Archives for 2013

We have been talking about making a Christmas tree for the animals since the end of November. Finally, I got everything we needed and let the kids make peanut butter covered pine cones dipped into birdseed. It was quite messy but fun. Stringing the popcorn and cranberries was a little more difficult for some of the kids — especially threading the needle, but they all seemed to enjoy it. I figured Sarah would not want to string the popcorn and cranberries as she usually doesn’t like to do things that involve fine motor skills, but she really enjoyed stringing and actually asked me to let her do another one after her first was done. 

Bella just sat and watched, but really wasn’t that interested in anything except playing in the birdseed. 

Then we went outside to hang everything in a tree — we chose a small one so they could reach the branches easily. 

Seems like time is flying by and I don’t have time to do all the things I really want to do. I had such big plans and ideas and it seems like I won’t have time to do everything. I am trying to just relax and enjoy. We got our tree the weekend after Thanksgiving, as usual. Didn’t take long at all as the vote was unanimous pretty quickly. We got it home and up immediately but still only have lights on it — no ornaments yet. It has only fallen once and then Bill wired it up so hopefully it will stay put. 

Looks like somebody doesn’t care about getting a Christmas tree!

We have been reading an advent book and also have been opening a calendar door of our advent calendar each day. We have really enjoyed reading the book each morning and this year I actually have done it every single day.  

We have read quite a few Christmas books so far and one of our favorites is The Twenty-four Days Before Christmas by Madeleine L’Engle. It is a quick read but a really sweet book. We buy at least three or four new Christmas books every year and have baskets and baskets of books all over the house right now. The kids love to go through the baskets and pick out a book to read — actually makes for some very quiet afternoons.