We put our Christmas tree up Thanksgiving weekend, and the kids loved it. Although I'm not sure why I stressed about making our tree perfect, K & T had a grand time moving ornaments around and sampling the 'candy candy' (what T calls candy canes this year) while hiding behind the couch throughout the month of December.
 |
| Several times throughout the month I found the kids just looking at the Christmas tree. They liked searching for their silver initials and all of the gingerbread ornaments that we hanging this year. |
 |
| I think this little guy might have loved the lights the most. He quickly learned how to turn the tree on and insisted it be on the entire day. I didn't mind one bit, I love the lights too. |
 |
| These are our steps this year. The kids also liked rearranging these sock snowmen throughout the day. |
 |
| I've been making these for years, and K learned to make them this year too. They are such fun gifts to give! |
 |
| We had lots of Christmas activities to do, including these magnet puzzles that T got into. |
 |
| Both kiddos like playing with these stickies on the window too. |
 |
| And Christmas movies are a December must! Complete with pillow bed designed by K & T. |
 |
| While I worked on Christmas cards, K said she had some to do too. |
 |
| T's cards were large this year. |
 |
| We attended our church Christmas party this year and had a lot of fun. Here K & T are waiting for dinner with Nana. Drawing on the table is an okay thing to do here! |
 |
| Papa drew this winter scene, it's the Northern Lights! |
 |
| Nana & T are besties. |
 |
| Daddy helping K get her dinner ready. |
 |
| Bunny art, by K. |
At the dinner there was a photo booth. Of course we had to participate!
 |
| This one is my fave! |
The primary sang several songs including Jingle Bells & Away in a Manger. This was the kids' first time singing in front of a crowd. They did great!
 |
| K waving to her fans. It was a great night! |
 |
| Auntie Shelley sent these awesome glasses over for K & T. Every light that they look at through them has a Santa face on it. So cool! We took several drives at night to look at Christmas lights looking through them, even the stoplights changed! |
This year we brought up little trees for the kids to have in their rooms. One Family Home Evening we spent decorating them. K took her time and delicately placed her beads and ornaments just so.
 |
| Completely decorated by K. She tinkered with it until it was perfect in her eyes. |
T did a great job too. Most of his ornaments ended up on one side, but he said he wanted to see them all. Made sense to me.
 |
Just look at how pleased he is with himself!
We let them go to sleep with their little tree lights on, oh the joys of the season! I love it all.
|
We continued our tradition of unwrapping a different Christmas book every night in December. I found this idea a few years ago on line, and I've been doing it in my classroom too. Kids everywhere love to read about Christmas, especially our two! At home I make sure there is a nice balance of nativity story books, as well as Santa/snowmen books. There are so many good ones out there!
 |
| We took turns between the kids each night opening a book, and hanging an ornament on our advent calendar. |
 |
| We read It's Christmas David over and over and over this year at K & T's request. It's a good one! |
In December we went to the Polar Express evening at my school. It's always a fun time, and the very best place to see the man in the red suit.
 |
| Just some of the decorations that were put up for the night. |
 |
| This is the engine of a train that covers the length of our office window. T liked counting the cars this year. |
 |
| Here's K & T with Ke, a daughter of a teacher that I work with. She also babysits for us on the occasional night that we go on a date. K & T adore her. |
 |
| Of course one has to eat cookies and drink hot chocolate on the Polar Express. |
 |
| T shoving his cookies in. |
I wasn't sure what was going to happen with Santa this year. The kids have cried at Santa in years' past, and I was a bit nervous for everyone. This year, they just walked in, I plopped them down on his lap and they smiled for the 10 seconds they were there. We had been talking about Santa for the previous couple of weeks, and K said that she was going to ask for a pink My Little Pony, and she did. T had told me several times that he was going to ask for a Stormtrooper that doesn't talk. He was sure of it. When Santa asked him directly on Polar Express Night, what did he want for Christmas, T confidently replied, "A gun".
 |
| Here's the crew. No tears! |
 |
| We did a little coloring... |
 |
| and made some reindeer food too. I sure hope reindeer like oatmeal and glitter! |
 |
| We made Christmas cards for a local retirement home. K & T worked really hard on theirs. |
 |
| We also watched a presentation of the Polar Express book, it's such a great story. |
 |
| Well, most of us watched it. T feels really comfortable at my school, and always wants to jump on the computers there. |
 |
| Our last rotation led us to the gym where we played some really cool minute to win it games. |
 |
| The marshmallow toss was T's favorite. He may or may not have tried to eat the marshmallows that hit the floor. Ewww! |
 |
| proof. |
 |
| Stacking marshmallows. We wouldn't let T near this game. :) |
 |
| Balancing ornaments. It was an evening of fun, fun, fun! |
 |
This picture is out of order, but blogger won't let me move it. This is the advent calendar that the kids move ornaments on each night. T moved the ornament on this night, so K opened the book. The next night we switched. They were really good at remembering whose turn it was to do what.
|
We love Christmas around here, and getting ready for the big day is almost as fun as the event itself!
