Day 6: Traditions

Ok, so we're just going to pretend that I'm not a day behind and call this day 6. 

This morning we had cinnamon rolls and eggs- it tasted like Christmas!

Today is Saturday.  Our family LOVES Saturday because of one thing: Special Breakfast.  Every Saturday, I wake up and make a special breakfast- pancakes, crepes, german pancakes (dutch babies), eggs, waffles, cinnamon rolls, muffins, french toast casserole...anything I can think of that I have ingredients for!  Scotty and I have always been big fans of breakfast.  In fact, at our evening wedding reception we served BREAKFAST.  It was epic. 

After a large pot of coffee has been brewed and breakfast has been cooked, we sit down and eat together.  We feast.  We laugh and tell jokes and sometimes listen to our favorite comedian on Alexa tell jokes.  We pass the syrup and stuff our faces and look at each other and thank God we're a family.  (To be real, sometimes we argue and have bad attitudes, too.)  And, we work through a book called Our 24 Family Ways (Clay and Sally Clarkson) that helps us to think biblically about what important precepts we want to incorporate into our kids worldview.  I have always been a bit daunted by what family devotion times should look like.  I talk a lot with the kids throughout the day in an informal way about our faith and how that plays out.  But, actually sitting down and trying to capture the attention of an almost 11 year-old, a 7 year-old and an almost 5 year-old can be a challenge.  Going through this book at the end of special breakfast every Saturday has turned it into a tradition that they are ready and willing for.  And, it's such a joy to me to see my kids interacting with the Bible, thinking for themselves and praying with us. 

Traditions give us such a neat opportunity to connect as a family and set rhythms into our day.  Other regular traditions we have is reading books together.  At least with the older two, I read aloud to them on a daily basis and we enter into imaginary adventures together.  Although we haven't been as consistent lately, we try to take the kids out on dates to give them individual time with us.  Because Natty goes to bed significantly later than Jubi and Moses, we have started going through a Christian book aimed at tween girls.  Scotty and I have the tradition of working out together at least once a week.  A less frequent tradition is taking road trips- it's the only way to travel in Bolivia and is always ripe with adventure!!  This usually includes books on tape, lots of snacks, travel packs for the kids (stickers, notebooks, markers, etc...) and obligatory photo stops with the llamas or volcanoes.

Obligatory volcano photo on the Bolivia/Chile border.

What traditions do you love from your family??