Our Night in Bethlehem

My dear friends the Wards do this every year and I've always wanted to make it our Christmas Eve tradition too, but the holidays always get away from us. This year we'll be at my mom's house on Christmas eve, so I decided we'd do our own family Christmas last night.

For dinner we had fish, cheese, bread, (it wasn't anything fancy. I was planning on making a bread, but the evening got so crazy that I decided I'd rather eat a store-bought cheesey bread from the freezer than stress out) hard-boiled eggs, olive, grapes, and grape juice. It was a feast!

We didn't put too much thought ahead of time into our costumes. We'll do better next year. I'll talk to Heather about what they do.

 Ben was asleep at the beginning.

We didn't act out the nativity because we had so few actors and half of them were too young, but I did read the accounts of the first Christmas from the scriptures while Hannah played with the Nativity set.

I have to tell you about my "Miracle of the Nativity Scene" this year. I've always wanted one, but the nice ones are so expensive and there are always so many things to spend money on at Christmastime. This year I wanted to try harder to focus our celebrations on Christ so I started looking for an affordable one. The cheapest one I found was $10 and it looked cheap. Then the morning of our Christmas celebration I was at a thrift store and I decided to look through their Christmas decorations although I wasn't very optimistic. I figured if they had a nice nativity scenes they would have all been bought by 5 days before Christmas. I walked down the asile and there it was, in a box right in front. I opened it and all the pieces were there. (Although I did drop the donkey and break his foot off while we were in the store.) And it was only $2! I was so excited. It made such a difference having it while we read the Christmas story.

It was so nice. We'd read a little and then eat a little and then sing a little and then do it all over again. The children were well-behaved and there was a heavenly peace in our home.

Last Weekend

Our friend Xay came over to play. It was a little crazy having 3 babies under 3, but we had so much fun. I pulled out a box and tried to make a tunnel for the bigger kids, but they didn't like it so instead we called it a house and they ate their dinner in it.

I pulled out the walker for Ben for the first time. I really hate that big, bulky thing, but it keeps babies occupied. Even Xay liked it when he was that age, so I hang on to it. I can't wait for the day when it's gone forever.

Hannah fell asleep holding her pizza balloon. Three days later she asked me where it was and I had to tell her that balloons don't last forever. She didn't like that at all.

Saturday night was our ward Christmas party, but Devan was working so he got there about an hour and a half late. It's so weird because Devan hardly ever has work, but somehow he's had to work the last 4 church activities in a row and I've taken the kids by myself. Hmmmm...

I didn't take any pictures at the party, but here's Ben before...

And not to brag, but seriously, that's cute! You can't tell in the picture, but she has jingle bells in her hair!

  She's my own little Cindi-lou-who

The party was fun. I got to sit and eat amazing mashed potatoes while Hannah ran wild. I only had to pull her off the stage twice during the program. That's an improvement. It was an especially nice evening because, worldwide, the church has gotten rid of the activities committee. It was the first activity in 14 months that I didn't have to come early for and stay late after and I didn't wash a single dish all evening. Now, if only the church would get rid of the nursery too...

I'm so very tired all the time and I make so many typos. Feel free to comment when you see one, just make sure you aren't saying anything else important in that comment as I will delete it as soon as I've fixed the mistake. Have to keep up appearances, you know.

I Love the Words of Christmas

My goal to do something to remember Christmas every day has failed. I realized that other than keeping everyone alive and fed and dressed (who am I kidding, no one in my family is ever dressed!) I can only do one thing a day. So, although we were having lots of fun, my home was probably the most crazy it's ever been, so I had to take a few days off to do some serious cleaning. We've still gotten to do some wonderful things the last couple of weeks.

Last Sunday, my in-law's church had a Christmas devotional/ sing-along. Our extended Steele family got to perform a number. An hour of hearing and singing the hymns of Christmas affected me in a profound way. These are the words that especially touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes:

"Sing choirs of angels, sing in exultation...Jesus to thee be all glory given. Son of the Father, now in flesh appearing. Oh come let us adore him, oh come let us adore him, oh come let us adore him, Christ, the Lord!" "Oh Come All Ye Faithful"

"Come to Bethlehem and see Him whose birth the angels sing. Come adore on bended knee, Christ the Lord, the newborn King. Gloria in excelsis Deo! (Glory to God in the Highest)" "Angels We Have Heard on High"

"Shepherds quake at the sight! Glories stream from heaven afar; Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia! Christ the Savior is born! ... Son of God, love's pure light. Radiant beams from thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace. Jesus, Lord at thy birth." "Silent Night"

"And our eyes at last shall see him, through his own redeeming love. For that child so dear and gentle is our Lord in heaven above, and he leads his children on to the place where he is gone." "Once in Royal David's City"

"Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay close by me forever and love me I pray. Bless all the dear children in thy tender care and fit us for heaven to live with thee there" "Away in a Manger"

"O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie...yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light. The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight... How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given! So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven. No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in." "O Little Town of Bethlehem"

"Born is the King of Israel!" "The First Noel"

A couple of women did a duet called "Mary's Lullaby." I was overwhelmed when they sang,

"O let me enfold thee, my baby tonight,
While legions are singing in joyous delight.
A new star has risen to hail thee divine,
For you are a king, but tonight you are mine."

I looked over at my Ben and thought about Mary holding her own beautiful baby, knowing all that the good he was going to do and all he was going to suffer. I thought of how she got to hold her Savior in her arms. This baby who would make all the wrong things in the world right. There's never been anything more beautiful in the history of the world.

