It’s that time of year again!  We had a blast at The Inspired Bride Studio Wed event last weekend and are looking forward to getting to know all the great brides we met

I hope you all had the most wonderful holiday season and are getting geared up for a fantastic 2012!  Our first Christmas with the babies was just wonderful.  Both of our families spoiled them rotten and I spent lots of time properly documenting everything in photos  And since it’s been a while since I’ve spammed my own blog with baby photos, hold onto yourself for a photo dump starting NOW!

It wouldn’t be Chridtmas without bacon dessert!  This year was bacon bourbon brownies.  YUM!!

The girls were still on quarantine so my Dad bought a santa suit.  Love this new tradition!

It is almost time for another StudioWed Nashville signature event!  This time it is The Inspired Bride and it is coming up in January.  If you are a Nashville Bride you need to register ASAP!!  There are prizes involved!!  :)

This Christmas is going to be a little different in our house.  Fewer gifts under the tree (like zero as opposed to the usual bundle), but a whole lot more love in our hearts thanks to two tiny babies that are most certainly the best gift I’ve ever received.  I’m not sad about the lack of presents – that is a tradition I can easily do without but one tradition that I am sad I can’t carry on this year is one that started a few years ago.  I had a friend who was going through some very tough times so I invented the Advent Fairy as a way to bring some cheer to her holiday.  Basically every night from December 1 until December 24 I would drop tiny gifts on her front porch that corresponded with a verse from the Christmas Story.

So why am I telling you about this?  Because I want to encourage each of you to chose a friend or a family that you know is having a difficult time and “Advent Fairy” them.  Just because I can’t do it this year doesn’t mean it can’t be done at all!  And I will most certainly be picking the tradition back up next year when I’m allowed to take the girls out of the house  Here is a photo of me on Advent Fairy reveal day last year.  I have tinsel wings too but they wouldn’t fit in the booth at the Waffle Crib.  Also, reveal day is totally optional.  You are most welcome to keep your AF status on the down low forever.

Give me an A….give me an F!  Advent.  Fairy!!   (Gang signs and silly costume are totally optional)

Now once you’ve chosen your person/family that you want to “Advent Fairy,” all you need to do is copy and paste the blurb below into another document, print it out, cut it into slips of paper for each day, then attach it to the gifts with a little bit of ribbon.  Have fun doing your daily drop and be careful not to get caught!!  It’s much more fun being sneaky and having your giftee wondering who is leaving things for them  ***The explanation of Advent from Day 1 is shamelessly copied from the Wiki entry***

Merry Christmas XXXX Family!  I am your personal Advent Fairy.  I know the holidays might be difficult for you this year, but I hope these daily surprises will bring you some joy! I hope to also help you to keep in mind the miraculous birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and to find comfort in Him.  Every day from now until Christmas, check your front door before bedtime to see what I have brought you.  Hope you enjoy!!!

Let’s begin with the history of the Advent calendar.

The origins of the Advent calendar come from German Lutherans, who, at least as early as the beginning of the 19th century, would count down the 24 days of Advent physically. Often this meant simply drawing a chalk line on the door each day, beginning on December 1st. Some families had more elaborate means of marking the days, such as lighting a new candle (perhaps the genesis of today’s Advent wreath) or hanging a little religious picture on the wall each day.

The 24 candles might also be placed on a structure, which was known as an “Advent clock”. In December, 1839, the first verifiable public Advent wreath was hung in the prayer hall of the Rauhes Haus (relief house) in Hamburg, although it had been a family practice in parts of German-speaking Europe since the 17th century.

The first known Advent calendar was handmade in 1851. According to the Austrian (NÖ) Landesmuseum, the first printed Advent calendar was produced in Hamburg in 1902 or 1903. Other authorities state that a Swabian parishioner, Gerhard Lang, was responsible for the first printed calendar, in 1908.

