Some of Our Christmas Crafts

I have mentioned before that I'm trying to be a crafty mom for my little treasures. Sadie LOVES projects and so I'm learning more ideas, things to use, and how to engage my children in the real meaning of Christmas. So... this year as my project portfolio grows, here are a few things we have done to get ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus!! Some are Christ centered (our goal...) and others are just ideas I found.

Here are my two little angels (and their coffee filter wings glued onto milk bottles)... all "blinged up" with stars and stickers!
The angel appeared (to the Shepherds) and the Glory of the Lord shown around them... Lk2:9
Fun ornament making... (thank you KG for your recipe)!!

1 C. applesauce + 1 C. cinnamon + 1 tsp. glue... roll out into 1/4 inch thickness... cookie cutters or trace hands. Cook on low temp or let dry for a week.


More ornament making... which is better to decorate, or eat the decorations? (These ornaments are cookies, thank you IKEA)

Christmas wreath made of my favorite little hands
Playing Nativity with play mobile figurines
Colored nativity glued onto a pizza cardboard circle
Face painting (at a friend's house)...

Snow Finally Comes to the Alps!!

After weeks (seemingly) of rain we were thrilled that we could finally put our snowflake stickers on our calendar! And it was the perfect snow... a little wet, good for packing... but not too wet so it was still fun to play in. Yesterday and today Sadie Mac had adventures playing out in it.

Snow Angels!!!
Fashions her little snowman very carefully...
Then kicks him over in one swoop!

We learned to make and throw snowballs (our favorite part of the day!!!)
We even saw some other snowmen that were about her size that she wanted to sit on! We had a great day!!!
All the while Noah was at home eating smurfs!

Christmas Parade... Lighting the City Lights!

Everybody loves a good Christmas parade! I was excited l to be able to take Sadie Mac and have a special (surprise) friend join us from out of town!! It was really neat as the parade brought in by music, bubbles, stick-men, Père Noël himself (!!) and fire breathers... (which Sadie continues to talk about all the time!). These festivities all led up to the lighting of the town lights! (In all actuality, this part took too long for us and we headed home before the lights came on! Long day + tired mom with toddler on her shoulders= short night of festivities!) We had a great time... enjoying the cold of winter here in France and all the festivities that go with it.

The man that breathes fire!!!!
"Stick-men" (on stilts!)

Père Noël so close we can touch him!!


*Special thanks to my friend who took the pics and let us use them!!!

Père Noël!!!

I LOVE the Christmas season!! So thankful for it's meaning and love all the festivities that go on! This week we received a flyer from Sadie Mac's school that there was going to be a "small festival" at a park that is near our house. We had gone to a friend's house for a play date and all decided to go find the festival. (So thankful for these friends whose little girl and Sadie play great together and the mom helps me learn French. We talk in French, but when I don't know a word, she has enough English to help me!! What a blessing!)
Anyway... we go to the park and nothing is there! We saw some red tape that was up, with some balloons, but no people and no festival in sight. So, we just decided to let the girls play for a little while when out from around the corner comes Santa! Sadie and her friend both start screaming (with excitement): "Père Noël!!! Père Noël!!!!" My heart was happy because on her own, Sadie was speaking French... and it was with a friend! So precious. So we found a small little festival behind a building that is beside the park! We had a great time and heard some Christmas music by an old time music box... wind up kind, and got to take a ride with a donkey drawn sleigh (? maybe that is how the story goes here in France! ;-)!) Great day. Very thankful for time with friends and for a ride with Père Noël!


My sweet friend, her daughter, and Sadie Mac... waiting for the sleigh ride!

2 Sleeping Beauties... and a kid brother

So, look very closely and you will see a tiny sleeping beauty on the pillow with my own sleeping beauty. I went in one night to check on Sadie Mac and this is exactly how I found her. Aurora is her favorite of the princess' right now... and so I guess she decided to sleep with her this night! I just thought it was too cute not to pass up the pic (and of course show the grandmothers) here on the blog!
Sadie's kid brother... is my little, "I'll share my crib with you." Apparently he's not one to stretch out... but leaves plenty of room for a friend. Cuddles up against the edge I suppose. Again, cute and couldn't pass up the photo opp!

