12.27.2012
No Internet
So we had a good snow storm last week and our Internet stopped working that day. It wasn't surprising to me. It didn't come back the next day. It still didn't surprise me. It didn't come back the next day and I started to wonder. But I got lost in Christmas celebrations and didn't have time to call. It was actually kind of nice to not have the option to spend time on Facebook or aimlessly browsing around. So finally a week later I called our provider and discovered our router went bad and had to order a new one. We will spend another week internetless. I'm slightly annoyed now but am really thankful we updated Justin's phone so I can at least stay in touch with it. But my snowman pictures, Christmas pictures, and other regular internet activities will just have to wait. Because typing this post when I can't see what I'm typing is really annoying. And I'm sure my husband would like his phone back.
12.19.2012
Winnie the Pooh
Last Saturday we took Aria to the play, "Winnie the Pooh and the Christmas Tail" at the Old Creamery Theater in the Amanas. It was excellent! It was our first adventure to that theater and we were highly impressed. We had fabulous seats, second row in the middle, but I don't think there would have been a bad seat in the house. Everything having to do with the actors and performance was really awesome. Personally, I thought Eeyore was the best. The guy really had the woe-is-me character perfect. Of course, Aria's favorite was Winnie the Pooh. The story was cut from the Winnie the Pooh movie in which Eeyore has lost his tail. They set it on Christmas Eve for this play and cut out the 'back son' part from the movie. Aria followed along very closely and was entertained the entire time. The best part for her was the autograph/picture sessions you could have with the characters once it was over. Yes, I am going to include her picture with each character because she was so excited about each one. They all commented on her Pooh and Piglet shirt she had to wear to the show.
I only have two small complaints about the theater. The showtime was 11:00 am. This is geared toward young audiences, people, why are you having a show during lunch time? It didn't actually start until at least 11:15. Then, there was an intermission from 11:45 to 12:00 and it was over by 12:15. I thought it was very silly to have an intermission when such a short portion of play was left.
That being said, we would still go to a children's play there again. Aria had such an awesome time and the actors and show were done so wonderfully! I just love the opportunities we get to share with our daughter!
I only have two small complaints about the theater. The showtime was 11:00 am. This is geared toward young audiences, people, why are you having a show during lunch time? It didn't actually start until at least 11:15. Then, there was an intermission from 11:45 to 12:00 and it was over by 12:15. I thought it was very silly to have an intermission when such a short portion of play was left.
That being said, we would still go to a children's play there again. Aria had such an awesome time and the actors and show were done so wonderfully! I just love the opportunities we get to share with our daughter!
12.18.2012
Adventures
I'll apologize for lack of grammar rules up front...
Right before nap time today, Aria took me on an adventure. First we rode a train through the snow to the zoo. We needed the car keys to turn on the train, but it didn't make any noise because it wasn't a real train, just a pretend one. All of a sudden something was chasing us so we had to leave the train and run to the car (one set of stairs to the other). Then we had to use the keys to drive to see the bug exhibit. The first bugs we saw were snails. The Mommy and Daddy snails were on the ceiling and the babies were on the floor. They are slow snails. One snail was on my head and eating my hair. Then we were going to see the spiders, but they were locked up in a cage (the refrigerator). We couldn't touch them (thank goodness). After the spiders we had to run and see the horses in the field. There were purple ones and green ones and black ones and brown ones.
At that point it was nap time, otherwise I'm not sure where we would have gone next. I just love her imagination and had to capture it just a little bit! :)
Right before nap time today, Aria took me on an adventure. First we rode a train through the snow to the zoo. We needed the car keys to turn on the train, but it didn't make any noise because it wasn't a real train, just a pretend one. All of a sudden something was chasing us so we had to leave the train and run to the car (one set of stairs to the other). Then we had to use the keys to drive to see the bug exhibit. The first bugs we saw were snails. The Mommy and Daddy snails were on the ceiling and the babies were on the floor. They are slow snails. One snail was on my head and eating my hair. Then we were going to see the spiders, but they were locked up in a cage (the refrigerator). We couldn't touch them (thank goodness). After the spiders we had to run and see the horses in the field. There were purple ones and green ones and black ones and brown ones.
