We have been doing many things to get ready for the holidays. We decorated our home and each child got to decorate a special tree for their bedroom. I am so glad we are past the stage of taking everything off the tree and we can enjoy a fully decorated tree this year without any worries. I did decorate the tree with mostly unbreakable ornaments this year just in case. It has a lot of homemade ornaments that the kids have made and really looks great.
We took the kids to the Festival of Trees again this year and they had a blast. Last year was our first year going and we weren't sure what all they had to do there. The kids really got into the kids area this year and enjoyed making cookies, doing crafts, seeing Santa and playing games. We ran into one of Brody's school friends there and he was so excited to see him and they followed each other around for a lot of the time. Very cute!
We celebrated Thanksgiving at my parent's restaurant and at Grandma Candy's. Always fun to see everyone and eat lots of good food. Brody really liked playing with my cousin's kids (my one cousin has 4 boys and his sister has 2 girls with a baby on the way). Always fun to get the kids together. Holidays are always fun and busy!
Brody's school had a "Christmas Open House" this past Friday night. Each of the classrooms had activities set up for the kids: games, crafts, cookie decorating, etc. Santa was in the gym along with refreshments and cookies. Brody enjoyed walking around with Nathan, another boy from his class and Briana loved all the activities. Such a nice thing put on by the teachers. Brody also had a class store this week that the kids could shop at for Christmas gifts. The kids have been earning "class cash" for the past month which is individual "money"
Our "Elf on the Shelf" Jake arrived a few weeks ago and the kids enjoy looking for him each morning. So far he has not caused too much mischief other than toilet papering our light in the kitchen. Briana has a little understanding of him this year and likes to look for him too. Hopefully he has been giving Santa a good report each night on how the kids have been behaving. :)
I pick a charitable thing to do with the kids each year for Christmas. In the past we have done an angel tree, bought a bunch of books for one of the head start programs, adopted a senior off the tree at church, etc. This year we did Operation Christmas Child. This was such a neat thing and we may just do it every year from now on. You fill a shoe box and it goes to an under privilaged child in a third world country. So sad as on the description it says these kids only receive one box in their lifetime. Some of the items it called for were soap, washcloths, kleenex, toothbrushes, things we definitely take for granted. Brody had a great time filling the box with me and we got a lot of fun things. He told everyone he was getting things for "a little boy or little girl that doesn't have very much money." Bless his heart!
The kids set out their shoes last week to await a visit from St. Nick. Addie (our dog) must have felt left out because she ate 6 mini snowman chocolates that were left for the kids. :/ The kids got a few small candies, a puzzle, coloring books and a sticker book.
We took the kids to see Santa again this weekend at the mall. We did not get the best Santa pictures this year but we tried. It is so hard to get them both looking and smiling at the same time!!
We want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! Hope you have a safe and happy holiday!!
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