Merry Christmas!

The magic of Christmas has fallen upon us again.  The stockings were hung and the children were nestled.  And deep in the night the greatest gifts were left for us to discover.  Gifts that can only reside in our hearts and our memories. 

Christmas morning arrived to bright-eyed smiles and the warmth of family gathered.  There were surprises and exclamations.  There was thanks given and joy felt.

The presents have now been unwrapped.  The toys played with.  Hugs have been given.  Good food has been enjoyed.  Games played and a movie, or two, watched. The day has been lovely.

Christmas is about family.  Christmas is about giving.  But most of all Christmas is about Love.  This evening, as we cuddle up together to enjoy the last bit of Christmas magic in this day, we will remember that love has come.  Our hearts are full.  And that is the greatest gift of all.

Christmas Time is Here

Christmas time is here

Happiness and cheer

Fun for all that children call

Their favorite time of year 

Snowflakes in the air

Carols everywhere

Olden times and ancient rhymes

Of love and dreams to share

Sleigh bells in the air

Beauty everywhere

Yuletide by the fireside

And joyful memories there

Christmas time is here

We'll be drawing near

Oh, that we could always see

Such spirit though the year

Oh, that we could always see

Such spirit through the year...*

* A Charlie Brown Christmas

A Little Halloween Fun

Halloween at the zoo?  Yes, please!  We went to Ghouls at Grassmere this past Sunday night.  This event at the Nashville Zoo was a witch's brew full of spooky trick or treating with a pinch of animal sightings, a full stir on a haunted carousel, and a cup of Monster Mash dancing.  In other words, we had a Casper approved good time.  

Peeps and Eggs and the Cross

Our Easter is a series of events that center on family and love:

We move the cross around the circle throughout the season of Lent.  Observing the passage of time and honoring the life of our Savior.  This is our act of remembrance.  It is first and foremost. It is essential.

Then, a few days before Easter, we roast peeps and we smash them up into s'mores because, well, it's a whole lot of fun to roast a sugary yellow chicken.   All families have odd rituals.  This just happens to have become ours.

 Following our sugar rush, we hide glow-in-the-dark Easter eggs.  This recent addition to our Easter celebration came about as a creative way to keep older kids interested in egg hunts.  It is 100% successful.  We hide eggs until long after bedtime, until we crash from adrenaline and sugar. 

When we wake up the following day, around noon because of the aforementioned crash the night before, we dye Easter eggs.  We're a pretty artistic family, so every year we try to find a new way to dye eggs.  This year, I decided on a science lesson.  If you put oil in the dyed water it creates a marbled effect on the eggs, allowing for several colors on one egg.  They were all sad when we ran out of eggs to play with.  I personally think they turned out beautifully.

On Easter morning we rise and, wearing our spring best, we go to church to celebrate our Savior. 

After lunch we still do a traditional egg hunt, though I think we've almost left this stage.  Only the little one truly enjoys the search.  The other two are good sports though, so they still play with her.  Chris hides and the girls seek.  Although I have to say that Sicily is so competitive that she would find them alone, which is what ends up happening by mid-afternoon.  She even changes out of her nice sandals into tennis shoes for the hunt.  Egg hunting is serious business to that girl!  The cat is also an egg hunting participant. She follows the egg hider around, waits until she doesn't think anyone is looking, and then pounces on the egg.  I think she's disappointed every time she finds that it's not a real egg.

After all of this, we spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying the beautiful spring day, remembering the love that was given for us and offering one another the same.

Happy Easter!