Christmas Smiles

As I started to sit down to type this post this afternoon, I could hear K-Bug out in the hallway (she often naps there in the afternoon) reading books to herself. She had opened one of our books about The Christmas Story, and was re-telling in vivid deatail about Mary,Joseph, baby Jesus, the sheperds, and the angels (she especially likes the angels). I had to smile to myself as I heard her telling the amazing story of Christ's birth through her preschool mind-set.
My Mom blessed us with an AMAZING Nativity set this year too - it's Fisher Price, and all the pieces are bright and fun and most of all, NOT breakable. Both girls spend time each day playing with their "Na-tivvy set" (na-ti-vity set is kind of a mouthful...:) Somteimes the baby Jesus ends up riding in the back of a wagon pulled by a sheep (when Lorelin's playing), and sometimes the Wise Men will spend large amounts of time asking Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus if they'd like to come and play.....
of course, AFTER the wise men give baby Jesus their gifts of "gold, grain, and fur" (as K-Bug called it tonight. K-Bug has taken the "na-tivvy" story one step further though. After she saw a DVD telling the Christmas story a few weeks ago, K-Bug has asked me almost every day if I can help her "be Mary"

 

This task is accomplished by getting one of her blankets and placing it fully on her head (this was ALL her idea, not mine!) I found a little clip that works well for holidng the blanket in place. Then, we must wrap her "baby Jesus" in swaddling er....blankets...:) She will then carry baby Jesus from place to place lying him in various places around the house. I've even found her on her knees with her hands folded in front of her in a most reverant position. :) I love, love, LOVE the fact that my preschooler with the vivid imagination is using it to place herself in the Christmas story - it has made the story come alive for me in new ways this year.
Putting up a Christmas tree has long been one of my favorite Christmas traditions. This year the girls helped me take the ornaments out of their boxes and place them on the tree. No-one loves the Christmas tree more than Miss Lore-lin though! She absolutely ADORES the fact that there are so many different types of ornaments hanging from the branches. A few days after the tree was up, we also noticed that the ornaments seemed to keep finding new homes - moving from place to place. We've since had to keep a closer eye on Lorelin and the tree, but it's been so incredibly fun to see how much Lorelin loves this Christmas tradition. :)Here's a picture of Lorelin in front of the tree with an amazingly huge smile on her sweet pixie face (she's probably thinking about which ornament she'll try to move next! :)

 

For those dear friends and family so far away, we miss you and wish you could be here to help us make Christmas smiles in person. Until then, we hope you enjoy this pics of the smiles we've been making at home!