Stella Baby.

Just thought I'd post some pics of our precious Stella Baby. She is definitely one of the greatest gifts that the Lord has given us this year.

Tree Decorating 2011

Decorating our Christmas tree is one of my favorite things to do each Christmas season. I don't like to put the tree up before Thanksgiving, but as soon as possible afterward, I am all about getting into the Christmas spirit. This year we had to wait a little later than normal because we had many things going on, but the second Friday of December was family decorating day!

Our tree is tiny, but it's just perfect for our living room area. Here it is just at the beginning of our decorating.

This was the first year that Liam really got into decorating. He was a great help, although we did have to rearrange some ornaments to make sure every area got covered.

Jonathan was in charge of putting hooks on all of the ornaments.

Of course, we have our favorite stockings hung with care on the mantle.  We don't have a special stocking for Stella made by Aunt Hazel, but between Jonathan's mom and I, we hope to have her one made by next Christmas.  Hopefully, one us can figure out how to make those sweet, handmade stockings because they are so special to us!

And here is the final look at our tree!  You should see it now that all of the presents are wrapped and under the tree!

We also spent some of the day putting lights on the trees and bushes out front.  Clark Griswold, also known as Jonathan Bradshaw, decided he was officially tired of the traditional white lights (my preference).  Instead, he decided to go with some big multi-colored lights which remind him of the lights he grew up with.  I'll have to try to capture the front of the house when it's all lit up!  It may not be my favorite, but it sure does make my man super happy!

Can you believe that Christmas is just 4 days away!?  Where has this special month gone? 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of you!  We pray your Christmas celebrations are blessed and filled with joy, peace, and lots of love for the Savior.  Love, The Bradshaws

Wishing You Merry Christmas Card

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View the entire collection of cards.

Getting Ready for Christmas

Here at the Bradshaw house we are getting ready for all things Christmas!  It's been such a fun few weeks for us.  Busy, but fun!  Jonathan and I went to the Andrew Peterson Behold the Lamb of God concert.  Nora had a ballet performance and a big Christmas party yesterday.  We've been baking Christmas goodies like cookies and fudge.  And, we've got some other big baking plans in the works.  We have a Care Group Christmas party this Friday night and several other things in the next week.  Whew! 

Look who can sit up (sort of)!

In the midst of all of the busyness, I am trying to spend quality time with the kiddos.  To be honest, I have such high hopes of accomplishing so many fun things with them-- crafts, Christmas activities, baking, etc.-- but I am always running out of time!  I have to confess that although I love Pinterest, I get so inpsired by the millions of wonderful ideas and hope to do WAY too many things.  I keep trying to tell myself that I just can't do everything.  There are many, many years ahead of us with our children where we will be able to do more crafts, art projects, baking days, etc.  I don't have to do it all this year.  I can't do it all this year.  And that's okay!  So, I am pulling out a few things here and there, and the rest of the wonderful ideas that I am pinning will be stowed away until next year.  Or the year after that.  Or the year after that. 

One thing that I am trying to be consistent with is our Advent Calendar.  I feel that Liam and Nora are definitely at a point now where they can understand what Christmas is about (at least on their level), so we have started our very own Family Advent Calendar.  I am so excited about this!  The kids absolutely LOVE it and ask every day about our special Advent Calendar time.  We don't do much.  We learn a little bit about the Christmas story each day, open the day's calendar box, they get a small piece of candy, and inside each box is a slip of paper with a fun Advent activity on it.  Now, there are some days where we are busy and away from the home, so we'll just double up the next day.  But for the most part we've been able to talk about Jesus' birth everyday.

I make the kids sit on the couch, and I sit between then.  We are taking the story of Jesus' birth very slowly.  Each day we talk about something small, then we review it the next day and add to the story.  Liam is doing really well with learning it, although the first few days he couldn't remember anything except that it was Jesus' birthday on Christmas Day and he thought that everyone was named Beth.  Jesus' mommy is Beth.  Jesus' daddy is Beth.  I guess he was getting confused with the whole Bethlehem thing! 

On one of the days their Christmas activity was to play with some Nativity finger puppets that I had been given a few years ago.  They love those, and I have used the finger puppets to tell the story to them.  On Monday we talked about the shepherds and their sheep, and how they were sleeping on a hill when an angel appeared to them to tell them about the birth of Christ.  On the finger puppet, the shepherd has a staff so I was trying to teach them what a staff was and how the shepherds used it.  I explained that it is the shepherd's job to protect the sheep, so if a sheep is supposed to go down to the river to get some water to drink but it decides it doesn't want to obey the shepherd, the shepherd will use his staff to guide the sheep in the right direction.  Last night, we were reviewing what they had learned about the sheep and so I decided to act it out with them.  I made Nora be the shepherd and I was the sheep.  I told her to give me directions to follow, and I gave her a broom to use as a staff.  If I obeyed my "shepherd," then she told me "Good job!"  But if I disobeyed and wandered off, she had to use her "staff" to guide me in the way I should go.  It was so fun!  They would get a kick out of me 'Baaing" and wandering off to snack on the entertainment center or trying to eat the Christmas tree.  It was so fun and such sweet memories.  This morning, they were both acting like sheep! 

