Advent Day 10 - Gingerbread Men

I've had several friends comment to me that they don't know how I do an Advent activity every day...and they hate me for it.  In a loving way of course:)  The truth is, I do it because I love it.  I love Christmas and Easter so much and try to make them special for my kids so that they will have the joy I have in the season, and more importantly, so that they will know Jesus better.

 

But.

 

I am not the perfect mom.  And I'm not trying to pretend to be on here or facebook or wherever.  If you know me at all, you know that I am honest to a fault.  I live for genuine, real, raw relationships and interactions.  I have been told countless times that I am transparent. 

 

So  the real, transparent truth from today?  I failed as a parent.  No good would come in me re-telling the story for everyone, but I made a parenting decision that, although well thought out, ultimately embarrassed and hurt one of my littles.  Afterward, I quickly saw that even though I'd spent what I felt like was a long time trying to decide my course of action, the one I took, wasn't the right one...and I had a hard time recovering from it.  It literally breaks me when I feel like I've done something that has hurt either Hunter or Charlotte or has made them feel less than loved in the moment...because the truth is, I literally could not love them anymore. 

 

Luckily, by late afternoon, we had moved on and got to our activity....making gingerbread men!  We tried to make a gingerbread house 2 years ago and it was pretty difficult, so I thought we'd start back slowly with this...

And although I'm definitely not the crafty, artistic mom I want to be (yes, I made that one, not Hunter), it's much better than our house was 2 years ago:)

Both kids really enjoyed making (and eating!) their cookies...

I love their creations!

I was out tonight, so James did the verses with the kids, which were Luke 2:8-9...
"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified."

Especailly today I'm thankful to know a God who forgives me when I make a wrong choice.  And I'm thankful for my kids that I have that model, so that I can try to love them in the same way He loves me.