It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas...

We have been without internet in our home the past couple of days.  No internet means no blogging.  I know it may sound strange but I really missed it!  However, lack of internet meant time for the hands to work.  Without further delay I would like to show you some splashes of Christmas in our little Haitian home.

 Here is our very own hand made advent calendar.  Each picture has a number on the front of it.  During lunch everyday we take off the corresponding number and see what fun little thing we will do to make the day special as we prepare for Christmas.  I made up things that would apply to us as a family and wrote them on the back.  No worries, I have forgotten the order the events come in so each day is still a surprise for me too!  On our first day celebrating advent we...

 Strung popcorn and hung it on our Christmas tree!  I will admit I was a little apprehensive about this task.  Haiti is not the most rodent free country to say the least.  The LAST thing I want to do is invite these little creatures into our home.  However, due to the moisture up here in the mountains things become stale INSTANTLY (or so it seems to me).  If any little creature wanted to chow down on our tree I doubt he would enjoy it and I could almost guarantee he wouldn't invite his friends to join him.  Yesterday our fun Christmas activity was to eat a tasty Christmas treat.

 Thank you Pinterest!!  While Trey was at the office trying to fix the computers I put in a Christmas movie and made this Cinnamon Roll cake.  It was NOT from a box!  I am pleased to announce that it was soooo good.  Trey came into the house right as I was taking it out of the oven and was VERY surprised.  He could hardly wait for it to cool before he had to have a piece.  He said it was like eating the middle of the cinnamon roll with every bite, every bite was the best bite.  Now if comments like that do not make a wife want to bake goodies for her husband I do not know what does :)  Finally, my favorite little dash of Christmas in our house...

The picture above is our coffee table.  The centerpiece was made by my father-in-law for us last year.  There are 25 holes to place our candle on as we move Mary and her donkey each day on their journey to Bethlehem.  I love our handmade advent wreath.  My mom has sent us a devotional by Ann Voskamp to do each day of advent that corresponds with this wreath.  We do this at lunch as well.  I love getting to light the candle every night.  I love knowing my mom & mother-in-love have this special wreath in their homes too.  To the left is a handmade scripture card by my mother-in-love.  And at the right is our Haitian nativity scene.  Although Christmas in Haiti is not quite as cold and sparkly as Christmas in the U.S. the anticipation of the birth of our Savior is as strong as ever!

One last story to close:
This morning at church two of the ladies who work with the children during the service pulled me to the side to ask me if I was coming to the children's Christmas party on Christmas day.  They explained to me there would be games, singing, and food.  The children and their parents will come to church for this fun party.  I told them we would love to come and asked how I could help.  They told me we would be singing all kinds of songs and they would get me a list with the words next week (so I can practice in Creole).  Towards the end of the conversation they asked me one more thing...


They said they were in need of having someone come as Santa.  They explained that it was important that Santa be "blan" (white) and asked me if I knew anyone.  I wanted to laugh so hard because I knew they were hoping that I would volunteer Trey.  I couldn't do that to him there in the moment, I told them I would see what I could do...needless to say I think we are in store for a very eventful Christmas day.