The Reason for the Season

Christmastime is fun for so many reasons. I love getting to share Christmas traditions and memories with Jake. This year is so much fun because he's able to participate and share in so much more than before. In the midst of so many fun Christmas celebrations, it's imporant for us to teach Jake what Christmas is really about...Jesus' birth. Luckily for us, there's lots of opportunity provided to do that. One Friday night while Daddy was coaching, Jake and I went to a nearby church to see the Christmas story. They had a petting area which Jake loved...

and they also showed a Christmas play every 20 minutes. Jake loved everything b/c he wanted to watch the play twice and we went into the petting area 3 times!The following day, we headed to another local church's "Walk through Bethlehem." They did an awesome job. It was so kid friendly and educational. Jake loved it. Here he is helping a woman dip water from a well...We even ran into the three wise men looking for baby Jesus...There were some animals to check out too. I thought the most exciting animal was the camel, but Jake was a little scared to get a picture with him. This chicken was much more his size...He got to make his own sachet by picking different herbs and grinding them together...Everyone volunteering was dressed for the occasion. Here's the woman who helped put together Jake's sachet...He made a cool mosaic...

He also got to touch and learn about different grains. Everything was so well done. Jake came home with tons of cool crafts, but also a real-life experience of the time of Jesus' birth. I'll definitely try to make it there again next year.

That evening we hosted a birthday party for Jesus at our house with a few close friends. We shared with the kids the reason for Christmas while having fun together and enjoying birthday cake. I didn't take a single picture, but I was happy with our little celebration.

Thanksgiving 2011

We had a really great Thanksgiving this year and were able to spend time with both our families. My dad always does the Lenz family turkey and this year he had some help...

Here's Jake in eager anticipation of the meal. His favorites this year were the turkey and rolls...

And it's not Thanksgiving without giving a tug on the wishbone. Jake and Papa had it out, but it was Jake that got his wish!

Next it was Lawson family time. This year we tried something new and played a family soccer game. The kids loved it. It was the Blue Bulls vs. the Brown team. Somehow the Blue Bulls ended up with the most fun team and were the winners. Here they are...The boys also played some clock with Memaw, which I know was super special for Kevin and Chad...

Here are the two that had the most fun playing soccer. Great cousins make a great team!

Gaylord and Ice! tradition

Jake and I left a couple days early for Thanksgiving to spent time with my parents. It seems there's a tradition that's formed b/c this is the 3rd day we've enjoyed all the great Christmas decor at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine and enjoyed the incredible Ice! exhibit. As always, it was lots of fun. The night before we left, Jake was sporting his winter hat getting ready for the cold ice...

If you've never seen an Ice! exhibit at the Gaylord, I highly recommend it. The artistry is truly unbelievable. Everyone wears special coats to help stay warm. Jake's still a little small for the smallest size, but what a cutie!...

This year's theme was Shrek. Here's Jake with the oger himself...

Can you believe this is made from ice?

Jake started off doing a great job walking on his own, but then the cold started to get to him a bit. No worries, Papa was there to act as transportation...

Santa also visits the Gaylord, so we stood in line to see him. Here's Jake checking it all out...

and here he is happily waiting to have his turn...

and finally, here is Santa with an empty lap and a smile when Jake absolutely refused to go anywhere near him. It was OK. A few days later Jake and I wrote a letter to Santa instead of seeing him face-to-face. I'm pretty sure he gets the message no matter how it comes...Part of the decor includes some amazing train sets. Jake loves these, and I admit, I do too...

Thanks for treating us to a great day, Papa and Grandmama!