At that point it was nap time, otherwise I'm not sure where we would have gone next. I just love her imagination and had to capture it just a little bit! :)
12.16.2012
Truth in the Tinsel 7-12
I must say my excitement for our Truth in the Tinsel lessons and crafts has diminished just a little bit. When I first glanced through it I didn't think there was quite as much focus on just the birth of Jesus story. I thought there was more about who Jesus is in general. However, I feel like I am repeating myself a little bit with some of the lessons, as I will note below. I do still like it. Aria is still excited about it. I just wish I would have taken a little more time to tweak it myself first.
Day 7: Mary's Song. This is my least favorite lesson so far. Mary's song from Luke 1: 46-56 is not in any of Aria's Bibles. It mentions that she sang to God, but doesn't give any words. I also wish there was some kind of musical recording of Mary's song, but I don't know of any. I don't mind, so much, talking with Aria about Mary singing a song. In fact it is a nice connection to Aria's love for singing. The craft, however, was kind of silly. We took a blank cd and decorated it. I'm not sure why. I didn't even know what to tell Aria when she asked why we were decorating it, other than to make it look pretty. Oh well. I'm not even going to put a picture because it isn't a very good picture and it really is a cd with some sequins and glitter glue on it.
Day 8: Rising Sun. This is from Zechariah's response when his son, John the Baptist, is born. He describes Jesus as the "rising sun" who will "shine on those living in darkness." It is from Luke 1: 57-80. It was a good connection to day 1 when we talked about Jesus as the light of the world. This is the kind of lesson I like, slightly outside the regular Christmas story box. The craft was fun, too. It is a glitter foam sun!
Day 9: Joseph. Back to the regular Christmas story, but I didn't really mind making a Joseph to go with the Mary we made in day 5. Joseph was Jesus' earthly father. He obeyed God and married Mary even though it probably seemed very strange to him that she was pregnant by God. Aria liked that we now have a matching set.
Notice the snowpants she's wearing in the picture. It was really exciting that we got a very small bit of snow, so we had to wear the snowpants. :)
Day 10: Joseph's dream. This is where it gets too repetitive for me. We just talked about Joseph yesterday and we talked about his dream when the angel told him to marry Mary and name the baby Jesus. Now we are taking a day to just focus on the dream. The Scripture was the same for both days, Matthew 1: 18-25. There is so much more to Jesus, I just didn't think we needed to do two days of Joseph and his dream. However, this craft was pretty cute; a pillow for Joseph. We used felt, threaded it with pipe cleaners and stuffed it with cotton balls. Not sure Joseph would have chose (or even had the option for) a pink pillow, but that's ok.
Day 11: Names of Jesus. This is one of my favorites in the group. I did change it from the book slightly. The lesson talked about how the angel told Mary and Joseph to name the baby Jesus. It talked about how Jesus means "God saves" and Immanuel, which means "God with us." The craft said to glue a bunch of small random names on a stick then glue a big Jesus on top to show He is the name above all names. I like that, but I didn't know if Aria would completely get it. Instead, I decided to find all the names for Jesus and glue them on the stick. We talked about the different names we use for Jesus when we talk to him. The first one Aria said was, "God." I thought that was cool. On the name stick we glued God, Savior, Lord, King, Wonderful Counselor, Father, Immanuel, Prince of Peace, Christ, Holy, I Am, Shepherd, Mighty God, and maybe some more that I am forgetting. The we glued big J-E-S-U-S letters on top. It was a fun conversation and cool to see that Aria does recognize there are several names for Jesus. We referred back to Isaiah 9 for some of the names. We also talked about some of her nicknames, which was fun, too.
