Morningtime

We start out Morningtime with a verse.  I print off a label for each of our journals with the current verse.  We use white blank-paged (unlined) journals so we can draw/paint/write with no lines in our way.  

 Just a quick snapshot when we were making prayer lists last week during Morningtime.

Thanksgiving Devotionals with Kids

I subscribe to the SHE READS TRUTH daily Bible Study emails and always find them such a powerful tool.  Today a new series started, a 10 day focus on Psalms of Gratitude, with a simple response each day.  Day 1 started with Psalm 100 and a simple reflection....perfect for Mamas, but ALSO perfect for Littles!  This can be adapted to any age....if you are looking for something to focus your family's hearts during this Thanksgiving season, I'd encourage you to check out this free resource.

It begins on today's date on their website (click). 

I am going to read this psalm with my kiddos tonight and then let each of them fill in their own blanks (see the assignment.)  I love exposing my children to scripture in this way and am very fond of the simpleness yet powerfulness of what this study will bring to our family.

Give it a go!!  

Gospel Writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) Playdough Mat

This year Matt and I are teaching the 4th grade Bible Class on Sundays at our church.  Our area of focus this year is the Gospels.  I have made some playdough mats geared to older kids to help reinforce some of the concepts we are teaching.

For this particular class session, we introduced the 4 gospel writers, talked about their backgrounds and discussed the major emphasis of each book.  Then students had some time to process this learning through the playdough mats.  We encouraged them to think through what they had learned about each writer--what could they add with playdough details to illustrate these things?

Our big kids had a lot of fun working with playdough--for many of them it had been years since they had used it, so it was fun for them to spend some time doing a kinestetic activity!  It also encouraged some higher-level thinking and processing skills to mull through the lesson we'd just had.

Some of the kids were hesitant and needed some teacher prompting to get started and think through what they could add.  Others zoomed right off and were adding little playdough details left and right!!

For logistics--I like to print out the sheets and put them in page protectors, then I can change them out as we used different mats.  Once I have introduced this particular mat doing a group time, I can reuse it at a class starter--an activity that is set out for children to begin working on as they stagger in at arrival time.

Click HERE to download a fullsize, printable version.  

In our churchbag......

I was cleaning some junk (old bulletins, etc.) out of our church bag today and decided it was a good time to post what we currently keep in that thing!

Right now we have Q (6) and B (newly 4) using the bag, along with a random couple of other kiddos that sit with us, so our bag is made for older preschool/younger elementary-aged kids.

First off, we expect our children to participate fully in worship during the first part (singing, prayer, scripture reading, etc.).  We don't open the bag and our kiddos stand/sit and particpate just like everyone else.  Usually Daddy holds one kiddo and I hold the other, or at least they stand next to us, with our friends (our church has a large urban bus ministry....) sitting between us.  That helps us keep kids focused and attentive.  If we have extra foster kiddos with us, we disperse them between us.  :)

When communion starts, we let our kids begin to use items from our churchbag.  These items are purposefully included to help our children meditate upon, participate in and understand the meaning of communion and Jesus' sacrifice.  Q goes to children's worship after communion, but B stays in "Big Church" still and continues to use the items throughout the sermon time.

Typically I choose which child gets which item.  This might be because they haven't done a particular item in a while and I'd like them to, because they are too antsy to use playdough well that day, or because I want two kids to share the markers between them.  No matter what, they use what Mama hands them or nothing (and all of this has been discussed, taught and practiced beforehand...there is NO WAY you can introduce new items cold-turkey in the middle of church successfully, in my opinion....)  We've already had a mini lesson with the item during the week.  Or maybe just a short discussion on how to use it.  Friends do a really good job of just following what my kids are doing with a few whispered directions from me/my kids.  I love watching my kids include another friend into what they are doing and very quietly explain what to do!

We use a small canvas bag.  I keep it packed and ready to go on our shelves by the back door and I am in the habit of grabbing it each Sunday on the way to church.

