Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Friday, December 9, 2011
Friday, December 17, 2010
Big Families & How They Do: Christmas
We do several things differently at Christmastime. Some because we have a big family and some just because we're Clarks.
We put up the Christmas tree right after a big breakfast the day after Thanksgiving. Pajamas are the official work uniform. (But that doesn't stop Elena from donning her favorite boots.) I love the smell of a real tree, but I don't love the mess. Therefore, I love my artificial tree. ;)
One at a time, the kids unwrap an ornament and hang it on the tree, discussing the story behind each one. We have an ornament for each of the homes we've owned. We have an ornament for each pregnancy and each child's birth. One ornament I got while we were in the adoption wait for Maya, Isaac, and Daniel. Another I got for their first Christmas in America. One for Pedros' first car. I could go on. I love our ornaments.
As soon as we finish the arduous task of decorating the Christmas tree, hanging all the stockings, and putting up the nativity sets, we turn on some Christmas music and dance.
Another tradition we have is Stocking Stuffer buddies. The children draw names at the beginning of December to determine who their buddy will be.
They get so excited; they all start begging me to run them out to the store the next day so they can get a present for their buddy. Our stocking have been stuffed since the first week of December!
Ornaments are sentimental to me. Each of the children get a new ornament every year. For my sister and me, that's all we get each other's children for Christmas, so it's a big deal. We really look forward to it.
We put up the Christmas tree right after a big breakfast the day after Thanksgiving. Pajamas are the official work uniform. (But that doesn't stop Elena from donning her favorite boots.) I love the smell of a real tree, but I don't love the mess. Therefore, I love my artificial tree. ;)
One at a time, the kids unwrap an ornament and hang it on the tree, discussing the story behind each one. We have an ornament for each of the homes we've owned. We have an ornament for each pregnancy and each child's birth. One ornament I got while we were in the adoption wait for Maya, Isaac, and Daniel. Another I got for their first Christmas in America. One for Pedros' first car. I could go on. I love our ornaments.
As soon as we finish the arduous task of decorating the Christmas tree, hanging all the stockings, and putting up the nativity sets, we turn on some Christmas music and dance. Another tradition we have is Stocking Stuffer buddies. The children draw names at the beginning of December to determine who their buddy will be.
They get so excited; they all start begging me to run them out to the store the next day so they can get a present for their buddy. Our stocking have been stuffed since the first week of December! They spend their own money on their buddy, so they take it very seriously. I take them to the thrift store and they always seem to find something they know their buddy will love. It always impresses me how well they know their siblings' likes and dislikes.
What Christmas traditions do you have?
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Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas. . .
May your time together be blessed as you celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
A Clark Christmas
We have a lot of Christmas traditions and memories as a family. There are lots of things we like to do together every Christmas, places we like to go (Who could forget the Christmas Parade incident??), special books we love to read, and songs we enjoy singing. One of our favorites is decorating the Christmas tree.
For us Clarks, it's all about the ornaments. The kids each get a new one every year and they are each sentimental. It's a very exciting and emotional time when we decorate the Christmas tree every Black Friday. (Who wants those early morning crowds? I'd much rather lounge around in our pajamas having fun.)
Here's how we do it (because you know there must be order in a "big" family): we set the big box of ornaments in the center of the rug and the kids line up in front of it.
They take turns picking out an ornament, unwrapping it, strolling down memory lane, and then adorning the tree.
As soon as that ornament is on the tree, the next kid jumps up. It goes pretty fast actually.
Lydia kept saying: I got a big one! I got a big one!
Of course, the biggest thrill was when a kid unwrapped more than one ornament. Sometimes 2 or even three are wrapped up in that precious bubble wrap. (Their momma's a real penny pincher.)
I must brag about Daniel's footed pajamas. Found these at my favorite thrift store, in new condition, and ya know footed pajamas in size 4T are kinda hard to find!
Remember I told you Maya's always cold? Thus the windbreaker in our living room.
