One.
Two.
Three.
Okay, I don't know that I've been away from Liam before for more than three hours.
But, alas. There was shopping to be done.
Four.
Five.
Six!
It was wonderful and fabulous and painful and lonesome all in one! I mean, I wasn't even carrying a diaper bag around. I carried a purse! A purse! I ate lunch by MYSELF at the mall, which was not nearly as embarrassing as I assumed it would be. Naturally, I ate at Chick-fil-a even though Nora wasn't with me. I hit up all kinds of stores: Smart Toys and Books, Hobby Lobby, Toysrus, Old Navy, Borders, Kohls, and the mall. I was exhausted! And man, my feet were killing me, but I believe it is safe to say that I. Am. Finished!
"It is finished."
I haven't begun wrapping, and I don't intend to until I recover. However, all major purchases should be taken care of unless something comes to mind in the next week or so. It feels nice, let me tell you! I am couldn't have done it without the help of Mr. Paul and Mrs. Joyce. I couldn't have tackled two stores let alone the million that I did. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
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One purchase that I made yesterday that I am so excited about is a Children's Nativity Scene. I have been looking all over for one that is cute and safe for children yet not totally dorky. I would LOVE to have the Willow Tree Nativity Set, but unless we win the lottery, I don't see that happening. And we don't play the lottery, so that's that. Anyway, I got the nativity at Smart Toys and Books.
Here's what it looks like:
Our electricity went out this morning for a few hours, so while Liam napped, Nora and I put it together and played "Christmas." At first, she was just so excited and couldn't sit still. She was trying to put pieces together and dress up the people and it was all wrong and she would get upset. I, trying to cram a rather difficult concept into the mind of a two-year-old, was telling her the Christmas story thinking a light bulb would go off and she would get it and totally understand what Christmas is all about. I do think she understands that Jesus is a baby. Now, whether she can distinguish between Baby Jesus and adult Jesus whom she sees in her kid's Bible is not clear. She keeps saying that Baby Jesus disobeyed, to which I tell her that he DID NOT! "Baby Jesus never disobeys," I say. She just looks confused. (Nora is all about people disobeying. Guess she hears that a lot!?)
This afternoon, we set the Nativity scene up in her room where she can look at it and play with the people and animals. She is really excited and calls it her "game." Before naptime, I offered to read her the story of Baby Jesus in her Bible, and to my surprise she sat still and listened very intently. As we would see pictures of Mary, Gabriel, Joseph, and the other characters, I would ask her to show them to me in her nativity, and she would.
I know it is a lot to expect a two-year-old to grasp the beauty and concept of Christmas. And, I know it will be a very long time until she can fully understand even the basics. (Um, hello, I am still learning about all that Christmas entails and what it means for my soul!) However, I do pray that the Lord would soften Nora's heart and open her eyes to understand something about God in all of this. I can only teach and expose her to it; her heart is in God's hands! Regardless of how much she understands, it's been beneficial to me to study and learn about all of this through exposing it to her! Not to mention, it's been lots of fun!
More Christmas stuff to come. Once I get the time, I have some pics to upload of our Christmas tree decorations!
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