Benny's First Christmas

If I had to sum up this year's Christmas in one word it would be this: Simplicity.  We had a beautifully, delightfully simple Christmas.  In the past we've traveled to visit family for Christmas.  And although we love to see family, we decided to stay home this year (as we have the past few years) and start developing our own little family's traditions.  And boy did we have fun.

We played in the snow, baked cookies, saw the Western Mall Christmas light show (several times), drove through Falls Park, made paper chains to decorate the doorway, ate all the cookies, listened to lots and lots of Christmas music, decorated our house and the best part .... we did it all in our own timeline.  Nothing was forced or rushed or mandatory.  If I'm honest, I do sometimes feel the social pressure to "do" Christmas a certain way.  To send out cards, to buy expensive gifts and to move a shelved elf around every day.  But we didn't.  Not that those things are bad (I love Christmas cards!!), we just decided to keep it simple.  And it was a perfect way to celebrate Bennett's first Christmas!!

Every year growing up, we had a real Christmas tree.  Some years we'd hunt it down in the woods.  Other years we'd go across the street and buy it from the tree lot.  But it was real.  Always real.

Every year since we've been married, we've had a fake tree.  I bought it in college and each year either due to lack of funds or lack of space, we kept putting up that same 6' fake tree.  I pleaded my case to buy a real tree this year, but with a crawling baby who loves to put everything in his mouth (ie. pine needles) we decided once again to put up our trusty fake tree.  With lots of help, of course.

Carter helped haul lights!

Opening their new tree ornaments from Grandma Marty and Papa Dave

Benny approves of the tree :)

this picture would be very conflicting if we actually cared about college football

I don't think any one thing could be more work than mixing, rolling, cutting, baking, frosting and then decorating cut-out cookies.  (sigh)  But it just wouldn't be Christmas without them.

"Hey!  Where's the frosting??"

One of my favorite new traditions?  Matching Christmas jammies for the boys.  I know they won't let me dress them all matchy matchy forever, so I am going to take full advantage of it while I can!

And it was our very own Christmas miracle that all three boys looked at the camera ... at the same time ... without any weird faces.  For real, that never happens. 

I love having kids at Christmas time.  Well, I love them all the time, but it's especially fun at Christmas.  As an adult, Christmas is nice.  You decorate, you exchange gifts and it's, well, it's nice.  But with kids, Christmas is magical!  And we celebrate everything!  

I wish I would have videotaped Carter opening presents.  He was literally bouncing all over the living room.  And when he opened the bookmark that Brooks bought for him, he cheered "Oh wow!!  Oh wow!!  I will put it in my very favorite book!!!"

Seriously.  It was a bookmark.  But to Carter it was the best thing ever since it was his.

Bennett's reaction to receiving clothes for Christmas.  Sorry kiddo, we'll do better next year.

paper eater

Benny sitting like such a big boy in his new chair from Grandma Gale

I wish our families lived closer so we could celebrate with them, but we've been so so so blessed to be adopted into the Gale family here.  We spent Christmas Eve with them attending church and then going out to eat.  And we spent Christmas afternoon with them as well, eating lots of food, playing games and just spending time with amazing friends we get to call family!

Praying for a House

The Anderson's are house hunting.  Sort of.  I mean, we're looking.  But not with a lot of hope of actually finding something.  Because we've been house hunting for nearly two years.  Two. years.  And even if we DO find something, my optimism is waning that we'll actually be able to buy it.  Because we've put in offers on four houses in the last two years, obviously coming up short each time :(

We moved into our current house a little over three years ago when I was pregnant with Carter.  We knew it wasn't our forever home (since it was a rental), but it's what we could afford and it was better than sharing walls with our increasingly noisy neighbors in an apartment building.  And it's a good house.  Ugly.  But good.

But as good as it is and as many great memories as we've had here, our house is just becoming too small for our family.  I mean, for the size it is, the space is laid out well.  The kitchen is a good size, the dining room is big & open to the living room and I love that there's an attached double stall garage (a rarity in our neighborhood).  But our 2 bedroom, 1100 sq foot house is just, well, it's just small.  The boys are sharing a room and Bennett is sleeping in our room.  Not a horrible arrangement, but not ideal either.  And someday Chris and I will decide we'd like our room back and move Bennett out.  The reason we haven't yet is that the logistics of having three boys in one room is kind of overwhelming to me.

And not only is our house small,  but the yard is small too.  Our house is on a corner lot and all we have is a small patch of yard on the front and side of our house.  We've spent hours playing in that patch of yard over the last three years, but my heart just aches for a big, fenced in yard where my boys can run!  Oh, how they need to run.  And let's be honest, I would love a yard where I can send them out to play in the frigid cold and I can watch them from the warmth of my kitchen :)

We would love a house with at least 4 bedrooms and 2 baths and a double attached garage.  We would love a big kitchen and dining room to host friends & family and a separate family room so I can get all the kids crap toys out of our only common living space.  We would love to be in a better neighborhood where we don't suspect anyone of selling illegal substances across the street and preferably not on a corner lot.  We would love a ranch style home with a big back yard.  And we would love to find a house that meets all of our needs and fits within our single income family budget.

We already have so much to be thankful for - an amazing marriage, three healthy kiddos, a roof over our heads, and food in the fridge - that I feel even a bit selfish wanting a new house.  We truly are rich and we have more than we need.  But I know that God cares about the big things and the small things in our life.  So we're praying. We're praying that God provides a house for us.

And every time I bring this need to God I feel like He's telling me to go outside of myself for this.  To ask for prayer and for help.  And so, would you pray with us?  Would you pray that God would provide just the right house in just the right neighborhood for just the right price?  And I know God's timing is perfect, but I'm really praying for a house soon!