After we got all the ornaments hung, we celebrated the accomplishment with some holiday dancing.
Look at that happy boy! He's just happy to have found someone willing to dance with an over-sized wearer of footed-pajamas. Partners like that are rare ya know?
For us Clarks, it's all about the ornaments. The kids each get a new one every year and they are each sentimental. It's a very exciting and emotional time when we decorate the Christmas tree every Black Friday. (Who wants those early morning crowds? I'd much rather lounge around in our pajamas having fun.)
Here's how we do it (because you know there must be order in a "big" family): we set the big box of ornaments in the center of the rug and the kids line up in front of it.
They take turns picking out an ornament, unwrapping it, strolling down memory lane, and then adorning the tree.
As soon as that ornament is on the tree, the next kid jumps up. It goes pretty fast actually.
Lydia kept saying: I got a big one! I got a big one!
Of course, the biggest thrill was when a kid unwrapped more than one ornament. Sometimes 2 or even three are wrapped up in that precious bubble wrap. (Their momma's a real penny pincher.)
I must brag about Daniel's footed pajamas. Found these at my favorite thrift store, in new condition, and ya know footed pajamas in size 4T are kinda hard to find!
Remember I told you Maya's always cold? Thus the windbreaker in our living room.
After we got all the ornaments hung, we celebrated the accomplishment with some holiday dancing.
Look at that happy boy! He's just happy to have found someone willing to dance with an over-sized wearer of footed-pajamas. Partners like that are rare ya know?Friday, December 28, 2007
Our Christmas Blessing
A couple in our church decided that they wanted to bless our family in a special way this Christmas. Much to our amazement, they purchased a brand new Compaq Presario computer, oversized monitor with built-in speakers and an HP printer!! They invited us all over after church on Sunday and told us that the Lord had spoken to them about our family and they wanted to do something special for us. After reading Jeremiah 29:11, sharing his story with us, and praying over us, he then presented the kids with a couple BIG gifts to unwrap. They felt that with so many kids, we would need another computer. We were blown away by their generosity. The kids have had so much fun on their very own pc. Their typing skills are improving rapidly!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
The Christmas Parade Incident
Earlier this month, we joined my sister and her family for a trip downtown for the big Christmas Parade. It was a blast for all the kids and Kyle and I really enjoyed seeing it all through their eyes. Lydia and Daniel were so bug-eyed by the whole thing. They really were in awe at all the floats and giant balloons. Pedro was holding down a balloon for Starbucks, so it was fun waiting to spot him. Of course, in true Pedro style, he ran across the street over to us, screaming wildly, making quite a scene. You had to be there, it was hilarious!
Spiderman made an appearance and that made Isaac and Max's day (my nephew), but Kyle and I enjoyed the Hulk more - he had a plumber's crack when he turned around!
So, here's the incident. I hope you find it as entertaining as we do now:
Shortly after arriving and setting up our seats, I took 3 kids across the street to McD's to go to the bathroom.
L O N G line - we waited over 1/2 an hour!
Anyway, there's a black lady in front of me (her race relates to the story). At one point, she turned around and zeroed in on Isaac. Starts talking to him in a weird, overly friendly grandma type voice. "How are you doing?, Are you having fun today?, What do you think of all this?, And where is your Mother???"
I say: I'm his mother.
"Oh" then she starts touching and looking at his scalp. Inspecting his scalp to make sure I'm taking good care of it.
I was SHOCKED!
So I say: "These two (pointing to Elena and Chloe) are mine too, would you like to inspect them too??"
SO SHE DOES!!!!
She starts to finger thru their hair like an ape cleaning bugs out of his mate's hair.
I abrubtly say: "Can you please take your hands off my kids."
She informs me that she's a nurse. (I wanted to say: So what!?)
I tell her: "You're not MY nurse; you're not HIS nurse!"
She seems confused and says: "You told me to inspect them."