To change gears a little. Tonight our family took our annual trip downtown to see the lights at Temple Square. This is where Devan and I went on our first date 5 years and 3 days ago.

And then the camera died. We stayed for as long as we could stand the cold and then left for a wonderful dinner of pancakes and hot chocolate. I have a beautiful life.

Pictures of Babies

We interrupt the Christmas festivities for some fun, silly things.

We went to Target to exchange something and got distracted by their hats.

Another day Hannah and Ben were in the living room and she yelled to us that he needed his diaper changed. Then she yelled, "Can you bring me the diaper wipes?" I came in and found this:

What a good helper!

And a couple of videos...

A Christmas Carol

We rented the new computer-animated version of "A Christmas Carol" starring Jim Carrey. It was beautifully done and seemed to stay quite true to the novel. I try to read the book every year, but I know I'm not going to get to it this year. After watching the movie, I had to at least re-read my favorite part: the dialouge between Scrooge and his dead partner Marley.

Marley laments, "Oh! captive, bound, and double-ironed... Not to know that any Christian spirit working kindly in its little sphere, whatever it may be, will find its mortal life too short for its vast means of usefulness. Not to know that no space of regret can make amends for one life's opportunities misused! Yet such was I! Oh! such was I!''

" 'But you were always a good man of business, Jacob,' faultered Scrooge, who now began to apply this to himself.


" 'Business!' cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. 'Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!'

" 'At this time of the rolling year,' the spectre said, `I suffer most. Why did I walk through crowds of fellow-beings with my eyes turned down, and never raise them to that blessed Star which led the Wise Men to a poor abode? Were there no poor homes to which its light would have conducted me!'

Were there ever more beautiful or more inspiring words written?

Christmas Devotional

On the fifth day, our church's First Presidency gave a devotional that was broadcast live. Hannah, Ben, and I went downstairs to watch it and eat with our neighbors. Devan was working and they were so sweet to invite us over. They are vegetarians who don't eat sugar so we always get to eat beautiful, delicious, healthy food when we get together with them.

My favorite part of the devotional were these words from Dieter F. Uchtdorf , "The more commercialized and busy the Christmas season becomes, the easier it is for the sublime message of the Savior's life to get lost along the way. If we notice that planning for parties and scrambling for presents begins to detract from the peaceable message of Jesus Christ and distances us from the gospel He preached, let us take a step back, slow down a little, and reconsider what matters most."


Later he concluded, "The Grinch saw the good in Christmas when he learned to look past its worldly trappings. If we do the same, we can, with the Grinch, proclaim: 'Maybe Christmas . . . doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas . . . perhaps . . . means a little bit more!'

"Our heart may not grow three sizes as the Grinch's did, but our heart will change. Our eyes will open to the miracles all around us-at Christmastime and throughout the year.

Christmas, Day Four

We went to THREE Christmas parties that day. The first was at Devan's parent's church. We were fed breakfast and then Hannah played with her cousins while we waited for Santa to arrive.

Santa gave us beautiful ornaments with a picture of Jesus in them.

Cousin Jayden didn't like Santa much



After the breakfast Dad went to work and Hannah and I went to another breakfast with another Santa. (It was with my stay-at-home-moms group.) This Santa brought a bag of toys (each parent brought a wrapped toy for their own child) and handed them out. Hannah thought it was so cool when Santa called her name and gave her a present.

She got a Cinderella doll, and recognized Cinderella instantly.

Ben got to open his first present too. He was doing pretty well until he started eating the tissue paper and I had to take it away.

His first toy car!



We took Hannah's pacifier away the week before this. Every time she asked for it I told her if she didn't have a binky all week then Santa would bring her a present. She was so excited to get her present, but now every time I tell her she can't have a binky, she says, "But Santa already gave me a present!"

That evening I got to go to our Relief Society Christmas dinner and Hannah got to play with her friends in nursery. It was such a nice evening. I got plenty of time to sit and talk to friends and make new friends and we made this beautiful craft.

The Third Day of Christmas

This was a hard day for me. There was no good reason for my frustration. Devan worked 13 hours that day, and I did lots of errands that day and by the time I got home I was frazzled and thinking, "How could I ever handle anymore kids then I have now?!" That thought made me sad. I wanted to collapse on the couch as soon as I walked in the door, but I remembered we wanted to do something Christmassy so we painted ornaments.

I was still stressed at first, but as I sat and talked to my sweet girl, I prayed for patience and peace and for the Spirit to comfort us. All my anxiety melted away and I felt overwhelmingly grateful for these beautiful babies.

I left the room for a minute and came back to this... I laughed and laughed!

She left a ring in the bathtub reminiscent of the Cat's in The Cat and the Comes Back.

Then I got fresh water and threw Ben in. He does not like to take baths.

Even when you get him to smile, he's still all tense. It's strange.

Then we put on our pajamas and cuddled on the couch watching "Mickey's Christmas Carol."

And both kids were asleep by 8:30. It was a tender mercy.

The Second Day of Christmas...

On December 2nd Hannah and I went to a cookie party at the library.

 Hannah was feeling so cooped up that day. At one point she was running around crazy saying she wanted to go outside. I sent her out just as she was. A few minutes later she said she needed a shirt.

Devan on his mid-day break from school and Ben was napping so we were able to leave him at home and go on a Mommy-daughter date. We had so much fun! They read us a cute book called Winter is the Warmest Season, and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, and The Gingerbread Man. Then they gave all the kids a gingerbread man to decorate.

She made his face all by herself!

I have so much fun everytime Hannah and I get to do something by ourselves. She's such a sweet girl. I miss the time I used to have with her.