 These cards are laminated printouts of famous pieces of art that depict different scenes of Jesus' life.  I just printed them off, laminated them, and keep them in a baggie.  During communion, I look through them with the child next to me and we talk about each picture and what it is of in a whisper voice.

 This is a sign language book I made--I looked up pictures for signs that go along with church words (worship, communion, pray, bread, sing, etc.) and put the picture and written directions onto cards.  The child sitting next to me and I whisper the directions and do the signs in our laps.  I love that many of the signs are designed based on the meaning of the word--for example, the sign for Jesus involves using your fingers like nails in your palms.  Through using the signs for the words, children can participate in the meanings of the words and concepts in a kinesthetic manner.

 I love art books.  My kids have responded really well to this book, which I picked up at a thrift store.  I often see similar items at the thrift store or Half Price Books, so picking up a used copy of Jesus art by the masters is a great idea.  I like my kids to see the different concepts depicted in different ways.  Of course we have had a discussion (sometimes in the car on the way to church is a good time for this) that these are from the artists' imagination, and that is why different artists depict the same scene different ways.

During communion I invite my kids to page through the books while sitting in my lap/next to me and in a whisper I provide some context about the pictures.  Older kids can look at a picture and then use their Bible to find the text (which is usually listed next to the picture).

 Inside the book I have this picture clipped, which my daughter loves.  It's The Last Supper and has the apostles labeled, and also has a page of information about different symbolism in the painting.  She loves to have this quietly read to her.

 All kids seem to love these simple, vintage books.  They are the stories of Jesus (this one is the crucifixion) depicted through simple stick figures.  Matt or I read the book quietly to the child on our lap during communion or let them look at the illustrations independently.

 We also have 2 small 3-ring binders.  One has writing and drawing prompts.  I keep them in clear page protectors and provide some vis-a-vis overhead markers for the children to write on the dry erase pages.  I also keep spare paper at the end in case they want to draw something from the binder on their own.

CLICK HERE to download the printable "Blood" page.

CLICK HERE to download the printable "Bread" page.

 I have sentence starters and also this page on how to dry a cross (link is on the photo).

 I also love using the coloring sheets on the FLAME website--I usually chose those that pertain to communion or Jesus.

I also made a printable where the child copies Isaiah 55:3 and then traces their hand.

PAGE 1 DOWNLOAD
PAGE 2 DOWNLOAD

 The other binder has our Playdough Mats--which are ways for younger kiddos (and older, too!) to respond to elements of Communion in a tactile, and age-appropriate way.  I use either the mats from FLAME or some I have made myself, located on the sidebar of this blog.  The playdough is only for completing the activities on the mat, not free play during this time.  We have had great luck with this not being too messy of an activity.  We of course keep the child working right next to us, and sometimes I don't hand them the whole cannister, just small balls at a time to work with.  Also, I try to introduce new mats (and FOR SURE the concept of using a playdough mat) first in our home, not in the communion setting, so I can teach it and demonstrate it.  Often I bring these out at the table while the kids are waiting on me to make lunch or dinner.

We keep a bag of markers.  Sometimes our bag gets left in the car, so I don't keep crayons it it, as they melt.  

 One the bigger kids go to children's worship, I let Beck use the legos during the sermon.  Research on listening comprehension shows that many kids can actually listen more intently and comprehend at a higher level when their hands are busy.  Jim Trelease recommends this in his excellent, most-highly recommended READ ALOUD HANDBOOK.  So Beck is allowed to stay sitting on the pew and work with legos while he also listens to the sermon.  It works great!  He knows if he works quietly he gets to keep the legos, and if he gets wild or loud we put them away and he has to sit in Daddy's lap with nothing in his hands.

I keep the churchbag the same for several months at a time, but after my kiddos begin to lose interest in an item, I change it out.

HERE is a link to some other items that have been in our churchbag.

