Like A Dream Photography Blog

In our house we  bring up Jesus every day, talk to God and believe in Santa.  The magic of the season wraps us in such a warmth and joy that I can’t even put it into words.  The lights, the carolers, the gingerbread house crafting around the table, the music on the radio, the festive decorations around the house, the cookies, the giving spirit and the smell of pine.   Oh, we embrace it all.

This year, at the ripe ‘ol age of  27 (haha), I made my FIRST ever Christmas cookies.  I was invited to a cookie exchange (another first for me), so I got excited and then nervous and then called the one person that I knew had experience – my Aunt Diane.  She and my cousin set a day aside for me to come over and bake.  It was so nice to have that girl time – learning family recipes, baking tips and tricks acquired over the years and ending up with gorgeous (and delicious) cookies in the end.  I must say, the no bake peanut butter balls were my favorite….and the first to go at the exchange!

Chance (our three year old) attends a Christian preschool.  One of the highlights of the season was when we were out and about and Chance noticed a manger scene, screaming out, “That’s Baby Jesus!  I see him at my school!”  I teared up – it’s a memory I want to replay in my mind forever.

We also had the opportunity to attend a Christmas musical in which Chance was a part of.  He and the other toddlers were given jingle bells on a necklace. Of course my child decided to take his from around his neck and sling it around on his wrist.  I signaled for him to stop.  He ignored me.  The children were singing Happy Birthday to baby Jesus and Chance slipped his reindeer headband over his eyes so that he couldn’t see.  Parents giggled, I squirmed.  The teacher fixed his headband and tried to take his necklace/weapon.  Chance tugged back at it and stared her down, stating it was his.  She surrendered and slipped back to watch the other children, warning him not to swing it again.  This is when he stood up, pointed at me and said, “I want my Mommy.”  Everyone laughed and turned to me as I said, “Sit back down and be a good boy.  Mommy wants to hear you sing.”  He did.  It was beautiful and I loved every minute.  (Believe it or not, they claim Chance is quiet and one of their most well-behaved students!  I was a bit embarrassed at the time, but looking back through my pictures I have to laugh (since no one got pegged with the necklace and no one was hurt).  Love my little man!)

That would be Chance in the sweater vest.

Grace came home with a letter announcing that the first graders would be performing in a Holiday choir up on the school stage.  She is our middle child and often tries to fade to the background.  She’ll allow Dreama and Chance to dominate the dinner table and car conversations, and she clams up when it comes to standing up and standing her ground around people she’s not very familiar with.  We’re working on her assertiveness and she’s come a long way in a short time!  She definitely is a little bottled up firecracker, so when she brought that letter home we were sure to get the entire family hyped up about going to see Grace perform on stage with her fellow classmates.  I dressed her in her Sunday best and grabbed my camera.  My aunt Diane, Glenn, Chance and Dreama cheered in the audience – Grace walked out and had a look of concern as she searched the crowd for us, then smiled ear to ear when she spotted us waving frantically.   The performance was spectacular and she was so very proud, as was I.

beautiful girl all ready to go.

it was a packed house and all parents had cameras out...not my ideal angle for the shot! haha =)

Glenn and I also volunteer as Room Parent’s for Grace’s first grade class, so we were responsible for organizing the Holiday Party.  Once again, my Aunt Diane saved the day.  I asked her if she’d show me how to assemble Gingerbread man bags so that we could bring them in and let the kids decorate their cookies.  Instead of showing ME, she baked 120 Gingerbread men and had the bags with icing, candies, etc ready to go!  Grace and her class LOVED the project, but unfortunately by the time Dreama’s class party rolled around, the cookies had missing limbs and we had to go to plan B – store bought gingerbread house kits for the kids to assemble and eat in groups.   All the kids had a blast and I am excited to try it all on my own next year.  Here’s to hoping I can do it as well as my aunt!

Dreama's in the pink =)

Of course our kids get excited for the presents that Santa will leave when he slips down our chimney on Christmas Eve, but we have tried to teach them that the season is about SO much more than that.   So this year we decided to pick a few names off of their school’s “Teddy Bear Tree”.  Glenn and I explained to the girls that instead of us buying them presents this year, we would all go together and purchase the gifts on the little Bear’s wish list for the under-privileged kids that are right in their school.  I imagined they would protest sacrificing their own gifts to give to another child, but instead their eyes lit up and they smiled, jumping in excitement and asking to go to the store right then and there.  I was a proud mama.  They asked why the kid’s names weren’t disclosed on the bear so they could know who they were shopping for.  We explained that their identities are kept confidential because it’s probably not something they want to share, and it might be embarrassing.  They asked why Santa wouldn’t be bringing them gifts.  We told them that we weren’t sure, but maybe they were homeless and Santa didn’t have a house to visit.  Dreama and Grace sat quiet for a minute and then asked again if we could go, saying how happy they thought the kids we were shopping for would be.  A cart full of clothes, toys and goodies later – we went home and wrapped everything, delivering it to the school office the very next day.  It’s a great feeling to imagine their little faces lighting up when they opened their gifts (whoever they might be!)  =*)

The kids had to spread reindeer food outside before getting jammied up.

We went online to track Santa and his reindeer before heading to bed.

Christmas morning our munchkins actually slept until 7:30am!  Dreama was the first to wake us, saying Santa brought a HUGE lemonade stand and she had no idea how he even fit it down the chimney or through the door!  We woke Grace and Chance and hurried down the stairs.  They squealed with delight and their faces lit up with every rip of the wrapping paper.  It was great morning.  I hope everyone’s Christmas was as magical as ours.