I said, " I was being SARCASTIC. I didn't really expect you to put your hands all over my kids."
"Oh." and she turns around.
ACK!!!
Spiderman made an appearance and that made Isaac and Max's day (my nephew), but Kyle and I enjoyed the Hulk more - he had a plumber's crack when he turned around!
So, here's the incident. I hope you find it as entertaining as we do now: Shortly after arriving and setting up our seats, I took 3 kids across the street to McD's to go to the bathroom.
L O N G line - we waited over 1/2 an hour!
Anyway, there's a black lady in front of me (her race relates to the story). At one point, she turned around and zeroed in on Isaac. Starts talking to him in a weird, overly friendly grandma type voice. "How are you doing?, Are you having fun today?, What do you think of all this?, And where is your Mother???"
I say: I'm his mother.
"Oh" then she starts touching and looking at his scalp. Inspecting his scalp to make sure I'm taking good care of it.
I was SHOCKED!
So I say: "These two (pointing to Elena and Chloe) are mine too, would you like to inspect them too??"
SO SHE DOES!!!!
She starts to finger thru their hair like an ape cleaning bugs out of his mate's hair.
I abrubtly say: "Can you please take your hands off my kids."
She informs me that she's a nurse. (I wanted to say: So what!?)
I tell her: "You're not MY nurse; you're not HIS nurse!"
She seems confused and says: "You told me to inspect them."
I said, " I was being SARCASTIC. I didn't really expect you to put your hands all over my kids."
"Oh." and she turns around.
ACK!!!
Christmas Traditions
This will be the triplets' first Christmas in America, so we wanted to make it really special for them. To avoid the "Is it Christmas yet??" questions, we decided to make an advent chain. We had all the kids write their names on a few links and then each day, that child got the honor of cutting a link.
For the third year running, we attended the local Christmas Village - a bunch of little gingerbread-style houses with activities and treats for kids. It's set up right behind our local library, so the kids were seeing it each week as it was being set up and they could hardly wait. The night we went it had been in the mid-70s all day, so we were thinking it was the perfect time to go. When we arrived, the weather had dropped to a very windy 40 degrees, which was quite chilly for this Southern gal. The kids had a great time and lots of memories were made in the 30 minutes that we stayed.
Friday, December 21, 2007
For Your Enjoyment
Yesterday, I heard Kyle's and my favorite Christmas song on the radio ~ a rare treat!
On A More Serious Note (pun intended)
I can't get enough of this powerful song:
How Many Kings
Follow the star to a place unexpected
Would you believe, after all we've projected,
A child in a manger?
Lowly and small, the weakest of all
Unlikeliest hero, wrapped in his mother's shawl -
Just a child -
Is this who we've waited for? 'cause...
How many kings step down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
And how many gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that is torn all apart
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?
Bringing our gifts for the newborn Savior
All that we have, whether costly or meek
Because we believe.
Gold for his honor, and frankincense for his pleasure
And myrrh for the cross he will suffer
Do you believe?
Is this who we've waited for?
All for me...
All for you...
From the CD "Bethlehem Skyline" by downhere.
How Many Kings
Follow the star to a place unexpected
Would you believe, after all we've projected,
A child in a manger?
Lowly and small, the weakest of all
Unlikeliest hero, wrapped in his mother's shawl -
Just a child -
Is this who we've waited for? 'cause...
How many kings step down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
And how many gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that is torn all apart
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?
Bringing our gifts for the newborn Savior
All that we have, whether costly or meek
Because we believe.
Gold for his honor, and frankincense for his pleasure
And myrrh for the cross he will suffer
Do you believe?
Is this who we've waited for?
All for me...
All for you...
From the CD "Bethlehem Skyline" by downhere.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Praiseworthy Christmas Book
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey is one of our family favorites for the season. A young boy works with a master wood carver as he makes a nativity set for their family. It's a precious story. (FYI: I just noticed CBD also sells a dvd of the story.)What are your favorites? Please share!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
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