This Is The Stable...Christmas Book Activity: Day 6

The illustrations in today's book This Is The Stable were so beautiful, that we decided to recreate them--as best we could--with water colors.

The words of the story sort of echo the pattern of "This Is The House That Jack Built", but only slightly.

The pictures in this book are the real stars of the story. I can see these illustrations being something that my kids remember 20 years from now.

They evoke emotion and imagination--two important keys that help children to identify with and place themselves in the story of the first Christmas.

I know a little girl who spent last Christmas and the better half of this year talking about "baby Jesus" and that first Christmas. She roll-played the story over and over again in pretend play. Sometimes when I'd see her, she was Mary. And other times she was Baby Jesus...and on and on. This behavior continued for months, and I think it started to worry her parents just a bit.

But it was the sweetest thing I've seen in a long time.

I feel so blessed to know this sweet child of God and her lovely mother who encouraged the faith of her young daughter.

I hope that she is still seeing the Christmas story with this same child-like faith many Christmases from now...no, I hope that she always feels this way.

The kids enjoyed our little painting pow-wow.

Autumn just loves being with us.

Happiness is her hallmark.

I chose to try to paint the pink sky of Bethlehem found on this page.

Scarlett's work was beautiful as always.

Guy's picture seemed to really tell a story...and Steve's (lower left) was sort of abstract, although he tells me that this is what every sky looks like.

Art is so personal that way.

I don't know much about art at all, actually, so my artist sisters would probably laugh at that last comment, but they probably won't see this post, so I think I'm safe.

Here is to the ending of a pretty perfect weekend together.

The kids are asleep. Our boots are drying. I'm listening to the Christmas Broadcast.

And we're holding tight to the Christmas Spirit we are feeling in our home.