As you can see, we work to engage/talk (whisper!) with the kiddos all during the communion time to bring their attention to what is happening and why, and to build their understanding.  We consider ourselves their mentors, as we guide them through some child-appropriate elements to help them draw meaning from communion time together.

Crown of Thorns Bible Playdough Mat

I had mentioned in earlier posts that I love the Playdough Mats created on the FLAME website.  I printed them, put them in page protectors, and have a binder that my 3 year old son is allowed to work with during communion time each Sunday at worship.

He knows when the screen says the words "communion" that he can get his binder and playdough out, and he waits anxiously every week!

I read the mat to him in a whisper, and I love that he gets to listen to important scriptures about Jesus' sacrifice during this time.  Then he responds with the playdough in different ways, according to the various mats.

For communion time I printed the mats that have to do with communion, Jesus' death and resurrection.

This is a genius idea and I am so glad the Flame website created these!

I used their idea to make a couple more for our communion binder.  This would also be a great playdough mat for the Lenten season and for Holy Week preparation.

This week I made a CROWN of THORNS mat to add to our collection.  I will also put a handful of toothpicks into our bag for him to add to the crown.

If you'd like a copy, you can DOWNLOAD HERE for the printable pdf.

CLICK HERE if you'd like to download my other Playdough mat.

My try....my first playdough mat! Isaiah 53:5 Playdough Mat

I love the concept of playdough response mats so much....I used them Sunday during communion with 3yo Beck to great success!  He loved them and we had some great whispered dialogue between the two of us as we processed some of the elements of remembering Jesus' sacrifice.

I decided to make another mat that could go along with my communion set.  I've been wanting to use this verse and provide some type of response/interaction to it for a long time, and these mats were the perfect venue!

You can download the mat HERE to print in .PDF.

Maybe more to come?  So thankful to Flame  (click for link) for this awesome idea and all of the mats I downloaded and printed and am using from their site!

Bible Play Dough Mats courtesy of Flame Creative Children's Ministry

Recently I stumbled upon an idea that I just love!  Flame, a children's spiritual development blog, had these amazingly awesome and so developmentally appropriate playdough mats they were sharing!  I knew this was perfect for my kids--for a bit of guided playdough time and response to Bible stories.

First off, I printed all of the mats relating to the crucifixion and communion and Jesus rising from the dead--I placed them each in a page protector to keep the playdough off the paper, and I will be bringing them to church on Sundays for my kids to interact with during communion time.

In this current season we are in, our kids are expected to sing/pray and participate in the first portion of church.  During communion I like to bring some type of manipulative/book/activity specifically related to some aspect of communion/remembering Jesus' sacrifice so they can participate on their own developmental level.  I have a basket of several different objects that I choose from each week.  You can follow the label link to my other posts on this.

These playdough mats are perfect!  I will bring a small can of playdough (1 color) per child and I don't see this being too messy.  Each child has a parent sitting with them, so we can help if needed.

I also printed off all the other mats for the kids to use at tablework time (like when I am making lunch, etc.)  The first time I introduced them they spent about 2 total minutes and weren't that into them.  As with any new activity, the more I bring them out, model how to do them, and talk through the activity, the more engaged they are.  I just love the tactile way these invite young children to respond to Bible stories.

Are you sold?  You have GOTTA print these off and add them to your toolkit!!
CLICK HERE to go to the Flame Playdough Mats Page

And below are photos of my Quinn using the mats (again, I did not create the mats--I printed them off the fabulous Flame site linked above).

I have made a couple of my own in the style of Flame's, click 

HERE to check them out!

Communion Focus

Sunday during communion I gave Quinn the following copywork to focus on.  Now it's important to note that she is in a developmental stage where she LOVES copying....if she didn't, this type of work would have been tedious and pointless, but because she is internalizing and processing concepts of print through copying it right now, she loved this and it was perfect for her.  

