Snow!

Okay, there is no actual snow, but today was the first day of my snow storytimes at the preschool.  We are reading some great snow books and making snow with this:

It is SO fun and the kids loved it!  You can buy Insta-Snow at almost any craft store or on Amazon (my preferred way to buy EVERYTHING).  

Here is a glimpse at the books we are reading:

P.S.  Can you believe it is already mid-January??  This month is FLYING by!

More soon!

XOXO - Jennifer

Merry Christmas!

We hope your day was as merry as ours!

Love from, the DeWitts

Christmas Breakfast (for dinner)

I hope everyone has been enjoying December as much as we have!  We've been busy with Christmas parties, family events, church events, and time with those we love...and it ain't over it yet!  I love this time of year, but it sure does make me tired.  We have been in Huntsville the past couple of days (or Whoville as Jackson liked to call it) which was wonderful, but I am happy to be home and looking forward to an evening with just my two boys.  Our big evening plans?  Early bath time time for Jackson followed by Christmas themed breakfast for dinner, and then going to see Christmas lights in our pajamas.  Heaven!  I am hoping we can make it an annual Christmas Eve eve (Christmas Adam?) tradition.

I am excited to try these two Pinterest ideas for dinner tonight:

We will see if my versions actually turn out this cute.  Even if they don't, pancakes never last more than minutes at our house, so the evidence will be quickly destroyed.  

What has your family been up this holiday season? 

Love and Merry Christmas to everyone!

XOXO - Jennifer

Hope

Our family was asked to light the Advent candle at church yesterday.  At first, I was resistant to the idea - was it really a good plan to put my three year old in front of the whole church with fire involved?  In the end, I am really glad we did it.  I love Christmas and the lighting of the candles during Advent is one of my favorite parts of the holiday season.  This week's candle represented hope which has such a personal meaning for me and for many of us.  My hope is in the Lord.  He has shown me time and again that if He brings me to it, He will bring me through it.  Sometimes I wish I didn't need this lesson quite so often, but I am truly grateful for where the Lord has me right now.

Here are the words that Ben read to the congregation as Jackson and I lit the candle:

Today is the first Sunday of Advent and today’s candle is the candle of hope.  Jesus’ birth brought hope into a world that felt hopeless.  The people were suffering under the high taxes of Roman rule.  There was no light at the end of the tunnel.  God had promised them a Savior, a king who they thought would overthrow the Romans and rule like King David.  Had God forgotten His promise from Isaiah 7:14:

“Therefore the Lord will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.”

They had hoped HE would be the one...
They had hoped HE would have come by now...
They had hoped and hoped and hoped...

Today we do the same thing.
We’ve hoped that the test results would have been different...
We’ve hoped that we hadn’t lost that job...
We’ve hoped and hoped and hoped...

As you think of some of the times when you have felt hopeless, remember that our only hope is in Jesus Christ.  In Jesus, God has fulfilled His promise.  This morning Jennifer, Jackson, and I light our first Advent candle-The Candle of Hope.

I pray that you have hope this Christmas season - hope in what the Lord is doing for you and hope for the new year that is ahead.

 Yours, Jennifer

Oh, Bernard

Our little family has been having a blast with Elf on the Shelf!  I am not sure if it is more fun for Jackson or his parents....

Here is a look at what Bernard has been up to:

Advent Books

Several months ago, I saw an idea on Pinterest that I just LOVED...rather than fill an advent calendar with 24 different treats, wrap 24 Christmas books and have your child open one each evening before bed to read together.  Of course, I knew we would have to do it!  Over the past months, I have collected the books - many of which we already owned.  Now, they are wrapped and under Jackson's little tree in the playroom.  I can't wait to begin opening them with him!

There are many, many holiday and winter-y books out there, but here are the 24 we will be reading this year (okay, this is actually just 23 of them - I cannot remember the last one for the life of me, but I promise to add it to the list when we open it) . I will probably reuse most of them next year and just change out a few of the "younger" ones.

Snomen at Night by Caralyn and Mark Buehner

Snomen at Christmas by Caralyn and Mark Buehner

 Mortimer's Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman

Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney

Biscuit's Pet & Play Christmas by Alyssa Satin Capucilli 

(this one of the more "baby" books that will probably go next year)

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore and Mary Engelbreit

How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss

Snow Party by Harriet Ziefort and Mark Jones

Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus by Chris Plehal and James Bernardin

'Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore and Jon Goodell

Penguin and Pinecone by Salina Yoon

Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman

Turkey Claus by Wendi Silvano and Lee Harper

Room for a Little One: A Christmas Tale by Martin Waddell and Jason Cockcroft

Olive, the Other Reindeer by J. Otto Seibold and Vivian Walsh

The Christmas Giant by Steve Light

The Christmas Cookie Sprinkle Snitcher by Robert Kraus and Virgil Partch

Pete the Cat Saves Christmas by James Dean and Eric Litwin

Dream Snow by Eric Carle

The Spirit of Christmas by Nancy Tillman

A Wish to be a Christmas Tree by Colleen and Michael G. Monroe

You are my Miracle by MaryAnn Cusimano Love and Satomi Ichikawa

What are your favorite books this time of year??

XOXO - Jennifer

November - where have you gone?

Almost a month since my last update - sorry about that!  I can't believe how fast November is flying by.  I hope everyone had an excellent Thanksgiving.  We certainly did.  Jackson sort of had two Thanksgivings.  He had one at preschool with his class - a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.  How cute is that?  Then, our "real" Thanksgiving with family and another sweet family who was staying at our church through Family Promise.  If you haven't yet heard about this program in Gwinnett County. you really should check it out and see how you can help.  It has been an incredible blessing to our church and our family.   It definitely helped us realize just how much we have to be thankful for this year.

Jackson and his new friend on Thanksgiving

What else have we been up to?  Well, we are in full swing getting ready for Christmas!  We visited Santa and had another great experience at Bass Pro Shop.  They really do have the best Santa around and they give you a free picture!  Jackson asked for Acer (a specific car from Cars 2) and Chuggington trains.

We decorated our home for Christmas and helped out decorating at the grandparents.

We attended the Hanging of the Greens service at church where my husband, father-in-law, and many friends sang for the first time in our new acapella group, Grace Notes, that is directed by my mother-in-law.  They did a beautiful job!

Lastly, but certainly not least, our Elf on the Shelf arrived for the first time on Saturday!  Meet Bernard (named by Jackson).  

As you can see, Bernard is already up to no good making snowmen out of marshmallows and such.  I have a feeling this is going to quickly become one of our family's favorite traditions.

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!

XOXO - Jennifer