Backlogged {Catch-up Post}

So there's was this holiday called Thanksgiving. :) And we did some cool family stuff then.

We traveled down south to spend it with W's family again this year. It's always such a short trip, but we enjoy the time. It's amazing how quickly the kids grow and how much they can change in even the 6 months that pass between visits.

We left a day early and used that last day before work to get into the Christmas spirit!

We had a lovely little talk post-nap/pre-decorating with Ezra about not peeing on the Christmas tree even though it is thirsty. Seems like my outdoor potty training tactics may have backfired there. We all got a great many chuckles from it.

We turned on Christmas music, built a fire, and got to work. 

We went with another small tree this year and let the kids help decorate it. We still have a majority of W's plastic dollar tree ornaments from when he was a bachelor. They come in handy for little hands. Our personal ornament collection still has lots of growing to do.

We also made it to our local downtown Christmas parade again this year. Ezra loved the bands and music. And the firefighters who threw out little rubber toys. So easily pleased.

It feels like our big thing in development this year has been Advent. We're trying new traditions, continuing old ones, and trying to focus on the true reason for the season. It's so fun getting to add more activities in, the older and more capable the kids get. I even had to google "Candy list for gingerbread houses" this year. Looking forward to that Advent activity.

This year, we've also tried to make more of our gifts. I think its about half and half this time. It took a bit more extra effort in deciding what to do, but I'm hoping those receivers will appreciate it. The extra planning also made sure I wasn't scrambling last minute. In fact, we're officially done spending and only have a few more touches left on homemade gifts before wrapping. Definitely a first for us! Yay! :)