Month 7: Thanks & Giving

An apt title for this season in between the two holidays. Last month, our family spent each day sharing about things and people for which we are thankful. Now we have transitioned into thinking about giving gifts, the Greatest Gift, and the Giver. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

Each day in November, we put one word (or two or three) of thanksgiving on a fall leaf that we taped up on the wall around our kitchen. We are thankFULL! Here is our list. We took the liberty of writing some for Isaiah as well. I'm sure you can spot his. ;) And Zoë's for that matter.

Thanksgiving with the Nelson cousins

Pie!

Love

Big Sister

Grace

Laughter

Colors

Friends

Bedtime giggles

Sunshine

Hope

Gingerbread House Making with Zoey, 

who will be moving soon. :(

Bananas & Daddy & Mommy & Isaiah

Family Night

Big Girl Bikes!
(That she likes to borrow...though there will be one appearing under the tree soon :)

"Look, Ma! No training wheels!"

Warm house

Ella (Zoë's imaginary friend)

Conversation

Our silly girl!

Pumpkins & dogs

Princesses

Zoë enjoys composing her own music
This one is entitled "He wants to be a princess."
Oh my!

Zoë & Isaiah (Didi's contribution when she came to visit)

Mommy's milk

Medicine (for a house-full of sickies)

Look at those toofers! Count 'em - 1, 2, 3 and #4 on top!

"God is with me - I don't have to be afraid"

Family

Holidays

7 months old and still not quite interested in sitting up

(He likes to throw himself backwards. Must have learned that from his sister...)

Bath time

Sleep (which has been rare this past month)

Puzzles

Working on those pre-crawling skills!

Date nights

Didi (thanks for coming to visit!)

He may not sit much, but loves to stand

Oh. My. Handsome.

Jesus & Mommy & Daddy

Good and gracious God

Family "sleigh ride" at the Brite housing Winter Party

Our little apartment has become "home" and is cozied up with Christmas lights, a big tree and other fun Christmas decorations. We've begun our Advent journey - lighting candles, reading through Scripture, and putting up our Jesse Tree ornaments every day. I am loving this season with Zoë old enough to start to comprehend God's great love story. Our family Christmas tradition is to each spend the weeks of Advent preparing a gift for Jesus - a song, a dance, a prayer, a painting - that we then "give" to him by sharing it with one another in honor of his birth. It is a beautiful way to keep Christ at the center of our Christmas celebration and to show our gratitude to God, the Giver, who sent us a Savior, Jesus - the Greatest Gift of all time.