Shakespear Shuffle

Adventing it again

We are enjoying our 2nd Christmas season with our Advent calendar & activities each day.  I think we're on our way to making this a tradition.  We are going to TX for the week of Christmas so of course we're going to do our own Christmas at home on the 15th of December so we started our adventing a little early.

We have done our shepherd's night which is one of my favorites.  The kids dress up as shepherds, we eat shepherd's pie, color sheep, act out the shepherd's part of the Nativity story & talk about the analogy between shepherd's/sheep/wolves & the Savior as a shepherd, we as sheep & avoiding the wolf or Satan.  The kids love it.

Greatest gingerbread house ever.  Aside from making the frosting & getting the foundation going it was 100% designed, decorated & created by Hyrum & Hunter.  I love seeing their creativity & independence.

Polar Express Night.  We still don't own the book so Pa & Darlin' graciously read it to the kids over skype, we sat in our trains to watch the movie while sipping cocoa.

Springfield South Stake does a creche or nativity weekend.  It's a big deal around here with lots of local & Branson performers, a live Nativity, many creche exhibits & free cookies & hot chocolate which is the kids' favorite part of course.

We made home made ornaments-Christmas mice.  I found this on my friend Ruth's blog & I loved how all 7 of them turned out.

 

We've had two movie nights watching Rudolph, Grinch & Frosty.

Game night.  Below is Hunter's pick: Bad Skunk.  It's a great game really ingenious for any tired Dad.  Jeremy lays on the floor with a giant pillow on top.  The kids crawl & jump all over him while he grabs an occasional ankle or tips them over onto the floor all while keeping his eyes closed & dozing a bit :)  Hyrum picked balloon volleyball.

We've done gifts of self & of course decorating the house.  The great thing about not having a lot of decorations is that it sure doesn't take long to get it all up!  Especially with the older boys helping.

And here are some non-advent pics I took of the kids this week that I liked.  Hyrum & Hunter built this "throne" for Dallen because they say he is the king.  That may be true.  He'd usually much rather be on the go than sitting in his throne.