christmas

what "makes" christmas for you? i think i have decided for me, a big part of it is the music and how i am able to worship Jesus through the wonderful christmas songs. also lately it is of course, the traditions we are trying to establish with our kids: of the advent calendar (chocolate of course!), reading the christmas story in a variety of ways (since i love children's books), baking, trimming the tree, and painting ornaments every year so that by the time they leave home they will have many for their own tree some day.

honestly, though we have done some of these traditions already this year, i must say i don't much feel in the spirit of things. my business (thanks to you all) is booming and i have been busy doing shows and filling orders. i am just plain tired and spiritually i feel dry. i am incredibly thankful and honored that so many people are loving my art and having God's Word and other beautiful pieces fill their home, and i must say i am looking forward to the "lull" in january. (come the 2nd week of january i will most likely be sad that sales are slow :) ha!
in any case, we had a little photo shoot this morning before sunshine girl's preschool program. my mom bought the girls beautiful christmas dresses so they freaked out this morning to put on their "princess clothes" and we put them in the stairwell with the natural lighting (and to force them to be close to each other, since i like tight shots) and we shot away. daddy was a crazy monkey (or something?) behind me and i got to practice using our new canon 7D!
i must say i think i have the best kids in the whole wide world...
and of course, the silliness begins... can't do a photoshoot without crazy faces or butt shots!
here is my favorite little mister, now 6 1/2! last tuesday night while we were at the chris tomlin and christy nockels christmas concert (though very sad to say christy was sick... i almost left right then, but decided to give chris a chance)

anyways, he pulled it out by himself! (this is something i did not like doing as a child and have feared as a parent... the day i would have to pull a tooth! though, with him i don't think i'll have to touch one!)

we got home and our babysitter said how my favorite little mister pulled his tooth out while they were reading stories. our babysitter told him to put the tooth on the counter so he did. later on our other sitter was cleaning the kitchen and put his tooth down the garbage disposal thinking it was a crumb!!!! (of course i got out the flashlight and looked down the disposal trying to recover the tooth)

anyways. he said my favorite little mister was a bit upset of course thinking about the tooth fairy now not coming since there was no evidence of a lost tooth. (which is funny to me, since 3 days earlier daddy & little mister were talking about how santa & the tooth fairy are not real)!

well, i could NOT wait to see him in the morning with this gap in his teeth. (he is adorable :) so, he came down & i of course made a big deal & made him tell me the story & i said, "did you look under your pillow?" & he said, "why? i LOST the tooth!" & i told him to go check. he comes running back down a minute later with a chinese red envelope which enclosed 2 shiny quarters and his exclaims to me, "MOM, now we can tell daddy the tooth fairy IS real, and that OUR tooth fairy is chinese!" (priceless)
and here is my sunshine girl at her performance today. she had been singing and doing her poem for weeks. when we got there and all dressed in her angel costume, she got so upset but wouldn't say why. later on tonight when i asked her why she was sad (if she was nervous or what?) she said she was sad because she had to wear the costume and that meant people could not see her new dress. (so funny!)

anyways, as of today because of her program and just taking more time with the kids to read and share and enjoy cookies, i am feeling more in the spirit.

if any of you still need one of a kind gifts, something meaningful and unique, please jump over to my shop!

grace and peace,
julie