Captured moments

"Junnie B. Jones, Jingle Bells" Play at Dallas Children's theater (Ella posing with the actors)

Christmas Preparations at our house

"Snow Queen" Marionnetes Show at Dallas Childrens' theater (Ella posing with the marionnets/actors again, can you tell that's her favorite thing to do after the show???)

Ella's most recent art (I used to be better about taking photos of it and documenting it that way, I'm still "delinquent" for October :))

Compassion and a treasure

Compassion is something I always yearned and wished to have more of. When I think of my Savior, the first thing that comes to mind is His infinite compassion. I want to have more compassion and I want for Ella to be a very compassionate human being. She is very sensitive to other's needs and she is probably more compassionate than I think.  I've been faithfully following this little wonder (and wonderful) boy's story, "Super Skyler" on his blog kept by his good mother. A few days ago while I was reading his blog update, Ella peaked over out of curiosity and pictures of a little boy covered in tubes every which way, immediately caught her eye. She started asking what was wrong with him. So I told her Sky's story. Every single night/morning prayer since has included Sky. I was deeply touched by how sad she felt for him, having never met him and how fervently her prayers are in his behalf. She'd say "Mommy, I know Jesus is working on making a miracle for Sky right now. It's a big thing so it may take a little while, but He's working on it." I think probably one of the best traits that we can develop during our mortal experience is compassion or charity. Think of how this world would be like if we each had a little bit more of it.

Now on to the treasure part of this posting... I love family home evening. Recently since with our Advent Calendar activities, we have been able to make family home evening a little more dynamic. Last night we made cards and baked cookies for teachers. It felt busy (well, probably because I was cooking my and Ella meals for today at the same time :)), but oh it was so fun. Then after sharing a couple of scriptures, Ella and Hrishi played games on my Droid and had a lot of fun giggling and cuddling on the couch. I loved that, I could actually feel the togetherness they were sharing. I loved the freshly baked cookies smell (I only had a little cookie!), peace in our living room (no TV or other distraction, just us playing, talking, cooking, being there together.) This is such a special treasure.I'll always hold on to.

Snapshot

So here's what we've done so far and plan to do with our month in hopes to make it more meaningful and festive.

Way overdue...

So I thought I was doing pretty well with my blog updates.... but life got crazy and I've been slacking off big time lately. Part of it is that sometimes feel I ran out of inspiration and don't know what/how to write but then I remind myself this is not necessarily for my reader's (or my) entertainment, but rather for the sake of our little family's history that I just can't afford to slack off on (for too long.) So I'm back with lots of thoughts, mostly random but hopefully worthy of recording.
Ella has been just been so fun to listen and watch during this season as she plans and changes her mind five hundred times about what she'd like Santa to bring her. She knows that she'll get presents from mommy, daddy, and mamaie and tataie, aside from Santa so she settle for only two things that she wants Santa to bring: a baby doll with a carseat (oh boy, where do you find this? I've been looking but no luck so far!!), and a reindeer set (Hrishi spotted one a Bass Pro Shop! yeay!!) The kid is not asking for too much and I have to say that I'm proud of her for that. She's grown to understand that Christmas is more about giving, and not getting or giving money-bought things, but rather kindness, obedience, and time. Inspite of her non-crafty mommy (how I wish I exceled a bit in that department, but I don't...:(), we managed to come up with a paper-made, crayola colored, and cotton balls decorated Advent Calendar (picture to come) and get her excited. For each day's reading and activity we're using this (a friend of mine posted it on her facebook page and I think it's great) and this (another friend of a friend posted on her blog.) The latter one may be more appropriate for families with little children as seems to be simpler. And have I already said how grateful I am for all the wonderful resources available on friends's blogs, facebook pages, etc.??? Thank you, thank you, thank you! I really loved the First Presidency's Message (Pres. Uchdorf's Christmas address in the December Ensign), we discussed it for family night on Sunday and did the children's activity (matching the scripture to the picture, which involved a little bit of crafting still but helping to cut and glue is not a big job even for me, the unexperienced and non-talented crafter.) I do want Ella and us to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and recently I realized that's not just in reading scripture passages which indeed bring the Spirit into our home and draw us closer to Heavenly Father, but in DOING something with what we read and learn about. And probably that's the hardest part, the doing. So to break the ice, we'll be making some cookies for our neighbors over the next few days, we'll be taking store-bought cookies to school, making Christmas cards for beloved teachers to show just how much we appreciate them, bosses, and just giving some more (donating toys, money, and other items to those in need. We'll  also try to say "thank you" and "I love you" more often and we'll be more mindful and sensitive to those around us, at school and at work.)  Growing up I never got a ton of presents, just a few things and things that I needed and maybe a toy or two, not because my parents couldn't splurge but because that's what it felt right and I'm grateful for it.  In my first 5-10 years after coming to U.S. I used to feel a little overwhelmed with the commercialism of the season but luckily I OVERCAME some of it, thanks to the wise counsel of our prophets. Also, thanks to the lifestyle changes I have made lately, preparing intricate (and expensive) feasts for the holidays has dropped greately in priority. In fact, I found that sticking to the basics (meat, veggies, fruits, a starch, and maybe a low sugar, low fat dessert) works wonders for a healthy diet and gives us more time together as a family, away from the kitchen. Something I heard/learned from my trainer is to try not to eat for pleasure but rather for sustenance. When you start looking at it this way, it's easier to make better food choices, at least for me. But this is a topic for another time.

A couple of nights ago, Ella asked if we could learn about Hanukkah and celebrate it at home. I have to admit that I was a bit surprised by her request. I know at school they learn about how the entire world celebrates this season, in different ways, with different meanings (and I'm grateful they do teach the children about cultures and customs, holidays that are different than ours, etc.) So I got to work, googled the meaning and some ways to celebrate this holiday, printed a bunch of coloring sheets depicting the Menorah, a driedel and the star of David, and left it all to daddy to do the teaching as I had my training sessions last night. He said it turned out great and Ella was pleased. This morning at breakfast she told me that tomorrow is the last day of Hanukkah, I love this kid!! I probably do owe her a little "taste" of Hanukkah, so I'll try to get a yummy recipe from a good friend of mine (and incredible chef), Yelena and make latkes this weekend.

Back to Christmas, I loved my best friend's post here. I would like to stand with Maddy and say that we do too like Santa Claus (Mos Craciun) and want to keep and enjoy his magic for as long as possible. Ella overcame her fear of Santa this year and took a picture with him at Bass Pro Shop. Totally unplanned but yet turned out great.

So yes, I love this time of the year... Christmas parades, scouring the neigborhoods to see Christmas lights and decorations, reminiscing the year's happenings, and counting blessings. One big one I'm counting over and over is the fact that we're here in Texas. About 14 months ago I remember we were fervently praying and hoping a door would open for us to move here. At times it seemed nearly impossible but I've learned again that with Him all things are possible.

Mary, Mary, hush, see the Child.
Joseph, Joseph, look, see how mild!
This is Jesus; this is our King.
This is our Savior; his praises we sing.

All God’s children, come to adore,
Bringing gifts of love evermore.