I started by whispering briefly in her ear a reminder of the different elements of communion and what they meant.  We quickly flipped to I Cor 11 and read about Jesus providing the meaning of the cup and the bread.  (All of this was happening very quietly while the elements were being passed out during worship).  Then she went to work!   

Adding "God" and "Jesus" at the end were her idea.  She was so proud of her writing work, and she re-read it several times during the rest of the communion service.  This was a simple activity that allowed her to work with the concept of communion at her own level.  Obviously I wouldn't do this same activity with her every week, but might offer it as one of two choices for the next few weeks until she gets tired of it.  I might change out the verse or even have her copy from her own Bible.

Hearing God's word

I am doing an awesome Bible study on Gideon via Priscilla Shirer.  We've read/talked/listened in our study to how the Israelites have strayed so far from God in just a few generations, since the time of Moses and Joshua.  One of the reasons is because the parents and older generations didn't take Joshua's words seriously to impress the word of God on the hearts of their children. 

 Obviously, as I am deep in the throes of raising little ones right now, that makes a huge impression on me.  I don't want to be those Israelites.  I want my kids to leave this house with God's words etched into their hearts.

I came across this little passage in my homework this week and it shook me up enough that I had to write a post about it.  Shirer says, "What a difference the systematic hearing of God's Word might have made."  

What struck me, in particular, in that passage was the word "systematic."  I feel challenged and prompted to be more systematic about my kids hearing God's word.  Sometimes I feel like we are in a culture where systematic=boring.  I feel more of a pull to find creative, innovative ways to share things with my kids (and the amount of time and energy necessary to achieve this sometimes prevents it from ever coming to fruition) *ahem, Pinterest*....when the truth is, sometimes the old way of just reading through the Bible from cover to cover is just fine.  Obviously with my two and five year olds this is going to be a developmentally-appropriate Bible (probably a story Bible for the Little Man), but I really love the power that is in "systematic hearing of God's Word."  And obviously it was something God knew to be a tool for remaining steadfast (and remembering what He'd done for his people) because he commanded it to be done yearly in the Old Testatment times.

For us I think this is going to be part of our bedtime routine.  It has been at times during the past, but we always go back and forth between fiction stories and Bible stories.  I think we'll work harder to do a little of both every night with both kiddos.  I'm inspired!

Mary and Joseph flee to Egypt with Baby Jesus (Godly Play Set)

We've moved on in our story of Baby Jesus this week.  

First to set up our story on Monday.

A throne room for Herod.  Columns were from the Wedding at Cana playset back over the summer--love how Godly play materials are repurposed for different stories so easily!  Wood flooring samples (from Ikea) make great floors and roads for Godly play, as well!  Little king and throne chair are from a Melissa and Doug set we have.  

Here is Q making a mean face since Herod is so mean.  It kinda rocked her world that Herod killed all babies two and under--when she realized that would have included her little brother.  Sobering moment.....

 We set up a little stable for the donkey.  We put away the rest of the animals from the nativity, but kept the donkey, as they might need this guy to get to Egypt, right?  He is also eating from the manger that Baby Jesus initially slept in, as "Joseph built Jesus a crib."  (according to Quinn).

 Here's the house--notice the wisemens' gifts from last week are still hanging around.  Those are popular items in play!  Then there is the angel that came.  Scripture says that God told Joseph in a dream to go to Egypt.  Q is just sure that means an angel came to his dreams.  I don't know, so I am not arguing.  One way or another Joseph got the message from God.

 We had to have a way to indicate when the house was in Bethlehem or Egypt, so we made a little clip to put on to indicate what town at the different parts of the story.  So when they are in Bethlehem, we clip on that one.  And vise versa.  I happened to have these nifty chalkboard clothespins.  Regular clothespins written on with sharpee would work, too!

 We read the story from our Children's Bible (ICB version).

 This guy loves switching the clips!  Great fine motor practice.  And pre-reading skills!

