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Christmas is Near!

I can not believe that it is almost Christmas! It's pretty crazy to me that the year is coming to an end! It has been a crazy, exciting, and busy year! One thing that Kyle and I are planning to do is to sit down and make a list of all the big things that have happened this year. I hope we get around to do it so that we can reflect on all those memories! Perhaps we will share our list on our blog so you can get a glimpse of our lives this year!
One thing that our family has committed to doing this Christmas season is to sit down as a family each night and do our Advent Family Devotion. This is a special time each night where we get together and light candles in our "Advent Wreath," (which is just a plate with five votive candles on it, next year we will do something more extravagant!), anyway, we get together, light a candle, and read scripture, a devotion, pray, and then sing a Christmas hymn. We have been faithful to complete our devotion each night, and I believe that Ava likes it quite a bit as well! It's a struggle to keep her still for 10 or 15 minutes, but she normally loves when we sing. She "sings" along with a pretty serious expression on her face and it is so sweet.


Our goal for this special time of year is to keep our focus on Christ and the true meaning of Christmas! This Advent study has really helped, and the Lord is moving in our home. I can not wait til Ava gets a little older and we can have actual conversations about Jesus and how he saved us from death! It has also really made me have more specific and meaningful prayers. It is a constant prayer of mine that Ava will ask Jesus to be Lord of her life, and I can not wait until that day! A man at church got to baptize his daughter this week and it was so beautiful to see! I pray that we can have that experience with Ava one day! I think that is the ultimate gift as a parent! I am so thankful for our church family and all the people who are shepherding her and teaching her about Jesus. (Even though she absolutely can not stand going to Sunday School right now :), I know this will change as she realizes how fun it is! ) I praise the Lord for this precious gift and I love her with every inch of my being.

It's crazy to think that God loves his children even more than that! What an awesome God we have! And to think that he sent his only son, to die for me....how unfathomable! I've always known this, but really got a better understanding of how great a sacrifice this was for our Lord once I had a child of my own. So amazing!

If you're reading this, I challenge you to keep in mind the TRUE reason for this season. It has nothing to do with gifts and Santa, or parties and delicious food.....the reason is to celebrate our King's birthday! I pray that you will prepare your hearts for this wonderful day!

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