Fun Times

Ahhh.... Today is such a wonderful day! Yesterday was just as great. I love Christmas time! It is actually cold outside, so I can feel okay about singing my favorite Christmas tunes about the weather being frightful, jack frost nipping at my nose, and other Christmas/wintertime ditties. YA HOO!!!! The Christmas season is here!!!

Yesterday, Mary Alice performed in her very first Christmas play. She is in "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever". She only has one line, but she says that one line SO well. Let's hope she doesn't ever actually get a big part in a play, because I'm sure I will proud enough to be annoying to others. :) She plays a little baby angel. I got to watch the dress rehearsal last night. The play was precious. I do have just one suggestion for the director, though. I thought of a new, better name for the play. I think that the play most definitely should have been called "The Best Baby Angel Ever". I think that name is definitely a winner. Whaddya think? I better act quickly before the local newspaper goes out on Friday. It is probably copyrighted anyway. Oh well, our family can just refer to the play as "The Best Baby Angel Ever" because we know that is it's rightful name.

Yesterday, Mary Alice and Major and I decorated a gingerbread house for fun. Mary Alice had sooo much fun doing this last year that we decided to do it again. I like doing projects with her. It gives us lots of time to talk. She pretended that we were building the witch's house from Hansel and Gretel.(I would not recommend this story for a young child. I had forgotten how scary it was when I made the mistake of checking it out from the library a few months ago. I am surprised that this freaky story was ever a notable children's tale!)

Anyway- Mary Alice meticulously placed each piece of candy on the house. Major, on the other hand, ate each piece of candy that didn't make it onto the house. "Treat" is his new word (since Halloween). He is saying it fairly often these days, asking for "chocat teats" (chocolate treats) to anyone who will listen. The kids and I had so much fun making the little house. It now is proudly displayed in our kitchen, where it will remain until after Christmas, when it will be thrown away. But for now, the kids will daily ask me if they can eat the house.

Today, the air outside was cold and dry. After breakfast, I got the kids dressed (We all put on our warm jackets!!!) and took the kids out in the back yard. We played soccer (Major's fave) and in the playhouse (Mary Alice's fave). Then we came inside and made some hot chocolate with my new Flavia machine (my fave) and went back outside to drink our hot chocolate and play some more.

Another fun thing about today... it is December 1st!!!! I was so excited to put up my Noelle Piper Advent Calendar (something I absolutely love!) and read the first bit of the Christmas Story with the kids. This and the BEAUTIFUL Christmas nativity that I got to put up this year are sure to become my favorite Christmas traditions. I love love love the Christmas story and am sad to say that it was never really a part of my own childhood Christmas memories. Something about "Christmas not really being Jesus' actual birthday" and "We should be celebrating Christ's birth all year long." or some other such nonsense. I hope that times have changed enough that we won't have to stick to silliness like that, but can instead celebrate Christ all year long, but especially on Christmas!

The kids and I went to Target and bought way too many Christmas items and presents. Then we went to Home Depot and bought a 2 ft tall live Christmas tree. It was so cute to see the excitement on the kids' faces as we bought this funny little tree. It is kindof like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. It is not our real tree, but one that the kids will decorate with the ornaments that they made. They are so excited! I am so excited with them. I love days like this when we spend lots of quality time together. It is days like this that I am so thankful to be at home with them, watching them grow and learn, savoring every minute...