ABC Wednesday - X

X is for Xmas

ABC Wednesday

I know this is often a debate some people have and therefore thought I would add this information I found on a website.

Xmas is not of modern coinage. The Oxford English Dictionary documents the use of this abbreviation back to 1551. Undoubtedly it was employed before that. Now 1551 is fifty years before the first English colonists came to America and sixty years earlier than the completion of the King James Version of the Bible! Moreover, at the same time, Xian and Xianity were in frequent use as abbreviations of Christian and Christianity.

You see, the X in Xmas did not originate as our English alphabet's X but as the symbol X in the Greek alphabet, called Chi, with a hard ch. The Greek Chi or X is the first letter in the Greek word Christos. Gration claims that as early as the first century the X was used as Christ's initial. Certainly through church history we can trace this usage. In many manuscripts of the New Testament, X abbreviates Christos (Xristos). In ancient Christian art X and XR (Chi Ro--the first two letters in Greek of Christos abbreviate his name. We find that this practice entered the Old English language as early as AD 100. Moreover, Wycliff and other devout believers used X as an abbreviation for Christ. Were they trying to take Christ away and substitute an unknown quantity? The idea is preposterous.

Monder culture may use Xmas today as an unchristian shortcut for Christmas, but the ancient abbreviation by no means originated as such. The scribes who copied New Testament manuscripts had no intention of taking Christ out of the New Testament. They used the abbreviation simply to save time and space. ... I do not use it because of the possible misunderstanding it often causes as a result of its is representation or abuse" [i.e., in its use for commercial purposes in modern times].

See http://answers.org/issues/isgodaginxmas.html

As far as our Christmas we had such a sweet time with both the Kovlak and Wilson family. We were able to spend exactly 3 days and 4 nights with each family and that never feels like it is long enough. We visited the Kovlaks first and I have completed this Video Montage of our time together. I am working on one for our time with the Wilsons, which includes Christmas morning when Annabelle recieved her slide from Santa! Look back to see that montage soon!

ABC Wednesday - W

W is for WEGESNAC

ABC Wednesday

What is a WEGESNAC you may ask?  It stands for White Elephant Gift Exchange Sunday Night At Church. This is our 3rd annual WEGESNAC, and it was a lot of fun as always. I got a $5 gift card to Starbucks and Josh got a $5 gift card to Culvers. I think we were the only ones to actually get gift cards.

For those that don't know, a White Elephant Gift Exchange is when Gifts are wrapped, but are not labeled to reflect a specific sender or recipient. Gifts are typically inexpensive, humorous items or used items from home and sometimes, they are just plain trash; participants draw a number to determine their order. The 1st participant unwraps any gift from the pile and then shows it to everyone. Each successive participant, in the order determined from the drawing can either "steal" an already open gift or go for a wrapped gift from the pile.

If the participant chooses to steal, the person whose gift is stolen now repeat their turn and either steals another person's gift (they cannot immediately steal back the gift that was just stolen from them) or unwraps a new gift. This cycle of stealing can stometimes continue for a long time, until a new gift is chosen, at which point the turn is passed to the participant with the next number from the drawing. Since items can be stolen, the item in your possession is not yours until the game is over once all the names have been drawn.

- Taken from wikipedia.org

ABC Wednesday-V

For ABC Wednesday all I could think of for V was...

The Value of Vera Bradely

I only got into Vera Bradely like 2 years ago and they are best pieces I have ever owned! The biggest pro of Vera Bradely is that you can wash it and it will look just like new. I have spilt hot chocolate all over my purse, put my diaper bag in the mud and all of it has come out in the wash!Everything you see here I have recieved as a gift, except the diaper bag. I love them. I just got the purse all the way to the right from a student for Christmas and on my christmas wishlist I have two more, one as a school bag and one as a catch all bag.

Video of V words

12 days until Christmas

Today starts the 12 days of Christmas . This year Josh and I aren't doing it for eachother, but here is Annabelle's gift and a video of her recieving it. I'll be honest I was a little shocked at her reaction to the gift because at the store when she saw this she was screaming, "Dora, Dora".

By the way, would anyone like to give a little parenting advice? Meal times have become extremely difficult. Would you say if she doesn't want to eat what you are eating to not let her get up until she eats or let her down and let her eat the meal when she is hungry?

So I took this quiz online...lol...I'd say it was pretty accurate...look what I gave my daughter tonight!

You Are a Practical Gift Giver

Your gifts are useful, appropriate, and custom tailored to each person. In your opinion, the best gifts are gifts that someone will actually use. Your gifts may not be the most glamourous, but they are always appreciated.

What Kind of Gift Giver Are You?

ABC Wednesday-U

Unbelievably late I know!

ABC Wednesday

Trimming the Tree

Due to the ER visit on Friday, we didn't have time to decorate the tree that night. So last night we decorated it. I love the story that Josh tells in this first video. I remember when he told me this story for the first time and it melted my heart. I never get tired of hearing it, and I hope he continues to tell me every year when I decorate the tree. It may be a little mushy for you all, but I love it!

Here is Annabelle helping me decorate the tree. She did a good job until she got side tracked by a Lion King commerical.

ABC Wednesday - T

I know I am a bit late for ABC Wednesday. It has been one of those weeks, but better late than never.

T is for TREE!!!

This year has been so exciting as we get ready for Christmas. Annabelle is actually understanding and getting excited for Christmas. She was so excited to show me the tree at Miss Cindy's and at church, so to get our own was very EXCITING for her. Here is a scrapbook of our trip.

A side note, I got home from work on Friday and her eyes were REALLY crusty. Josh said they had been like that all day long, so I took her to the ER around 4:30 and she has pink eye. You'll see in some of the pictures how crusty her eyes look.

Monthly Milestones

Annabelle is 23 Months old. Here are some things she did in her 22nd month.

1. Last month she learned to undress herself, this month she is trying to dress herself! She doesn't always get it right as you can see.

2. As I've said before she is sneaky. This took the sneakiness to a whole new level!

3. Her new sayings: "Look at me!" " I see ____ (food, play zone, etc.)" "Merry Christmas" "Happy Birthday"

4. She went to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time and loved it!

5. Her favorite snacks are fruit snacks.

6. She started taking vitamins this month and loves them! We give them to her with her fruit snacks because she always wants more.

7. She is attached to her blankey! I tried so hard not to have my child attached to a blanket or animal, but try as I may we are now extremely attached to a homemade blanke that was given to me at my shower. I keep meaning to call the lady that made it and ask her to make me more!

8. She likes to walk down the steps by herself, which drives me nuts. She says, "I do, I do"