Christmas traditions with littles.

 I remember last year thinking "Caleb is one! We have to start good traditions this year- its now or never!' and feeling a bit of pressure about deciding or finding the best things to do to make Christmas magical and fun and something he remembers forever.

  Yeah. I got over that really quickly! I still want to be intentional about what we fill our days with leading up to Christmas and I love the idea of traditions, but I have a lot more grace for myself and less pressure to do any of it perfectly. And after listening to this fun podcast a few weeks ago, I am feeling even more freedom to do only what works for us and what we love this holiday season!

  Maybe you're the same as me- you find yourself just wanting to have a happy Christmas this year. You want to find things that are fun and life-giving and take away the extra stuff that you feel pressured to do, but just leaves you feeling crazed or exhausted or guilty because you never actually got to them.

  Well, this post is for you! I hope you read this and see a list of ideas to celebrate Christmas with your family and grace to do all or none of it. We are all so different! I know Christmas cards can stress the heck out of some people (getting the perfect photo, designing the card, getting it sent on time- all because you think its something you have to do). For me, Christmas cards are fun and one of my favorite new family traditions! But you know what I don't do? Decorate my house much. Right now, in this stage of life for so many reasons, that stresses me out. We will for sure have our tree and some little things set out. But it honestly causes me stress to think about making our house beautiful for the holidays. So I won't do it! Know yourself and your capacity, and stick to things that bring you joy this Christmas.

  If you're on the hunt for some fun and easy Christmas traditions to adopt, here are some of my favorites! And I want to hear from you- what do you do (or not do!) with your family at Christmas?

Star From Afar// Hands down my most favorite Christmas tradition we do with our kids. If you know me in real life, I'm sure I sound like a broken record when I talk about this. If you want a simple way to teach your kids (even toddlers!) about Christmas and include the magic and whimsy that a lot of traditions have- this is perfect. It is basically a cute wooden nativity, complete with a large star that sets on top of the stable. Leading up to Christmas day, you hide the star around your home for you child to find and move the Three Wisemen to- leading them closer and closer to Jesus in the manager on Christmas morning. It comes with the sweetest book perfect for kids and you can honestly adapt it any way to work for you. Last year, we simply played with and talked about the nativity. The colorful and classic wooden pieces are perfect for little hands! This year, Caleb understands a bit more but is still probably not ready for a full Advent-long activity. So we will probably just hide the star everyday for two weeks (instead of closer to 4!). I'll put little pieces of candy or acts of kindness or other treats with the star for him to find each morning and I think he'll love it! Bonus! Natalie, the creator of Star From Afar, is so generous. (Ie my dog ate a wiseman last year and she helped me replace him!!) From now until Monday, if you order a Star From Afar kit and use the code KATIE10 you'll receive 10% off your purchase! It's already super affordable, so this is a steal. And it makes a perfect gift!!

Polar Express// I had never heard of this fun activity until last year (have I been living under a rock??), but we are going with my family in December and I think Caleb will love it. I don't know if it will become a yearly tradition, but it is for sure a great one time activity! We are doing this one in Indy (if you're local, reservations fill up fast!), but I'm sure a google search of 'polar express' in your city will show you fun options where you live!

Help someone in need// Yes yes yes. We should be thinking of others all year round, but I love how universal it is to help others during Christmas. And the options are endless! Operation Christmas child is a great (and affordable) way to involve your kids in shopping for others, donating canned goods or filling grocery bags to help give a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal to local charities, or 'adopting' a family to shop for are all great places to start! Don't love any of those? Call your local Women's shelter or elementary school or church and ask them how you can tangibly bless a family this Christmas. I guarantee they'll have ideas for you! And get your kids involved! 

Christmas books// Ok, I love this and can take zero credit for it. Two years ago, my mom spent some time scouring local Dollar Spots and thrift stores collecting second-hand or inexpensive kids' Christmas books. She bundled them together in different bags and gifted them to each grandkid. SO CUTE. She gave each kid 12- one to reach each day leading up to Christmas! Such a great gift idea and perfect for kids of all ages. (Need a place to start? This is my all-time favorite kids Christmas book! It explains the holiday so well in kid language.)

Movie night// There are so many fun and classic Christmas movies! How fun would it be to have a yearly family movie night after you decorate your tree to sit down with hot chocolate and popcorn to watch Home Alone or Elf or one of the adorable claymation movies?!