Exploring the Alps

A few Fridays ago we had the day off from school and so we enjoyed taking the kids up into the mountains (Les Alpes). There is a castle behind us and just beyond the castle is a cool path that use to be a village. There are still some remains from the village and so we hiked around and then ended up at a beautiful waterfall. It was pretty cold, but we all enjoyed the sights!

Notice: Sadie singing!!
Daddy's Girl...
Mama's Boy...

Oh MY... How he has GROWN!!

When I think back to one year ago when I brought home this baby boy that could easily fit into Sadie Mac's baby clothes... I look at him today and think... I am so blessed. He is healthy... strong... active... crawling everywhere... starting to want to walk on his own... He is a treasure. He was so tiny...
The only way I could get him to actually lay down still beside "Molly" was to give him a bottle... then he still wouldn't stretch out his legs... but you get the picture... he is much much bigger... and the Lord has been so gracious to us over the past year! Thank you Lord!

**Special Note from Noah's father: This is NOT Noah's doll... only a mere comparison from the week he was born!!! ;-) Sadie's doll... Noah size!

His First Haircut

My children will both have curls. Sadie's will get curly if we don't brush it out... it looks just like mine when I was little. I tell her, "do not fear... those straight locks will curl up before you know it!"Well, Noah's is getting a bit long and we thought the "hippy look" is out for now... so tonight... snip, snip...
The Before...

The During...

The After... (Mom, what did you just do to me?)


I was thankful... he really did do great. Sadie Mac "entertained" him with "Look here Buddy" (making funny faces at him!) What a clown! Anyway... my little baby boy is looking more like a little boy and not a baby every day... hmmm... sad.

How one little person can change your entire life....

Happy Birthday to my precious son... whom I love with all my heart...

A year ago today, I went in for my normal weekly appointment at the doctor as we still had a few weeks before Baby Rhyne's due date. Because he seemed small and wasn't moving a lot... the doctors decided I needed to be monitored... then be moved to the hospital for more monitoring... then they decided to induce me. I wasn't expecting to have a baby that early!!! Several hours later, with family in the waiting room... Noah arrived... a little bitty 4 pound baby boy... and we prayed for his breathing, we prayed for his blood sugars, we prayed for his little life. All the nurses that came in and doctors as well, called him a miracle baby. Two doctors told me that if my appointment would have been a day later, he would have most likely been still-born. Through all of the complications... God was good and faithful, as always, and Noah did great and has continued to do well over the past year.
When he was two months old, our lives changed drastically. We found out that due to his hypothyroidism we could not return to our home in the sandbox... now, a few months later, we are learning French, not Arabic... we eat croissants, not fava beans and falafel. Each day brings new things with these two little treasures... trials, joys, this is life I suppose. You think you are going in one direction and the Lord can change it in a moment. We are learning each day and being transformed into the Lord's likeness.This life that I live, it's not my own... it's His. He can do with it as it pleases Him. I'm thankful He has me on this journey... to know Him. It's hard, but worth it.

French Castles & Grenoble

Well, we're on fall break (hence the traveling!) and are taking full advantage of enjoying the sights our region. The Rhone Alps are amazing and we don't want to let this time pass us by. Stephen was wanting to see a castle and there seem to be several alongside the "motor ways" (interstate).

This castle we wanted to visit... and it's about 15 min. from our town... This was my favorite pic from the several we took. Sadly, almost all the castles close for the season in mid-October. (Didn't know that until we were already on break!) Oh well, there is spring! We just really liked this pic because it shows how grand the mountains really are behind a 15th Century Castle.

After the short visit to a closed castle, we ventured to the city of Grenoble. It is a beautiful city with parks and IKEA (!!!) so we spent sometime at both of those!
They also have gondola rides up to the top of the mountain and they were really enjoyable for us... Here is what they look like from the outside...

And here is what they look like on the inside! (Sadie is working on her smiles!)


And a view from the top!! Again... Sadie and her smiles... (me, rolling my eyes!)