Giving

It's funny how keeping things simple can make a girl so happy, but that's just what I did with Lila's Christmas dress and it was a huge hit.


Mainly because it passed the spinning test.  Because when you're 6, what's better than a dress that spins?

I modified one of my favorite patterns (Pretty in Peplum by Sew Much Ado) by simply increasing the length of the the "peplum" to be a dress size.  Very simple for a Christmas dress, but I wanted the velvety wine colored fabric (old, from my stash) to speak for itself and it couldn't have turned out better.  



This has been such a special Christmas season for me.  It's just been peaceful.  It's not like I don't have rough or hectic days, but overall, things have just been pleasant.  I think this is, in part, because I tried to get most of our holiday shopping done early.  It's amazing how often Superman and I stress out because we let things get down to the wire.  :)

I think it's been especially fun to see our kids get excited about Christmas.  Lila has a lot to do with this.  The oldest child really sets the tone and Lila is such a party loving girl, that it's fun to see her teach her siblings how to get excited for the holidays.  The other day, we were wrapping presents and Lila kept smiling saying, "I just feel this warm feeling inside, Mom.  I'm happy doing this, and these aren't even presents for me!"  And that's when I got to explain the magic of giving to Lila.  We feel happy when we give away freely.



Those are the kind of moments that I hold onto as a Mom.  Because all the the presents, parties, and Santa--it's all so fun.  And I love watching my kids get excited about presents that they might get and parties they get to go to, but in the end, what I care about, is that they recognize the special feeling that comes with giving away.  It's what this season is really about.  Because the Savior gave us His life freely, we have the chance to become like Him. I can't think of a better gift.

For the next little while, I'll be shifting gears, and sharing lots more about life with the twins coming our way, but until then, Merry Christmas, friends!   Hope you have a wonderful holiday!