After Monday (we do the initial introduction in the living room, usually) we move the materials to the shelf in the breakfast nook under the window.  There they are open to be played with at any time, and we can move them back to the living room during the week when we reinact the story again.  

Family Tenants

In light of the tradition of goal-setting at the year's beginning, I thought it'd be timely to share a post on our family tenants. 

A while back I had a conversation with a friend who was transitioning out of her job to stay at home with her boys.  In the course of our conversation we discussed some of the pros and cons of being both a working or at at-home  (or a both) mommy.  I shared that one of the hardest things for me has always been staying intentional about using our days wisely and not letting them just slip away and be "boring."  But on the flipside, with the Internet and Pinterest, etc., you can also feel like a Momma failure if you aren't conducting a full-fledged homeschool session complete with flashy craft projects and a light board and amazing field trips to the moon.  So for me, I needed to sit down and decide what was MOST IMPORTANT for our family--to have a set of tenants that I use to conduct our days. 

It took me several days and several drafts, but I came up with something that is so helpful to keep in the back of my mind (and the back page of my journal that goes everywhere with me) as I decide what we do and where we go and what we eat and how our schedule looks.  It both challenges me (some of the tenants are a little difficult to consistently adhere to!) but also gives me relief when we eat fast food for lunch one day (knowing that overall we eat great and one day isn't going to ruin this for us). 

So here's what is most important in our days as a family:
*We serve and love on others every week. 
I had to think through this one.  Could we do it every day?  I sure hope so, but maybe not always.  So AT LEAST once a week we are intentional about a "bigger" act of service (and of course we work hard to live like Jesus and serve in the little things/ways every day)--right now what that looks like is often writing letters/notes/drawings to a handful of shut-ins and sick folks we've committed to encouraging.  Some weeks this is challenging--to get the notes written, addressed, mailed....more work that it sounds!  But it also helps alleviate the guilt when we can't visit every nursing home and cook food for everyone who needs it.  Some day those things may be good fits for us, but right now my kids are learning to serve and love others through a weekly act (and the small things I mentioned before).  I also feel that by not packing our "Serving Schedule" too full we can really focus on the people we write to encourage.

*We pray, praise, and study God's word together every day.
This looks different through different seasons, ages, and even days of the week, but having this tenant helps me be intentional that every day has these elements included in it.  On school days a lot of this happens in our morning "Driving Devotional." 

*We love our neighbors as ourselves: sharing, talking kindly and upliftingly, gentle touches.
This tenant really helps me focus in on my discipline and what battles I choose with my kiddos, and the intent behind discipline encounters with them.  Also guides the language I use with them during discipline. 

*We leave room in our days for the Holy Spirit by not overfilling our calendar(s). 
I mentioned earlier that we are intentional about one act of service a week.  But I really feel that by not overfilling our calendars we leave room for other things the Spirit might lead us to--and often that may be an act of service.  Because we don't have a gazillion extra-curricular activities, we are able to say yes to these things and not feel stressed.  This tenant, in particular, helps guide us in saying no to pretty much all kid-type extra curricular activities for right now (realizing this may change as they age).  We've decided that Quinn's 3 days of preschool and my/Beck's 1 day of Bible Study (on the same day Q does school) is the extent of our extra curricular activities.  No dance, gymnastics, sports, music lessons, etc. at this point in time for us.  I supplement a lot of that at home in simple preschooler-appropriate ways, but we have decided that for us an open calendar is more important that possibly over-filling our days and not leaving room to be together and allow the Spirit to guide our time. 

*We take care of our home together.  
My kids have chores.  Even the 2 year old.  And they are expected to clean up everything they use.  We all live here and we consider our home and our things as blessings God has given us.  As a result, this leads us to use them wisely and be good stewards of them.  Which means everyone pitches in.  And Daddy is the best example of all, to be truthful!  That man can wash some dishes, fold some laundry, and vacuum a floor in a crazy-good way!