Day 12: Census. This lesson was about why Mary and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem, to be counted. We're back to the specifics of the Christmas story. I don't mind talking about them going to Bethlehem for the census, but there isn't much more to say than just that. The craft was unique and fun, though. We used food coloring and "hanitizer" to dye rice. (Not sure the purpose of the hand sanitizer, but it did smell good.) Aria chose red rice. We shook it all up in a bag then left it on a tray to dry. Once the rice was dry, Aria put it in a jar with two small, random game pieces we designated as Mary and Joseph. We wrote their names on them and put faces on them. When the lid is screwed on tight, Aria can shake the jar and move it around to try and find Mary and Joseph amongst all the people that went to Bethlehem. It was a good visual to show that Mary and Joseph were a part of a big crowd, which leads to why they have to stay in a stable.
Day 7: Mary's Song. This is my least favorite lesson so far. Mary's song from Luke 1: 46-56 is not in any of Aria's Bibles. It mentions that she sang to God, but doesn't give any words. I also wish there was some kind of musical recording of Mary's song, but I don't know of any. I don't mind, so much, talking with Aria about Mary singing a song. In fact it is a nice connection to Aria's love for singing. The craft, however, was kind of silly. We took a blank cd and decorated it. I'm not sure why. I didn't even know what to tell Aria when she asked why we were decorating it, other than to make it look pretty. Oh well. I'm not even going to put a picture because it isn't a very good picture and it really is a cd with some sequins and glitter glue on it.
Day 8: Rising Sun. This is from Zechariah's response when his son, John the Baptist, is born. He describes Jesus as the "rising sun" who will "shine on those living in darkness." It is from Luke 1: 57-80. It was a good connection to day 1 when we talked about Jesus as the light of the world. This is the kind of lesson I like, slightly outside the regular Christmas story box. The craft was fun, too. It is a glitter foam sun!
Day 9: Joseph. Back to the regular Christmas story, but I didn't really mind making a Joseph to go with the Mary we made in day 5. Joseph was Jesus' earthly father. He obeyed God and married Mary even though it probably seemed very strange to him that she was pregnant by God. Aria liked that we now have a matching set.
Day 10: Joseph's dream. This is where it gets too repetitive for me. We just talked about Joseph yesterday and we talked about his dream when the angel told him to marry Mary and name the baby Jesus. Now we are taking a day to just focus on the dream. The Scripture was the same for both days, Matthew 1: 18-25. There is so much more to Jesus, I just didn't think we needed to do two days of Joseph and his dream. However, this craft was pretty cute; a pillow for Joseph. We used felt, threaded it with pipe cleaners and stuffed it with cotton balls. Not sure Joseph would have chose (or even had the option for) a pink pillow, but that's ok.
Day 11: Names of Jesus. This is one of my favorites in the group. I did change it from the book slightly. The lesson talked about how the angel told Mary and Joseph to name the baby Jesus. It talked about how Jesus means "God saves" and Immanuel, which means "God with us." The craft said to glue a bunch of small random names on a stick then glue a big Jesus on top to show He is the name above all names. I like that, but I didn't know if Aria would completely get it. Instead, I decided to find all the names for Jesus and glue them on the stick. We talked about the different names we use for Jesus when we talk to him. The first one Aria said was, "God." I thought that was cool. On the name stick we glued God, Savior, Lord, King, Wonderful Counselor, Father, Immanuel, Prince of Peace, Christ, Holy, I Am, Shepherd, Mighty God, and maybe some more that I am forgetting. The we glued big J-E-S-U-S letters on top. It was a fun conversation and cool to see that Aria does recognize there are several names for Jesus. We referred back to Isaiah 9 for some of the names. We also talked about some of her nicknames, which was fun, too.
Day 12: Census. This lesson was about why Mary and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem, to be counted. We're back to the specifics of the Christmas story. I don't mind talking about them going to Bethlehem for the census, but there isn't much more to say than just that. The craft was unique and fun, though. We used food coloring and "hanitizer" to dye rice. (Not sure the purpose of the hand sanitizer, but it did smell good.) Aria chose red rice. We shook it all up in a bag then left it on a tray to dry. Once the rice was dry, Aria put it in a jar with two small, random game pieces we designated as Mary and Joseph. We wrote their names on them and put faces on them. When the lid is screwed on tight, Aria can shake the jar and move it around to try and find Mary and Joseph amongst all the people that went to Bethlehem. It was a good visual to show that Mary and Joseph were a part of a big crowd, which leads to why they have to stay in a stable.
