Sister Shopping

This is our second year of Sister Shopping. Each sister gets a small budget (around $5) and must pick out something for each sister that she would like or has said she wants.

We almost didn't make it to Sister Shopping this year. I was going to try to take the girls in early December, but they get so excited about Sister Shopping that I thought it was a long time for them to wait. Then I got sick and there was no going anywhere. I can tell you that next year we will do Sister Shopping the week after Thanksgiving just in case!
 It takes two of us also for Sister Shopping because one keeps the girls who are not shopping and the other parent has the girl who is picking out the gifts for her sisters and then they switch. Finally on Christmas Eve, we were able to shop for just a little while with these sisters. Actually, I had the girls who weren't shopping this year and Brent was in charge of helping each girl pick out gifts for their sisters.

Bethany supervised this year. Rachel was very focused. She had heard Bekah say that she wanted an Anna Barbie doll and she was determined to find her one.

Later on Christmas Eve, they took turns hiding in the den to wrap their sisters' presents.

So far, every year the Sister gifts are the first gifts they reach for under the tree. They are so excited to see what their sisters picked out for them.

Rachel found Bekah that Anna Barbie doll as was looking for and Bekah got Rachel a Peppa Pig set. Bethany got a new baby doll from Bekah.

I love these sweet sisters and how much they love each other. Though they have their times where they don't agree or get along, they do love each other a lot. They are fun to watch as they learn and grow together. I love watching them think of each other as they pick out gifts and plan what will bless their sisters each year.

Reunion

 Our friends, the Lawsons, came back to visit family for Christmas and we were able to get some time for the girls to visit together as well. Kayle and Amaya were some of the girls' best friends and they have missed them since they moved over the summer.

 Being silly together after the Christmas Eve service.

 They were also able to come over for a little while the day after Christmas to visit.

 

 We used store bought sugar cookies this year and had some fun decorating cookies together. The pictures don't do justice to how many layers of icing were on these cookies!

 Next they made their own ornaments. Kayle and Amaya have always come to our ornament making party but didn't get to this year since they had moved. So they all made ornaments together now.

 Amaya had a great idea to make the ornaments where you swirl different colors of paint inside. Here are Amaya and Bekah with their yellow and pink ornaments.

 Rachel and her daddy made green and silver ornaments.

 The girls had a blast catching up with and playing with these sweet friends! Hoping we can get together sometime this summer again!

Christmas 2015

We began our Christmas morning with the reading the Christmas story (the girls let us sleep till after 9-they were very very nice to their parents who needed extra rest.)

They were also very focused on checking on Baby Jesus. We have a manger that was made for our family by our friend, Mr. Wayne, and we always place in front of the tree ahead of all the gifts to be the first thing we see on Christmas morning. We do this to remind ourselves that Jesus is the first and greatest Christmas gift ever and all the celebrating we are able to do is all because of HIM.

 

 After that, we got to present opening time. Here they are opening some of their sister gifts. Those were actually the first gifts they raced to open this year were their gifts from their sisters.

 Bethany got a new baby doll from Bekah.

 If we got her started on the present this year, she would tear off a little of the paper. Just give her till next year-she will be able to tear open the wrapping paper with the best of them!

 It was new shoe Christmas in our house this year. Brent got new tennis shoes to replace the ones he dunked in the lake at Peaks of Otter while getting an image this fall. Bethany got new shoes because she is getting pretty speedy with her new walking skills.

 Pure excitement.

 The big girls got new backpacks for their gear. They get something they want (their dolls), something they need (their backpacks) and something to keep (this year, they each got a small charm bracelet with a charm for this year-Rachel got a charm that says "I love books", Bekah got a ballerina and Bethany got a charm that is a tiny pair of shoes since she learned to walk this year). They were very excited about their charm bracelets and are excited about adding new charms to them over the years.

 

  They also get one surprise bigger gift each from Mom and Dad. Bethany got a Cozy Coupe this year. She loved "car-car" and her sisters have had at least as much fun with it as she has so far.

 Last year we started a tradition of going on a Christmas afternoon hike. This year that was not to be. I was not well enough still to walk in the neighborhood much less hike without coughing and much much rain was in our forecast. We did get outside for about 30 minutes for some fun for the rain arrived for the rest of the day.

 The afternoon was spent playing with the new toys.

 We even all 5 got a Christmas afternoon nap. Bethany loves her blanket and bear from Mr. Tom, Mrs. Debbie and Kay Kay. 

 We had our Christmas supper

 and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus.

 Something especially yummy about chocolate cake on Christmas!

It was a pretty quiet Christmas day for us this year, but great to be together as a family and beginning to feel better. I definitely thank the Lord for that. I prayed a lot this week asI laid there sick. All my plans for the week of Christmas changed. All my work plans, cookie baking, Advent ornament making, gingerbread house decorating were different than I had planned. I kept praying all week to feel better and trying to understand why the week of Christmas of all weeks I was sick. I finally asked the Lord what He wanted me to learn in all this. He nudged me gently about my attitude and he gave me two very specific things-one was to praise Him in all things for He is still in control even when my plans change. The second was a reminder of how very much Mary and Joseph's plans for what they thought their life and future would look like changed with a life altering visit from an angel! I thought of the thousands of ways Mary could have responded to this message from GOD.

Yet here is her response:

²⁹ But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. ³⁰ Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. ³² He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. ³³ And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
³⁴ Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
³⁵ And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. ³⁷ For with God nothing will be impossible.”
³⁸ Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Luke 1:29-38

Then the Lord reminded me of Philippians 2.
⁵ Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, ⁷ but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. ⁹ Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.   Philippians 2:5-11

Here we are given the picture of Jesus who left all the glory and comfort of heaven to serve us here by becoming a Baby whose cradle was a manger or feeding trough for animals, living a perfect life for me and going from the cradle as a Baby to the cross as the King of Kings for me and and rising again to conquer sin and death and then with my asking Him to, He takes all the wrong I have ever done and gives me His forgiveness and life forever. Praise Jesus for His hope and grace no matter the circumstances! 

Merry Christmas 2015 from The McGuirts