Children's Christmas Pageant

Last Sunday we had a Christmas Pageant at church. It involved the younger children. Four of the older kids read out Scripture and at designated times the younger ones walked up on the stage to represent the passage. They were all very sweet and cute.

Some pictures of the cast before it began.

Joseph and Mary

Poor Abby is being strangled by Erin.

Actually there were five readers.

Some of the spectators

The show begins.

Angel Gabriel talking to Mary (Erin actually didn't say anything). Angel Gabriel was supposed to be a boy but since Hamish wasn't there we had to substitute. Erin didn't mind. She probably felt like Mae from Shirley Hughes book "Angel Mae."

Caesar William

The inn keeper

The whole crew at the end.

They all did a fabulous job, especially Jessica who organized it all with only two practices. She did a brilliant job sorting out all the kids on the day.

Ladies' Gingerbread House Evening

Last Saturday Mum, Caitlin, Tegan, Emily, and myself attended a gingerbread house making night which some ladies from our church organised. I didn't make a house because I am making my own house from scratch next week and I was on photography duty. Mum didn't make one either in case she had to look after Sebastian.

Here's what it looked like before anyone started.

About 25 ladies came, a reasonable sized group for the first year.

Here's some of the ladies busy at work. I liked going from table to table to watch people's progress.

Amy spent all night working on hers and didn't break for supper because she had to make sure everything was lined up straight.

Here are some of the ladies' completed houses.

I like the little snowman out the front of this house.

Guess What Arrived In My Mailbox Today!

My totally brand-spanking new copy of the 2009 version of Emma. I'm excited!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree/ A Catchy Post Title Will Come Eventually

Last Thursday night, when Sean and Cassandra were over for our weekly dinner together, we put up the Christmas tree. We always put it together as a family and each person puts at least a few things on. We each have a special ball with our name and the year of our first Christmas on it. We still have to purchase one for Sebastian. We also have one for Emma; and one for Dad and Mum, and Sean and Cassandra for their first year of marriage together.

Dad always puts together the tree and then lets us kids decorate it. Mum always puts the angel on top.

We ate these cute little treats while we putting the tree together. Mum borrowed the idea from Evonne, and I think Evonne borrowed the idea from someone else.

Annaliese loved the beads.

We had a photo last year of Angus with this star around his head. This year the younger ones had a turn.

Our completed tree

And our two noble beasts sitting in front of it (though some people think the noble part could be disputed).

Right now I am trying to think of some catchy title to use for my Christmas posts (I have a lot of them coming up). I'm hoping to come up with it in the next few days. If, for some reason, you have been pondering the same thought, please let me know any ideas.

Angus

This is my last but not least birthday post for the year. Next year I'm going to try and think of a different idea for these birthday posts. But to get to the point we're celebrating today, and the reason is that it is Angus' 14th birthday.

Emma's favourite person besides Sean and Cassandra is Uncle Angus, more affectionately known to her as "Uncle." We think that perhaps when Emma was told that Angus was Uncle Angus she decided that the whole name was too long and went for the shortened version of Uncle. We tried to tell her the other day that Sebastian was also her uncle but she wouldn't have a bar of it. Only Angus could be Uncle.

Angus is the owner of the distinguised guinea pig Jack and his wife Jane (dec). They had several litters of babies before Jane passed away. Angus is also one of the creative ones of the family and enjoys drawing. He's very good at copying pictures and wants to become a draftsman for a profession. He's also very good with his hands and is the Mr.-fix-it when Dad isn't home.

Happy Birthday Angus!

Also if you have any brilliant birthday posts ideas, I'd love to hear them.

Flashback Friday-Christmas Tree Assembling Fun

2006

2008

2009

Christmas Traditions

I love Christmas time! There's something about it. I have loved it even more the last couple of years because we've added some new traditions; traditions which help us keep the focus more on what Christmas is all about. Traditions like the Advent Candles. We started doing the Advent Candles last year. Four Sundays before Christmas you light one candle and read a Bible passage. On each consecutive Sunday you light an extra candle and read another Bible passage.

Each candle symbolises something (the white candle is the Christ candle). Last Sunday the candle symbolised hope and prophesy. Then on Christmas Eve you light all the candles and let them burn all night, that is all night until you go to bed. It's a nice family time; reading the Bible together with lights off and candles on. After we finish reading we sing a carol and pray.

This is something we've only started this year and have only completed one day (since today is the 1st of December). Caitlin made it and it is simply beautiful. I told her she should try and sell some on Etsy next year because I'm sure they'd sell. It's an Advent Calendar. In each pocket we placed a treat (we used FAVOURITES chocolates) and a Bible verse, which tells the Christmas story, printed on cardboard. We haven't actually printed the verses yet since our printer ran out of ink.

The pattern had other pictures that were supposed to be on the calendar as well, but we decided to only use these ones because they had more meaning in them, as opposed to Santa Claus (which we don't do), candy canes, etc.

And here's our last Christmas-lead-up-tradition that we have so far. It's a Jesse Tree, or more correctly Line, that some dear friends made for us a few years ago. I can't remember whether I posted about this last year. Each day, beginning with December 1st, we read a Bible passage which shows how the Old Testament story pointed to Christ or was integral in the history of the Bible leading up to Christ's birth. Some mornings it is just a story from the Bible, other mornings it is a prophesy about Christ.

What Christmas traditions does your family have?

A Word of Encouragement

" No matter how much we've stumbled and fallen today, God does not count our sins against us."

Jerry Bridges

The Discipline of Grace

Emma's Party

Here's some pictures from Emma's Dorothy birthday party on Saturday. As I went through them on Sunday morning I realized I didn't take any photos of Emma smiling. Every single one of them she wouldn't smile for. Maybe I needed to be more on the ball and taken candid ones.

Here's Emma and Liv inside reading.

Last week Mum bought Sebastian a new adidas outfit and also a pair of volleys. He looks so cute in them.

Lydia and Alex having a swing. Whenever Lydia sees me with my camera she says "Mile." When I was requested to "Mile" this time Lydia didn't smile for me.

Emma and "Uncle" as she affectionately calls Angus

Cooking a BBQ is a serious affair.

Nana and Olivia

Emma wasn' too sure about everyone singing and looking at her. At least she didn't cry like she did at her 1st birthday party.

After most of the guests left we played "Make 5." A game I don't really enjoy but I usually don't do too bad when I play it. I came second this time but Dad won convincingly with a 40 point lead. My only regret from the day was that I never tried the chocolate raspberry trifle.

Emma

It's amazing to think that this little girl is two years old today. Dear little Emmy Lou (there is a reason I call her this but it is rather long winded so I won't explain it now) was born just after 2 o'clock in the morning on 27th of November, 2007. I remember hearing the phone ring that morning around 5 o'clock and leaping off the top of the bunk and running to the phone only to reach out my hand and touch the phone as Mum picked it up in her room. There would only be one reason why the phone rang so early that morning, even though she was about 10 days early. I always thought she would arrive early.

There, that's my reminiscing over and done with.

Emma is such an entertaining little girl. We often find her a great source of amusement. She has more of Sean's personality than Cassandra's and is very thoughtful and meditative. She looks more like a Roberts' than a Buttsworth so she is pretty well evened out between the two sides of the family. It will be so nice to watch Emma and Annaliese grow up together. They love each other very much and are always overjoyed to see each other. If they continue the way they've started they'll grow up with their best friend being their aunty or niece.

Happy Birthday dearest Emmy Lou!