Family | Minterlife

Advent

December 20, 2011 in Family Spirituality, family traditions, holidays, My Spiritual Journey with 4 Comments

Advent is a season of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth.

I love that word expectant. Oftentimes we are willing to wait, and wait, and wait, and we deal with the waiting by staying busy and not thinking about the fact we are waiting for something.

Advent is different. This is a waiting with expectation. That expectation is what makes the waiting exciting. That expectation is what keeps our focus on Christ in the midst of a long season of silence.

So I have tried to instill that expectation, that excitement of what is to come, in my kids this Christmas season. This preschool advent book is helping us in the process.

Every night we are reading and talking about the stories leading up to Christ’s birth. They make an ornament over the story as we discuss. They are always so curious about what the ornament is going to be and excited to sit and make something for our tree.

Every year we try different advent ideas, and this year’s has been my favorite so far. All three kids truly are waiting with expectation for the story and ornament making craft at night.

They’ve even enjoyed acting out a scene or two

The point is, waiting with expectation is fun. In the past I’ve tried to hard to make things serious and prepare their little hearts for more than they could ever possibly understand. This year, I’m focusing on learning to wait with expectation for the incredible things God is about to do.

Christmas Concerts

December 18, 2011 in Family, holidays with 0 Comments

In an effort to document this Christmas, I will be blog happy for the next couple days. The last few weeks have been full of fun that I don’t want to forget!

Activity #1: Preschool Christmas Concert

Although I’m homeschooling Avery for Kindergarten, the Learning Center has a great Bridge class for older kids that Avery participates in a few days a week. This arrangement of going to the Learning Center a few days a week and homeschooling her the other days has been such a fabulous experience this year. Plus, it means we only have to go to one Christmas concert. Win, Win =)

The girls’ teachers were awesome and rearranged the kids so our girls stood next to each other. I loved it because I could get both girls in the same picture. Avery didn’t like it because she said Elliana kept tickling her between the songs.

On the drive to the church before the concert, Elliana said, “mom, I’m not sure what to feel.” When I asked her what she meant she said, “I think I’m really nervous. This is the first time I’ve ever sung on stage.”

At the end of the concert, I asked her how she felt and she responded, “My favorite part was when everyone cheered for me.” Love that she thinks the applause was just for her!

This may have been my favorite concert to date. Watching both girls sing their hearts out and have a blast on that stage was priceless.

Merry Christmas From the Minters

December 12, 2011 in Family, family traditions, holidays with 3 Comments

In keeping with our family tradition, here’s a little video to wish you a Merry Christmas!

here’s 2009 & 2010 if you want a look down memory lane!

It Fell Out!

December 8, 2011 in Family, life with 0 Comments

Today we were at a friend’s house and Avery’s tooth was just begging to come out. It was so lose she couldn’t talk, eat, or even play. She finally decided that Misty could pull it, but I was not allowed to touch it. So out it came =)

Our Attempt

December 3, 2011 in Family, Family Fun Day, family traditions with 0 Comments

We attempted to decorate a Gingerbread House tonight

There was a little someone who couldn’t quite grasp why we would glue candy to a house and not just eat the candy.

Pretty sure he ate his fair share of what should have been on the house

Fortunately, my artsy child came through and had a plan and a vision for the house and the willingness to not eat all the decorations.

Thanks to her determination, we finished with this

Beautiful, right?! =)

Too Cute Not to Share

December 1, 2011 in Family, Family Spirituality with 3 Comments

Tonight the little man was insistant that since daddy wasn’t home, Justus needed to lead family worship. It was just too cute not to share.

If you’ve ever been around my husband, you’ll understand why this is just precious. Justus imitates Brent’s legs, hands, voice, even the way he strums the guitar. A little intimidating seeing a picture of how closely the kids watch us and imitate what we do!

Another First

November 29, 2011 in Family, holidays, life, school with 3 Comments

I guess the whole Kindergarten year is full of firsts. First time reading, first time tying her shoes, first loose tooth, and now her first piano recital! This post probably only interests the grandparents and this proud momma, but here is our little Avery at her first piano recital over Thanksgiving break.

If you notice it was a very small recital! The advantages of teaching her myself. The recital was only a few minutes long =)

She also attempted to play her first duet with Nana. Pretty fun!

Thankful

November 25, 2011 in Family, family traditions with 0 Comments

This month we did our annual Thankful Tree again. This is the forth year we’ve done this, and it is seriously one of my favorite things we do.

So to capture our hearts at this stage in life, here are some of the things we are thankful for this month.

Breakfast (this was said A LOT. I must make good breakfasts =) )
Thankful Tree
The Bible
Swimming pools
Ms. Lexi
Mrs. Talessa and Mr. Joseph (said 4 times!)
Tape
daddy & mommy (said a total of 10 times…makes me smile)
Seanna
laughing with my family
Family game nights
God
Ice Cream
cookies
Good sleep
Pajama days
Short Work Weeks
How God speaks to us
Quiet mornings
Hot Coffee
Mrs. Colleen & Mrs. Kathy
Grandma and Grandpa
That God made us feel better
Gymnastics
Uncle Ben
Justus and Elliana
fruit
Evie
Making pumpkin things to eat
water
friends at preschool
holidays
homeschool
date nights
movies
(the rest Avery wrote, and she spells the way she thinks a word sounds which means I have no idea what they say! We’ll just say we’re thankful for a lot =) )

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

He’s Changed His Name

November 23, 2011 in Family with 0 Comments

The little man will no longer allow you to call him Justus. Instead he introduces himself as this…

And just so you know, he will correct you if you try to call him Justus. He now only answers to “big boy”. If it keeps him pottying in the big boy potty and sleeping in his big boy bed, I’ll call him whatever he wants me to. =)

Sidenote: did you hear his poor raspy little voice? Really dislike chronic bronchiolitis!

How My Two Boys Bond

November 18, 2011 in Family, life with 2 Comments

A little glimpse at what the Minter boys do for fun.

Until I had a little boy of my own, I never knew that anything and everything could be a drum and drum sticks. Justus usually plays drums at least 60% of the day, and most of the time he starts playing and states, “I practice for when daddy needs me on stage.”

One day, little man. One day.