Advent

Mom decided that this year there would be no candy in advent. It has not gone unnoticed, but there haven’t been complaints about the replacement items either. So we’ll call the mild grumbling a success.

We always start with the Christmas Story in the bible. After that we started a new tradition. Each kid got a small tree for their room and they are getting items to go with their tree throughout the countdown. Mixed in with the tree accessories we are writing letters to Santa, going to the Christmas Train, baking, crafting, movie watching, reading and lots more.

It is so fun to look forward to a new gift or activity each day to grow the anticipation of the season!

Church Christmas Program

This was the first year that both kids have been old enough to participate in the church Christmas program. It was a little nerve-wracking wondering how Elizabeth would do on stage, but it went so well! The kids had songs to learn and motions to go with them. We had them to play in the car and they practiced every Sunday in class for several weeks. Elizabeth even got to where she knew some of Ben’s songs. They both did a wonderful job. E’s class went first and sang four short songs with motions. She sang most of the time and did her motions. She didn’t really crack a smile, but compared to the dramatic crying that Mom was worried about, she did a stellar job! Ben’s group was next. They had more elaborate songs and speaking parts. He did great and was also fairly serious about the performance. (Except for the photo above where he is rocking out!) He did an awesome job as well and even stood on the top riser without any issues. They are both growing up so fast! It was a wonderful night and such a blessing to watch our little stars shine for Jesus!

Farm Visit

We were able to head to “the farm” in Kansas over Thanksgiving. We were graciously hosted in a brand new house by Uncle David. The kids enjoyed racing around all four floors (basement, main level, loft and mini-loft) and exploring outside as well. We had a great visit with Baby Brynna and the cousins posed for some pictures (some more willing than others).