2013 A Year in Review

Last year, I posted a year in review a couple of days early. This year, it’s better late than never…  In January, we celebrated some birthdays and Baptism anniversaries with family and friends. I also continued to take a lot of photos of our little boy. February saw our little boy crawling and pulling himself…

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See, Amid The Winter’s Snow

  See, amid the winter’s snow, Born for us on Earth below, See, the tender Lamb appears, Promised from eternal years. Chorus: Hail, thou ever blessed morn, Hail redemption’s happy dawn, Sing through all Jerusalem, Christ is born in Bethlehem. Lo, within a manger lies He who built the starry skies; He who, throned in…

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Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

On Wednesday, the children and I set up our outdoor Nativity set. Brendan decorated the exterior of the house with Christmas lights. He also strung lights on the tree. We will put ornaments on the Christmas tree sometime between Sunday and Christmas Eve. Stockings have been hung by the chimney with care. Like Jessica, I…

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Christmas Favorites

Patrick was thrilled to receive LEGO Lord of the Rings The Battle of Helm’s Deep. Needless to say, it was built in less than a day. Thankfully, he and Finnian also received some Lego bricks from their grandfather which allow for more creative building. Patrick is slightly familiar with the stories of The Lord of the…

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Gingerbread Houses

A couple of days before Christmas, we  made our annual gingerbread houses. And so it begins This year, we decided to have a competition to see who could make the best gingerbread house, the boys or the girls. Having Fun The competition was fierce, until my husband made the boys’ window look like a face.…

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Applesauce and Cinnamon Christmas Ornaments

We’ve been making these ornaments since my oldest was three years old. We don’t make them every year, but we will need to make some this Advent, as Heidi chewed several of them last year. What You Need: 1 ½ cups ground cinnamon  1 cup applesauce  ¼ cup white non-toxic school glue (optional; if you…

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Christmas Books

Each year for Christmas, the children receive a Christmas-themed book. As our older children have grown, we have moved away from giving them picture books. Some of the “chapter books” that they have received and liked are: The Birds’ Christmas Carol by Kate Douglas Wiggin We have a different copy of this book. Christmas by Alice Dalgliesh (out-of-print) A…

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Christmas 2011

Once again this year, my husband gave us the greatest Christmas gift possible by taking  us to Midnight Mass. As usual, Elizabeth and Finnian slept through the lessons and carols and the Mass. Patrick, however, surprised us this year by staying awake. After Mass, he told me, “Mommy, I think that I am definitely ready to receive…

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Advent, Christmas and Winter Feast Day Books

One of the things that I like about this time of year is snuggling up with my children and reading picture books. A few years ago, I shared a list of picture books that we like to read during December and January. Below is an updated (and hopefully better organized) list. Advent Books: Annika’s Secret…

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