*We eat wholesome, unprocessed food together at the table.
We try to limit ourselves to only 2 meals eaten out a week.  We generally don't do food dyes  and added sugar (sweets) except on Saturdays (we call it "sugar day" and have one sweet treat....more on that in later post).  Also we ALWAYS eat at the table.  My kids don't EVER eat anywhere else.  No snacks anywhere else, no drinks anywhere else other than the table. 

*We exercise our bodies with outside play, dancing and touch. 
This means my kids are outside every day.  In the rain.  In the cold.  In the crazy-hot heat.  Obviously we use weather-appropriate clothing and weather-appropriate activities (ie: we are at the pool every day in August!!) but my kids need to exercise those little bodies, develop their proprioceptive systems, use up their energy, and be kids.  And I need fresh air and exercise, too!  We also have dancing time inside several times a week, and tickle sessions (with wrestling for the little man) every night before bed!  We use a lot of massage with the kids, too, especially before bed and especially as a calming tool. 

*We're screen-free during the week and Mama is during awake-hours and Tuesday nights.  
My kids don't watch any tv/video/dvd/computer during the week.  Nothing.  Not even one show.  I don't have the tv on, either.  On Saturday mornings Q often gets to watch Mr.Rogers a bit so the rest of us can sleep in.  And Daddy shows Little Man chainsaw videos on Youtube.  But during the week we feel that research so abundantly proves that it's best for our kids to be screen free.  I work my very hardest to be during their awake hours, too.  No email, computer, etc.  Also we've declared Tuesday nights "No Tech Tuesdays" for Matt and I after dinner.  We spend the time together with no technology.  Do I need to tell you that Tuesday has become my favorite night?  :) 

*We read good books.
We read to the kids before nap/rest and at bedtime every day.  And often in-between!  We go to the library every week.  I keep active book lists of developmentally appropriate and interest-appropriate books for my kiddos.  And I try to read, too, though often it's just my Bible Study material.  But that works!

*We rest our bodies.
We do rest/nap every day.  Q doesn't sleep, so she has to stay on her bed and listen to her books on CD for about an hour, then she can play quietly in her room.  Her body really still needs to slow down and rest, and she also benefits from "forced boredom" by having to use her imagination to play quietly in her room!

*We enjoy God's creation together.
We watch birds, we look at cows and fields on the way to school.  We observe the trees change colors. We take nature walks.  We read nature books.  We love nature and enjoying our God as Elohim--creator God!

*We play and learn together.
Our days contain playful and learning times, in a balance with the other tenants that are important to us.  I spend time making a loose plan for each "home day" and we have a plan for the rhythm of our week.  We follow a general schedule every day of our time. 

So there it is....It has worked so great for me as a mom.  Like I mentioned, this little piece of work guides my days....keeps me on my toes, and keeps me from being overwhelmed.

Wanted to share this time of year in case it might be something that appeals to other Mama's, as they think of the upcoming year and what is most important for their family. 

Epiphany

 Happy Epiphany yesterday!

We had a fun day celebrating the wisemen's visit to Jesus.

I had a glass star candle on the table at breakfast for each kiddo.  A little surprise!  My kids are loving candles, so they were thrilled to have one for their very own and to keep it at their place all week while they eat!  I got these for a dollar at a thrift store. 

 These wisemen were waiting in the middle of the table.  Facing west (since they were coming from the east) but Q rearranged them, as you can probably tell. 

 Daddy built Jesus' family a house!  So we moved em out of the stable and into a little house.  We spent a lot of time talking about the fact that they lived in a simple house--not a castle or mansion, as most people expected the newborn king to live.  We put a little wooden crate in place of a manger so Jesus could have a bed.  We made a path for the camels/wisemen with rocks and acorns and candles.  Q had lots of fun getting things set up "just so!"  I love using godly play to teach spiritual concepts and Bible stories to my kiddos.  This will all be available for them to play with for a couple weeks, as they work through the story during play. 

