It has long been a tradition in our family that the Mother gives the kids new pajamas on Christmas Eve so that they will look good for Christmas morning pictures.
This year, I decided to sew pajamas for my kids. I have two huge boxes of fabric given to me by a lady in the ward and I thought it would be "fun" to sew pajamas. I thought it would save money too. Well, it was fun at first, and it did save a little money. What I didn't count on was the TIME it would take, or how much sleep I would loose sewing until 1 or 2 in the morning for days (and weeks) on end.
To be completely honest, this project falls into the same category as Halloween costumes. I hope to NEVER sew them myself again.
This first picture of the kids in pajamas looks great! No, I didn't make these pajamas. My mother gave them pajamas a few days before Christmas. I guess she know there was a possibility for disaster when I told her about my project. After all, she sewed pj's for us when we were kids.
Here it is. My kids in the pj's I made for them. In my defense, I did measure the kids. Still, they are all too wide, and too long. Can I shift the blame to the pattern?
Adam and Joshua held hands by themselves, and held still for a picture! Since when?
Look at how nicely Olivia's pajamas fit! I found them for 2.99 at Kid-to-kid!
Joshua only wore his new pajamas for about an hour before we made him change into the pj's his grandmother gave him. The problem? He wouldn't keep the pants on! He kept taking them off and putting BOTH legs into one of the pantlegs. Well, maybe next year when they all have grown a little the new pj's will finally fit everyone.
It takes experiences like this for me to remember why I like sewing quilts and why I shouldn't make clothes. How I made Emily's baptism dress actually fit her still amazes me.
This year our family went to see a Live Nativity near the beginning of December. After parking and the hay ride to the farm, we waited in line to walk through the "town of Bethlehem" set up in a large barn. While standing in line outside the barn, we watched the two men on horseback dressed as Roman Soldiers ride up and down the line. They would stop and watch the people for a while and then move on. Michael lifted Joshua (age 2) to his shoulders to see the horses and costumes. One of the soldiers rode over to Joshua and asked Michael, in a very serious tone, "how old is your son?"
Until I heard that question, the whole experience had been just an exciting adventure. We were taking the kids to see actors dressed up in costumes playing parts from the story of Christ's birth. When I heard, "how old is your son," the adventure became real, and I imagined how another mother long ago might have felt when asked that same question. In fact, the first mother asked, "how old is your son," by a roman soldier after Christ's birth might have proudly answered, "he just turned two years old," only to have her worst fears become reality as her baby is executed! I'm sure no mother at that time had very much warning of Herod's command to slay the children two years and under - except Mary or Elisabeth. My heart goes out to all those mothers who had to experience such a cruelty.
As the soldiers moved on, I really thought about how it would be to live back in the day when Jesus was born. As we walked through the different booths of pottery, and weaving, and baking bread, I thought of how blessed I am to have so many conveniences of this day. In just one day, I can do about 10 loads of laundry (no exageration!), mix and bake bread, give everyone in the family a warm bath, sleep on a comfortable bed, enjoy a home that is warm, DRIVE where I want to go in only a few minutes, MICROWAVE the leftovers - or even cook the whole meal in minutes, NOT iron all the clothes, and countless other tasks that could easily take forever without modern technology.
As we came to the end of the "town" and saw the last stall holding a donkey, I became anxious to see the baby Jesus. He wasn't there! For a minute I was worried I had missed the whole purpose in coming. Not to fear, the little family was in the next barn over, out of site from the searching soldiers. This separate little stall was quiet and calm compared to the busy town we had traveled through. All who entered to see the baby were reverent and barely made any noise. Even my children were quiet. Yes, everyone was quiet, except for the little baby wrapped up lying in the hay. He was fussy and I loved it! His mother gently picked him up and rocked him. The little baby Jesus was fine as long as his mother rocked him standing up!
This Christmas season, I feel a need to share my testimony of the Savior. I know Jesus Christ was born. I know he is the Son of God. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we can all become cleansed from sin as we repent. I know Jesus died for every one of us, and more importantly, I know he lives! Jesus knows and loves each and every one of us. He is concerned for our welfare. This past year I have made an effort to recognize blessings I have receive. I am constantly amazed at the innumerable ways my famly has been blessed EACH DAY!
Merry Christmas!
This year our neighbor cut two Christmas trees and gave one to us. It isn't the perfectly groomed tree you would find in a tree lot, but we love it anyway. It drinks about a gallon of water a day.
The kids loved decorating the tree. Joshua got so excited to put "balls" on the tree. Since they were non-breakable I let him help. Miriam and Adam must have had a silent race going to put the most ornaments on the tree. Emily tried to hide her favorite ornaments (the ones with pictures of her in them) in the back under the bottom branches, but I made her get them out to hang where we could see them. Through it all, Olivia sat in her saucer seat and happily watched us decorate.
Love the fence around the tree? I can't quite decide if the fence is to protect the tree from the kids, or the presents from the kids. :)
Joshua did not want his picture taken with the tree, so I had to get a picture of him when he wasn't paying attention.
Everyone else couldn't wait to get their pictures taken in front of the Christmas tree.
