I would much rather approach this season for what it was meant to be–a time of waiting for our Savior. Waiting for anything is difficult for me. But, Cathi’s talk, as well as what we are reading through in the Advent study, has challenged me to try to keep things simple, slow down and say no (mostly to myself) this year.

We have our home decorated, but decided to not put up lights this year.

We have a dresser in our living room that I would love to have repainted for the holidays, but it was something that was going to take a lot of time if I were to do it myself, and money if we were to have someone else do it. So, for now, we said “no”. Saying “no” is not easy for me to do, but as we create Christmas traditions for our family, I much prefer to think about it with joyful anticipation than worry and anxiousness.

I posted about this Advent calendar last year. I have the supplies, but have not finished it in time for this year. And I’m ok with that. Maybe next year.

UPDATE: I knew there was something else I wanted to mention here. I think I am motivated to do much of the work I create for myself in order to receive affirmation from others. I meet their expectations and am praised for a job well done. But if I am constantly needing to have others fill my cup, when do I have time or energy to fill someone else’s cup? We want to teach Analiese that Christmas is a season of giving, not just receiving gifts. I’m pretty sure this needs to start with her parents. And so, by saying “no” to a few things that I really want to do, I hope to open myself up to saying “yes” to blessing others more.

Let’s talk about music. We are those weird people who start listening to Christmas music after Halloween. There are some really great Christmas songs out there–some old favorites and many amazing new versions of the classics. Here are some of our favorite from our Christmas 2011 playlist on Spotify:

• O Holy Night – Shane & Shane
• O Come O Come Emmanuel – Rosie Thomas
• Drummer Boy – Mercy Me
• The Christmas Song – Frank Sinatra
• God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (feat. Robbie Seay Band) – Folk Angel
• Baby, It’s Cold Outside – She & Him
• Joy to the World – Sufjan Stevens
• Born to Die – Shane & Shane
• Away in a Manger/The First Noel (interlude) – Folk Angel
• Joseph’s Lullaby – Mercy Me
• Lo! How A Rose E’er Blooming – Sufjan Stevens
• White Christmas – Bing Crosby
• Deck the Halls (feat. Shane & Shane) – Folk Angel
• O Holy Night (feat. Jeff Johnson and Jourdan Johnson) – Folk Angel
• White Christmas – Otis Redding
• All I Want For Christmas Is You – Glee Cast
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – She & Him
• O Come Let Us Adore Him – Shane & Shane
•  The Christmas Tree (feat. Lauren Chandler) – Folk Angel
• O Holy Night – Shane & Shane
• God With Us (feat. Isaac Wimberley) – Folk Angel

This past weekend we were hosts to a slew of family and friends who were in town to celebrate Analiese’s dedication at church. Not only was Analiese dedicated to God for His service, but we, as her parents, were dedicated before God and His church that we will commit to bring Analiese up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. We understand the responsibility to raise her in a home where the love of God is demonstrated and taught. We believe that this ceremony does not assure that Analiese will go to heaven. Rather, the decision to accept and follow Jesus Christ as Savior is hers to make when she is at an age to clearly understand God’s plan of salvation. Therefore, her dedication does not take the place of baptism. Instead, she will be baptized when she’s ready to make a public declaration of her own personal faith and trust in Jesus Christ. We pray that this is God’s plan for her and we’ll do our best to teach her God’s word, love and promises.

We are so thankful to everyone who made this a special occasion for us. Thank you for the miles driven and flown, and the love and support shared with us and Analiese.

This month’s verse is Deuteronomy 11:18-19 – inspired by Noel Piper in her book, Treasuring God in Our Traditions:

You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul; you shall bind them as a sign on your hand; they shall be frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

We picked this verse because we want Analiese to know who Jesus is. We want him to be a topic of our every day conversations, actions and prayers – not just on Sundays or around holidays, but on a regular, daily basis, we want to be teaching her about God and his saving grace that he has to offer her.

Beau Hughes has a slow, southern drawl that I just love listening to. He’s a campus pastor at The Village Church in Texas and when the Lead Pastor, Matt Chandler, is out of town, Beau often takes the stage. His recent sermon on Forgiveness was more than appropriate for everyone to hear. 

Being on the brink of being a parent has me thinking a lot about the way I act and react to the world around me. I am very aware of anger and bitterness in many places I encounter – work, church, family, friends…and my own heart. I want more than anything to have a heart of compassion that our kids understand as being the result of Jesus’ resurrecting love and compassion for others. I think Beau speaks to this very well.

I wish I could insert a video of the sermon – I have a feeling more people would watch it that way. Unfortunately, the link to the audio version is what I can share. And I do hope you’ll spare a few minutes to be challenged the same way I was.

It had been my intent all along to document our preparation process here, but the symptoms of being pregnant have gotten the best of me lately. I’m mostly just tired….all. the. time. They say I’ll turn a corner any day now. I sure hope “they” are right.

So, inspired by Krysta, here are the books we’ve added to our collection recently:

What to Expect When You’re Expecting I’ve had about ten people ask me if I already have this book. Yep. First one I received (thanks, Krysta!). It really is chock full of good information as you prepare for pregnancy and for the baby itself. I’ve referenced it many times for quick answers to questions like, “My head is killing me, is Tylenol really the only thing I can take?” (The answer, unfortunately, was always yes.)

 Your Pregnancy Week by Week, 6th Edition This book was recommended to me by my friend, Cheryl. What a great reference to know how big our little one is each week (at 15 weeks, he/she’s a softball this week, in case you were wondering). The book is also helpful in knowing what kind of symptoms you can expect each week, how much you should be growing, etc. It also includes a “Dad Tip” every now and then. Which reminds me…Ross, I haven’t gotten my foot rub yet. To make up for it I think you should take me to see Julie & Julia. I’m just sayin’…

Baby Bargains, 8th Edition How could I not love this book? I’m married to a minimalist and my newest hobby is clipping coupons. It’s a match made in heaven. My cousin-in-law sent this to us immediately upon hearing the news of our pregnancy (thanks, Erin!). I plan on it being my registry bible. It contains a LOT of information (even more on the author’s blog), but the three things I like most about it are:

1. It compares the different kinds of stores that are out there where baby items are available (i.e. specialty – mom and pop type, chain – Babies R Us, discount – Target, etc.) and what general costs and experiences you can expect from each depending on the items you’re planning to purchase.
2. For the big ticket items, like cribs, the authors provide a summary of the “good”, “better” and “best” options they would recommend based upon their own experiences and those of their faithful readers.
3. The general idea of the book is: here’s what’s out there, this is what is good to spend more money on and this is what isn’t worth it (i.e. diaper stackers…who thought of that anyway?). This is good information for people like us who have absolutely no clue what they’re doing (yet!) and want to spend their money wisely. Because one thing we are already very aware of is that kids cost money!

So, now all we have to do is figure out which items we want and where’s the best place to buy them (or register for them)!

The Jesus Storybook Bible We received this as a gift from my best friend, Elisabeth. Her mom was the one who recommended it (she’s seen her fair share of children’s Bibles as a pastor’s wife) because as the tag line suggests, “every story whispers his name” and draws you back to Jesus and his resurrecting power from where salvation comes. I hope we can create solid traditions of reading Bible stories and praying with our kids every night. This will be a great start.

In addition to the books, I’ve also registered on BabyCenter.com and theBump.com. Both send weekly emails to tell me what’s going on inside of my belly and other useful information like what to bring to the hospital or birth center, how to cope at work during pregnancy, are you gaining the right amount of weight, etc. All good information. However, no matter what I read, whether it be in a book or on a website, I’ll usually back up the information with my midwife, Mary.