 I made a star garland that led to Jesus' house.  I traced a little star cookie-cutter on to some cardboard from the recycle bin.  Cut them out.  Quinn and I painted some of them gold.  Then I sewed them (with my machine) onto a piece of jute.  I strung them from the ceiling down to the house. 

 We read the story SMALL CAMEL FOLLOWS THE STAR (Rachel W.N. Brown), which Quinn loved.  It was a little lengthy for Beck, so he squirmed through it.  Later in the day I got out some of our Christmas board books (that talked about Jesus' birth) and we looked at the pages with the wisemen.  He loved this! 

Q and I have been reading in her Bible about how kings were anointed as a sign of them being chosen by God.  So we anointed our "Baby Jesus"--Aka--the King of Kings!  I melted a little coconut oil and put a few drops of lavender oil in it.  Quinn LOVED this activity! 

 Beck was interested for about 2 minutes.  :)

 We read the story from the gospel of Matthew.  We talked a lot about how kings usually live and look, and why people were surprised by Jesus' humble beginnings.  We talked about the gifts--and how we can give Jesus the gift of our love and the gift of following him with our life and our actions. 

 We made "wiseman" hats--I cut out the back from old jeans.  The kids picked fabric from my scrap bin and I  pieced it together then sewed over it all.  I love how they turned out! 

 Here they are yelling "wisemen!" at eachother.  This is so my kids.  :)

 

We had a special dinner--roast (Daddy's favorite) with sugared apples--I used to make these by putting apples and red hots in the crockpot, but Quinn can't have food dye, so yesterday I used cranberries (sauce--cooked and left over from New Years, a touch of brown sugar and cinnamon, and the apples.  It was soooo yummy!  And a beautiful red color.  

I had set the table with paper stars I'd cut out of brown paper for each person's placemat, and then the stars in the center.  We ate on pretty dishes.  Quinn told the story of the wisemen's visit.  

We also had lots of "camel" pretend play.  We have a stuffed camel they played with, and we also pretend our rocking horse and some other large stuffed animals were camels.  

I look forward to the tradition of celebrating Epiphany and adding a little bit to what we do each year! 

Building a manger

At the beginning of the advent season Matt and the kids built a manger together. 
Matt had pre-cut the wood (a pallet he'd deconstructed--we build everything out of trashed pallets around here!) and all the kids had to do was help him nail it together.  They even got to use his air nailer, which was amazing to them.  :)  Usually he opts for old fashioned hammers and nails (often he will drill the hole for the nail first, then have them pound the nail in to make it easier), but this time they wanted to hear the air compressor. 

I had already given Daddy instructions that I wanted to use it as a bookshelf after Christmas (I'd seen one similar in a Land of Nod catelog), so he made one side higher so books could rest spine out. 

The manger sat under our tree, empty until Christmas.  Beck wanted his baby, Moe, to be Jesus.  We wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in the manger as we talked about the story.  Now the manger and "Baby Jesus" stay out in our living room for the kids to play with.  Quinn likes to swaddle him and Beck just likes to carry him around. 

I just love those little tootsies on the edge of this frame, don't you?!

We have talked this advent season about the prophets sharing God's promise of a King he would send.  We've talked about the story of David and how Samuel annointed his head with oil to show he was a king.  So on Monday (Ephiphany) we will annoint our baby Jesus' head with some olive and lavendar oil and talk about how Jesus is the King of Kings.  The kids are already excited!
Again, using the language and photos from the Jesus Storybook Bible as we go through this season--there's a great story/illustrations of Samuel annointing David, but then the book connects that story through to Jesus.  So much fun!

Next year we may use our manger to add a piece of straw anytime we do acts of kindness--the message being that we can prepare our hearts to be a home for Jesus when we do things that he did--love others as ourselves.