12.14.2012
Happy Birthday Daddy
My Daddy Top Ten
1. He laughs at me.
2. He plays beach ball.
3. He plays balloon.
4. He makes funny noises.
5. He bounces.
6. I like to make waffles with him.
7. I like to go to Menards with him.
8. I like to go to church with him.
9. I like to play games with him.
10. He makes me laugh.
Happy 31st Birthday Daddy!
I love you!
Aria
1. He laughs at me.
2. He plays beach ball.
3. He plays balloon.
4. He makes funny noises.
5. He bounces.
6. I like to make waffles with him.
7. I like to go to Menards with him.
8. I like to go to church with him.
9. I like to play games with him.
10. He makes me laugh.
Happy 31st Birthday Daddy!
I love you!
Aria
12.12.2012
Jesus Storybook Bible
Last week our local Christian book store had a "12 Days of Christmas" deal for the Jesus Storybook Bible for only $5. I had heard a lot of great things about the Bible, but hadn't got it for us yet, thinking it was a little too advanced for Aria. I figured $5 was too hard to beat and with so many friends' recommendation, I should purchase it even if we didn't use it for a year or so.
Just kidding...we can definitely use it now! And it is phenomenal! It is every bit as awesome as my friends have described it and more. Aria has wanted to read from it every day, so I know she loves it, too. It is as the title describes, a 'storybook' Bible. It puts the Bible stories into more of a story telling format that very obviously appeals to Aria. For example, the characters speak and God speaks to them. That makes them come to life so much more. But the best part is that it speaks God's love through every story. It doesn't just tell the story and move on. It is almost like having a study Bible for adults. It helps kids recognize on their level what the story truly means. We read Jonah this morning. First of all, they way it pointed out Jonah's disobedience was exactly how Aria could understand it. Then, it made sure to say that God still loved Jonah and no matter how much he tried to hide, God could always find him. Awesome! Then, at the end it tied in Jesus. Jonah was a special messenger to the people of Nineveh. Jesus was a special messenger to us; both spreading the news of God's love for us.
It is just so great! I highly recommend you get a copy!
Just kidding...we can definitely use it now! And it is phenomenal! It is every bit as awesome as my friends have described it and more. Aria has wanted to read from it every day, so I know she loves it, too. It is as the title describes, a 'storybook' Bible. It puts the Bible stories into more of a story telling format that very obviously appeals to Aria. For example, the characters speak and God speaks to them. That makes them come to life so much more. But the best part is that it speaks God's love through every story. It doesn't just tell the story and move on. It is almost like having a study Bible for adults. It helps kids recognize on their level what the story truly means. We read Jonah this morning. First of all, they way it pointed out Jonah's disobedience was exactly how Aria could understand it. Then, it made sure to say that God still loved Jonah and no matter how much he tried to hide, God could always find him. Awesome! Then, at the end it tied in Jesus. Jonah was a special messenger to the people of Nineveh. Jesus was a special messenger to us; both spreading the news of God's love for us.
It is just so great! I highly recommend you get a copy!
12.11.2012
Recent Comments
Aria did something I did not approve of (I don't remember what) and I learned I have a "mom look." She said, "Don't have that look on your face, mom."
"Daddy, what's wrong with your hair? Did you comb it that way or something?"
In regular conversation during dinner, I said I was hopin' to do something. Aria didn't hear me correctly and she said, "Mommy, you're not open. You don't have a door on your face!"
Fullfilling her duty of putting away the socks, "Mommy, where is the other sock that matches this one?" I don't know, Aria. "It must be at the Hiawatha Library."
"Mom, lets play a game. It's called mouthwash. It's kind of like tag and you do this (she twists around)."
