it hasn't happened. There is a slight chance it may happen this year, but if there is no tree there is a wall. Baby Girl and I decorated tonight after Baby Dos went to bed...please stay asleep, please!

Baby Girl is such a toddler, which is both entertaining and exasperating. She likes to watch Mickey Mouse and try to put one foot on the ottoman and one on the couch. BAM! She falls to the floor every time. There's the spontaneous burst of dance, usually her version of ballet, which is when she kicks a leg out and then spins. We catch her crawling on the ground pretending to be a dog, or a cat, or a frog. Yesterday, she grabbed a carrot and started hopping like a rabbit. Coloring and reading are still a favorite way to past the time. Oh! Baby Girl can spell her name! Just out of the blue we were playing with the letters in the bathtub and I started spelling her name and she finished spelling it on her own. Now, I have her spell her name at least once a day because I still can't believe it. She knows her letters, colors, and numbers. The girl may be in diapers until she's ten, but she can spell her name.

The girl can make me crazy beyond crazy, but she's also a lot of fun and it's so sweet and fulfilling when I hear her call my name - hoping it follows with a kiss and a hug. She likes to also just go around saying, "Mom, Mom, Mom" for no particular reason. When I'm in the kitchen for more than a few minutes that's her cue to run in and grab an apron so she can help.

Baby Girl actually wanted her picture taken! She's covered in spaghetti and yogurt.

Homemade vanilla wafers just for Baby Girl.

The Christmas Wall

What she did when I asked her to smile. 

Yeah, I don't know...her new pose?

Making sure every thing is on just right.

Creeping Christmas!

I made an Advent calendar for us! Each tube (yes, those are collected toilet paper & paper towel tubes, which is why some are smaller than others) has a post-it note in it with a verse. I decided not to write out the whole verse because A) I'm lazy and B) I want Baby Girl to get use to getting out the Bible and looking up the verse. Every Thursday there is an extra post-it note with some kind of activity. It'll either be a family activity or a service activity. I decided not to put something in extra for each day because I already know it won't be possible. Christmas is crazy for church stuff and all of a sudden Christmas is here! We're starting off small and who knows...we may end up doing more than originally planned.

I can't wait to use it with Baby Girl. She called it a house so I must have done something right already. I also haven't done actual Bible work with her before other than reading through her children's Bible and parable book. It'll be nice to have study time with her.

PS - I'm not sure how she learned this, but Baby Girl knows how to spell her name! I ask her every day now to do it just so that I know she actually knows it and I'm dreaming it all up.

Wordy Wednesday

...as in, I'm going to be using a lot of words in this post tonight!

Last night I finally got to use my Christmas present from Pastor Husband. Tickets to Jekyll and Hyde!!! It sort of felt like Valentine's as well because we got dress up, go out, and stay up late. Staying up late doesn't happen often, at least not on purpose, due to the fact that we like to sleep.

It was fun because we haven't been to The Pantages theatre in a while and all of a sudden there is a hotel across the street. It was odd because the lobby/front desk/bar area was decorated in a very Las Vegas-80's-extravagance. We felt a bit sleazy in this swanky place, but decided to stay for appetizers, which were so yummy! Expensive, but very tasty. Then we walked and had dinner at this little Italian place, "Fabiolus Cucina". Just go, you need to go there. Pastor Husband had the gnocchi and I had the Tagliatelle. Mine had a meat sauce, but it didn't taste heavy or oily. It was cooked perfectly.

On to the musical...I've seen Jekyll and Hyde three times. Last night was the fourth. It's been years since the last time and I know it was recently revamped by Frank Wildhorn and it seems like whenever he does this he scrapes a bit more off. The music thins a bit and he'll add a song here, take out a song there. Now, it's good, I would never say it wasn't because I'm not a composer so who am I to say that he doesn't know what he's doing.

Right now, Constantine Maroulis is playing the part of Jekyll and Hyde. This is the second time I've seen him on stage, the first being, "Rock of Ages". That musical suited him perfectly because he's a rocker. J&H, just not so much. They definitely added a more rock vibe to the songs he sang, which made those songs seem out of place to the rest of the music. He performed them well, but it made the songs stand out on their own rather than complementing the others. He also tried to sing with an accent and if The Beatles can sing without an accent so can the rest of the world.

The ladies of J&H - spectacular! If it wasn't for them, the show may have been lost. Deborah Cox (Lucy) and Teal Wicks (Emma) have those classic, big, solid, gut-wrenching voices that I love. Out of all the Lucy's I've seen, Deobrah Cox is the closest to Linda Eder (my favorite singer ever!).

Regardless of the weird rock edge to the musical, it was a great show and one of the best nights we've had together. Pastor Husband never makes me feel like I'm only the mother to his children. He is always so good at loving me as his wife first, which gives me a nice reminder that I am his wife first and mother to Baby Girl and Baby Dos (soon enough!) second.

