Come, O Come, Emmanuel

December is here! Our family is so excited to begin our Christmas traditions with Ansley and celebrate the birth of our Lord, Savior, and Coming King! Advent is in the air! Advent is simply a focus on the coming of Jesus. The focus of this entire holiday season should be the celebration of the birth of Jesus and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King! I've read that "Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God.

Sunday, November 30 was the first Sunday of Advent. This week we have taken time to reflect on fun and meaningful Christmas traditions, some new and some old, that we will carry on as a family each year during this season known as Advent.

This month, we will be sharing some of our traditions with you and would love for you to share your family's traditions with us! It's all part of making memories, building relationships, fellowshipping and worshiping together.

So, to kick off the Advent season, we bought a special Advent calendar that holds small gifts, candy, or Bible verses. Each day we will open the door, pull out the "treasure" and know we are one day closer to Jesus' birthday!


On December 1st, we started playing Christmas music around the house and in the car. Don't you just LOVE it? What's your favorite song? My favorite is O Holy Night!

Today, December 2nd, we colored a Christmas placemat for The Jimmie Hale Mission to use at their Christmas dinner especially for their shelter guests. We didn't have much success with Ansley's artistic skills, but she loved putting the colored pencils in her mouth and I am sure it will bring a smile to someone's face when they sit down to eat their Christmas dinner.


If you would like to do this activity with your students and/or children, you can download a copy of the placemat from this website (www.jimmiehalemission.com) and mail your placemats to the following address:
Jimmie Hale Mission
P.O. Box 10472
Birmingham, AL 35202-0472

Have fun with your family during this season of advent! Isn't it amazing that we serve a risen Savior who is coming again?

Thanksgiving in Kindergarten

I know I often use this blog to update our friends and family on life with Ansley. However, I want to take a moment and tell you about life with 17 five year olds. What a blessing it has been to teach for six years now. I am so thankful for the ministry I have in the field of education.

A thought came to me the other day while teaching reading... I have now taught almost 100 children how to read. Then, I begin to think about the impact reading will have on them for a lifetime. The power of influence is astounding. Moreover, I reflected on how those 100 children have in turn influenced me. They have blessed me and showed me often times a new perspective on life. They see things I don't, they feel things I don't, they love in ways I don't. It's humbling and precious all at the same time.

This year, I videotaped them each telling me things they are thankful for. Do you know what I noticed? They were all thankful for relationships...with God, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, teachers, grandparents, friends, and family. Of course there were a few who were thankful for things, such as, Michael Jackson, Santa, and their pets! How compelling that at the age of five when asked what they are most thankful for, they said people...not things...not places...but people. At this tender age, they have a heart for those around them.

A quote hangs in our school that states, "No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship." I am thankful for the relationship I have with each of my students and the relationships they are building with others...it's a beautiful thing to watch unfold!

Thanksgiving

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Ansley 7 Months

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

The Journey Begins...

We have some exciting news to share! Jon has been offered a job with Children's Health System as a Technical Support Analyst! He will be working at Children's Hospital in downtown Birmingham in the I.T. department. After seven long months of praying, hoping, sending out many resumes, going though several interviews, and at the same time enjoying time together as a family while Jon was out of work, we are thrilled at this new opportunity that is before us as a family. As Jon provides technical support to different departments within the hospital, we are praying that he will be able to minister and serve within his new workplace, impact families, and help save lives! God has definitely had us on a journey over the last seven months and there have been hard days of waiting and wondering. But, like we have learned, it's not the "what" or the "when" but the WHO! We have trusted God to be our Jehovah Jireh...the God who provides...and He has! We bless Him and praise Him and cannot wait to see what the future holds for our family!

Our Growing Family

This weekend was a very special occasion for our family! We welcomed a BOY, Jack Weston Griffin, into our family on Friday, October 30, 2009 at 10:08 a.m. He was 8 lbs. and 22 inches long! Kerri endured labor for a long 24 hrs. before the doctor decided that a c-section was the best route to go in order to bring Jack safely into the world. We are so thankful that mommy and baby are doing well. It was so wonderful to have our entire family there to celebrate this awesome event. God is so good. We give Him all the glory. On Friday, when Jack Weston Griffin was born, Heaven invaded Earth and we were once again reminded of God's incredible faithfulness to us!

Waiting for Baby Jack!

My sister, Kerri, and her husband, Derek, are expecting their first baby boy (Jack) any day now. Kerri has asked me to be in the delivery room with her for the big event. Seeing that all I ever wanted to be when I grew up was a teacher or an OB doctor, you can only imagine how excited I am! There is just something so special about having a sister and even more special about sharing one of the biggest days of your lives together...the birth of your first child. She was here when Ansley made her debut and now I will hopefully make it to Atlanta in time to be there with her and watch him "arrive"! I have two nephews (on Jon's side of the family) whom I adore and love dearly but I have heard there is just something indescribable about your own sister having a baby. If I can be as in love with Jack as Kerri is with Ansley...then that is some love!! Ansley and Jack will only be 6 1/2 months apart. I hope they can make lots of memories together! Well, look for pictures soon! She is not in labor yet. Her due date is Tuesday. I am hoping he comes this weekend or that she can schedule an induction towards the end of next week so I can stay longer and not miss too much school. We cannot wait to meet you Jack!
Love,
Uncle Jon, Aunt Karen, and Cousin Ansley