"Daddy, what's wrong with your hair? Did you comb it that way or something?"
In regular conversation during dinner, I said I was hopin' to do something. Aria didn't hear me correctly and she said, "Mommy, you're not open. You don't have a door on your face!"
Fullfilling her duty of putting away the socks, "Mommy, where is the other sock that matches this one?" I don't know, Aria. "It must be at the Hiawatha Library."
"Mom, lets play a game. It's called mouthwash. It's kind of like tag and you do this (she twists around)."
12.10.2012
Give This Christmas Away
I'm sitting here this afternoon with two very convicting thoughts playing over and over again in my head. The first is the song, Give This Christmas Away, by Matthew West and Amy Grant. The second is this podcast, sent to me by a friend called, Teaching Kids About Christmas. I just can't get past the truth that is spoken in both of those messages.
I thought I was doing pretty good. We've limited ourselves to 3 Christmas presents for Aria. Justin and I are getting only 2 each. We don't do Santa, the elf thing, or much of any of the secular Christmas stuff. We're doing the Truth in the Tinsel stuff and playing with our nativity scenes. We've done some giving in other areas and had some ideas for people that are unique that I won't go into detail because they are probably reading this, but I can't help but feel it is not enough.
In the podcast, Phil Vischer explains that the early Christians barely celebrated the birth of Christ. Easter was the big deal, as it should be. In fact, according to Mr. Vischer, birthdays in general were not a big deal in the early days. A lot of the Christmas traditions that happen today were started when Martin Luther split off from the Catholic church. When that split occurred, the Protestants stopped recognizing saints, which included Saint Nicholas. I posted about him last year. Saint Nicholas gave money and gifts to the poor secretly in the night. He lived only a few hundred years after Jesus and was following Jesus' lead of giving to the poor. A tradition was started to give gifts in the night in honor of Saint Nicholas on his birthday, December 6. But, when the Protestants stopped with the saints, people didn't want to stop giving gifts, so they transferred it to Christmas. I've done some research on this, but mostly that is the message I got from Phil Vischer in his podcast.
As I sit here and think about the real meaning of Christmas, I know it is the celebration of Jesus' birth. And I believe it is worth celebrating. I'm just not sure my heart is in the right place all the time during this Christmas season. Here is what keeps playing through my mind. I know we have taught Aria that Christmas is Jesus' birthday. I know she would tell you that if you asked her. She has the standard answer hooked in her head. But are we showing her it is Jesus' birthday with our actions? Does my attitude reflect a focus on Jesus instead of what I want this year? The list of things I would like that I gave to my husband certainly does not indicate that focus.
I read somewhere that Christmas is Jesus' birthday, not your child's. I thought that was a wonderful quote. January 29 is the day for me to spoil my daughter silly and celebrate who she is with lots of presents, cake, ice cream, and love, not December 25. However, as Christmas draws closer and we spend 4 days traveling about opening present after present, I'm crazy if I think Aria will remember that it is Jesus' birthday. All she is going to remember are the presents. She is only 2 after all. I feel helpless as I think about how much I try to limit our giving, yet it is still outrageous. I think about the presents she'll get from grandmas and grandpas and aunts and friends. And I know I'll be getting presents from all those people, too. I don't think it is wrong to give gifts to people you love. It is one way to show people you love them and care about them. Love your neighbor as yourself is the second greatest commandment. I'm just realizing how overboard all this Christmas stuff can be. How do I change it? How do I keep the focus on Jesus? How can I show that to my daughter and to all those around us?
These are the thoughts God has laid on my heart today. He did so through a song and a podcast. I feel convicted to change how I view Christmas and how I celebrate. The change is hard. I have 30 years of Christmas memories and traditions to wrestle with. I love the thought of the anticipation for waking up Christmas morning as a family of 3 and spending time together opening presents. That is my longest memory of Christmas, celebrating with my mom and dad in our family of 3 on Christmas morning. But we have yet to do that. Celebrating with our families makes it too difficult to make that happen. Yet I ask myself, what would that time on Christmas morning really mean? Again, my first thought is opening presents together and that is not what it's all about.