PS - it occurred to me last night that this song should be played when someone is baptized :)

Merry Christmas!

Sunday before Christmas...Pastor Husband working it!

Christmas Eve

Around 1am when everyone was asleep except for me!

Baby Girl ripped one piece of wrapping paper at a time

Baked French Toast for Christmas Breakfast

Advent...Really an Announcement

How I told my husband: (there was a picture, but I cannot find it. How does one lose a picture during these times?!)

Baby Carrots

Baby Corn Dogs

Baby Apple Pies

How we told our family: (we just did this tonight!)

How we told everyone else:

Advent: Days 18-22

Day 18 Verses: Matthew 1.18-25
Day 19 Verses: Luke 1.39-56
Day 20 Verses: Luke 1.57-66
Day 21 Verses: Luke 1.67-80
Day 22 Verses: Luke 2.1-7

What a day today! It's finally ending with me in at the dining room table, blogging, and listening to Baby Girl gibber-gabber away to Pastor Husband as he gives her a bath. He takes such good care of her when he's home. He's a very hands-on, active daddy and she absolutely loves him! Pastor Husband even took her to run some errands this afternoon.

Today I have been one with my kitchen. So much so that I took a nap while still wearing an apron. Yeah. I started on what I am bringing to Christmas Eve - salsa, pumpkin cookies and Oreo truffles. The cookies and truffles will be made tomorrow. Today I made salsa and chips. It was my first attempt at salsa and I used the recipe from "One Particular Kitchen". So good! I only used 15 serrano chilies though because Pastor Husband can't stand the heat, but it still came out pretty dang hot, I think.

So, even after being in the kitchen all afternoon, I decided to make a family dinner and we had enchiladas and rice (I was feeling very brown today). In the enchiladas I put black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, and shredded turkey. Baby Girl ate the same only minus the tortilla. She left her plate clean. Pastor Husband left his plate clean.

Food making was a success today!

Homemade salsa on homemade chips...yes, please!

After pulverization

I was watching an Ellen comedy special - here are the ingredients before roasting

Can't wait to massacre these ingredients!

Advent: Days 15-17

Day 15 Verses: Luke 1.5-17

Day 16 Verses: Luke 1.13-25

Day 17 Verses: Luke 1.26-38

Baby Girl has her first sleepover tonight with her Gma. I miss her, but I know she's having a good time.

Advent: Days 11-14

Day 11 Verses: Romans 3.21-28
Day 12 Verses: Romans 8.1-4
Day 13 Verses: Isaiah 60.1-5
Day 14 Verses: Hebrews 10.1-10

Somehow the reading plan and I are on the same day when before I was a day behind. Not sure what happened there, but I'll go with it!

So, today, is going to be known as one of those infamous days that will never be forgotten due to the horror. A man, twenty-years old, went to an elementary school and opened fire. His mother, it's reported, was a kindergarten teacher. At the end of the event, there are now 26 victims with about 20 of them from the ages of five to ten.

I can't even begin to know how that would feel - to be a parent for one moment and the next moment your child is, without asking, taken away from you. To have someone take it upon themselves to decide that you don't need that member of your family anymore. I've had relatives, both distant and dear, die; however, never by the hands of another. Prayers are all I can offer these families and, for my own sense of comfort, the fact that I know these precious children are now in heaven. I have absolutely no question, doubt, or fear about it. They are in heaven and He has welcomed them with the most warm, secure, comforting hug we can imagine. Sometime - well, lots of times - you wonder whether someone is in heaven and the answer is always, that's between the person and God. We can't even begin to judge on that, but I know with these children that they must be there.

It's a sad, sinful world. That's no surprise. It won't always be that way and that's where the patience in affliction comes in and the pure joy during trials. We know that it won't always be what this world offers us, which is nothing but pain and death. We grieve and hurt and ask why and there's never a satisfying answer. That won't always be! There will be that day where the beauty that always seems so hidden and unattainable is so prevalent that it takes over who we are and we finally fully become God's children, blameless and pure.

I don't know...if my child was suddenly gone today, I would like to believe that my faith is strong enough that I could cling to Jesus and His promise. I pray that the parents who hearts were broken today either lean harder on Him or finally turn to Him.

Revelation 21:3-5

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
⁵ He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Advent: DayS 7-10

I don't promise to get any better at this everyday-blogging-thing.

Day 7 Verses: Numbers 24.15-19, 2 Peter 1.19, Revelation 22.16
Day 8 Verses: Exodus 20.1-17
Day 9 Verses: Joel 2.12-13
Day 10 Verses: Isaiah 40.1-11

"'Even now,' declares the Lord, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning'"(NIV84 Joel 2.12-13).

