Christmas Approaching

With Christmas just weeks away, Nathan and I have been discussing what Christmas will be for our family - what traditions do we want to start and what do we want to carry over from our families. It's amazing how little you talk about these things until you have children. I look back at my childhood and Christmas was always such a fun and special time. There are so many of my experiences that I want to give to Nash. But there are also new ones that we want him to have. I want Nash to know that we don't celebrate Santa and that Christmas is not about "me". It's about the birth of our Lord and celebrating the sacrifice he gave to us. While a big fat man coming down your chimney with presents may sound more magical to Nash, the true wonder is how our Lord came into this world and that he defeated death that we might live. But how do you teach that? How do we learn that and model that for our son? That is definitely my prayer this Christmas - that God would change Nathan's and my mindset so we could teach that to our son. I so desperately want him to be a better person than me!

5 Weeks to Go!

We officially only have 5 weeks left until our precious son arrives. We are getting so anxious to meet him. He is moving so much these days - I can just feel him wanting to say "Get me out of here!"

What I'm most looking forward to after Nash's arrival:

1. Seeing his face.
2. Finally "getting it" and being a part of the parents' club.
3. Drinking wine - just bought a bottle of Cakebread Chardonnay for postpartum celebration.



The nesting bug is definitely full force these days as well. Today's tasks were window cleaning and sliver polishing. Just trying to get all those pesky tasks completed before our attention is turned elsewhere. :) Christmas prep is also keeping us plenty busy. We'll be hosting our family here since Nash's debut could be around that time. I'm looking forward to making my first Christmas meal and having it in our new house. The big unknown is how Nash will attend. We shall see!

Newspaper Poetry

When you're snowed in, you have to find creative ways to entertain yourself. Today, we wrote newspaper poetry. The rules are simple. Pick a news story and find words to build your poem. The only hitch is that the words you use have to go in the same order they appear in the article. Just black out the words you don't want to use - and you have your newspaper poem.

Here are my poems, made from stories from the Dec. 24 edition of The Daily Oklahoman. Enjoy!

"The hall closet filled with gifts"
From "With a bit of delicacy, regifting can be OK" by Jennifer Palmer.

Christmas gifts waiting to be wrapped,
Waiting for a new home,
Perfect for so-and-so.
A tasteless fruitcake or ugly sweater,
Edible items such as wine, chocolate, coffee or nuts,
Scented candles or body lotions,
Or a book on a topic you're not interested in,
A toy my son received for his birthday -
It would be a shame to keep a perfectly good toy in a closet,
Instead of in the hands of a toddler.


"A memorable present"
From "A memorable present from Senate Democrats"

One whale of a Christmas present, delighted to report
$132 billion that will only cost $871 billion - something to brag about.
(gulp)
No biggie - details be dammed!
Debacle.
He is forced to claim the mandate of 'history' because he can't claim the mandate of voters.
Tragedy, the culmination of 20th-century liberalism.
Reckless bureaucracy trumps innovation,
Change nobody believes in.