I am a last minute kind of girl. My hubs is too. We used to stay up late the night before papers were due in college and binge watch 24, while cranking out 1 page each during commercial breaks.

This year, I am cranking out advent plans for our family at the last minute. We love love love advent. Advent simply means ‘coming’. This morning, my girls and I were snuggled up on the couch, talking about how we are the People of Advent – the Church – His Bride. I reminded them, as I often have, that we needed a rescuer so very badly. And Jesus came at Christmas to be our Rescuer, our Deliverer, our Savior. And because He came once, we can spend time ‘adventing’ each year while we remember his first coming and long together for his final coming. I love the leaning in that we do as a family – the quieting of our chaos to make room in our hearts for Jesus to come.

This year, in our house, we are going to be studying 25 names of Jesus for advent. Each morning, the littles will color and hang up an ornament with a different name of Jesus found in scripture. We will read the passage His names are found in and pray together. I’m really looking forward to it. And of course, I drew the ornaments THIS MORNING because I’m a last minute kind of girl.

If you and your kiddos want to join us, you can print them for free here:

advent-names-of-jesus

And if you are interested in joining in on Advent this year, here are a few other links for free devotions that you (and your family) could do together:

http://www.paultripp.com/advent

http://www.growinghandsonkids.com/advent-activities-toddlers-preschoolers.html

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/holidays/advent-calendars/all-the-colors-of-christmas-advent-calendar

http://www.desiringgod.org/books/good-news-of-great-joy

If your not all about devotionals, just please, for the love, download this cd and play it on repeat all season long. It is just so good!!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-thrill-of-hope/id1163664101

Looking forward to adventing with you. What other advent ideas do you have, I would love to hear them!