Wednesday, December 3, 2008

our evening

one of our Christmas traditions is that there are 24 presents wrapped for the kids to open 1 each day. they take turns. there are not 24 presents for each kid - just 24 presents total.
and the presents aren't NEW things.
they are things we own. like books about Christmas.
and Christmas CD's that we have.
it forces me to sit down and read THAT book with them at least once.
or listen to that CD.
instead of just taking all the stuff out Dec 1 and putting it away Dec 26 and never doing anything else with it. (yes, i put it all away Dec 26)
and today's was a cookie cutter.
some days they represent a fun activity we will do (again, this forces me to do "those activities" that i want to do but wouldn't because the month would just fly by)
so, last week i sat down with the books, CD's and a calendar and figured out when the "activities" could happen (Ex. making gingerbread houses, going to a local street that's all lit up and walking down it, making ornaments)
Julie posted about some ornaments she made a couple weeks ago.
so, today's cookie cutter meant we were going to make ornaments. using a cookie cutter.
it was fun.



and he is just cute. :-)
tomorrow's gift will be a tube of paint because we will paint the ornaments tomorrow.
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and, just in case you were wondering...
bailey is a VERY slow eater.
why?
well, because she never stops talking.
and it's hard to eat and talk at the same time.
so, MOST meals, this is what you'll see.
everyone else is gone from the table and she is still sitting there eating.
she picks up the pace at that point ;-)

6 comments:

Christy said...

love those traditions courtney! sooo creative...and bailey is absolutely adorable!!! :) that was the cutest little picture of her at the table!! :)

Beckysblog said...

That is the NEATEST tradition! I love it. I might have to steal it next year!
And Sawyer is so big. And Bailey is so funny! I wish I could meet her in real life...maybe someday!

Kim Mattes said...

too funny...that is my paige sitting at our table too. not too much talking (holly is talking with her mouth full for all of us, we are workign on that!!), but just eating so slowly. and she stops eating to listen to holly talk!! Multitask girl!!! i love all of the traditions this time of year and i love to hear about what other people do! thanks for sharing!

Tisha said...

What a great idea that is!! I think I remember it from last year, so that must mean we've been "friends" for a while now ;-)Maybe one of these years I'll actually get around to using it for us!
Love the pictures that show what your day is like too. You get to hang out with some awfully cute kids around your house! :)

beckley said...

that is a fantastic tradition! and now i think i can find a second purpose for all this newspaper lying around...wrapping paper! very fun. too many years without reading those books and setting them on the coffee table!

Katy said...

Poor little Bailey - all by herself, eating alone. that's hilarious. She may be one of those kids that never finishes her lunch at school because she's always talking!!! hilarious!