Christmas Recap

Clara with her new baby swing

This Christmas comes in at the top of all Christmasss for the Frisco's. It was Wonderful; perfect; everything that I could ever want Christmas to be. We had been celebrating Advent at our house every night after dinner - Mike would read some scripture, we'd pray, we'd sing. It was so simple, but served as a wonderful preparation for Christmas for us. During the craziness of the season - the parties, the cookies, the fun! - celebrating Advent kept us really focused upward on God and Jesus. We decided to have gift giving/receiving at home be very simple and sweet this year - one gift each. (We dolled out other gifts from family throughout the season.) I had been overwhelmed with the materialism/mass marketing/secularness of Christmas this year and we strove as a family to be focused on Christ - his birth, his coming again, the cross - and keeping presents simple was one way that we were able to achieve that, I think. So, rather than Clara getting so excited to open tons of gifts (which, for a toddler can be sensory overload to begin with), she got excited to celebrate Jesus' birthday. It was fun! We had cake, we sang. Dennis and Darlene came in from Florida at about noon - we played, we ate, we talked, we enjoyed the people that God has placed us with. There was so much Space this year...space and time to enjoy relationships, enjoy family, enjoy the Real Gifts from God. It was...Perfect.

Dennis and Darlene stayed several more days and the visit was just as great as Christmas. It was the coolest time. I think that I'm becoming a big advocate of Space and simplicity. There is beauty in not being over scheduled, running around crazy from thing to thing all the time, you know? It is fun to do stuff - like go see Christmas light displays and go to parties with friends - but I think, for me, that needs to be tempered with slow time together. It's probably the introvert in me. So this visit wasn't filled with tons of activities like visits in the past, but man, we had some of the best conversations ever. And, I'll take that over going to a museum any day!

continuing our little tradition - decorating a gingerbread house on Christmas; it turned out Awesome this year with Clara's help!

silly, silly Nana with a block on her head!

Clara's little men/martians - So Proud!

helping make gingerbread

a classic Clara shot - couldn't you just eat her?!

the finished product - Sadie really like it too! She got her paws on some men, the candy corn forest, and the twizzler arches!

sweet cuddle time with Nana

Clara is becoming known for her Crazy Hair. People, I don't know that to do! I've cut it, I condition it, and yes, I comb it! It's never good when all the ladies at church laugh when they see her and say how much they love her hair. Like, people look at her and chuckle! Here's a Great example.