Advent Openings

I don't think I've ever enjoyed getting out of bed so much... over the last 8 days I've been woken to the sound of my boys whooping with delight over the beautiful and thoughtful things Leonie has picked out for them each day. (There was no expectation for her to do something each day for them that's just the measure of her generous heart!)

One of the best things they have said this week was when they opened this awesome magnetic story board with some of the nativity characters in it and Bounce said to me 'Mum I think Jesus is coming for us' (he wasn't in the first parcel of these they unwrapped.) I thought to myself yes little man how true. 

Day FOUR:

Awesome jacket and skirt pattern, airhostess beads and gingerbread cottage

Story board with nativity characters

This morning I was thinking about all the amazing things Leonie has picked for me and I felt like oh my gifts are so small in comparison and then I thought isn't that just like Christmas. We carefully pick gifts for others and wrap them with care but really they are so very small in comparison to what heaven gave us at Christmas. A God who would walk as human, grieve, feel pain, lose friends, have enemies, laugh, eat, hope.... A God who would give up power and clothe himself in helplessness.

Day FIVE:
(the glo sticks the boys received were squirreled away faster than I could get a photo of them. Flip was found sleeping with his that evening!)

Brownie In a Jar

I love how no matter how generous our love, how kind our deeds, how wonderful our words they are only ever a tiny glimpse of the extravagant love of God who gave everything. A God who opens his arms to love us just as we are.

Day SIX:

Gorgeous Crocheted Flannels

This Advent swap has been so wonderful and it's not even half way through. Leonie has really chosen things so carefully in line with the things I said I liked. I think it is such a compliment when someone picks something for you, with you in mind. That is really the great discipline of gift giving to buy what someone else would like rather than what you would like yourself.

Day SEVEN:

I adore this quote - all framed up for me x

Star Garland

I've also had such fun listening to all the excited exclamations of the boys and their sense of anticipation each day. Their absolute favourite has been the magnetic story board and they are already telling and re-telling the story to each other with the characters they have so far. It's made me think after Christmas I need to make some more characters for them to re-tell other stories they love. I do remember getting hours of delight from my mama's flannel-graph boards as a child.

Day SEVEN boys:

More magnetic characters

Tune in next Saturday to see what else has excited and delighted me... and to see if I've been brave enough to cut into this fabric which literally made me squeal when I opened it. I don't think I've ever seen fabric I love more!!!

Day EIGHT:

Look here to see what I received Days 1-3