Our "Little" Family Christmas

Aren't Christmas traditions the best? I look with such fond memories on the traditions my parents started and continued with my brother and I. From how we decorated our Christmas Tree, to the food we ate, to the scripture Dad read (still reads), It all goes together to form the many sweet memories and even the special times we now have with our family. Even though Chuck and I have yet to be alone together for Christmas Day, we have tried to develop our own family traditions that we usually complete a week before Christmas.
We had a great time worshiping the Lord together for His precious gift of Jesus and then sharing our love with each other through a few gifts.
All snug by the fire anxiously awaiting the evening's events (try to look past the remains of our special Christmas meatballs and cheesy potatoes on the smiling faces).

We always enjoy opening our last "gift" and then reading the story of Jesus's birth from Luke 2 (something both of our extended families enjoy still today).
The piles of gifts they were ready to give.
Our princesses. I guess I got caught up in the excitement too - this was the only picture I got after we opened presents!

I wrote last year about a Christmas tradition Chuck and I have enjoyed doing with our kids. We call them our gifts. I ask the kids what they are thankful for that God has already given us. I type them up, wrap them up and we open one each night in December to remind us that "Every good and perfect gift comes from above." Then we spend time thanking God for the gift. Since the things they come up with always touch my heart, I thought I'd share their list from this year (in their words). We have already received so many precious gifts.

JESUS!!! The greatest gift of all!
People to take care of us, who
bring us food when Mommy is sick
or sad
People who help us
Our nice house
Warm clothes and blankets
Food and Drinks
Good books
Music
Parents who take care of us
The Bible ~ God’s Holy Word
Friends
Our Church
Mommy
Daddy
Jake
Caleb
Aly
Anna
Grandma and Pop Odell
Uncle Curtis, Aunt Jessica, Cade, Joel
Grandma and Papa Lambert
Uncle John
Uncle Tim, Aunt Roxie, Ashlynn, Katie, Maggie, Timmy, Gracie
Uncle Andy, Aunt Betsy, Hannah, Lydia, Emma, Sylvia
Uncle Brian, Aunt Jodi, Culley
Nana ~ That she loved Jesus and that we knew her and that she’s in Heaven

Catch Up

I'm playing catch up once again! Just so you know, I will be posting some long overdue pictures from Thanksgiving and the beginning of December and will date them way back when they happened. :)

Let it Snow!

A Gentle Reminder

It was one of those days. The kind of day when I didn't get anything done except pick up. I amused myself by trying to guess how many times during the day I did the same thing more than once. How many times did I sweep the floor, how many times did I fix the couch cover and replace the throw pillows? How many times did I put a tractor back in the playroom (after tripping over it)? How many times did I wipe noses (or other body parts)? I was going around the house quickly repeating tasks when I came to the little manger I keep down on the kids level for them to look at. I don't mind them playing with it, but I try to keep all the pieces together, which takes some picking up once in a while. I glanced at the little table and noticed the figurines were not how they were "supposed" to be. I let out a small sigh and bent down to return things to their "proper" places when I was stopped in my tracks.
Those sweet, messy little ones had everything in its perfect place! Right where I should have been. Focused on the cross.
In my busyness, I almost missed a sweet reminder that even in my repetitive, seemingly unimportant day, my focus should be on the cross.

Helping on the Farm

One of Chuck's favorite things to do when he gets a chance to go "home" to the farm is help his dad with the cattle. While we were there, they were able to help Dennis move cattle a few times.
Chuck was soooo sore after hours of riding horseback.
The kids love "helping" too!
My brother, Curtis and his son Cade with Jake.

Thanksgiving Fun on the Farm

Holidays on the farm in Smith Center are always full of fun and family. With 14 grandchildren together in one house you can imagine the fun, energy and noise. This Thanksgiving, we were missing 4 girls - Andy and his family were on a trip to Illinois on college visits for Hannah (still can't believe she's going to college next year!). Even though there were only 10 Lambert children, my brother and his family were able to meet us there from Illinois, bringing the grand total to 12 children. It was such a good time. The guys did a lot of hunting and some farm work. We had a good time just being together.
One of the highlights for the kids were Grandma Nita's hedge ball turkeys.

They had so much fun putting them together.
Aly and Gracie diligently working.
Ashlynn and Katie were such good helpers and even managed to create their own masterpieces. Katie was a little bothered by the four-legged look, so she came up with a way to make hers look more realistic with two legs. :)
The finished products.
Aren't they cute? Thanks Grandma, for the great time, great food, relaxation and awesome turkeys!!