Christmas Happenings

I felt a little badly about my last post, so thought I ought to cheer things up a bit with a few pictures. Despite how I made things sound, we have had some fun this season. My favorite thing we do every year is cut down a Christmas tree. We've done this since Kate was one year old and it's fun. Every time we've gone it has been really cold, so we have to bundle up and we get hot cocoa and cider when we're finished. The other things I love about cutting down our own tree are that we can get a tree that's native to this area and we're helping the local economy - not to mention that it's cheap! (Where else can you get a 7-foot tree for $25?)

Kate couldn't stand it until we decorated the tree. It's her favorite thing to do. Half of our ornaments end up on the bottom two feet of the tree and we have to re-hang them after she goes to bed. This year she even got to help with the lights and she felt like such a big girl. The tree was flat on top for some reason, so I had to make a bow to put on top, but overall it's a very nice tree and I love the imperfect look of the Virginia Pine.

Kate and I have also enjoyed making a few batches of cookies and some treats for her friends at school. We made some white chocolate and peppermint covered marshmallows to enjoy with hot cocoa for school treats and some snickerdoodles. Both had to be rolled in something and Kate loved that job.

We attended the Christmas program for Kate's Mothers Day Out last week. The three-year-old class sang the Thankfulness Song and Away in a Manger. Kate did a great job singing with all the motions and didn't even pick her nose once! (I know some were disappointed after her stellar performance at church a few weeks ago...). They're so fun to watch on stage! However, today was the childrens' Christmas program at church and Kate chose not to participate because she doesn't like to wear costumes and her class dressed up like angels. Oh well!

Now we are awaiting the arrival of Nana and Grandfather to spend Christmas with us. After Christmas, we'll head to Illinois to be with the Coley clan and then home again to spend New Years Eve in Knoxville for the first time in years. We really are looking forward to the holidays, even if we aren't in the best of moods around here. We remember the reason for Christmas and are truly blessed to have been given a savior.

Merry Christmas!!