Christmas cookies// I haven't done this with my kids yet (hello 1 and 2 year old!), but growing up my mom always made a huge batch of sugar cookies and let us go to town decorating them. Really simple, inexpensive, and fun! Bonus? Decorated cookies or other baked goods make great neighbor gifts and I bet your little ones will love marching next door to drop them off!

Jesse Tree// This is such a cute way to celebrate advent with your kids and help them dig into the Bible at a really kid-appropriate level. Also, the fun craft ideas are endless!

Elf on the Shelf// You've surely heard of this tradition where you hide the Elf around the house for kids to find each morning. Typically he's done something naughty (like unrolled the toilet paper), but I love the idea of making him a 'kindness elf'. You could even save yourself some $$ and make your own adorable Kindness Elves! 

Advent Calendar// This is one of the 'possibilities are endless' traditions. Which makes it great for any family and you can change it as your kids get older. The whole point behind Advent is to prepare our hearts for Christmas, the celebration of Jesus' birth. You can talk about verses around the dinner table or buy one of the chocolate candy calendars or a cute display that has drawers filled with little presents. Or make one with your kids! You can focus on Bible stories, acts of kindness, or even center it around something your kids love, like this LEGO one! Here are three easy and adorable DIY advent calendars I love: one, two, three. 

Christmas 2015.

  Christmas was such a fun whirlwind this year. What started out as a plan for a simple celebration sort of spiraled out of hand and we've basically been going non stop since Christmas Eve. Caleb is definitely feeling it and we're all excited to get back to normal when things wind down tomorrow. But it's all been worth it! 

  We were able to wake up slow and have the entire morning together on Christmas day before the craziness began- which was perfect since Tyler decided to have a growth spurt and eat like a maniac all night/morning. We watched a little of the Curious George movie while we waited for Tyler to finish eating and then let Caleb open the little gifts we had for him. He loved his stocking and had so much fun pulling out all of the little presents. Our 'big' {but super inexpensive} gift to him was a magnetic chalkboard that he LOVES. Mostly he loves swiping all the magnets off and then slamming them back on- but it is hilarious to watch! 

  After we fed Tyler {for the millionth time}, we headed to my sisters' to celebrate with my family. With six grandkids under 4, our get togethers are entertaining and the best kind of crazy. Caleb is obsessed with his older cousins and just follows them around and it is pretty precious. And oh my goodness, it was quite the scene while we {read: the kids} unwrapped gifts. Chaos might be the best way to describe it? But they loved it and its so fun to be in this new season as a family where the focus has shifted from my sisters and me and onto our kiddos. Honestly, I don't need any gifts at all because watching them is so much fun in itself! 

  All of the big kids crashed by early evening and we came home to help finish putting together the awesome play kitchen my parents gifted Caleb. And, shocker, he loves is so so much. Like, more than I can really express. If you need a gift idea, get your kiddo this play kitchen. Worth every penny already, and we've only had it for 3 days {and we've been gone 2.5 of those!}. Thanks, Mom & Dad!

  We packed up the kids and headed to Ohio all day Saturday to visit more family and my in laws are visiting right now. So much family time! Its all so great and we love it. 

 I also love the idea of finally taking the tree down tomorrow {I'm a day-after-Christmas kind of girl}, put the living room back together, sift through all of the generous gifts, and get my toddler back to his normal self. Christmas season is so much fun, but I also so love the decluttering and simplifying that comes when its all done and we move into the new year. With a newborn and probably the busiest Christmas, we're all pretty ready to settle in and find our new normal around here! One of my resolutions? More & better family photos- I am never in any shots and we always forget to snap a family photo together until the last {less than ideal} minute. Let's change that in 2016!

Christmas Eve

  
Happy Christmas Eve from my little guys! We have plans to break out of the house today for a celebration with extended family and then do a few fun things with the boys this evening. We've sort of started a tradition of picking up donuts for breakfast every Christmas Eve {we have the best little donut shop two blocks away} and we want to start some new traditions too- decorating cookies for Santa and sriving through some Christmas lights before bedtime. Simple and easy traditions are my favorite! 
  Overall, I am just really excited to watch Caleb meet some family today and see him light up with the magic of it all. He knows about baby Jesus already and carries around the manger from his nativity scene all the time. He's too little to really know the meaning of Christmas, but planting little seeds by reading intentional books and playing with his nativity is really fun! And having a newborn to snuggle is just about the best part of this Christmas. Tyler's going through a bit of a growth spurt, so we've had lots of nursing snuggles the past couple of days and I love it! 
  All that to say, Merry Christmas! I hope you're doing some simple and sweet things to celebrate!

