December

I brought out an old activity for a family fun night. I made these photo booth props eight years ago and decided to release them from the box they've been stored in all this time. In my memory, there were more Christmas props. But oh well, we had a good time with it.














I greet students outside the school every morning. It is pretty chilly most mornings and I often bundle up with a hat, scarf, and gloves. One morning, a sweet parent brought me this cup of coffee. It was such a thoughtful gesture and started my day off on such a great foot.


We ended up with a snow day this past week. It began as a two-hour delay, but the snow kept falling, so they called the whole day off. By mid-morning, the snow had stopped and it ended up being a beautiful day. Mabel and I went for a walk. The weather has become really mild these past few days, so we've actually been on a few walks this week. She loves walks and I love taking her on them.


The boys finished out their biddy basketball seasons this weekend. We finally get our Saturday mornings back! They began flag football in August and that season ended just as basketball began. I'm so looking forward to lazy Saturday mornings again.


Graydon is going to be playing basketball for the school team, so while weekend basketball is over, his school season is just beginning. Bella is also playing basketball. Our January and February evenings are going to be filled with practices and games. But at least we'll have Saturdays off!


Our church's Children's Christmas program was this morning. The boys played 'Silent Night' on the autoharp. They sounded so good!


We made Christmas cookies this afternoon. Curtis kept this tradition alive this year. I don't love the taste of Christmas cookies and can take or leave them. I was prepared to leave them this year, but Curtis really wanted to decorate.








We didn't make as many as in previous years, but we have plenty.


Christmas is just a couple days away now. This season always seems to go so fast, but I've really enjoyed it. Of course, it's busy. But we've been able to fit a lot into these few weeks. We've watched a few movies that are a must-see every year: Charlie Brown Christmas, Grinch (cartoon version), and Mickey Mouse Christmas Carol. We also watched a new Christmas movie this year on Disney+ called Noelle. And this evening, we'll be watching the full length Grinch (the people version). We've had an indoor snowball fight (with white cotton balls) and a Christmas dance party in the kitchen. In addition to our baking today, we made our candy cane thin mints last weekend. The kids painted Christmas scenes on canvases and I saw a Christmas show in Chicago. Christmas music is often playing and our Christmas-scented candles also put us in that holiday mood. It's been a full few weeks, but it has also been so lovely. I love this time of year so much!