2012 Advent Calendar

Our December was crazy busy! On top of the normal holiday buzz, we saw Adam have his first week long buisness trip, and everyone get very sick. No fun on the sick part, let me tell you! I was the last one to get it, and it hit me worse than the rest. Luckily we were all pretty much back to normal just in time for Christmas.

Some of the fun things we did this year on our advent calendar were reading holiday stories, watching all our favorite holiday movies, crafts, doing good deeds, making snowflakes, seeing the Nutcracker, our annual trip to Chicago, seeing lights, making cookies, putting the tree up, and so much more!





The good deeds that we did were putting a ton of quarters in the carts at Aldi, buying lunch for the car behind us at McDonalds, reading to D's class and bringing in cookies, bringing in cookies to surprise L's class, handing out suckers to kids at the store (with parent permission first of course), and trying to hand out flowers to people coming in at the airport. The flowers at the airport did not work as we had hoped. People ignored the kids, said no, or just ran away from them. Shocking! So we saved them and gave them to Adam and his boos when they returned home from their trip.

 You can see these ladies running from poor D.

 Handing out suckers to kids

 How could you say no to this face?

Happy to have Daddy back!

 Where we got to see the Nutcracker ballet. It was the first time seeing it live for both kids, and they loved it!

 Making classic spritz cookies

 Seeing Cloudgate (The Bean) on our trip to Chicago

 D eating a banana and Nutella crepe at the German village in Chicago

 I had to have some potato pancakes!

 Christmas at the inlaws house. Always a great time!

The tree after Santa had visited

 L and Adam checking out the microscope L got.

 My mom had gotten us a Wii and a bunch of games. It has been a huge hit, here L is dancing away to Just Dance Disney!

D asked for a makeup kit from Santa and he brought her this great Barbie set.

And that silly Santa brought mustaches in stockings. They sure do make for some fun pictures!

Finished Advent calendar

 Well, Christmas has come and gone. Can you believe how quickly that came up this year? I know I sure can't. Now we get to come off of what I like to call, The Christmas let down. Where we just hang out at home, relax, eat bad foods, and play with our new stuff. It is also a time to reflect on the last month. I know in our house, we have all been super busy. I didn't get pictures of most of our Advent calendar things, but I did want to post the list of things that we tried to do. We didn't get it all done on the day we said, nor did we get all of it done in general, but I think we did a good job trying.

1- Read Christmas books
2-Watch a Christmas movie
3-Cupcakes and cocoa with friends
4-Put up the tree
5-Make coffee filter snowflakes
6-Make peppermint play dough
7- Set up Nativity set
8-Craft day
9-Watch another Christmas movie
10-Make ornaments for the tree
11-Dinner with friends (turned into movie, cookies, and cocoa with friends)
12-Make holiday cards
13-Make gingerbread men
14-Go shopping for each other
15- Bake cookies
16-Decorate a Gingerbread house
17-Go to Chicago
18-Do good deeds
19-Deliver gifts to teachers
20-Make reindeer food
21-Craft day
22-Wrap gifts
23- Drive to see lights
24- Set out cookies and milk for Santa
25- Christmas Day!

 Decorating our Gingerbread men

 Tree day! Frosting cones and putting candies on them!

 D showing me that she was eating more than decorating.

 L enjoying his lavish seat in the rented car we took to Chicago

 D was too busy coloring with her new crayons to notice much of anything.

 Watching the ice rink in Chicago

 Our nephew was baptized the week before Christmas and we were the Godparents!

We also got to see all the immediate family members for Christmas, help in L's school for the party, go to an indoor Water park with friends,  play in the little snow we got, and ring in the new year with some close friends. What a fantastic way to end the year. Hope you all have a happy, healthy 2012!

2011 Advent calendar

For the last 3 years I have made a fun advent calendar for the family that includes tons of fun Christmas or holiday activities. So far on the 1st day, we read tons of Christmas books including a new Berenstain Bears book. The 2nd day, we watched Rudolph, ate pizza, pop, and peppermint ice cream. The 3rd day we went to a friend's house and decorated cupcakes and drank hot chocolate. The 4th day we set up the tree. The 5th day we cut snowflakes out of coffee filters. The 6th day we made homemade peppermint play dough. And tonight is the 7th day, we will be setting up the Playmobil nativity scene.  We have all had a blast so far, and are looking forward to opening the door on the calendar each morning before school!

 So excited to put up the tree

 This tree is nearly as old as I am. It is the one my parents bought when I was about 4 or 5 I think from Sears. Adam and I have used it every year for the last 7 years.

 Trying so hard to make a snow flake

 Every year Adam makes a tree snowflake, but this year he put a new take on it. Do you see the ornament with the star in the middle surrounded by trees and gingerbread men?

 D wanted to make a peace sign. Pretty close.

 And Adam the show off once again!