Joyful expectation.

I'm borrowing some words from the IF:Equip Advent study today...

"The theme of this week is joy. To celebrate the joy we have in Christ. The joy of His birth. The joy of our salvation. Nehemiah 8:10 says the joy of the Lord is our strength. No person, event, or circumstance can take away the joy we have in Christ. During this time of Advent, let the joy of Christ’s coming fill your heart. Look forward to His second coming with joyful expectation; knowing that He will make all things wrong, right. Ask God to overwhelm you with joy this week."

With only 9 days left until Christmas and everyone running around the finish shopping and finalizing plans with family and friends and pushing through the busiest season, I love that Advent brings us back to Jesus. I think giving good gifts and having parties and filling our calendars are fun and part of the magic of Christmastime, but they aren't the real reason we have to be joyful!

This my most favorite part of Advent! The joy of waiting with expectation because we know Christ is coming. We know the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled in him; wonderful counselor, prince of peace.  Christmas is coming and there is so much to be joyful about, no matter what your current situation looks like! Psalm 40:16 says that all who seek Christ can rejoice and be glad in him. Yes!

And I love how IF:Equip ends the study from yesterday-
What new song of joy has Christ put within your mouth?

Gift guide. {what's on my list}

  So, I had a bigger gift guide planned with lots of good stuff and wanted to have it up two weeks ago. Then I had a baby, forgot about it and, when I remembered, decided to simplify it and only include the things that are on my Christmas list. I mean, why not? These are all goodies that I would love to receive or that I'm giving as gifts this year. And you'll notice a trend- lots are from small businesses because I just love supporting them! This list sort of covers everything though- from clothes and totes, home goods, and books to tech-y things, hobby stuff, and even gift cards! And just a little reminder {because I caught myself nearly missing this myself!}- today is the last day to order from most places to have it arrive by Christmas. So hop to it! Finish up your shopping! {and on that note, I'm off to order that last few things for my own Christmas shopping!}

Emily Mcdowell// I love Emily's sense of humor and how she approaches taboo topics. These tea towels are my fav right now!

MamaSaid// I'm in love with this top!

leather tote// So, technically this isn't on my list since I already own one. But you guys! If you know someone who loves classic, quality pieces- get her this. It's amazing! {find a coupon code here!}

prayer journal// Hands down, my favorite thing to gift. I've been using mine for over a year now and can't so enough good things about having this!

candles// here are my 3 favorites: 1// 2// 3//

gift cards// So, gift cards get a bad rap. And I think that's dumb. Some people think they're super impersonal, but I LOVE them! I am stingy when it comes to shopping for myself, so having a gift card is such a treat. For instance, having a newborn during winter means being a bit housebound- but a trip through Starbucks drive-thru or a little vacation down the aisles of Target are basically amazing to a mom! You can find gift cards for just about everything these days and these are some of my favorites: etsy// starbucks// target// Patachou {a local Indy eatery}// loft. 

selfie stick// So, I don't have this on my list. But I should because it's sort of amazing. 

books// these two {1// 2//} are my current favorites to gift to others and these two {1// 2//} are on my list

mug// I actually need to purge some of my mugs because the collection is getting a bit out of control, but if I had room I'd add this one to my collection. And, if I'm being practical, I really could use another one of these because they genuinely keep my tea/hot chocolate warm for HOURS. Yes, please. 

mom necklace// I had one of these when Caleb was born, but it didn't hold up well. I'd love to upgrade to a nicer one {and add a T for Tyler!}. I have my eye on this one!

Project Life// I'm obsessed with Project Life and think its just a super doable way to document every day moments. I have the Emily Ley baby set for Tyler, but still need to get a book and I need to start another book of Caleb/general family stuffs!

Toms// I struggle when it comes to finding shoes I like that I can wear every day. I don't wear Uggs or booties or any of the trendy shoes- I tend to stick to simpler options. I also hate wearing socks, so flats and slip-ons are my besties. Toms for the win! 

clothes// Turns out being pregnant/nursing for the last 14 months means my wardrobe sort of stinks. I need to completely revamp it and these are some classics I'm loving: 1// 2// 3// 4// 5// 

Mpix// I just placed a big order of Caleb's newborn photos and remembered why I love this printer so much! The cheaper sites are my go-to for phone/day-today photos, but when I'm printing professional shots I stick with Mpix {so much better quality!}. I try to print photos once a month, so a gift card is such a huge help and a treat to print a few extras to help build our gallery walls. 

