ADVENTures 2011

I have completely ripped off the title for my Advent Activites from Heather's blog!  (Heather, please consider this the highest form of flattery!  It is just too clever to pass up!)

Gary gave me an Advent Calendar 3 years ago, and I thought it was the cutest thing ever.  I had not heard of many people at that time doing Advent Activities with their families, so I wasn't sure if I would put candy in the little boxes or what.  Last year was the first year that we used it and we didn't put candy in it at all.  We put a Christmas activity in behind each little door and let the kids take turns opening the doors each night.  This year I have thought ahead a little more, and I haved decided that I really want to focus a lot more on Christ's birth.  My kids will get plenty of toys for Christmas, but I want them to know that Advent is the time when we wait for Jesus rather than for Santa. 

So, here is our Advent Calendar with a jar where we keep the ADVENTures we have already completed.  As Christmas gets closer, the jar will be fuller!

Eli was born in March and Caedyn in December, so it works out for us to allow Eli to open the odd days and Caedyn the even days. 

December 1st:  Light the first candle on the Advent wreath. 

YES!  Gary is allowing E to hold the match by himself!  I was about to have a heart attack!

We don't have a wreath, but I was able to put together this arrangement from what I found at Wal-Mart.  I love how the individual stars fit around the center votive holder.  The center one is reversible and can hold a candle stick or a votive.  Gary chose the votive.  I love the simplicity of it! 

I know we were half a week late with lighting our candles, but we didn't have the candles to start on Sunday, and it worked out well to be our first ADVENTure!  Maybe we will be more on the ball next year and get the candles in time!

Since Eli lit the candle, Caedyn got to blow it out!  (Like our Taco Bell dinner!?)

December 2:  Caedyn's turn to light the candle.  This time we have a lighter!  I am only a little more at ease with this.

 Eli's turn to huff and puff and blow the candle out!  He waited for this all through dinner!

December 2:  Make beaded candy cane ornaments.

December 3:  Christmas Trees!  One for C!  One for E!  And one for Mommy and Me!  (from Daddy)

This was one ADVENTure that took all day!  In fact we stayed in our pj's all day long.  After bath we just put on new jammies.  (Except I just noticed that Caedyn must have put back on her same gown.  Oh well!)  We had fun decking the halls - or at least the trees!  In fact, our family tree has ALL of our ornaments on it this year.  That has never happened - not since kids at least.  We have not put our nice ornaments on since we have been in this house due to the combination of our little people and the tile floor.  However, I pulled everything out and wouldn't let them stop until all the ornaments were hung - the good, the bad, AND the ugly!  (And yes, we have some of all 3!)  It looks pretty insane, but we LOVE it!  Ornaments tell the story of our lives.  That sounds hokey, but it is true!  They all have a story behind them.  I love them all!

After all the decorating we treated ourselves to Chinese!  Caedyn got to put out the candle with our snowman snuffer, which I forgot we even owned!  There are some boxes of Christmas decor that we haven't used since we have been in this house, and I went through and pulled out some of my old favorites.  I was so excited to find the snowman snuffer!

Well, there it is.  The beginning of our ADVENTures for the year.  I will try to keep my posts updated this season since there is so much happening around here!