We still set aside a special time for our family of 3 and we have some traditions that have already begun in our two Christmases with a child. We will read the story of Jesus' birth from the Bible before we open presents. This year I even have an idea for acting it out. We make some sort of special treat for Jesus' birthday. We turn off our phones. We don't watch tv. We spend time together and show our love by giving gifts. But I'm still left wondering, how can I change my heart to totally focus all of Christmas on Jesus?
Teach me, oh God, how you want me to celebrate. Show me what your intentions are for this holiday and help me relinquish mine.
I thought I was doing pretty good. We've limited ourselves to 3 Christmas presents for Aria. Justin and I are getting only 2 each. We don't do Santa, the elf thing, or much of any of the secular Christmas stuff. We're doing the Truth in the Tinsel stuff and playing with our nativity scenes. We've done some giving in other areas and had some ideas for people that are unique that I won't go into detail because they are probably reading this, but I can't help but feel it is not enough.
In the podcast, Phil Vischer explains that the early Christians barely celebrated the birth of Christ. Easter was the big deal, as it should be. In fact, according to Mr. Vischer, birthdays in general were not a big deal in the early days. A lot of the Christmas traditions that happen today were started when Martin Luther split off from the Catholic church. When that split occurred, the Protestants stopped recognizing saints, which included Saint Nicholas. I posted about him last year. Saint Nicholas gave money and gifts to the poor secretly in the night. He lived only a few hundred years after Jesus and was following Jesus' lead of giving to the poor. A tradition was started to give gifts in the night in honor of Saint Nicholas on his birthday, December 6. But, when the Protestants stopped with the saints, people didn't want to stop giving gifts, so they transferred it to Christmas. I've done some research on this, but mostly that is the message I got from Phil Vischer in his podcast.
As I sit here and think about the real meaning of Christmas, I know it is the celebration of Jesus' birth. And I believe it is worth celebrating. I'm just not sure my heart is in the right place all the time during this Christmas season. Here is what keeps playing through my mind. I know we have taught Aria that Christmas is Jesus' birthday. I know she would tell you that if you asked her. She has the standard answer hooked in her head. But are we showing her it is Jesus' birthday with our actions? Does my attitude reflect a focus on Jesus instead of what I want this year? The list of things I would like that I gave to my husband certainly does not indicate that focus.
I read somewhere that Christmas is Jesus' birthday, not your child's. I thought that was a wonderful quote. January 29 is the day for me to spoil my daughter silly and celebrate who she is with lots of presents, cake, ice cream, and love, not December 25. However, as Christmas draws closer and we spend 4 days traveling about opening present after present, I'm crazy if I think Aria will remember that it is Jesus' birthday. All she is going to remember are the presents. She is only 2 after all. I feel helpless as I think about how much I try to limit our giving, yet it is still outrageous. I think about the presents she'll get from grandmas and grandpas and aunts and friends. And I know I'll be getting presents from all those people, too. I don't think it is wrong to give gifts to people you love. It is one way to show people you love them and care about them. Love your neighbor as yourself is the second greatest commandment. I'm just realizing how overboard all this Christmas stuff can be. How do I change it? How do I keep the focus on Jesus? How can I show that to my daughter and to all those around us?
These are the thoughts God has laid on my heart today. He did so through a song and a podcast. I feel convicted to change how I view Christmas and how I celebrate. The change is hard. I have 30 years of Christmas memories and traditions to wrestle with. I love the thought of the anticipation for waking up Christmas morning as a family of 3 and spending time together opening presents. That is my longest memory of Christmas, celebrating with my mom and dad in our family of 3 on Christmas morning. But we have yet to do that. Celebrating with our families makes it too difficult to make that happen. Yet I ask myself, what would that time on Christmas morning really mean? Again, my first thought is opening presents together and that is not what it's all about.
