The Joyful Anticipation of Advent

We’ve jumped into the Advent season full-swing, with tree-hunting, special meals and using the “good dishes.” This year, we’ve also added Nutcracker rehearsals and performances for Courtney and Erica.  The Lebanon Ballet had their Nutcracker performance back in May. I remember this time last year, saying to several people that I was so glad we went to a ballet school which always held their recitals in May rather than December, since December was busy enough. Now that Courtney and Erica are also taking classes at another school, we get to experience the busyness of the Nutcracker in December! (Why do I set myself up for things like this?!  :-D ) The first two performances were yesterday and there will be 4 (!) next weekend, then we will be done. Thankfully, we’ve been able to carpool with some friends and that has helped a LOT.

 

 Yes, Courtney is using an iPad for a mirror. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

As usual, we end up squeezing quite a bit into December – it will always be more busy, as it should be. The challenge is to approach this busyness with a spirit of joy and anticipation.  Nancy Wilson sums it up well in her post A Joyful Advent:

It’s easy to excuse a lot of fussing over the massive pile of gifts to buy and wrap, cookies to bake, cards to mail, trees to put up and decorate, and all the rest. But pause for a moment. Each day opens up looking forward to the appearance of the Child. Joyful anticipation should be building.

And it is.

The Fourth Sunday in Advent

 

We lit four candles and read about Anna, the prophetess in Luke 2, who served God while she waited on the Messiah with fasting and prayers.We prayed that God might “make us a people faithful in prayer and in hope,” like her. Once again, we sang “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” and I noticed this fourth time through it, Grant had picked up most of the words.

We feasted on Roasted Pork Tenderloin, homemade crescent rolls and fresh pineapple, seasoned green beans and a great salad with some of those big croutons. After the meal, the questions started coming about dessert. Even on a typical day, we’re often asked “What’s for dessert?” I’m sure the kids were surprised, maybe even a little concerned that I didn’t have something ready for dessert. Once they opened their Advent gifts, though, they understood: they each got their own stash of assorted chocolates. I might’ve kept back a few pieces for my own stash.  ;-)

I remember as a kid looking forward each Sunday during Advent to watching each of the four candles being lit as we built up toward Christmas day. Advent is a season of anticipation … and waiting.

The Good Dishes

 

A couple of days ago, we started a new tradition at the Worley home: a Christmas Tea. This sent me on a hunt for some nice tea cups. I spent some time shopping in an antique store and saw quite a few tea cups. There were also a few entire tea sets that appeared to have all the pieces intact. These were beautiful sets, hundreds of dollars and neatly stacked and displayed in locked glass cabinets. I marveled that they could’ve lasted for decades without any of the pieces getting broken or chipped. I suppose they could’ve been used a few times without any damage, but I had to wonder if they’d ever been used at all, especially by kids.

We have a couple of sets of good Christmas dishes, one being a gift from Mom and Dad a few years ago (the Christmas tree set in the picture). We get them out every year and love using them throughout the Christmas season. We try to be careful while handling them, but I told myself a few years ago not to worry too much about something getting broken.

The day after I got back from the antique store, we were all getting ready for this first annual Christmas Tea. We made lots of goodies and the girls were setting the table when there was a loud crash over by the hutch. While getting out the saucers, a platter had shifted and knocked one of the saucers onto the floor, shattering it. Everybody was quiet and the daughter holding the stack of saucers froze. My thoughts about the fancy tea sets I’d seen at the antique shop immediately came to mind. Remembering why were having this Tea in the first place – good food, making memories, celebrating the Advent season – (notice where I placed “food” in that list? ;-) quickly put things in perspective while I swept up the shards. We put it behind us and ended up having a truly special afternoon together. I predict that through the years, we will lose more pieces of the good dishes, but the memories and the precious souls who use them are the inheritance we’re passing down.

The Second Sunday in Advent

Two candles were lit. Our reading from Matthew 1 described Joseph’s reaction to the incarnation. We prayed that God would help us to have a faith like Joseph’s, so that we might be “stable and selfless under trying circumstances.” Amen and amen.

Like last Sunday, we planned another casual menu for this Advent meal: Oven-Barbecued Pork Sandwiches, green beans, homemade applesauce and Clementine oranges. The star of the meal was probably the Welch’s Grape Juice. Yes, we did go all out and buy the name brand this time. We get decadent like that during the Advent season.

