Christmas Tree

Last Sunday we got our Christmas tree! The girls were a big help while decorating the tree.

Peter enjoyed holding our free balloon.

It's looking very Christmassy around these parts :)

Growing up with 3 Big Sisters

Peter is often surrounded by fairies and princesses. Above is Ella serenading him in his bassinet. And clearly he likes having a fairy sing and play guitar for him.

Wait a minute... I'm not sure if he agreed to dress up too

We love you, Peter.

There is good news for Peter, the big sisters have been playing hockey lately. Ever since it snowed they like to go outside and play hockey. 

"Let's go outside Maaam, are you coming Maaam?"

Karis had her first braid the other day.

We bathe our kids in pairs. The girls take turns with Peter and they are so excited when it's "their turn". Their favorite thing to do is to wash his little feet in the tub. And it's very exciting for them if he pees in the bath - one of them will say "he's doing his fountain again" and then laugh hysterically. 

Yesterday Juliette said "Peter is going to be the best dad one day." When I asked her why she thought this her answer was "because he will learn from our dad."

Questions for God

The other day Juliette said to me: "Mom, when I go to heaven I'm going to ask God why he didn't put pink in the rainbow. And I'm also going to ask what Jesus' middle name is. His first name is Jesus and last name is Christ, but what is his middle name?"

C.S. Lewis or Laura Ingalls Wilder?

After I finish eating breakfast and lunch I usually read to the girls at the table. I always let Juliette and Ella take turns picking our next read-aloud. We just finished "The Magician's Nephew" and it was Juliette's turn to pick next. Ella loved "The Magician's Nephew" and was strongly suggesting that Juju should pick the next book in the series, but to her dismay Juju wanted the next book in the Little House On the Prairie series. So we are now enjoying "Farmer Boy" by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

And Ella has decided to read "The Lion Witch and the Wardrobe" on her own. She reads it during her rest and read and often comes running out of her room to tell me what is happening. I usually have Ella and Juju separate for rest and read, but lately Ella has been keeping the door open and reading out loud to Juliette. It is quite precious.

Rudolph

The other day while we were out getting groceries, Ella asked if we could get some extra paper bags. She told me she wanted to do a craft with her sisters. So, we picked up a few paper bags and while I was making lunch, Ella cut out the parts for her sisters to make Rudolph puppets. She even traced her hands and used them as antlers. I think she is officially more crafty than I am.

Advent

On Monday we started our Jesse Tree. This year we have a new book to go along with our Jesse Tree. We love the Jesse Advent Tree and this is our 4th year of doing this activity together. The readings start at Creation and lead to Jesus' birth. There is an ornament that goes with each reading and an activity to do together. We are all learning new things about Jesus every day.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

The other morning I surprised the girls with a felt Christmas tree and snowman in their playroom. They love taking the ornaments off the tree and redecorating it. 

Juliette was so excited when she woke up and saw the tree. She came sprinting into our room and said "Mom, Mom, there's a Christmas tree and snowman out there.

On Friday we added to the scene, making a felt sky, another snowman, and another tree.

On Saturday we decorated our house for Christmas. The girls were very excited to wake up and see snow on the ground. 

I love the smile on Karis' face as she looks out at the snow.

And with each year, the joke of putting on the stockings is just as funny as it was the year before.

"Look at the snow globe Peter". The girls were especially excited to show Peter all of our Christmas decorations. They kept saying "this is your very first Christmas Pete."

Baby even got a ride in the sleigh.

We also dog-sat our landlord's chocolate lab, Shadow. We love Shadow. I would love to have a dog but don't feel like I could care for one very well right now, so we are so thankful to have Shadow to play with.

Before church on Sunday morning we decided to take some pictures by our felt tree.

The girls even took a picture of us - they are still working on holding the camera still :)

Peter in his Sunday best.

And last week our dear friend Miriam took the girls' to the dollar store to fill up some shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. This was such a meaningful activity for us, thank-you Ms. Moo!