Merry Christmas!

I love Christmas morning and the little sleepy heads that show up to open their stockings!

 

It was EXTRA fun this year having two children who had never experienced Christmas morning in this way before!  Tikvah has wanted to be a big sister for years, and they really needed one to show them the ropes this morning!

 

They figured out the routine pretty quickly!

Usually the Little Princesses are READY TO EAT.    Breakfast is very important to them, but today they just weren't interested even though I offered breakfast several times.

 

They are usually anxious to get dressed and have their hair brushed as well, but today were content to play with their new toys, and lounge around with their play cell phones!

 

Once they figured out that we weren't going to open the rest of the presents until we were ready for the day they quite willingly moved on.

 

It is our tradition to start with the youngest person and take turns opening gifts, one at a time.  It didn't take them long at all to figure out whose turn was next and to make sure that person stayed on track to keep things moving.

Our girls both came with an extreme fear of doctors.  Their gifts were strategically planned as they are both now doctors for their dolls.  Hopefully some "play therapy" will help them to overcome some of their anxiety.  Most of their other gifts were aimed at fine motor (OT and PT) skills, and helping them to learn the English words for animals, colors, etc.

Tikvah's favorite gifts were an art kit and face paint.

It is REALLY NICE to have little ones in our house again on Christmas morning.  God has blessed me very richly by letting me be their Mama.  Merry Christmas from our house to yours.  We hope you had a wonderful day!

 

This was part #3 of our Christmas celebrations with the Little Princesses.  

You will find Part One HERE  and  Part Two HERE

Visit some other families!  A Place Called Simplicity, Christmas links

Twas the Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas and our neighborhood was alight with the annual luminary display. Usually we walk to look at the lights, but this time we took our heat-seeking princesses on a tour in the warm van.

Devotions time followed.  For about two decades now, we have used the book Family Celebrations, Meeting Christ in Your Holidays and Special Occasions by Ann Hibbard for our Advent devotional.  The Christmas section includes a short scripture reading, memory verse, and Christmas carol for each day in December.  Our kids seemed to enjoy the familiar verses each year, and have learned the stanzas to a lot of carols over the years.  I'm pretty tickled that this tradition has been passed on, and some of our adult children now use this same book (albeit Kindle version) with THEIR children! 

The Little Princesses don't quite "get" what all the celebrating is about. They've played with nativity sets all month, and they can run and get the baby Jesus if you ask them to.  They know Mary is Mama, but I come up wanting when we get to Joseph and they are CERTAIN he is the Baba (father).    How do you explain Christmas to children who aren't raised in the Christian faith, and who don't entirely understand the language? We just keep on trying!  After our devotional, the girls opened one present and new pajamas.

Jen fishing with her magnetic puzzle.

Miss A was quick to point out that there were still gifts that should be opened!  This was pointed out to me repeatedly, and I was thankful that I hadn't put the gifts under the tree until Christmas Eve this year!

I well remember last year, wondering about the type of care our little ones were receiving half way around the world, and wanting them home so badly that I could hardly stand it.  It has been such a joy this Christmas watching their delight and amazement at the lights, the tree, the songs, the treats, and the many other things that we take for granted each year.  I pray that Isaac somehow knows we are longing for his homecoming also, and that his foster family is loving on him in a big way.

This was part two of three in our first Christmas with the Two Little Princesses.  Read Part Three

(Extended) Family Christmas

See these brave folks?  They invited us all in for the Lanz (extended) Family Christmas celebration.  This year there were thirty-two of us.

We gathered for brunch, and it was all over the house in various rooms...

on numerous tables ...

and some just didn't even bother with a table.

After eating we sang some Christmas carols,

and exchanged gifts.

Due to the number of people we are now blessed with as family, we tried something new - family gifts.  We found that often one family gifted the same type of thing to each family, so there were a lot of "Ok, now open the one from so and so next" going on.

Our final activity was making family gingerbread houses.

Grand daughter, Eve, looking exhausted after finishing their family's complex!

Our Little Princesses still aren't quite sure what all this partying is about, but I think they like it!

This is part one of three in our first Christmas with the Little Princesses.  Read  Part Two