5 Things on Monday {12.5.22}

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1 – First of all, THANK YOU so much for your overwhelmingly generous response to our adoption shower. We got so many Amazon packages this week!

Our sweet kiddos got to visit for the weekend and we saved all the boxes for them to open. Not only did they have so much fun opening them, they were able to see in a very tangible way how much they are loved. ❤ (this photo shows about a third of the packages!)

“When we adopt, we are a picture of something that is true about our God. We look at the Father and we do what He is doing. And what He is doing is fighting for orphans, making them sons and daughters. God is at work writing a big story centered on Christ Jesus. If you’re in Christ, God is at work directing your little story to fit into the plot of His big story.” (Adopted For Life)

Thank you for allowing God to direct your story to bless ours!

2 – I want to highlight two resources my parents made available this week. The first is my Mom’s podcast episode titled A Simple Christmas. She said “There has to be a willingness to allow things to be different than they usually are. It has to be a surrender of being pressed into what the world says is important about Christmas, and a reverting to what the Bible says about the birth of our Savior.”

Especially if you’re feeling frazzled or overwhelmed, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to listen to the episode (it’s only 16 minutes long).

3 – The second resource is a blog post that my dad published on the topic of releasing your adult children from holiday expectations. His advice is pretty counter culture, but I can speak from experience as to its benefits. I’m so grateful to be certain that we’re always welcome at my parents house (on holidays or any other day), but that we’re never expected to show up to avoid making someone mad or upset.

4 – Christmas gift idea for the kids in your life: the Tales That Tell The Truth book series. I am so glad that I put these on our adoption registry! We’ve received most of them already and I love reading them to our kiddos.

They are unlike the typical kids’ Bible story book. They give historically and Biblically accurate accounts of the story in a way that’s funny and entertaining but that always points to Jesus as the hero. So far my favorites are The Friend Who Forgives and The Christmas Promise. I’ve shed a few tears as I’ve read them, especially The Friend Who Forgives. They’re almost like a kids’ version of The Bible Recap.

5 – Here’s an older video from my YouTube channel with my best tips for wrapping Christmas presents. I will show you step by step how I wrap gifts. It’s a super easy method that always yields great results!

I hope you’re able to enjoy all the goodness of December! I love this month so much and look forward to it all year long. Jesus came to bring hope and joy even in the hardest of circumstances. Emmanuel is here!