We still set aside a special time for our family of 3 and we have some traditions that have already begun in our two Christmases with a child. We will read the story of Jesus' birth from the Bible before we open presents. This year I even have an idea for acting it out. We make some sort of special treat for Jesus' birthday. We turn off our phones. We don't watch tv. We spend time together and show our love by giving gifts. But I'm still left wondering, how can I change my heart to totally focus all of Christmas on Jesus?
Teach me, oh God, how you want me to celebrate. Show me what your intentions are for this holiday and help me relinquish mine.
12.08.2012
More Truth in the Tinsel
I wrote about the first day of Truth in the Tinsel in its own post. I would like to give myself a brief update of each day so I can have some notes to use it again in the future. So here are the next few days...
Day 1 was Jesus is the Light of the World. I used John 8:12 because it was easier for Aria to understand than the really long Scripture suggested in the book.
Day 2: Jesus is King! The Scripture is Isaiah 9:2-7. The craft was a crown for Jesus made out of a toilet paper roll. The book suggested painting the roll, but we had just painted a different project and I didn't feel like getting it out again, so we used an idea I found on a different website and used double-sided tape and glitter and shook it up inside a ziploc bag. Aria also glued some "jewels" to the crown. It was definitely fit for a king!
This was her "I don't want to smile with my crown" face.
Day 3: Zachariah. The Scripture is Luke 1:5-25. Aria knows this story well and also makes the connection to Abraham and Sarah...two old couples who weren't expecting to have babies. She really liked being goofy and trying to talk with our mouths shut. The craft was a Zachariah face with a balloon for the mouth that was tied shut so he couldn't talk.
Day 4: The angel Gabriel. Scripture Luke 1:26-38. For most of these stories I have used Aria's Bible to read them. They are much more at her level than reading my Bible. This was the first craft I didn't like. It is a really cool, beautiful angel, but Aria couldn't do any of the craft. So, I improvised and let her cover the angel in glitter. The angel is a jingle bell for a head, pipe cleaner for wings, and wrapping paper for a body.
Day 5: Mary. Scripture Luke 1:26-38, same as day 4. Again, Aria knows who Mary is and the story of the angel coming to tell her she would be pregnant. The craft is Mary made out of a clothespin, decorated with felt, glitter glue, and sequins.
Day 6: Mary and Elizabeth. Scripture Luke 1:39-45. I had to use my Bible for this one. Aria's Bible talks about Mary and Elizabeth, but not how Mary went to visit Elizabeth once she was pregnant and how Elizabeth's baby leaped for joy when Mary arrived. We liked talking about babies and looking at Aria's ultrasound pictures and pictures of my big belly with her inside. The craft was two paper dolls for the two women. Aria painted them first. Then we glued a cardboard dot on their bellies and then then pregnant ball to represent the babies. I didn't get any painting pictures because I didn't want paint everywhere while I went to get the camera. :)
Day 1 was Jesus is the Light of the World. I used John 8:12 because it was easier for Aria to understand than the really long Scripture suggested in the book.
Day 2: Jesus is King! The Scripture is Isaiah 9:2-7. The craft was a crown for Jesus made out of a toilet paper roll. The book suggested painting the roll, but we had just painted a different project and I didn't feel like getting it out again, so we used an idea I found on a different website and used double-sided tape and glitter and shook it up inside a ziploc bag. Aria also glued some "jewels" to the crown. It was definitely fit for a king!
This was her "I don't want to smile with my crown" face.
Day 3: Zachariah. The Scripture is Luke 1:5-25. Aria knows this story well and also makes the connection to Abraham and Sarah...two old couples who weren't expecting to have babies. She really liked being goofy and trying to talk with our mouths shut. The craft was a Zachariah face with a balloon for the mouth that was tied shut so he couldn't talk.
Day 4: The angel Gabriel. Scripture Luke 1:26-38. For most of these stories I have used Aria's Bible to read them. They are much more at her level than reading my Bible. This was the first craft I didn't like. It is a really cool, beautiful angel, but Aria couldn't do any of the craft. So, I improvised and let her cover the angel in glitter. The angel is a jingle bell for a head, pipe cleaner for wings, and wrapping paper for a body.