It's been a rough couple of weeks. I was sick and am finally at the end of it. Baby Girl had a cough for a couple of days. Pastor Husband got sick last week and went to see the doctor today. They diagnosed him with pneumonia! Can you believe it? Like I said...rough, in this household, under our roof.

I wanted to share a thing we're doing at church. We have a couple, who have been coming for the past month or so and they are such dear people. She is actually a character at Disneyland - we get a lot of Disney employees being so close to the theme park. Anyway, they started coming and they have since shared with us the story of their granddaughter, Emalynne. Emalynne, sadly, passed away at 6 months of age from  heart issues. Her parents and grandparents have chosen to use her death to bless others by gathering pocket-size Bibles and travel-size toiletries. They're going to put them in packages and distribute them to parents who practically live in hospitals because their child is sick.

If you would like to contribute, you may send your donations to: 701 W Broadway Anaheim CA 92805. Feel free to mail or drop them by! The name of the project is "Emalynne's Love Gifts".

Advent: Day 5 & 6

It wouldn't be real life if I didn't get behind on something!

Verses for yesterday: Micah 5.2-4
Verses for today: Malachi 4.1-3

I like this reading plan because it really has you all over the bible. It's like going on an exploration.

I didn't post last night because we had a very good friend come over for dinner and we haven't seen her for months! Actually, I think it was in October when we got together for her birthday and Pastor Husband's birthday. She's a great lady. She was our doula with Baby Girl and was the best person, aside from Pastor Husband (of course!), to have by my side during the stages of labor and birth. We absolutely love her!

Baby Girl filing for us yesterday morning.

Collecting leaves this afternoon.

Advent: Day 4

Verses: Isaiah 11.1-9

A rod shall come forth from the stem of Jesse - Who the heck is Jesse? He is the father of David, who eventually becomes David who fights Goliath, becomes king, and becomes really good at apologizing to God.

Advent: Day 3

I forgot to post the verses for yesterday, so here they are: Genesis 22.15-18

For today, we have verses from Isaiah 7.14 and 9.2-7.

Christ's birth and kingdom are foretold by the Prophet Isaiah - the devotional part tells us that God never goes back on His word and it's through His word, the prophecy of Jesus, that He gave hope to the people then and continues to give us hope now.

I have so much hope for Baby Girl and for any other arrivals we may have in our family. My biggest hope is that she knows, early on, that there is a way to live life where there is joy, hope, and love. I hope that she doesn't just know about it, but that she is living life in that way. I hope she lives life in such a different way than how I lived my life both as a child and as an adult. I want her to be aware of that other way of life so that she's not locked in the whole "Christian bubble" thing, but I don't want her to have that experience first-hand. As I continue to grow, learn, and teach my faith, I hope she will grasp onto it as well.

Gma and Baby Girl

Advent: Day 2

Devotional: God promises to faithful Abraham that in his seed all nations of the earth shall be blessed.

We are always blessed and, I believe, those "extra" blessings - things, people, events, etc. - are God's love notes from Him to us. Today, God sent an abundant love note through Pastor Husband who was the best daddy and husband in the whole world today! I'm dying of a cold and he took of both of us today without breaking a sweat. As I sit here, unable to breathe out of my nose, my ear plugged up, and sweating because right now it feels like it's 100 degrees in the room, I am also thanking and praising God for bringing this amazing man into my life.

Advent: Day 1

The word "advent" means arrival. According to the "Advent" reading plan I'm doing through on YouVersion it means, for the church, "the arrival of Christ". So, we use this time to anticipate, get ready, prepare, and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It's a fun time! It should be as exciting as it is for most parents preparing for their child's first birthday. When we use our time to focus on our child, getting things ready, having a countdown, making the presents, and baking the cake all for one very important and special child. 

The reading plan I'm going through is titled, "She Reads Truth: Advent" and here are the verses for today (well, actually tomorrow...I'm actually ahead of schedule!) Genesis 3.1-15. The devotional part tells about Advent and, to go along with the verses, speaks about the fall of man and the first promise of the Messiah being revealed.

This is how I and my family will go through Advent. In pastorland, there just isn't a normal week or weeknights for that matter so it's difficult to plan set activities. We'll see Christmas lights, decorate our tree, and stuff like that, but it probably will happen on a whim or over many days. We're keeping it simple and free. We'll go through the daily reading plan and I've also am going to post a new photo every day of the amazing gifts that Jesus gives us. Don't be surprised if the majority of pictures are of Baby Girl. She's a pretty good gift!

I hope all of you enjoy the journey of Advent to the Grand Celebration!

Cousins eating Thanksmas dinner together.
It's also pretty awesome that Baby Girl wore her Galaxy bib as they were winning the MLS Cup!