Anytime we are riding in the car listening to Christmas music, they notice when songs mention all of the Christmas words:  Bethlehem, angels, Jesus, manger, etc.  "Mommy, he just said Mary!!!"

It's been so fun.  I definitely want to make this a tradition we use every year.  It's been so helpful for me, personally, because I've been able to remind myself daily of how miraculous Christ's birth really is.

Here are some of the Advent activities we have done so far:

1.  Opened and played with our Little People Nativity.
2.  Decorated the Christmas tree together as a family.  (THAT was interesting!)
3.  Popped popcorn and watched a Christmas movie.
4.  Read a Christmas book together.
5.  Had hot chocolate and marshmallows with breakfast.
6.  Colored Christmas color sheets together.
7.  Shopped for our Angel Tree gifts for our chosen child.
8.  Had a candlelit bubble bath.
9. Played with the Nativity finger puppets.
10.  Had at-home pedicures (this was just Nora and I).

Nora and Daddy watching a movie and eating popcorn.  That girl loves to watch and eat popcorn!

I hope you all are enjoying this season as much as we are!  I'll be sure to post what the rest of our month looks like later on! 

Behold the Lamb of God

Last night, Jonathan and I went to see Andrew Peterson and friends live in his "Behold the Lamb of God" concert.  There are NO WORDS for this experience.  It was incredible.  It was so edifying, so beautiful, and so powerful.  I really do not know if I can do it justice to try to describe it, so if you ever get the chance to see him live in concert, please do!

I discovered Andrew Peterson only one year ago when our church choir sang one of his songs from the "Behold the Lamb of God" album during our Lessons and Carols Advent Service.  The name of that song is "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks."  I was instantly interested in finding out more about the songwriter.  Not long after that, I downloaded a free Andrew Peterson album from Noisetrade.  After listening to that album all the way through one time, I was hooked.  Now I cannot get enough of Andrew's unbelievable story-telling through song.  The Lord has so blessed him musically and with an ability to communicate Truth in such a compelling and beautiful way.  Almost every song is a story, and every story makes you hungry for God.  Deep, strong stuff.

When I heard he was coming to Knoxville for his annual Christmas concert, I begged Jonathan to take me.  I have converted him to an Andrew Peterson fan, so he was more than happy to oblige.  Last night we went, and I walked out of that concert with a renewed love for the Christmas story, a renewed love for the Lord, and renewed love for music. 

Please either purchase the "Behold the Lamb of God" album or at the very least, listen to the songs on Grooveshark.  The album tells the story of Jesus, God with us, from the Old Testament all the way through the New Testament.  It's the TRUE tall tale of Jesus come down to earth to save his people from their sins.  And he starts at the beginning....the Old Testemant, Genesis. 

On the Web

Here are some things that I've been enjoying on the Internet lately.  Just some things that I thought I would share to hopefully brighten your day:

1.  Pandora:  I know this website has been around for several years now, and it is probably SOOOO 2009, but I have really been enjoying it on my iPhone while riding in the car.  Here are several stations that I've been listening to over the past few months.  Check them out:

-Andrew Peterson radio station
-Waterdeep worship radio station
-Adele radio station
-The Civil Wars radio station
-Brian Regan radio station

One other thing I want to say about these Pandora stations is that Jonathan and I have come across some really great new artists by listening to these stations.  We'll be listening to something and are intrigued by a song or artist, so we've broadened our music listening even more!  Love it!

2. Pinterest:  Almost everyone is on board with this new website, and I must say that I absolutely LOVE Pinterest.  I usually only get to browse it while I am nursing Stella, so I am glad that I downloaded the Pinterest app for my iPhone.  I have come across TONS of great recipes (many of which I have actually TRIED!), some great decorating ideas, craft and fun activities for the kids, and much, much more.

3. I am really trying to do some planning for this coming Christmas season, and I have really had a desire to start implementing some new family traditions.  One that I want to start this Christmas is an advent calendar that I do with the kids, including learning about the Christmas story and fun activities to go along with that.  So, I've been doing lots of searching online for great ideas in this regard.  I thought I would share some websites I've found in case you want to look into them:

Confessions of a Homeschooler's Advent Activity List

Advent Gift Boxes

Tons of Christmas Ideas from I Can Teach My Child

Christmas Countdown including a breakdown of the Christmas Story in the Bible

I am planning to put a few ideas together to personalize our Advent calendar, and I am sure I will come across more great ideas as the season approaches.  Next on my list is to find an Advent calendar.  I am trying to find one with the little boxes you open up, so if you know where I can find one, please give a shout out!

