Celebrating Advent

This year I really wanted to celebrate advent. I went out and bought a wreath and candles and downloaded some readings for each day. It started off strong but slowly fizzled out. I think I went a whole week without lighting a candle. Luckily I give myself a lot of grace these days. Even though I forgot a couple days here and there, advent has been with me everyday. This year more than ever the reality of Christ's incarnation is sinking in. As I rock Liam to sleep at night and sing him Christmas carols I can't help but think about Jesus as a baby. I think about Mary holding him and nursing him. I think about how he brought delight to them as Liam brings to Dylan and I. I think about his first steps as we try to help Liam with his. I think about his first words as Liam only grunts at us. It's all becoming very real to me. Emmanuel, God with us.

One of the songs that I've been stuck on this Advent season is O Come, O Come Emmanuel. I literally have sung this everyday. This, along with the readings, has really helped me focus on the real meaning of Christmas. Not only of the hope that Jesus was then, but the hope he is for us now.

There are like 7 stanzas, here are the four I'm most familiar with

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,
Who ordered all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,
Who ordered all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Miami Weekend and Birthday

This past weekend we went to Miami to visit my family and friends. It was our first time going back since we moved in August. We were a little scarred of the drive because Liam hates the car and his carseat, but this weekend he turned a new leaf. He fell asleep in the car on the way there and back AND transferred to bed without freaking out. Bigtime milestone. We enjoyed spending time with my family just hanging out. We actually got to go out to South Beach Saturday night and eat at our favorite restaurant, Fratelli la Bufala. It was just as amazing as I remembered. We were surrounded by Italians and I spent a good portion of our meal eavesdropping on others conversations to see if I could figure out what they were saying. It really did feel like we were in Italy. Then we headed out to Lincoln road to people watch and walk off our meal. It was there that we saw the most beautiful clothing store All Saints.
Dylan and I were just in awe of the design, ambiance, and leather. I was that person that walked around taking pictures because I wanted everything. Materialism to the maxxx. We ended our weekend going back to our amazing church, Crossbridge, and having lunch with pastors, friends, and students. It felt great to be back and hang out with the people we love.

Then yesterday was my 27th birthday. I really can't believe it. How did I become and adult...with a husband...and a baby?! Weird. Well to start the day off right Dylan and I got a couples massage. How did he weasel his way into my birthday celebration? Actually, Dylan's department at work was taking the day off and going to the Ritz Carlton for some rest and relaxation. So we were able to get massages and join his team for lunch and some hang out time at the Spa. They do this every year and this year it just happened to fall on my birthday. We had sushi for dinner with our little buddy and after he was asleep we went to see Voyage of the Dawn Treader. It was a great relaxing day with my boys and I loved it.

Thanksgiving Photos

Here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving. We didn't do a good job taking pictures because we were so busy. And none of them are edited, oh well.

Neither of us had cooked a turkey before so we were a little intimidated.

Disgusting

We almost dropped the turkey putting it in

Our cutie all dressed up. He busted his eye the night before and started getting sick that morning so it was a great day for him.

Our fancy place settings

The turkey was beautiful. Dylan had already started carving it before we realized that we hadn't taken a picture of it yet.

The hostesses.

Christmas stockings

My project this week has been Christmas stockings. I saw some on Etsy that I liked and decided to try to make them. Dylan's stocking is made out of burlap and some wool. It was super easy to make and my best sewing job to date. I was really happy with how it turned out. Mine on the other hand was a little more difficult. I had an idea but couldn't find a picture of what I wanted to do so I just made it up as I went. After many days and hours of trying to figure out the flower arrangement, I just now committed and sewed everything down. I really like it. It's rustic, girly, and vintagey (sp?).

Now I just need to Liam's. His is going to be an elf shoe with some bells. It should be the easiest one