Advent Countdown - Day 2 - Australia

Today is the second day of our count down, but is also our oldest boy's birthday.  For this reason, some of our activities will be altered for today and tomorrow!

Our Bible verses today were Isaiah 9:2-7.  Oh how I love reading in the Old Testament about the coming of Christ!  This reading caused quite a conversation in our house!  The question arose why people didn't believe Jesus is the King, when He was prophesied of, in the Old Testament.  I tried to explain that people didn't understand, just like people don't understand today, without the help of the Holy Spirit.

Our country for today was Australia.  Did you know that it is summer time in Australia during Christmas?  This blew my children's minds!  We talked a little about the seasons depending on where you are in the world, but it still left them in awe!  Living in the south, we are use to it being warm at Christmas - even beach type weather, but not hot.  Our Australian Christmas meal will be eaten tomorrow night, due to our birthday boy wanting Lasagna and Brownie Cheesecake tonight :)

To go along with our Australian theme, we read the book Wombat Divine by Mem Fox.  Such a cute story, featuring animals that are not often heard of here in the United States, including a wombat and an emu.  Having studied emus before, the children were delighted to find one featured in a book!

Our craft today was Snowflake Art.  We took our inspiration from Ten Kids and a Dog.  Here are some pictures of our winter art work.

Advent Countdown - Day 1

Oh how we LOVE this time of year!  I love finding different ways for our children to countdown to Christmas, trying to keep our focus on Christ.  There is so much "stuff" out there for Christmas - toys, Santa, bigger and brighter decorations, the Elf on the Shelf, etc.  I'm not saying there is anything wrong with any of those, but I know for our family, there are times it is difficult to keep our focus where it belongs... on the true reason why we celebrate Christmas.  Last year we counted down by using Truth in the Tinsel.  If you have preschool or young elementary aged children, I highly recommend it!

This year, however, we decided to go a different route.  We are combining a couple different ideas.  Everyday we read some Scripture.  We also read a book and do some type of craft or activity.  Monday through Friday, for school, we are learning about how Christmas is celebrated in different countries and of course, trying different foods from that country, preferably one that is eaten around the Christmas holiday.

Today is the First Sunday of Advent, and the first of December.  Our Scripture reading for today was John 1:1-5.  We read the book The First Christmas by Jan Pienkowski.  It is a lovely rendition of the birth of Christ.  We then completed some Nativity scene pictures, using stickers from Oriental Trading. Here are some pictures of the projects:

With it being the First Sunday of Advent, we also received our new ornaments for the year.  Every year we each receive a new Christmas ornament for the tree.  Hubby usually receives a Nativity one, and myself a Willow Tree angel.  We try to find the children ones that represent their interest that year.  It is one of our favorite traditions, with many memories being stirred when we take them out the following years!  For example, the one year we went to Walt Disney World, so the kids each received an ornament from there.  This year we picked up our ornaments from a really neat store in South Dakota, that sells Christmas items all year long.  So much fun!

Thanksgiving Traditions

I absolutely adore family traditions.  I find them to be pivotal in making memories.  Since having our first child, we have tried to instill different traditions in our family.  We tried looking at our (my husband and my) growing up years for inspiration.  We also talked with friends, and continue to embrace new ones over the years.  We do not participate in some of the normal secular traditions, like the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, or Trick-or-Treating for Halloween, so perhaps that is why instilling traditions is even more important to us.

For Thanksgiving, we started a family tradition three years ago.  Our two oldest boys dream of being a police officer and a fireman/paramedic.  The younger of the two, upon finding out that they still have to work on holidays, wanted more than anything to bring them a full holiday dinner.  He and I made a compromise - I would bake a pumpkin pie - one for the police department, and one for the fire department, every Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Once we get the turkey in the oven in the morning, we wrap up and head out the door, pies in hand.  The appreciation expressed by those working brings joy to our boys' hearts like nothing else!

Afterwards, we head home and finish up our dinner. When we eat our own pies, the boys always question whether we think those working liked the pie and are eating it at the same time we are.  It is one family tradition that may mean extra work for me, but is worth it in so many ways!!!

And for the fun of it, here are some pictures of our dinner :)

Hudsons Head West - Part 8 - Heading Home

Our time in the west was over.  Our responsibilities back home were looming ahead.  None of us were ready to leave, yet the choice was not our own.  Our pets needed us home, hubby needed to head back to work, and the children and I needed to get back in the swing of "normal" schooling.  And we missed our church family and friends.  So we all piled back in the suburban and started back home.  Even the baby was upset about coming home, so the 2 yo tried to comfort her.

On the way home, we were suppose to stop and visit a dear friend of mine.  Unfortunately, her children were sick, so we were unable to do so :'(  So, we kept on driving, and reached our next destination early.  The night before getting home, we stopped in Hendersonville North Carolina.  There is our favorite apple orchard that we go to each year.  Since we were passing through there anyways, we decided to pick apples the morning we were to get home.

After a fun time of picking five bushels of apples and picnicking at their tables, we finished the journey home.  Truth be told, it was quite nice to sleep in our own bed that night, though we desperately missed the cooler temperatures and beautiful slowness and scenery of the west <3 p="">

Hudsons Head West - Part 7 - Land Search

My family and I dream of what life will be like after the military... when we get to chose where to live.  Tons of prayer and dreams have gone into our plan.  Each of us have been given the opportunity to express our heartfelt wishes.  Lists and spreadsheets have been made, comparing and contrasting all fifty states.  We have listed our desires in order of importance, with the state's laws being at the top of the list, especially regarding home school and personal protection and safety.

We also have a great desire to live in a climate that has all four seasons, rather than "hot" and "hotter."  Snow is a must.  Being able to garden and have chickens is also a must.  Raw milk is desirable, though we are hoping to eventually have cows, goats and/or sheep to supply our own.  Hunting our own property would be ideal.  A fresh water supply would be phenomenal.

Our quest has led us to the northeastern parts of Wyoming.  Our last day in the area, we headed over to Crook and Weston Counties and looked at some properties.  What a gorgeous area!  The laws are ideal, raw milk is accessible, grass-fed beef is in the nearby areas.  The properties we looked at were nicely sized, with plenty of trees along with some areas that would work nicely for building sites.  The lots obviously had critters living in the vicinity, as you could see numerous bedding down areas.

We will continue to pray that God shows us the exact property He has in store for us.  We are quite certain it will be in that area.  He has shown us over and over again that it is the general vicinity He desires us to be.  We look forward to the day where we can live the simple lifestyle we feel called to live!