Our Christmas Fun Has Begun!!!

Reagan made a snowflake ornament with her preschool co-op buddies!

We celebrated Jesus' birthday with friends from church!
We made nativity ornaments...

Decorated birthday cookies...

and heard a unique nativity story!

I enlisted the elves to help me make and wrap gifts...

and even dust a little! HA!

We joined our homeschool group for lunch at a local mexican restaurant!

We tried several new recipes, including these cute peppermint hearts!

We even had our first extended family celebration and swapped gifts!

CHRISTMAS CUTIES!!!!

CHRISTMAS HOME TOUR!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
I have yet to take a photo of our outdoor look for Christmas, but here is a photo tour of the inside. I love Christmas decorations!!!

Reindeer platter my mama gave me this year!
And an old gingerbread man favorite...always holds flavored candy canes!

Photos of each child's 1st Christmas (on kitchen counter), with a snowman fruit bowl!

Christmas photo and snowman display, with one of our countdowns!

Our Santa Christmas card display! I LOVE getting cards in the mail almost every day, especially from those of you farther away! Love seeing your families grow and hearing answered prayers!

In fact, it is now so full Santa doesn't show!!!

CUTE countdown placemats I got at Target for 50% off after Christmas year before last. Each child has one and the top piece spins to reveal a new number each day of December!

This countdown hangs on our school/play room door and we move the candy cane to the appropriate date of December each morning. The kids anticipate it!

I normally put a tree in each front window, but was afraid it would be distracting during school, so I just put some extra white lights around the window! It works!

Rug leading into the kids' bathroom! I have used it for 5+ years and it washes so easily!

Door hanger on Alex's door! Supposed to hold Christmas cards, but I wanna see them, so he hangs empty! The kids have enjoyed him for several years and he was in my classroom prior to that! This year, Reagan really noticed him and calls him a towel since his body is terrycloth! HA!

The kid tree! Small tree in Alex's window, decorated with teeny beanies, beanie babies and puppets that we have saved through the years! Perfect for my stuffed animal lovers! Thanks for that idea years ago, Mama! They still love it!

My larger nativity, in foyer!
I bought it 50% off one year and I love its details!

Family room tree! I have always put it in the dining room (where we never go) so it would show through front window, but moved it to family room (where we spend a lot of time together) last year and was able to enjoy it so much more!
We purchased a large train 50% off several years ago, and it is the highlight of Christmas for our kids! Remote control, noisy, and real smoke!!!

Purchased this wooden stand up nativity at Hobby Lobby after Christmas year before last and I love it! I give it a new home every year and it is always pretty, no matter where I move it!

Part of my Santa collection and our stockings, hung by the chimney with care!

More Santa collection, plus window art that our pastor's wife and daughters made for us several years ago! It is so unique and I love to get it out each year!

There is more...small nativity scenes for the kids to touch and move around and wreaths and lights outside! Maybe I will snap an outdoor pic before we take it down!

I hope you are all enjoying time with family and friends and celebrating our Savior's birth!
Maybe I will see some of you SOON!!!

WEEKEND EXCITEMENT

In spite of me having strep throat, an upper respiratory infection, and an ear infection (I don't get sick often, but I go all out when I do!) we had a non-stop weekend full of excitement and fun!
I am going to share it on the blog, then hit the sack and get some healing rest!

We took a family walk to a nearby duck pond on Saturday. The ducks ate Cheerios like they were going out of style. Eric took Mollie along for some leash training. She is growing into such a beautiful puppy, don't you think?

Late Saturday afternoon, I took the kids to "Supper with Santa" at our local high school, sponsored by the drama club, to raise money for their spring production.
The kids were so cute dressed up for Santa!

I am SO happy that Alex still believes at age 7! I am not sure when kids stop believing, but I am hanging onto it as long as possible. He was so sweet waiting his turn to talk to Santa, then giving his Lego specific list, plus asking for treats and toys for both of our dogs.

Reagan told Santa the two things she wants this year, then something to bring when she is 5 and when she is 7 and when she is "older"! HA! You just never know with her. She also asked if he was REALLY gonna bring Rudolph on our roof.

The kids were invited to decorate Christmas cookies and enjoy!

We went straight from there to our church, where our adult choir (including me and my strep throat singing voice) did a moving Christmas musical, The First Noel.
Both kids were shepherds Saturday night and tonight. They enjoy being in dramatic productions...some more dramatic than others! (That's a whole 'nother blog post!)

This morning, we wore some of our Christmas pretty clothes and then covered them with layers and layers of warmth to go to Sunday School and church...not before a pic by the family tree!

The musical was such a great way to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas as a family! We have such a wonderful, loving church...a family we are so blessed to be part of!
God showed up and showed out tonight and I pray lives were changed!
This can be someone's FIRST NOEL!!!

S-N-O-W

We had a great dusting of snow flurries today for a couple of hours! It was so super exciting for us Alabamians! And it made a pretty Christmas scene!

The kids were SO super excited and just squealed with delight and ran like crazy in it, with so few flurries...we should have waited to go out because the heavier fall came later, but who can wait when something is SO exciting?!?!

MERRY (early) CHRISTMAS to us!!!!

Reagan said, "I gotta go in and get my stuffed penguin because we are in the Arctic!" HA! Only in Alabama, right?
Alex enjoyed catching flakes on his tongue!
We had to get back inside quickly...it felt SO COLD!
But it was sure fun while it lasted!!!

Christmas is in the Air!!!

Though I scaled down to only two trees this year, it was in the name of spending more time enjoying family and focusing on the true meaning of Christmas!

I can't say no to a family room tree because we spend much time in there and the train around the bottom is so entertaining for the kids!

I had super great helpers this year and that sure helped...almost convinced me to go ahead with all 4 trees, but we stopped to read Christmas books and never got back to work to put up any extras!

Having a kid friendly tree in the kids' room is helpful...gives them a chance to decorate independently and have something to call their own! It has kept me from having to make den tree a no-no for years!!! I love it!

The kids worked together so cooperatively this year to get the trees just like they wanted them! It sure was fun to enjoy decorating together!

Wordless Wednesday--Morning Surprise