Before Christmas came:

So we put up the tree Dec 1st.  Oh what fun when you have little ones to experience the season fresh.  Adeline loved the ornaments.  For several cute ornaments and several worn and old ornaments she would pull them out and say… “(gasp) ah, look at this one it is oh so cute.  i love it, this one is my favorite.”  We were decorating a “family” tree and another very small one for her room.  She kept putting so many of her “favorite” ornaments on her tree that it kept falling over.  It never made it to her room either, she wanted it right there front and center with the “family tree".  Esther loved the ornaments as well.  We gave her a bell one to carry around and called it hers.  It was rarely on the tree.  Every time she would head over to the tree we would distract and redirect her to finding her ornament… the beaded bell that couldn’t hurt her.

notice the not so lonely branch":

 

Adeline took a picture of me with the tree.

 

She also had her “Birthday party for Jesus” at Sonshine Day.  They sang five songs.  She did oh so good.

Adeline is participating in Worship Dance at Grace United Methodist and they did a Christmas program (In the first snap she is near the bottom with a HUGE smile, in the second she is posing with Baby Jesus’ manger – an idea she liked):

Adeline loved all the parties and dressing up.  She did so well.  She was always confused when folks would ask about Santa and him bringing toys.  She would just smile.  Once she said after being asked about Santa that “it is Jesus’ birthday”.  That is right little girl, when you don’t know what someone is talking about you just answer with something you do know all about.  She would play with the Little People play set and retell the story – with a few prompts.  If it was up to her the wise men would have come several times on those camels.  She loved the Gainesville Christmas Festival that WBC preformed.  I think it is the live camels that made the impression on her.  This year she was really awestruck by the beating, death, and resurrection of Jesus in the play.  She asked a ton of questions.  Where normally when Cinderella’s dress gets torn she cries or runs out of the room.  I guess she just really needed to know more about Jesus this year.  During Christmas day festivities she even had us read the story of his death and resurrection when she got her Young Readers Bible.   It is something she keeps coming back to whenever we talk about Christmas…keeps jumping ahead to Easter.  Praise the Lord… the point is we serve a Living Savior who defeated death (for us to have life)!!!