Baby Girl's First Haircut!

Baby Girl has had her bangs trimmed many times, but by the request of her father, the back has been untouched since birth, so the baby fine hair was pretty scraggly at the tips, tangled easily and Mommy decided it was time for a change.  So I eased Daddy into it, and he agreed as long as I didn't take too much off.  Only a few inches came off, but it is such a big difference!  It looks so much better!  And since Mommy used a blow dryer and curling iron after the trim, obviously, Baby Girl felt like a princess and flaunted her new do for me to photograph!

Advent

This year as a family is actually (I'm a little embarrassed to say) the first year that we have every done an advent calendar, we have done the advent wreath once, but 25 days of stories has been a really neat experience. 

What I found was this advent board book with 25 little board books inside of it, nothing to hang on the wall, which I liked, but it is also telling the whole story of the coming of Christ, it's perfect for the little ones, and durable!  It has been very biblical so far, which I also like. 

Along with this we have been reading Chicken Soup for the Soup Christmas Treasury for Kids, which I would recommend for kids 6 or 7 years old and up, Rob and I have gotten a lot from these stories also, several of them have left me teary-eyed!  Its a story of Christmas spirit everyday.  We have been reading these every night at dinner. 

At our house dinner is a definite, I don't want to say ritual, tradition maybe?  Anyway, every night, all year round, dinner is a sit-down together event.  I really am glad that we have chosen to do that, it was actually more of Rob's "thing", that I kind of rolled my eyes at a little several years ago when it began, but now, I see it as a very important part of our family.

Something else that has become a tradition at our house has been prayers at dinner time, we have always said thanks for the meal, but since, I think it was Thanksgiving last year when my dad wanted to go around the table and have each of us say something we are thankful for, Zach thought that was the greatest, he loved that each of us prayed at dinner, and since he loved to lead us in prayer, he started asking each of us to thank God for something before he would say "Amen", now it is tradition, the kids take turns each day of the week (with Rob leading on weekends) leading  us in our prayers of thanksgiving, each of us just saying one thing we are thankful for that day.

Does your family have any advent traditions?

Both of the books that we are using this year can be found on www.christianbook.com.

The Passing Of A Great Man

Yesterday morning was when my Uncle Steve Hane left this earth.  He was not quite 54 years old and he had lived with cancer for the past year.  There are things you learn as you grow up, things that you wish you knew when you were younger, especially things like how important it is to know your family, not just hang out with them a few times a year, not just send them cards or check up on them on Facebook, but really know them.  Maybe I am one of the few, the blessed, but I have an amazing family.  And I regret not having more time now, to get to know my uncle. 

For me, I love my family, I mean LOVE my family, each and every one of them make me who I am today, each one of them has impacted my life, and my Uncle Steve is no different.  While I don't claim to have known my Uncle Steve really well, definitely not as well as I would have liked, there is things that I do know.  He was all about family and all of us were always welcome in their home, he was completely loving and always ready with a smile when I saw him.

Growing up, I was convinced that my Uncle Steve was a rock star, literally.  I had heard he played in a band, had heard them practice in his basement and even snuck down there to take a peak!  As an adult I've heard them play a handful of times, but the night I will remember best was at his "going away party".  The smile on his face and the joy in his eyes, he was still a rock star to me.

As I learned things about living from my uncle, there is also things I have learned about dying from him.  It is not the time to stay in bed, feel sorry for yourself, or accept a sentence, it is a time to do the things you love, and be with the ones you love. 

We are going to say good-bye to my uncle on Friday morning, and I'm honestly not ready, it's not my timing for sure, so I am leaning on the Lord's perfect timing and finding rest in knowing that he is no longer hurting. 

As we all get older it is harder and harder for everyone to get together in one place at any given time, and I find myself missing that big family Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve at my Uncle Steve and Aunt Amy's house.  I know as we grow up and have our own little branches of our family tree we make new traditions, but somehow I feel like I had it the best, better than my kids even, when all of my aunts, uncles and cousins were there, funny as it sounds, I wish they could have been there for that.

A New Look

If you are just joining us, you won't know the difference, but I've revamped and given this place a whole new look, it seems appropriate what with our whole house remodel that we are in the midst of too!  I've been gone for almost two years now, this is very sad!  So now that I'm back, I really am wishing that I never stopped, but sometimes that's what happens, can't do anything about it now!  I will be adding to this as often and as much as I can now.
New things you should know about... I seriously think I have found a new addiction, Pinterest!  Also, I do coupon still, this is not an addiction like it was when it started, but it does do wonders for the budget!  I am NOT a hoarder, but I do have a little on hand to get me to the next earth shattering sale! ;)  We enrolled Grace and Ethan in public school this August, it was a REALLY tough decision to make, but they are thriving to say the least!
I have just passed my 32nd birthday and we are fast approaching Christmas, so what an exciting time to start blogging again!  Well, I will post more as soon as I find a minute, but for now, thanks for coming back (or joining us)!