25 Days of Christmas

EDIT-This post is a bit out of order. Read after the pictures to figure out what is going on!

Our 'Advent Activity Envelopes'...

Our family Advent Calendar...

I wanted to do something different with our Advent Calendar this year. In years past we have incorporated small treats on some days(candy, holiday pencils, stickers etc) along with crafts or projects on other days. This year I really wanted to have a 'family activity' for each day also and just wasn't sure how to incorporate it all in such little pockets! Well, I read this blog and loved the idea they do each year! I am getting a late start so it won't be as nicely done as I would have hoped, but it will be a fun countdown filled with family fun(it will also get me posting each day:)! I came up with some of my own ideas and borrowed a lot from Pink and Green Mama because her ideas were really good! Look for our 25 Days of Christmas posts...

November Treats

Just because it is November and we are wearing winter coats doesn't mean we can't eat popsicles! Only at Grandma & Papa's(:

The Polar Express

The kids took a picture with the conductor! The Hot Chocolate Song and Dance(from the movie)

We listened to a reading of The Polar Express!

The conductor punched the Golden Tickets with the kids initials!

Gold chocolate coins!

The kids got bells from 'Santa's sleigh'!

Santa sat in our train car! Kb hopped right on his lap!

Kg told Santa, "Santa I'm not sitting on your lap"! R said she would sit and watch our coats...she didn't even try to get close to him.

It was a fun adventure to Green Bay to see my favorite story acted out...I hope it is a story our kids will cherish as well!!

Thankful...

We are very blessed. We have wonderful families that we spent Thanksgiving day with! Thank you for inviting us for Thanksgiving lunch Grandma & Papa and for Thanksgiving dinner Grandma & Grandpa H!!

The kids danced to the music in the Macy's Parade... Colored and crafted at Grandma & Papa's...

Went for rides at Grandma & Grandpa H's...

Thank you B and M!!

Kg put cool whip on her chin and said, "I'm Santa!!"...

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family, thank you for celebrating with us!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

Thanksgiving Preparations..

Being in school full days R misses out on some of the fun Kb and Kg get to have. Today, R asked Grandma if she could go home with her to get ready for Thanksgiving. Grandma is a bit of a push over(in a good way!) and let R come home to help. R was excited to help make a cherry pie for Thanksgiving...

Kaden & Kyra wanted to help Grandma & I make pies for Thanksgiving on Tuesday...

Yes, we used can pie filling so it was pretty simple(:

Dh is recovering well from his hernia surgery he had on Monday. All of the kids are being very helpful and taking turns sitting with daddy, reading him stories and watching movies...

I don't have any pictures of Izzy being a good girl because she hasn't been here! She went to the puppy spa(Grandma & Grandpa H's house) on Sunday and didn't come home until today!! She was having so much fun I'm not sure she was happy to come home to us:/

Teacher R

R, playing school teacher...

the class... R saying, "class please listen"...they weren't to receptive!

she is using a bookmark as her pointer to point to the numbers on the dresser

Kb & Papa

Best Friends

Pine Cone Crafts

Looking for something to do with all the pine cones you have collected from your yard(or in our case our next door neighbors yard-yes we asked first:)? Here are a couple fun ideas... Glitter Pine Cones! Roll the pine cone in white glue and then roll it in glitter. Very easy and cute!
If we didn't have peanut allergies here I would have covered them in peanut butter and then birdseed to hang outside.

Pine Cone Turkeys! Love these! Super cute idea I got from a fellow RFC'r, thanks Janey!

Princess Turkey

R came home with a homework assignment. It was to disguise a turkey. I read the directions to her and asked what she wanted to do. Her response to me, "I want to make a princess turkey. It should have a crown, a bead necklace, a cape, hair and lots of glitter!" I knew this sounded vaguely familiar and looked up what kind of turkey she made last year for PreK(she had the same assignment). Well, it was a princess turkey she decided on last year too so I think this one was channeling last years turkey a bit;) I helped a lot less this year than I did last! She was all about the glitter, if you can't tell! My favorite part are the high heels...she said the turkey needed shoes and I did ask if they could be heels so I guess I did get involved a little bit. Dh also got involved in the turkey disguise. R said princess turkey needed red hair. Dh asked if the red hair could be braided(aka-two pieces of pipe cleaner twisted together). He did the twisting and R did the glueing. I am a little concerned that she picked a see through dress for princess turkey though!(:

Catch Up

I haven't posted much lately, we've been really busy and I haven't taken the time to sit down to type something! This is a little catch up..

We went to a fundraiser for Children's Hospital recently and won a silent auction movie basket. In it was a popcorn popper and popcorn. The kids were excited to get it out to try it...
Kb was so intent waiting for the popcorn to pop!

R didn't believe we were doing it right so she was checking the manual!

Kg was waiting very patiently!

We have enjoyed some un-seasonably warm days here!

Kb, Kg and H were picking berries off Grandma & Papa's tree. They collected them to make pretend pies!

The drivers were enjoying one of their last rides of the year!

R lost another tooth! The day after she lost it I was listening to a conversation she was having in the car with Kb & Kg. This is what she had to say about the tooth fairy...

"The tooth fairy lives high above in the clouds in a castle made of teeth. She doesn't use all teeth for her castle though, some she turns into magic fairy dust. She has blonde hair and wears a golden color dress." R said she doesn't like the tooth fairy using her teeth though so she wrote her a note that said, "Dear Tooth Fairy, Please leave my tooth. Love, R"

R had an appointment with the eye doctor. Her vision check came out exactly the same as last year, good news! She seems to be doing fine, but if she does start having any trouble reading then we will try a slight perscription to see if it helps. Kb loved the eye doctor's chair and wanted to sit in it with R. While R's eyes were dialating she let him sit with her...

It is dark(my phone didn't take a great picture), but he is so excited! His arms couldn't get any tighter around R!

Hmm, what else have we been up to?

*Dh and I went to the Packer game(Packers won!)

*We had conferences for all three kids. All three are making great progress!

*Kb & Kg had their 4yr doctor visits and are doing well!

*Kg failed her hearing test at her 4yr visit and went to see an audiologist. She said Kg has excellent hearing and no need to worry. She also had her follow up from her hospital stay and is fine!

I'm sure I'm missing a lot, but this is a catch up of sorts!