second week of the Christmas advent

we have had another fun week!  two of the activities i had planned didn't work out.  one was just poor planning on my part, and the other was, well, a consequence for bad behavior.  monday was that day.  we were supposed to have a fun, Christmas family home evening.  the kids were having a really hard time listening, and were fighting, and just doing all those naughty kid things.  moms, you know what i'm talking about!  now, i don't believe family home evening should be taken away because of bad behavior.  we should spend time together as a family - no matter what.  well, i guess that "no matter what" got challenged. :)  hopefully they learned that it's no fun to make bad choices, and will be on better behavior.  we did had a much better time for the rest of the week.

on tuesday night, we read extra Christmas bedtime stories together as a family.  it's so fun to snuggle up together and read.  that's one of my favorite things to do with my kids.  i hope to help them develop a love of reading.  wednesday night we listened to Christmas music while we watched the lights on the tree.  it was nice to just sit and be still for a few minutes during the day.  it didn't last too long, of course, but it was magical while it did. :)

thursday was the other day that didn't work out as planned.  i had planned for us to wrap the gifts the kids had gotten last saturday.  dave ended up working late, so it was just the kids and me.  i realized that they would be super bored, and that it wouldn't be too much fun for them to watch me wrap.  and, i would have to keep at least one of them out of the room the whole time.  i decided not to set myself up for that frustration.  they're not quite old enough to wrap by themselves, so what i've decided is to wrap all the gifts before hand, in brown paper.  then, they can work on decorating the gifts that have been wrapped.  i think that will be a lot more fun, and less frustrating for everyone.  we'll do that sometime next week (after i get everything wrapped first!).  so, instead, the kids helped me work on our homemade Christmas cards.  they're pretty close to being done, and should be coming out sometime this week, too.  here's a sneak peek:

chris did the faces, i did the hat, naomi did the hair and beard (with a little help - i don't really trust her on her own with glue just yet :D)

i think this one with the long nose is my favorite.

friday, we went to downtown frisco to see the lights.  they have a bunch of lights set up that flash in time to music, which was really neat to watch.  they had a fun "train" ride, which took you around to see the lights.  santa was also there.  chris had no fear this year, and hopped right up on his knee.  naomi's only contact was to reach her hand out as far as it would go to snatch the candy cane he was offering her.  i can't blame her for not wanting to sit on some strange man's knee. :)  dave took pictures with his phone.  i'll get them, and post them soon.

saturday was a fun, crazy day!  we got up bright and early (okay, we didn't get up any earlier - my kids are early risers, but we did get dressed and moving a lot quicker than normal), and headed over to the church for breakfast.  we had yummy pancakes, fruit, sausage, and hot chocolate.  after we were full (and a little sticky), we went to go see santa, again.  chris had some questions about how the whole thing worked, so i had to explain how santa has helpers, and that's why not all the santas look the same.  he was also wondering how santa got to the church without his reindeer.  he's pretty smart - we'll have to be quick on our toes if we want him to keep believing! :)  i, of course, did not bring my camera.  are you surprised?  i didn't think so. :)  a friend - much more responsible than i - was in line next to us, and took pictures of the kids with her camera.  when i get those, i'll post them.  it was pretty much the same scenario as the night before.  naomi did manage to stand next to santa this time, though. :)

right after that, chris had a birthday party to go to.  naomi and i ran errands, we picked up chris, then we cleaned the house a bit.  stella came over in the afternoon and watched the kids while dave and i went shopping.  thank you, stella!  it was fabulous!  our shopping is all done, except for a few bits and pieces. yay!  that's a big thing to check off my to-do list.  the kids had a great time with ouma - playing games, watching movies, eating treats.  all the fun grandparent stuff.

today's fun activity was making Christmas cookies.  we used the cookie press, and added sprinkles.  the kids love helping in the kitchen.  fun and yummy!  i think we might have to bake up some more, though.  we need (yes, need!) some variety.  i'm thinking some no bake chocolate cookies, peanut butter kiss ones, and, if i'm feeling ambitious, some sugar cookies for me to decorate.  fun, fun!

check in again next week to hear about the fun things coming up!