Christmas Festivities

We've been busy getting ready for Christmas around here.  We decorated the tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Big Boy was sleeping and missed out on all the fun.  I did save him a couple of decorations to put on when he woke up.  It looks different now.  All the ornaments at the bottom of the tree have been pulled off by a certain someone and had to be moved higher up the tree.

Here's what else we've been to. We finally painted the clay ornaments that the kids made 2 years ago. :-)  We finished co-op for December and had a Christmas party.  We made, decorated, and ingested gingerbread cookies.

We have also started Advent devotions complete with an Advent wreath.  The kids love lighting the candles each night (and blowing them out).  I think it is a wonderful way to help the kids remember that our focus this time of year should be on our Saviour.  We are reading the book called "We Light the Candles."  They look forward to devotion time and beg to do it!  We also just started what I hope to be a new tradition last night.  When we get Christmas cards, we save them for that evening, and read them to the kids, and then we pray for the people who sent them or gave them to us before I put the cards on display.

Amidst all that, Christmas shopping, school, and the regular chaos of life with five kids, I am finding it harder and harder to blog.  I finally sat down on Sunday afternoon and got the pictures from the last 2 weeks off my camera and phone.  And now while the kids are working on math, between answering their questions, I am writing this post.  Hopefully next time I can do a Thanksgiving post with pics. 

the primary tree decorators

first night of Advent, with the candle of promise lit

co-op Christmas party