Advent.

   Do you celebrate Advent? I don't really remember doing it growing up and just started doing it on my own a year or two ago. But I love it. I mentioned yesterday that this season I'm in right now is absolutely crazy, filled to the brim {I bet yours is, too!}. It's not the easiest, but one of the things I'm trying to make room for, despite the busyness, is Advent. Jesus is quite literally the reason for the Christmas season, and one day spent remembering his precious birth {and gift of hope!} is not nearly enough. I really do love the action of preparing my heart for the days leading up to Christmas.

  I imagine when we have kids, we'll get all creative and do fun activities to make Advent even more exciting. Right now, though, I'm really content to spend some intentional time every day reading Advent scripture, devotionals, and spending time reflecting on the Peace, Joy, Hope and Love this season brings. 

  In an effort to really scale back this year on Christmas decorations {that whole 'building margin' thing}, I'm not sure I'm even going to get around to putting the ornaments on the tree. But I did want to find a way to bring a physical reminder of Advent into our house. Not wanting to drop money on paper calendars or prints, I decided to totally knock off Kim's idea of a make-shift Advent wreath. Using what I had on hand {jars, gold charger, jute & baker's twine, tags, tea lights} and spending a whopping $4.50 to pick up some greenery and fake snow, it was pretty darn easy. Simple and sweet. So perfect for this season of busyness. 

  It's really nothing special. Each jar has a tag with Hope, Love, Peace, and Joy. I want to light it each night {or morning!} during my Advent study or while we're eating dinner or whatever. And to just remember. Christmas gifts and trips to NYC and extra days off from work are most definitely wonderful. But guys, we have a much bigger reason to celebrate! The Hope of the World! Christ's birth changed everything. Stop and think about that. 

  Maybe you're already on the Advent bandwagon, but if not, I really encourage you to join in. Today is only day 5, so you're not really behind at all. I'm sure if you just google 'advent study' lots of great ideas will pop up. This year, I'm doing two studies {one personal, one for our small group} and both are great. This one {that you can access on your YouVersion phone app} is extra fun because you can connect with others on social media who are doing it, too. This one, by John Piper, is available as a free ebook. 

  Whatever you choose, I encourage you to choose something. And talk about it with others. Find ways to really, truly celebrate this Advent season- outside of gift giving, holiday parties, and Christmas Eve services. 

61dc799505e8c02360d3232b75b5577c6366c7f6f25782230e

Margin.

  I decided a long time ago to never apologize for taking blogging breaks, planned or unplanned. I think it is so silly and unnecessary for anyone to ever apologize for living life offline. Isn't that way more important that filling up someone's blogroll? 
  Either way, I have been itching to blog lately. Lots and lots to say (Fall favorites! recipes! Thanksgiving! Florida! Christmas!), but I have just found myself in a season of real, true fullness lately. I keep teetering between soaking it up and feeling pretty overwhelmed. I have such a love hate relationship with full seasons like this one. I love the quality time and fun adventures, but I long for quiet and slow and slightly boring. My introvert self sometimes has to muscle through it, because these seasons have a purpose. And an ending!
  All that to say, I'm really looking for margin these days. Time celebrating birthdays, family football outings, holiday get togethers, and our upcoming trip to NYC are too wonderful to be cancelled. But they have serious potential to overwhelm me this year. So instead, I'm leaning towards less fuss with Christmas decorations. Nixing plans to bake up a storm and mail out Christmas goodies to friends far away. Giving myself grace to skip workouts and to put off adding that extra coffee date I've been meaning to get on the calendar. And time, every single day, to remember this Advent season. Because, gosh, if there is one reason to celebrate right now, it is Christ's birth. And man, does that center me and take away those anxious thoughts of 'when will I get to bed tonight and how will I find time to buy that last gift?' 
  In every season, making room for margin is important to me. But there is just something about life right now that has been really, really needing and searching for it. Ever feel that way? What are some things you do to keep sane in busy seasons?

My school's cooler than yours.

Well, not really.

But kinda.

I mean, has the Biebs ever tweeted about your alma mater?!

'Cause he tweeted about mine! :)

Good 'ole TU has this saaaaweeeet Christmas tradition called Silent Night.

