Jingle Bell Jog

December 4th: Jingle Bell Jog & Christmas Parade
I am extremely proud of these two 4-year olds (soon to be 5) who just finished walking/running an entire 5k. Ellie wasn't too excited about running it but when Caleb agreed to run with her she became motivated (social like her momma). Here's a pic of the happy friends before the start.

Best friends helping one another out. I loved this! They stuck together, held hands & pulled each other when it got tough. They wanted to quit, but persevered through sore feet & tummy aches.

They did it! Tired and proud kiddos. We finished last, but they didn't care. They were so tired at the end...and it was cold & windy & hilly.

Extremely proud of my biggest girl. She finished strong, running to the finish line.

The gang. Saedi & Isaac were troopers...not complaining at all! This nice lady asked if she could walk/run with us, and she ended up being a huge help with undressing & re-dressing coats, hats, & gloves.

And after the race...the parade! We only stayed for a bit because it was so cold & windy once the sun went down. El crawled into bed when we got home without even wanting dinner.
*And a huge shout out to Caleb's momma, Kristen, who finished 3rd overall for the women's division...woo hoo!

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25 Days of Christmas

This year we've decided not to travel for Christmas, and thus, I felt we should begin adding to our family traditions. I've always wanted an Advent calendar and contemplated making one like this, but I just didn't make time for it. Well, on Cyber Monday I found this advent calendar and ordered it for myself (50% off THE SALE plus free shipping!!!). It still hasn't arrived yet (Bummer) but it's got me motivated. I also gathered ideas from friends, and have been working up a plan on how to celebrate each day in December with the kids. So far, this is what we've got:
Dec 1st: Jesus' Present.
We found the cutest box we owned & the girls decorated the inside. We talked about making it Jesus' gift and how each day we would put something in the box for Jesus to open on his birthday. We talked about how Jesus likes obedience, love, thankfulness, etc. So far, Ellie put in change from her biggy bank and & her favorite "gold" ring. We've also written notes about positive things we've each done, "Thank you that we got another Curly Joe & Suzy Q story in the mail from Daddy. We give you our thankfulness" "Ellie laughed a lot today, so we hope that laughter made you smile, Jesus." "Saedi was very patient waiting for Mommy to get her a cheese stick. We know you like it when we're patient. Happy Birthday!." This is also a great way for Daddy to be included!
Dec 2nd: The Manger
My girls love playing with this Fisher Price Manger scene. I told them the Christmas story while acting it out with the little people. It gave the girls a visual of the story and words that they had not association with...manger, glory, goodwill, swaddling, inn, wise men, Bethlehem, stable. (I debated reading them the actual story from the Bible, but I decided to save that for another night & start with simpler story telling.)

(This beautiful manger scene is my favorite Christmas decoration. Riley bought this in Jordan and hit the jackpot with me on a fabulous gift. I love this!)

Dec 3rd: Stockings
I finished sewing together Isaac & Jack's felt stockings, so we were able to hang the stockings! Yes, I even made one for Jack, as he will be joining us for Christmas.
Some other activities we plan on doing are:
Reading Christmas story from the Bible & acting it out together
Visiting a nursing home with friends
Making ornaments of states & countries
Making a hand print wreath
Shopping for our angel tree children
Attending the Christmas Parade & possibly running the Jingle Bell Jog (3 mi)
Stringing together popcorn for the tree
Playing on the computer & see how other children celebrate Christmas
Toy Purge- donating old toys to welcome in the new
Hot Chocolate Run- Driving around in our pj's, drinking hot chocolate looking at lights
Baking Cookies
Delivering cookies to neighbors via our wagon
Hosting a Christmas Party/Playdate
Family game night- no movies, just games, pizza, & juice
Making reindeer food
Baking the Happy Birthday Jesus cake

What traditions do you all do? We'd love more ideas, recipes, crafts, etc!



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Green Eggs...Without the Ham

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Little Bride

Saedi: "Look Mom, I'm getting married."
Me: "Oh, you're beautiful. I especially love the veil you chose. Who are you marrying?"
Saedi: "Meadow."
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Cousins

Isaac and Ali...a month apart and I can definitely see a "Mott" resemblance

Ellie (almost 5), Saedi (2 1/2), Nathan (9) and Logan (16 1/2 months)

The master fort-makers

Drawing Lessons from 'Nater

My oldest brother, John, and his wife and kids came down from Ohio to spend Thanksgiving with us. It was great to spend the holiday with family and the kids had a blast together. Thanksgiving Day was unusually warm, which was a blessing so the kids could play outside for a while. We had a yummy feast & good company & even got to Skype with Riley and the rest of the fam. Poor Theresa was sick, and unfortunately, between our 6 kids, not much rest was to be had!


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Happy Thanksgiving

We're thankful for apple pie & my cousin Nathan (Ellie), the carousel & for our baby swing in the backyard (Saedi), everything I have (cousin Nathan), smiles from babies, people, good health (Michelle)
*Turkey craft idea from Silly Eagle Books
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Ambidextrous?

Sometimes it's the right thumb, and other times it's left-hand-gang-time-Wubsy

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