Christmas Preparations

Last week all of the cousins (on David's side) came to our house and had a photo shoot for Oma and Opa's Christmas card. Don't they look cute?

We also decorated the house last week. The kids had so much fun putting all of the ornaments on the tree. My bigger kids are getting so tall that David and I only had to help with some of the tallest branches.

I've been wanting an advent wreath for years, and this year I finally went out and purchased one. While I was at the Christian bookstore, I also bought the book Jotham's Journey. It is a story that has a reading each day (along with old testament prophecies) that takes you all the way through Christmas. The kids have absolutely loved it. They always want me to read more! Thankfully, no one has gotten really frightened by the story. It is quite suspenseful. Our kids are pretty sensitive, which in many ways is good. But, I am glad to see that they can enjoy a good story, without getting too scared.

Yesterday, we went to our adoption agency Christmas party (AAC). The kids had a fun time having their faces painted and visiting Santa. We've always told our children that Santa is "just for fun" (i.e. not real), but that his character is based on a real person who loved God and loved people. They really enjoy hearing about Saint Nicholas, and had a fun time visiting with the modern-day Santa as well. Here they are (in the same outfits from Oma!) at the AAC Christmas party.


While we were at the Christmas party we discovered that the family who helped start AAC has 30 kids!!! I knew that they had a lot of kids, but I thought that it was somewhere in the teens. We talked to the dad and he said that there are only 9 at home now (almost an empty nest, according to him!).

We really love our adoption agency. If anyone is thinking of adopting from China or Korea, check out their website: www.aacadoption.com We have definitely been blessed by them many fold!

Today, our pastor was continuing a series of talks on purity of heart (we missed many of the talks while we were in China, but are trying to catch up by listening to them now). This, of course, is the most important preparation for Christmas. Oh, that my heart would be pure before God...that I would love Him with complete abandon, and that I would continually seek His face! What a gift that God would come to earth to live among us. I pray that I would always be grateful for this extraordinary gift and that my heart would be prepared to celebrate Emmanuel, who is God with us!