Advent

it has been a while...i think a month...and i really missed writing in this space. i enjoy the process and there is a lot that i intend to get written down...but sadly i haven't gotten around to it. and its not that things are crazy busy either. perhaps the opposite. our lives slowed down a bit to breathe and we are all resting in that exhale right now.

because our business is so seasonally different we know that we need to take the winters to breathe and re-cooperate and enjoy the down time. we are still working a lot, but trying to take an afternoon (or two) off. or a long lunch date. or a trip to disneyland during the week. or just long walks as a family because we can right now.

i have also realized these past few years that i am in control of the family calendar pretty much - i think that it is pretty standard that wives assume this duty...maybe because our brains are like computers and we can store conflicting data in there at the same time...men's brains are like calculators...that was a total gross generalization, but in my experience this is true...doesnt mean we are smarter...just better multi-taskers. anyway - because i have a highly advanced brain, i keep the family calendar. and so in this calendar-keeping business i have realized that if i plan too much for one day...or one week...or one weekend...the whole family suffers. i really try to keep balance and am getting much better at saying no. It has helped tremendously since we keep a google calendar that we can both edit and it goes to our phones. i can see when he has auditions and golf classes with bryson etc etc etc and keep it all in mind when trying to navigate our months.

this is just what i am in the process of learning...please do not mistake me that i have it figured out...my husband will readily laugh in your face if you suggest that. this is more like a reminder to myself that this is the right track and go with your gut...if you feel like its going to be too much...it probably is.

so all this silly business to say...this advent has been such a wonderful season so far.

we got a kickstart to the season right after Thanksgiving. we got our tree and put up the lights and the boys helped me decorate...a little...and bobby helped destroy just about everything at ground level. i wouldnt expect anything less.

our evenings have been amazing. i think anyone who has known me this past year can be surprised at this statement because our bedtimes have been a couple thousand notches less than stellar for a while. around 4 my kids get possessed by the devil and then we eat around 5 and they complain about the food the whole time and then they run around like maniacs until  story time at 7 and bedtime at 7:30 when we start the awful process of torturing them with a tooth brush and tucking them in. it wasnt like that every night, but it felt like it and i would have nightmares about putting my kids to bed. literally...i dreamt about it like every night for a week at one point...isnt that horrible?

anyway - since we started advent season there has been a shift for sure. our routine after dinner is a lot more structured - we eat and then clean up...bath time and then the boys run around outside and look at the Christmas lights. then its bobby bed time. after bobby goes to bed we do the Jesse Tree - they hang the ornament, we read the Bible, talk about the story a little, re-cap on all the ornaments we have done and then the boys color a coloring page. my girlfriend suggested that part and it has been a big success. they color for like a half an hour and dont fight. that is amazing to me.

it makes the bed time so much easier since things are so structured. i am NOT a structured person and i doubt that once the advent season is over that i will be able to keep something up like this, but for now - i am loving it.

but i think i would be fooling myself if i pinned it all on the routine. it has a lot to do with my attitude and state of mind. i am realizing how powerful my attitude is on my whole family. how i have the power to change the tides with a simple change in perspective. part of this is done by God's grace and the other part is done by coffee.

i think that the advent season is so important for us as a culture and it has been for us as a family to take time out to wait and breathe and enjoy all the blessings from the past year. i hope that you are able to take some time out to drive around the block and look at the pretty lights...or have hot chocolate as often as you can...or light a fire whenever the temp drops below 60...merry Christmas!
xoxo
Carlee