4.  When the Milkshake Runs Low is another article by Rachel Jankovic on the Feminagirls.com website.  Rachel is the author of Loving the Little Years, a book about motherhood and having young children that I read recently.  She is such a gifted writer and such a blessing to mothers who can relate to having lots of little ones around, fighting for joy and wisdom.

That's all for now!  I'll try to share some of the awesome recipes I've come across on Pinterest soon!

The Rest of NOLA Christmas 2010. Finally.

So Christmas was about three weeks ago, but I still haven't finished my post on the rest of our trip to New Orleans. I am going to tie that up right now.

One night while we were down there, Jonathan asked my parents if they would keep the kids for an evening so the two of us could go out on a date. My folks were ecstatic, and so were we! The kids were taken away to the mall to eat at CFA and explore all there was out there, including wearing our Grandpa to pure exhaustion. Meanwhile, Jonathan and I roamed the streets of uptown New Orleans. We drove up and down St. Charles Avenue, looking at all of the old and historic homes (one of our favorite past times). We stopped in a very old hotel called The Columns for a cold beverage, where we sat and sipped and chatted for a while before dinner.

My fruit punch and his draft beer.

Cheese!

The Columns.  Isn't it beautiful!?

A gorgeous church across the street from where we parked.

After The Columns, we went to dinner at a famous New Orleans restaurant called Pascal Manale's. They are famous for their barbecue shrimp! There is a long story connected with this dinner, including waiting for over an hour and a half when we were told 20-30 minutes, but I won't ruin the moment by reliving that frustrating experience. Needless to say, the food was good....not worth the incredible wait, but good....and my company was wonderful.

After dinner, we ventured over to Magazine Street to have desert at the infamous Sucre. I haven't been there before, so we were dying to try it. We both got a cup of decaf coffee and enjoyed some unbelievable desserts. I had a white chocolate bread pudding and JB had some sort of chocolate mousse something.

YUM!

Random: Picture of Liam loving on his Grandpa during lunch one day.  Sweet.

Another night we were there was the night my sister, Emily, cooked us a three course Mexican dinner. It was divine. It required so much preparation and work, however, that it turned into a full functioning kitchen with Emily as head chef and Hillary and I as her soux chefs. We had such a great time, and all of her food was incredibly delicious!

On the menu: homemade salsa and guacamole, chicken tortilla soup, homemade black beans, and shrimp and pork carnitas (or tacos), plus some honey-lime chicken tacos. UGH! IT was SOOO GOOD!!!!

Patiently waiting for dinner to get cooked.  Daddy reads to distract them.

Our last full day in NOLA we spent with one of my closest girlfriends from back home: Brigette.  We go WAY back to sixth grade, braces, and crushes on the same boy.  She will always be in my life, I pray, and when we get together, it's like we were never apart.  Brigette has a two year old son named Eli, and she is also pregnant with a daughter due in February.  She came over to visit, then we took the kids to eat lunch at Wendy's and to play at The Bounce Spectrum for a few hours before naptime.

The only pics I got of my kids at the bounce place were of their back sides.  They were too busy running away from me to go play in the jumping things.  Fun times!

The last night we were there, we were able to be a part of a very special night for a very special person in my family's life.  My dad owns his own business and has for the past twenty years.  Jinx, his office manager, has been a part of his business for years (I don't know the exact number), but as far back as my memory goes, Jinx has been a part of the business, and in turn, a part of the family.  Anyway, Jinx has decided to retire from Johns, Pendleton Court Reporters and will be moving to Chicago in the near future where her daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren live.  She will be greatly missed, but I am so excited for her that she will get to be spending some precious and priceless time with her family.

Anyway, our last night in NOLA was a surprise retirement party for Jinx!  She was SHOCKED!  She thought my parents and my dad's partner were taking her out to dinner, but instead she was thrown a wonderful dinner party in her honor.  I was busy taking pics on my dad's camera that I only managed a few with my own.  Here are some shots of my Dad's speech and then Jinx giving a gift to my dad and Jane, his partner.  I was so glad to be there and we had such a great time!

There are so many other things we did while in New Orleans, including visits with my other girlfriends Chrissy, Steph, and Hope with all of their kiddos. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera to that occasion, so I'll have to make up for it next time. We got to enjoy dinner with my two aunts one evening, and we even squeezed in lunch with my Aunt Donna and her two girls. We ate and ate and ate and ate. We laughed and played and shopped and cooked and slept and played and laughed and ate some more. It was a wonderful Christmas, and we are so blessed to have a family that enjoys each other so much. Till next time....