Lang was certainly the progenitor of today’s calendar. He was a printer in the firm Reichhold & Lang of Munich who, in 1908, made 24 little colored pictures that could be affixed to a piece of cardboard. Several years later, he introduced a calendar with 24 little doors. He created and marketed at least 30 designs before his firm went out of business in the 1930s. In this same time period, Sankt Johannis Printing Company started producing religious Advent calendars, with Bible verses instead of pictures behind the doors.

The practice disappeared during World War II, apparently to save paper. After the war, Richard Sellmer of Stuttgart resurrected the commercial Advent calendar and is responsible for its widespread popularity. His company, Richard Sellmer Verlag, today maintains a stock of over 1,000,000 calendars worldwide.

Because it began in European tradition, tonight I bring you chocolate from Europe.

Luke 1:30-31 – …But the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.

To represent the news of a baby to come, Baby Ruths!

Luke 1:32-34 – He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end. How will this be, Mary asked the angel, since I am a virgin?

Here I give you organic chocolate to represent Mary’s purity.

Luke 1:35-37 – The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.

To honor the Holy Spirit, I bring you donut holes!

Luke 2:1 – In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.

The census was a way for Caesar to know who to collect taxes from so as a representation of the taxes here are chocolate Gold Coins.

Luke 2:2 -This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

A census is a count of many people; more people than there are M&Ms in this bag.

Luke 2:3 – And everyone went to his own town to register.

In honor of their journey under the stars, I bring you Milky Way Bars.

Luke 2:4 – So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.

Here is a picture frame to honor your lineage.

Luke 2:5 – He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

What’s something a woman expecting a child craves??  Pickles and Ice cream! (Baskin Robbins Gift Card tied to a jar of pickles)

Luke 2:6 -While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born…

When babies are small all they can say is Goo-Goo! (Goo-Goo Clusters Candy)

Luke 2:7 – and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Here is a cloth for you to wrap yourselves up in! (A Blanket)

Luke 2:8 – And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

You’re gonna need some caffeine to watch a flock all night. (Energy Drinks)

Luke 2:9 – An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

May  these  flashlights shine  like  the  glory  of  the  Lord!

Luke 2:10 – But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

Celebrate the joy with Almond Joy.

Luke 2:11 – Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

Christ is our life saver! (Lifesavers candy)

Luke 2:12 – This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

Here is  a  tiny  nativity   to  help  you  celebrate  the  holiday..  (Snowglobe with a nativity)

Luke 2:13 – Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

Here is a great company of heavenly hosts for your tree! (Angel ornaments)

Luke 2:14 – Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.

A Dove often represents peace so today I bring you Dove Chocolates.

Luke 2:15 – When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.

Nothing makes a long journey seem shorter like some trail mix.

Luke 2:16 – So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

Here are some things to keep you warm while you are hurrying around this winter. (scarves or gloves)

Luke 2:17 – When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,

Here are some post-it notes to post the good news.

Luke 2:18 – and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

Amazing things happen to us everyday.  You can write about them in these notebooks!

Luke 2:19 – But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Here is a treasure box to keep close the treasures of your heart .

Luke 2:20 – The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Praise God today for the blessings of good friends and each other – and have fun spending these gift cards.  We hope you have received a blessing from your visits from the advent fairy this Christmas season.  We wish your family the peace and joy that comes from Christ’s love.  Merry Christmas!

Today is World Prematurity Day.  Audrey, Charlotte and I celebrated it, along with their 1 month birthday, by taking photos (of course), going to a Drs appointment, and officially retiring their preemie clothes.  As I packed up those tiny little items and prepared to mail them to another twin mom I couldn’t help but be thankful for how far my daughters have come in this past month.  We’ve gone from praying they would eat 25ml at each feeding to hastily filling their bottles with 90ml each as their hungry cries fill the air.  They have gone from just under 4lbs and not quite 5 lbs when leaving the hospital, to almost 7lbs and almost 8lbs.  They are my little miracles and today especially I am thankful.

And because I am a proud, thankful mom – here are more photos

Audrey’s first bath at home

Charlotte’s first bath at home

Genie and Dora love their sisters!

We got a little jump on holiday photos – look out Rudolph!

Charlotte says “This photo shoot is OVER!”

One month old!