{maybe you've seen it on ESPN? Or CBS Sports4? Or Yahoo? Or read about it in Sports Illustrated?}

It's pretty awesome.

And this year, the girls from my dorm

{fyi: dorms are the Christian school versions of sororities!}

did a sweet awesome flash mob to one of JB's songs.

And it went viral.

And he tweeted about it being

"So cool!"

I couldn't be more proud to be an Olson girl & a TU alum!

Like I said,

my school's cooler than yours.

:)

all things new.

Remember the last season I posted about?

Well, I'm SO excited to say

that its finally OVER!!!

The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel is here!

And instead of deciding how to balance school, work, and life...my biggest decisions for the next 3 weeks is which craft to do, whether to walk the pups in the morning or afternoon, and whether to have an Anne of Green Gables or JAG marathon.

*sigh*

life is good!

How about you?! Entering a new season? Any exciting Christmas plans? 

sunny christmas.

these are J's feet. not mine. just in case there was confusion...

we interrupt this holiday blogging seasons for a sunny, warm, beach-filled trip to Florida.

also known as...visiting the in-laws for the holidays (and getting a tan in the process)!

Merry Christmas! :)

its beginning to look a lot like christmas.

After the whirlwind of life that's been this last month or so, I finally got around to making our apartment look festive and Christmas-y! I love (almost) everything about this time of year :)

Christmas candle, room spray (aka awesomeness in  a can), and a vintage holiday doily. (and, um, dust on my lamp.)

Miniature ceramic nativity (compliments of some elementary catalogue fundraiser back in the day)under the Christmas tree I used to have in my bedroom as a kid.

Cute little snowman from my box of decorations for my little tree

Little known fact about me: I have collected nutcrackers since I was like 8. J's still on the fence about this quirk of mine.

Our first Christmas 2009. How sweet <3

We found the perfect ($15) tree this year! Its so perfect, it looks fake! Also, we didn't forget the topper. I just haven't found one I love yet! Suggestions?

My favorite snow baby.

We love the Raiders in this family.

Ok ok, they aren't christmas decorations. Just roses from my amazing husband. Just because he loves me, he said. He's a keeper!

Now, only a day of work, a Brady Christmas celebration, and one lonnnnng car trip separates me from the sunny beaches of Florida. Mmmmm...I can't wait!

exchanging ornaments.

I joined The Great Ornament Exchange 2010 and knew that I had to make a homemade ornament. Low funds and a bug to sew both contributed to this necessity. 

I scoured the internet and found this little gem and knew I had to make it. but let's just say that paper piecing and hand sewing are not my fortes! 

Here's my finished product. I used some Amy Butler fabric I've been waiting to break out. It turned out ok but definitely has some signs of homemade love.

Sure hope Bethany likes it! Its off in the mail...so I guess we'll see! And I can't wait to see what new addition to our tree I'll be receiving :)

after cramming (as in Ihaven'tevenstartedstudying) for my exam tomorrow, I'll finally get to start enjoying this Christmas break! And I sure do have a list of things to accomplish.

think reading, baking, Anne of Green Gables, sewing...

i.can't.wait.

one thing. one week. challenge. *edit*

thanksgiving was pretty wonderful this year. 

good food, family, and only a short drive were all things to be thankful for!

and now its time to gear up for another whirlwind christmas season. is it just me, or does this time of year always fly by?!

to help me stay on track with all my crafting and gift-getting, I joined Amy's one thing-one week challenge. so motivating!

here's what I did last week (in the midst of piles and piles of homework!)

I had promised to make my sister a camera strap cover for her birthday (cough*2monthsago*cough) and finally committed to sitting down and making it. I used this tutorial but forgot to take a picture of the finished product!

These are the fabrics I used (thankyouverymuch Hobby Lobby discounts!)- an exaggerated damask for the the outside and a bright teal for the liner to add a pop!

I also worked on piecing together an apron I've been working on for far too long. Maybe I should make it my goal for next week to have it finished?

I also whipped this up to thank my wonderful mom for all her hard work on our awesome tgiving feast!

and now, its time to attack this week with a vengeance. Transcribed interviews, final papers, practicum interviews, small group, and working are in my future for the next few days!


...but not before I make some sewing/crafting goals for the week.
1. FINISH apron. seriously this time.
2. hunt down some supplies for my homemade candles. clearance aisle?
3. who am I kidding? that's more than enough.