Dessert was prepared by Rachel and Erica:  Magic Peanut Butter Middles. We’ve made these delicious cookies many times through the years. Tonight, Rachel decided they are the cookie version of a Reese Cup. I agree!

There were smiles all around when it was time to open the Advent gifts.

And lots of excitement!

Can you guess what the girls got?

We decided to give the boys something more in line with their tastes.

Although they probably would’ve been very excited about new slipper socks, too.  ;-)

The First Sunday in Advent

The table was set with the fancy Christmas dishes.  After 3 big meals this weekend, a simple homemade, deep-dish sausage pizza was on the menu. Rather than our regular Sabbath beverage of apple juice, we served Root Beer (a treat!). And we had Peanut Butter Moose Tracks ice cream for dessert.

The first purple candle was lit. Our devotional reminded us of the apostle John stating that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” It is this Word, this Logos, whose coming we look forward to with great joy and anticipation.  O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!

Children’s Museum

As part of our Advent activities each year, we usually try to make it down to the Children’s Museum for their Jolly Days exhibit. So, Mick took the day off today and we headed downtown. It’s such an amazing museum that it’s hard to take it all in in an afternoon!

We started off in the Dinosphere. It’s been awhile since we went to the Children’s Museum (January, I think) and I’m pretty sure Grant did not remember this exhibit. Obviously, he was a little overwhelmed with the menacing dinosaurs, growling sounds and rumbles of thunder. He was perfectly happy letting Courtney carry him around.

Trent obviously felt the same way.

From there, we headed over to the train exhibit. Once we got past the humongous Reuben Wells steam engine, with its lights and sounds (at that point, Grant and Trent were probably wondering why in the world we came to this scary place.), we walked through the caboose of the big train and sat on the benches, watching the “scenery” go past. ;-)

No, they weren’t standing at attention. They were watching one of the model trains go overhead.

It’s difficult to get them to stand still on the ramps that lead from one floor to the next, but I’m persistent and at least got four of them in this shot. :-)

Next up was the Jolly Time Slide. The girls were seasoned pros, but Grant wouldn’t go down unless he was sitting on Courtney’s lap. Some day, I think he won’t believe he was too nervous to go down that slide by himself. But today, he preferred to ride with big sis.

See Claire and Sarah getting ready to round the turn in the next picture?

Yay! I managed to get a group shot right after they all got off the slide! It only took about 47 shots, but this one is pretty decent. :-)

A special exhibit they have at the Children’s Museum this year is the Hot Wheels exhibit. I don’t know who enjoyed this exhibit more, the little boys or their daddy. :-) Besides actual hot rods, the exhibit also had a number of play race tracks with loops and jumps and a seemingly endless supply of Hot Wheels cars. It was the first time our boys had played with toy race tracks and they were entertained for at least half an hour!

When I look at this picture of Trent on the motorcycle, it makes me wish I had video footage, then you could hear his very cool, authentic-sounding motorcycle noises.

While Mick took the older girls up to the Science Works area, I took Claire, Grant & Trent to a new exhibit called “Mr. Bear’s Playhouse.” There was a lot of space to run around in here. One of the big draws was this very realistic-looking … uh … skid steer? front loader? I’m sure Grant will help me with the name of this when I show him the blog.

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In another part of Mr. Bear’s Playhouse, there was a sandbox set up filled with sand toys. Oh boy, did they all three have fun with this! It reminded me of how much kids love to play in sand … and that we really need a sandbox … or a beach vacation!

I love to watch kids when they’re seriously into something they’re playing with. You can practically watch the wheels spinning in their heads while they concentrate.

And then for the grand finale, the thing they ask about from the moment we enter the museum … the carousel!

I clearly remember riding this as a girl!

There was also a coin-operated horse near the carousel. I happened to have one (and only one) nickel in my purse, so Claire was able to ride it. Even after the 30-second ride, Claire continued to ride him, pet him, and hug him. I stood nearby, but kept watching the other ones running around. At one point, I looked back at Claire just in time to see a complete stranger walk up and put a nickel in the horse! I thanked her and she just smiled sheepishly and said “she looked like she wanted a ride.” 

Ride ‘em cowgirl!

Trent took a turn, too; although judging by the look on his face, he’s not exactly sure what he’s doing on his turn. (He did end up enjoying it, though. :-) Again: imagine horse sound effects and you’ve pretty much have the idea of the Trent horseback-riding experience.