to Santa or not to Santa?

I'm not the biggest fan of Santa. I'm sure its not difficult to figure out why. We take a holiday that is designed to celebrate the birth of our Savior, who came to Earth so that we may have a chance to be saved and enter the Kingdom of Heaven and push a jolly big fat man as being more important. This strange man sneaks into our houses in the middle of the night and leaves presents. We take a gift (Jesus' birth) and a holiday and turn it around to make it all about receiving and materialism.

So no, I'm not his biggest fan.

I'm not entirely anti-Santa either though because make-believe is fun, imagining is fun, a bullied reindeer that saves the day is everyone's heroic underdog and the idea that we get gifts for being good is great... but, when I think back to my Christmas memories.... it was all about presents and what we GOT. I remember one particular Christmas when my little brother counted everyone's presents and then proceeded to throw the biggest tantrum (at the age of 6 or 7) because he didn't GET as many presents as someone else. Its so easy to lose the thought of giving to others and the fact that this holiday is JESUS!

So my question is, since I still have at least another year to figure all this out, thank goodness, how do you sorta-not really-kinda do Santa, but mostly do Jesus for Christmas? I've seen cute things like service advent calendars that I really like, that every day you open a day and get the fun piece of candy, but also do something for someone else (as simple as praying for someone else, making a card, cookies, or could even be going to visit a nursing home). I like that a lot. I think it would help my children, but also myself. I used to love advent calendars when I was little, but ONLY because there was a piece of candy in it. I didn't really have any idea what it meant. (My grandmother sent it to me, but no one ever explained it.)

Back to the question - if we don't welcome Santa into our home, my children will be the ones going around spoiling it for everyone else in Kindergarten (or pre-school) telling them, they are crazy, there's no Santa! In which case, I don't think that will help them, nor Ben and I, keep friends.

Anyways, thankfully this year, N has no idea who Santa is (besides the strange man his nanny took him to sit on last week) so I don't have to make that decision yet, but I still wonder what the best option is. I don't want to kill imagination, but I don't want to turn a holiday away from our incredible Savior and the amazing gift he gave us.

I'm sure there is a happy wonderful middle road out there, and I have a year to figure it out. How do you celebrate Christmas?

20 weeks with baby girl

20 weeks and 2 days

This pregnancy is so different from my first. Number one I am itchy as itchy can be. Everywhere... my arms, chest, back, legs, hands, feet!!!! ITCHY! My doctor said.... "eh, just a pregnancy rash... hang in there." Sheesh! Then Saturday night at 2am I actually drove myself to the ER for what was either the most incredible heartburn I've ever had in my life or a gall bladder attack. Either way pain level was a 9 out of 10 and I needed it to stop! Nothing really came of it other than at 6am the pain finally subsided on its own... (or the half a bottle of tums, mylanta, pepcid, nexium I had tried the day before finally kicked in).

Baby girl is treating me very differently from her brother. Ben felt her kick for the first time last night! Much earlier than with N. She's not kicking constantly yet, or at least I'm not feeling it. I'm sure that will change in the next few weeks. I'm looking forward to her hiccups :)

As of this morning I've gained about 10lbs (on my scale). I can't remember the doctor's update and don't go back for a few weeks. I'm sure its contributed to the past 2 weekends of not being able to eat/keep food in me, but I was sure I'd be at 20lbs by now.

So we need a name... and we have none. Or I could say we have all. Because literally we have a ton on the list, but nothing we LOVE. And nothing that works with the bad habit of adding 'ie' to the end of any one in our house.... think: Logan has become Logie.... no, I don't know why.

Help me out, give me some names! I have no updated bump pictures (its already starting, baby girl has less pictures than N), but I'm big. Maybe you can tell in this picture. Praising the Lord for just small little bumps in the road and that mostly all is well with this little pumpkin and her pregnancy. :)

First day of school

N started a new school today. He has been with Linda since he was 10 weeks old and now at almost 17 months, God showed us that we're ready for pre-school. I cried... he didn't. Until the fire drill. On his first day. The teacher actually explained that he cried a little about the fire drill until he realized he got to go outside. But then, after the fire drill they had to go BACK inside... that's when he really cried. This child wants to pitch a tent and live outside. He doesn't mind if he falls and busts his face as long as he's on the way to a playground... coming back inside however if you look at him funny he'll lose it.

They said he also wanted his sippy a lot throughout the day instead of at their 'snack and lunch' times.... well the child has had a sippy all day every day for 6 months. That may take some getting used to that he can only have it at certain times.

I packed enough stuff for him to stay 2 weeks, and the teacher probably thinks I'm crazy, but we survived and N actually semi-slept on a nap-mat (an adorable one his DD made). He doesn't go back for 2 days, so we'll see how skipping a day goes. We may go straight to 3 days a week next week.

Here are some pictures from today... none of which happened near school. 

 N doesn't like that I pulled his chair away from the china cabinet so when he sits on it, it won't shake all the china and crystal... so he's fixing it.

 Testing it out.... bang!!! bang!!! yep... that's close enough.

 Naked Christmas baby... he's still the baby... at least until April.

 We love Baby Jesus

Sweetest boy.

 Telling daddy about all the 'balls' on the tree.