Willow Creek Christmas in Colorado

Being that we stayed in Colorado, we obviously couldn't participate in one our favorite Christmas traditions this year...going to Willow Creek for their Christmas service. But this year they started videoing all their services. Which meant we would be able to watch the Christmas service online! Woohoo!! However, I expected to have to wait until Christmas Eve for them to post the service.

Saturday night, Lucas has had a bad cough so we didn't go to church because I obviously don't want to expose other kids in childcare to what he has. So Jason and I planned to watch one of Willow's advent services at home after we out Lucas down for the night. When we went online to search we found they already posted the Christmas service!

I was so excited! (like tears rolling down my face excited!) Especially because it was the same night the my parents were going to the service and obviously was pretty sad we weren't able to attend with them. 

Jason and I were able to worship right along in our living room with our beautiful Christmas tree lit. (Though eventually we had to move our church service to the basement after having some technical difficulties.) It may not have been my favorite performance Willow's ever done but the message was wonderful, really spoke to me and encouraged me to make some changes in my own heart this Christmas season. At the end of the service, Jason and I were able to sing along together with everyone  to Silent Night with each other just as if we were right there in S. Barrington. 

Thank you Willow Creek for all your efforts in putting on such a wonderful service and a big thank you for allowing us to move our yearly tradition to Colorado! 

After singing along to Silent Night in our pj's 

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. Isaiah 9:6

Christmas Lights Tradition

We've added a few new Christmas traditions to our family this year trying not to overdo it. Friday night we drove around the area looking at Christmas lights. Since Lucas hates being in his car seat for just a 5 minute car ride, I figured this new tradition would look like much more fun on paper than the real thing but I still wanted to try.

Jason and I made Lucas a bottle, us hot chocolate and headed out to look at lights. We grabbed dinner to-go and enjoyed driving around looking at lights. Lucas did so well!! We spent about 30 minutes driving around and the neighborhood we picked was beautiful! Almost the entire neighborhood was it up! On our way home we drove through our own neighborhood. It was such a fun family night. I already have ideas of what we'll do when the kids are a little older. Love our new Colorado traditions! 

My favorite manger

My favorite tree! It was beautiful!! The pic doesn't show the lights the way it looks in the dark. Just beautiful!!

The Griswold's home in Colorado! Every inch of their house was decorated, Even their lawn had lights on it..but was even cooler to see this elaborate Nativity scene. 

I realized as I was putting Lucas down that we didn't take any family pics. Next year! Love our new tradition making memories. Love our little family! 

This Door...A Year Later

It was one year ago to day that we walked in that door for the first time. Jason had great hopes...I had absolutely no expectations. I had already seen that it was for sale a few days before but was on a busy street so didn't give it a second though. I agreed to go look at it, just to appease Jason expecting to check it off the list and continue our search after the holidays.

But God had other, much better plans!  We walked through that door and the second we walked through we knew it was "the one." Literally...we walked in and were both in love. The main floor was cozy but we loved it! Onto the upstairs and one room after another we were "oooohing and ahhhhhhing!!" Then we went to the basement. It was perfect, and then some...finished with a bathroom and room for storage.  Onto the outside...it had a pretty sizable yard (for Colorado!) Plenty of room for Cooper and our future Lucas to play in. We were in LOVE.

One room to the next, Jason and I would say, "oh my gosh, I love this!" and "Oh, Jason , this is the house." "Ahh look at this (insert the name of the room)." It was such a glorious night. But when we were looking the market was crazy and houses would be gone in a day so we tried not to get too attached.

During the home search we had decided that we would sleep and pray on whatever house we liked ot make sure we felt like God was leading us.  In the moring, we put our offer in and after a few days we had more than we could have asked for in the contract and a house we were moving into at the end of February!

Things changed quickly and before we knew it, we had a baby boy almost 3 weeks early while also moving up the closing day by a whole month to the end of January so moved in just 6 weeks after looking at it. Amazing how God worked through all of this and blessed us with our home! It was all such a whirlwind with how it all went down since we had a baby in the middle of it all but reflecting a year later is awesome. So very thankful for our house!

Date Night - Christmas Style

A Christmas tradition for us in Illinois was to drive out to S. Barrington for Willow Creek Chrismas service. It started out just the two of us then we invited my mom and aunt, the next year my dad joined us and eventually it was a Christmas tradition that my mom, dad, Jason and I would all get tickets, go to the amazing service then go to Friday's afterwards for apps and drinks. 

We were even able to go two years ago after we had moved here but last year being very pregnant and now this year with an almost 1 year old, traveling isnt feasible. 

When I heard a local church was doing a Christmas concert (and the lead pastor used to be a pastor on staff at Willow) I immediately got tickets. We scheduled a babysitter and were off to make a new Colorado Lockwood tradition!

When we got into our seats we quickly realized how absolutely awful the seats were!! We were so far to the left we couldn't see half the stage. Then once it started they put about 8 vocalists and the guitarist right in front of us, we could only see about 30% of the stage. I was pretty upset considering we paid full price for the tickets!! (Which already, really?! A church event and we had to pay? But whatever.) 

Overall it was a decent concert, but with how terrible our seats were, we certainly wouldn't go back.

Afterwards we went to PF Changs for apps and drinks. Best part of our evening for sure!! Just me and Jason chatting it up at the bar. So us. 

We didn't start a yearly tradition with the concert but we'll try to find something adultish and christmas-y for a night out without the kid(s) then followed up with apps and drinks out. I love that. And love the precious time Jason and I get on our date nights! It costs a small fortune after paying for a sitter but we can't ever get that much needed adult conversation unless we make it a priority. It's so needed and valued by us. Love you Jason! And love our little Christmas-y tradition we are keeping alive! 

Lucas is 11 Months!

Time Slow Down!  How is our baby 11 months old?!  Love, love, love him more and more every day. As these pictures show he's still climbing all over the place, getting into anything and everything...things he shouldn't be getting into! (I turned away for 2 seconds to check the pictures and he emptied out half the box of Kleenex! ;-)) We have a gate around our tree because he would certainly climb it, and eat all the pine needles, not to mention the ornaments and lights. We just had to put a gate up at the bottom of the stairs even though I really didn't want to.  But he is up those steps in no time at all which is obliviously not safe.  He's still the super smiley-est and happiest kid I've ever met.  He brings us so much joy!  Happy 11 months sweet boy!

Meeting Santa for the 1st Time

Since we missed seeing the Easter Bunny I decided we had to get a visit in to see Santa this year.  But where do you visit Santa without long lines and super expensive pictures?  I asked some friends at MOPS and they told me Bass Pro Shop where the lines aren't too long and the pics are free!

So last night after Jason got off work, we headed up to Bass Pro Shops and wow did we have fun! We only had to wait in line for about 10 minutes to see Santa!  Lucas wasn't really sure what to think of the elves taking the pics. I thought for sure he'd just stare at Santa and possibly pull his beard or maybe even hit him on the head like he hits everyone.  But nope, just stared off at the elves.  Cracked me up!

After the pictures we went for a carousel ride and walked around looking at all the other fun activities. He loved watching the train set go around in circles and the big kids play with the remote control monster trucks.  We also checked out the fish which was pretty cool but not nearly as col as everything esle he'd just seen. I was beyond impressed with all their activities and how nice everyone was! That everything was FREE was a major bonus!.  It is so much fun watching Lucas take everything in. I felt like we were at an amusement park all night, I cannot imagine how much fun we're going to have watching him grow over the years! I am SO in love with this kid!!

Jason's starting him young with his first 4 wheeler

1st carousel ride

Precious

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