The Christmas Heist...

I almost blogged about this before the heist even took place but wanted to make sure we could pull it off and that it went well.
Thursday night we put the kids to bed a little early (our rationale: Christmas is coming and they were going to be up late a lot in the next few days). After about 5 or 10 minutes of them getting settled, Dave and I ran up the stairs yelling, "Get up! Come on, hurry up and get up! We still have some Christmas shopping to do!" The kids were so baffled!!! We had them come downstairs and put on their coats and shoes, grab their Dunkin' Donut gift cards, their cup of milk and $6. All the while they were asking, "Are we really going?", "Are we going right now?" "Are you serious?" I'm pretty sure they thought mommy and daddy were off their rockers!!! Then we had them pick a name out of a hat. Once we got in the car, our first stop was to DD for a couple of munchkins each. After that we headed to Walmart to shop. Each of the kids had picked a name of a sibling to buy a gift for so Dave and I took each one of them down the aisles and had them pick out a gift. They were so funny about being secretive and not letting the others see what they had picked. Thankfully, despite the long lines, we got a kind and patient cashier who went along with our adventure in letting the kids each pay for their own items.

We did it! We pulled off the Christmas heist. The whole ordeal took about an hour out of our evening but I'm pretty sure the looks on our kids faces when we got them out of bed will last forever in our minds.
During the Christmas season, you try to instill in your children the importance of giving and how that is what God did for us. But when you bring buying gifts for others, the idea is that appetizing to children. But by pulling the evening together the way we did, we saw joy in our kids buying gifts for each other. They took some time to think about what their brother/sister would like for Christmas and nobody complained about spending their money. And now they are so excited to wrap up their gifts tonight and put them under the tree.
I'm not sure who is more excited for Christmas morning, the kids or Dave and I. We can't wait to give them our gifts but we also can't to see them give to one another.

When I told someone today about our little Christmas heist, he asked, "Is that a Christmas tradition?" I responded...it is now!!!!

I have read about the idea being done in the summer when you take your kids out for ice cream or something like that but I really liked doing it for Christmas. We plan on "heisting" a couple times of year now and the kids will just never know when...

Yes, I know this looks like a picture of nothing much but I just wanted to note that I have NEVER seen my kids put their shoes and coats on so fast!

A friend had given each of the kids their own DD gift cards and I just thought this was so cute with the 3 of them lined up to pay for their munchkins. I am just glad it wasn't crowded and the lady working was very patient with our 3 SEPARATE orders of munchkins.

Future shopper, right?!?!

It Doesn't Matter...

Recently my sister-in-law e-mailed me this poem and I have truly been hanging onto it with a newborn in the midst of the Christmas season.

It Doesn't Matter...
that the dishes are not done
that my 3 year old's clothes don't match
that my couch is a mess
that I have plenty more loads of unwashed laundry waiting
that there are cobwebs in the corner
that we're out of bread
that I have errands to run
that my Christmas tree looks like it was decorated by toddlers {it was!}
that I haven't finished reading my book
that my bed isn't made
that there are 20 projects I would like to finish
that the floors need to be swept
that I only got one quick chance to take a family photo and it didn't turn out how I wanted it to
that my hair needs to be washed

...because right now the most important thing is just being present with my children and teaching them to love Jesus.

Granted this could apply all year round but this time of year especially when we are in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. I have most definitely simplified things this year. And you know what? I don't think the kids even notice. They are still just as excited about celebrating Christmas and are enjoying the little things that we have been able to do together.

My mom gave me a great book this year called "The ADVENTure of Christmas". There are 25 different days to count down until Christmas and each day explains the meaning of things like Christmas trees, outdoor lights, the Candy Cane, baking, etc. Yes, I had all good intentions of doing one everyday but that just didn't happen so we did what we could and I look forward to doing the book again next year with the kids. I posted a couple pictures below of a few of the things we have done with the kids.

We wish you and your family a VERY Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

We were making ornaments for the tree for the day we learned why we decorate Christmas trees with ornaments. Siah really got into this one!

This day was how to find Jesus in our Christmas trees...and of course the edible christmas tree activity!

Josiah asked his teacher if he could be a donkey in his Christmas show. He sure makes one handsome looking donkey!!!!

And yes, Hannah was an angel in her Christmas show. She looked beautiful and had a smile on that melted your heart when she sang.

And here is the little man...he is already 6 weeks old and I can't believe it! He is just starting to smile and make little noises when he sees us. He is such a good baby and so patient with his siblings who are all over him all of the time!

I couldn't get much done with Jonas living in his sling. He absolutely loves this thing! He falls asleep within minutes and I can cook, wrap presents, fold laundry...until my back can't take it anymore. 6 weeks old and he weighs 11 pounds already!