Our Simple Christmas

This year for Christmas we opted to take a nice relaxed approach. We cut out a few things in order to simplify Christmas and I am so thankful. Together we decided to enjoy decorating our home, hosting a Christmas dessert fellowship, building a gingerbread house, enjoying a few outings, reading through Unwrapping the Greatest Gift, and enjoying a thick stack of Christmas books.

On Christmas morning we just took it nice and easy. Brandon and I woke long before the children. Eventually Brandon couldn't contain his excitement any longer and we woke them up! What a sweet memory to hold in our hearts.

Together we enjoyed such a lovely morning of just being with one another. We opened a few gifts, played with new toys, and enjoyed a leisurely brunch. I baked a German Puff Pancake for the first time that was a smashing success (and so very simple).

After plenty of time spent at home to relax we headed to the Farm (my parents home) to enjoy Christmas with extended family. It was such a delight to enjoy our sweet family which continues to grow. Elijah and Evangeline especially enjoyed playing with cousin Paisley pictured above. They just laughed and giggled for hours. What a great reminder of exactly how Christmas should be.

While at the Farm we enjoyed a lovely dinner together and opened more gifts with family. (Evangeline is pictured above with her great grandmother.) For our family the holidays always come with divided hearts since it is incredibly rare that we see both sides of our family on the same day. (I think the last time it happened was two years ago for Thanksgiving right after Eva was born.) We are never rushing from one Christmas party to the next since our families live so far away from one another. I'm thankful that we were able to travel to Arkansas for Thanksgiving with Brandon's side of the family and enjoy Christmas with my side this year. We also celebrated Christmas with Brandon's parents when they came to visit for Eli's birthday earlier this month.

My youngest niece Paisley.

Overall Christmas was such a blessing and very relaxed this year. I'm hoping we can continue this tradition for years to come! I treasured this Christmas and Advent season where we have been able to really focus our hearts on Christ.

How did you and your family celebrate Christmas this year?

Comments

August Reads

None Like Him: 10 Ways God is Different From Us by Jen Wilkin : I'm quickly becoming quite the fan of Mrs. Jen Wilkin. I've been working through her 1 Peter Bible Study this summer and I absolutely loved reading through this book on the attributes of God. I found myself reminded of so many things and almost felt a sense of relief as I contemplated what God is like. This book was a delight to read. I love that there is now a book on God's attributes written especially for women. Pure awesomeness! I highly recommend this book for both new believers and those with years of experience. I also think it would make a great book club book. The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian: This book is one that I have been wanting to read for years and I just never got around to it. I am so glad that I finally took the time to read and pray through this book! What better gift could I give my husband the past month than to spend time earnestly praying for him through a

Our First Tent Camping Experience

Earlier in June we embarked on a new adventure. TENT CAMPING! Two summers ago we enjoyed a wonderful time camping in a borrowed pop-up camper but this was our first experience sleeping in a tent as a family. We loaded up our very full van and headed to Land Between the Lakes in Western Kentucky for a new adventure. It was wonderful. One of the neatest aspects of our trip was the fact that Nina & Poppy Steve (Brandon's parents) were able to meet up with us! (They live a good 10 hours away from us so this was a real treat.) We had so much spending time with them. We stayed at Hillman Ferry Campground and I would definitely stay there again. Hillman Ferry Campground has a lovely beach with an area roped off for swimming. The kids enjoyed playing in the sand and I even took them swimming in the lake. I have been swimming many times in a lake but I think this was my children's first real time swimming in a lake. (The closest lake to us no longer

This Week's Goals

We have been so blessed to fill our August with such fun family memories. In the picture above we enjoyed a day trip to the Columbus Zoo where we got to get up close with some kangaroos! August has been so busy for our family that I've neglected to share my goals the past few weeks. We've been squeezing in lots of summer fun as we transition back to school days. I also began teaching fall piano lessons. Here are a few of my goals for this upcoming week. This Week's Goals Marriage, Mothering, & Family 1. Eli is playing flag football this fall! I'm excited to attend his game on Saturday. 2. Eva has a therapy appointment this week. I am so thankful for all of the incredible progress that she has made over the past year. 3. Take both children to the park to play this week. Homemaking 4. Work on plans for Disney. I need to work on our packing list and make some reservations. I also need to purchase a number of items before we lea

Life as Mrs. Emerson

Search This Blog