Day 5: Mary. Scripture Luke 1:26-38, same as day 4. Again, Aria knows who Mary is and the story of the angel coming to tell her she would be pregnant. The craft is Mary made out of a clothespin, decorated with felt, glitter glue, and sequins.
Day 6: Mary and Elizabeth. Scripture Luke 1:39-45. I had to use my Bible for this one. Aria's Bible talks about Mary and Elizabeth, but not how Mary went to visit Elizabeth once she was pregnant and how Elizabeth's baby leaped for joy when Mary arrived. We liked talking about babies and looking at Aria's ultrasound pictures and pictures of my big belly with her inside. The craft was two paper dolls for the two women. Aria painted them first. Then we glued a cardboard dot on their bellies and then then pregnant ball to represent the babies. I didn't get any painting pictures because I didn't want paint everywhere while I went to get the camera. :)
We are having fun with our "Jesus crafts." Aria asks about them every morning. I can already tell I will change a few things for the future and maybe try to make more time to plan what we do this year instead of just following the book. I like it, but I think we could do more and things just a bit different to fit Aria better. The good thing is she remembers the lessons and can tell us what each craft is for.
12.07.2012
Christmas Angels
Circa 1984--Julie 3 years, 3 months
Circa 2012--Aria 2 years 10 months
12.01.2012
Truth in the Tinsel
Last year I read the Christmas story to Aria every day leading up to Christmas. We put the felt pieces on our Nativity calendar and Aria totally understood that Christmas was Jesus' birthday. This year I want to go a bit deeper. She already knows the story of Jesus' birth. I want to start helping her learn more about why Jesus came to Earth. I've heard of a Jesse tree and thought I wanted to do that. But I was a little disappointed because it just seems to go through the Bible stories in chronological order. We've done that twice now in our daily Bible reading. My awesome and creative friend made her own version of a Jesse tree type activity last year with her kids and posted it all on her blog. I wanted to do something like her without copying her completely. I asked her for resources used and she pointed me to something else she'd heard of, Truth in the Tinsel. I really liked what I saw on their website and I purchased the ebook. I like to have a base to start from and then make it fit us.
Each lesson has Scripture to read, a craft to make, further discussion to have, and a 'go deeper' option. When I told Aria we were going to do a craft every day until Christmas to learn more about Jesus, she yelled out a big cheer. I guess that means she approves! Today we did the first lesson, which I call 'Jesus is the light of the world.'
I should have taken a close up of just the ornament, but you can pretty much see it in the tree picture. It is a black outline of a candle. Aria glued red, orange, and yellow tissue paper between the black outlines to give a fire color to it. Then we punched a hole on top, made it an ornament and put it on the "baby tree." We talked about how darkness is scary sometimes, but if you have Jesus in your heart, you will always be in the light. We did the craft right after breakfast this morning and the main idea stuck with Aria. Right before bedtime tonight she randomly exclaimed, Jesus is the light of the world! I'm looking forward to all 24 little lessons we will learn about Jesus this year!
Each lesson has Scripture to read, a craft to make, further discussion to have, and a 'go deeper' option. When I told Aria we were going to do a craft every day until Christmas to learn more about Jesus, she yelled out a big cheer. I guess that means she approves! Today we did the first lesson, which I call 'Jesus is the light of the world.'
I should have taken a close up of just the ornament, but you can pretty much see it in the tree picture. It is a black outline of a candle. Aria glued red, orange, and yellow tissue paper between the black outlines to give a fire color to it. Then we punched a hole on top, made it an ornament and put it on the "baby tree." We talked about how darkness is scary sometimes, but if you have Jesus in your heart, you will always be in the light. We did the craft right after breakfast this morning and the main idea stuck with Aria. Right before bedtime tonight she randomly exclaimed, Jesus is the light of the world! I'm looking forward to all 24 little lessons we will learn about Jesus this year!
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