Advent Day 4

On the 4th day we set up the nativity scene under our Christmas tree.  The boys were really excited about taking it out.  Manasseh immediately set to work putting it together exactly how he thought it should look and was incredibly frustrated that his brothers wanted to play with it as well.

We also finished decorating our tree during this time.

Surprise, at the bottom of the ornaments was a second nativity.  Manasseh chose to combine the two for an interesting, festive look.

Advent Day 3

For our day 3 activity we chose to make a paper chain for decorating the tree.  I admit, I was highly skeptical about our children's ability to maintain interest in such a project, but my dear husband was eager to do this with them.

He won.  They loved it.  The boys glued, he built.  While they built together, Randy told them about when he was a child and they did not have any decorations for their tree one year because they had just moved overseas.  Since they were without, they made paper chains to decorate the house.  I love that as we celebrate advent, the hope that we have in Christ, the boys are able to connect with their own history on a deeper level.

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Proud Mama Moment

It has been a fantastic day at the Crum household.  A day with victory and accomplishment.  I am especially excited to share about our "Miracle Man"s victory.

At almost 3 our little guy, who was born with a lot of brain damage and expected to have a lot of trouble learning, sat at the lunch table and blurted out, "C-E-S-S-I-U-S".  He got 1 letter wrong, but HOORAY - my little man is learning... he's behaving like a child his age.  

This is a proud mama moment.

Have your kids made you proud today?

Another Hope Activity

Candy Corn Hope

At dinner time we sat a jar of candy corn on the table, next to the wreath, where all the boys could see it.  As soon as we sat down to eat, Manasseh asked if he could have candy for dinner.  We asked the boys if they remembered what hope means.  Manasseh said, "when you go to the store and your mom says you can't have something and you hope you can have it later."  Okay, so he kind of got the point to the other exercise.  We talked about hope as having faith - believing that you will receive your promise.  

Randy asked the boys if they believed that mommy would tell them the truth and do good things for them.  Of course, they said yes.  I told them that after dinner they could all have some candy.  They said they believed me.  We shared that this meant they had hope that mommy was going to give them candy corn.

After dinner, the boys got candy as promised.  We talked about God's promises to us and the hope that we have because of Him.  We shared that we can trust God because he has good plans for us.

What have you done this week to share hope?

Advent Day 2

Day 2 was "Decorate the Christmas Tree".  We actually ended up with an extremely busy day, so we chose only to put it up and save the decorating for day 4.  The boys were incredibly excited about helping to put the tree together.  Mr. Crum talked with them about the reason we have an evergreen tree.  They really enjoyed this activity and look forward to adding decorations during the advent season.

Azariah hung out in the Christmas tree box while the big boys helped put the branches on (I miss real trees).

The big guys were very focused on making sure the tree branches went in just the right spots.

Of course, they needed a little help!

A picture of all 3, together?  Right!

Teaching Preschoolers about Hope

HOPE

Teaching kids about hope can be overwhelming.  Especially when you have preschool aged boys with a lot of extra energy!  We've spent some time preparing together for how to break down the BIG topic of biblical hope to teach to our little men.  Their little minds can't fully grasp what it means to have hope for the future - but they can understand in general what hope means.

Today we took a trip to one of their favorite store with a notebook and pen, and 2 little boys with a lot of "wishes" on their minds.  We helped them write out lists of things they would like to have.  Manasseh's list seems to be growing faster than I can follow.  He likes gadgets.  They had a great time pushing buttons and daydreaming about neat toys.

At dinner we sat down to light our first advent candle, the candle of Hope.  We shared a devotion, sang a song, and pulled out their wish lists.  It is only a little bit of what hope means, but something they can grasp clearly.  We talked about their lists, the things they hope for - what they really want.  Then we shared about the nation of Israel waiting for the promised king, their savior.  We talked about what that must have felt like.  How does it feel to wait for the things on your wish list?  (Exciting, happy, and fun).  We added words like impatient, difficult, and peaceful. 

As we shared the candle of hope, we talked about our future hopes.  We hope in God.  We know that he's got our backs.  He has good plans for us even when we have bad days.

Hope is still a huge concept, but our boys have gotten a taste of what it means.  

What do you do to teach about hope with your children?