the most wonderful time of year.

Don't you agree? The chill of winter, friendlier people, the colors of Fall, hot coffee, Christmas decorating, busy parking lots...okay, so maybe not that last one, but the rest of those things are most certainly wonderful! I just LOVE this time of year. It's a time for all of us to come together. And by all of us, I mean everyone around the world. Christmastime is a great reminder of all we have to be thankful for, what a miracle it is to be alive, and how blessed we are by a most gracious God. It seems there is an overall feeling of Christmas cheer in the air. We've spent the past week preparing for December and all of the incredible things we'll be doing this month. No, we don't have any extravagant trips planned, but we do have bigger things in store. We have several advent calendars throughout the house, including a daily present the kids will open before bedtime (a new Christmas book) and a daily random act of kindness we'll be performing. I've written down different acts of kindness to do every day and the kids will draw one from a jar every morning. Whether it is to hold the door open for someone, donate a toy to a child in need, or call someone just to tell them we love them, I want my kids to know that this time of year is about giving. I don't want to take away the magic of it all for them (We BELIEVE in Santa!), but I don't want them to get caught up in the whole "I want, I want, I want" ordeal and forget what we're really celebrating Christmas for in the first place. I think they're both old enough to understand now, so we're starting new traditions this year. I debated buying the elf on the shelf but quickly realized that would be a temporary behavior control tool. I don't want my kids to learn to behave for one month because Santa's elf is watching them! I want them to behave all the time because they should out of respect for their parents. That said, I do think the elf is adorable and the concept is genius...just not for our house. Anyway, I digress. Forgive me for rambling, it's been a while since I've written and it seems to be flowing right now so I'm just going to run with it! I've always known the true reason for the season, but this year is more special to me. We have our church home (where we'll be spending Christmas morning-Yay!), the kids talk about God and inquire about Him often, Kenz knows that we're celebrating Jesus' birthday on Christmas Day and since I've finally opened up my heart and let Him in completely, it's just going to be that much more amazing this year. I can't wait to see what this month has in store. I'm most excited for Christmas morning, but also the events leading up to it. Here's a peek at what we've been up to the past week or so...Oh, and when you scroll down and see those Trader Joe's Peppermint Pretzel Slims about half way down...you should mark that down on your mental list of things to buy next time you're at TJ's. They are decadent. Plenty more pictures to come as the month unfolds. :)