This was without a doubt the most special holiday season ever for our little family! Both Jane and Atlas were able to appreciate the fun times with family, the traditions, the lights and anticipate the presents! It was just the best to watch their excited faces as they opened their presents this year. This is such a fun age to experience the joy of the holidays.
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| Cambria was an intent onlooker the whole time. |
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| Jane was very specific with her placements |
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| Atlas with a few ornaments he'd already pulled off right after getting up from a nap. |
The week before Thanksgiving Jane asked if we could put up the Christmas tree and I had no good reason to say no. So we went ahead and did it that day! Putting up the Christmas Tree this year was extra fun because it was the first time Jane could put up most of the ornaments by herself. Atlas tried to help, but was more interested in pulling all the ornaments off the tree instead. He would not leave the ornaments alone for a couple days. Finally he got the idea that pulling them off was not allowed. He would have lapses every so often, but for the most part he left the ornaments alone the rest of the holiday season.
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| Jane "making" the rolls. :) |
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| YUM! PIE! |
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| Making mashed potatoes with Marmee |
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| Mama helped Jane spread the icing. |
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| I love spending time with family! |
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| Daugherty Family Thanksgiving group 2017 |
When we got back inside Mama had cookie decorating set up for all the great grandkids complete with baking hats. Jane really enjoyed the experience! She really loves everything to do with cooking and is pretty good at it for a 3 year old. Atlas did pretty well too! We finished off our Thanksgiving with a family photo. This felt like a pretty good sized group even though we are missing 2 out of 4 grandkids and their families. Hopefully we'll remember to get a picture next time the whole crew is together.
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| Jane wouldn't get any closer to Santa |
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| I had to be with them to be this close. |
Jane was really excited to see Santa this year! Our pop-up Library had Santa come one day and it wasn't very well known. So it was just us and a couple other kids while we were there. I didn't want to wait in line to see Santa because I knew Jane would get shy when she got closer. She squealed and jumped and said, "It's Santa!!" when we walked in. Then when she got up to him she wouldn't even say any words, she just stared at him. She had to keep a few feet distance too. Finally right before we were leaving she got out that she wanted a bike for Christmas. Atlas didn't want anything to do with Santa and I knew he wouldn't. I also knew I would have crying kids if I tried to have either of them sit on his lap, so I didn't try! Before this day when I asked Jane if Santa was pretend or real she would say, "Just pretend." Afterwards I asked again and she said, "He's real!!" Haha, We're not going to do the whole milk and cookies charade and we don't tell them the presents are from Santa, but if she wants to think he's real for a while I'm not going to go out of my way to convince her otherwise for now.
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| My very eager helper! |
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| I splurged on matching Christmas light Toms for Jane and me. |
We put up our Christmas lights the first week of December this year. Jane always wants to help! At this point it slows me down more than helps. ;) But I still do my best to include her and get the job done. I would have her hold the end of the string while I was putting them up or bring me a new string of lights. Since she knows all the colors she could bring me the color I was asking for. It's pretty fun to have a little assistant. I try not to worry about how long it's taking me and just enjoy the experience with her. It took me taking little bits of time here and there over 10 days to get everything up the way I wanted.
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| Spiderman and hot pink pants. Yep that's Jane. |
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| Atlas woke up from his nap and came to see our progress. |
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| Finished!! |
I don't have enough motivation to put lights up on the house, plus I'm pregnant and it would be best to stay off of ladders for now. Maybe I will one year when the kids are old enough to really help out and I've increased my stash of new LED lights so I can string them together easier. More than half of the lights I own are 20+ years old. They're my dad's old lights he didn't want anymore. The same lights I used to decorate my parents house with when I was a teenager. I LOVE Christmas lights. They make me so happy. I would love to put up more, but Christmas lights are expensive. Each year I wait until they go on sale and buy what I can at the time. Eventually I'll replace all the old lights! I might keep a couple of old strands around just for nostalgia's sake.
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| My favorite house within walking distance of my parents house. |
I'm so glad Jane loves to take walks to see the Christmas lights around the neighborhood because I do too! We normally take walks around my parents neighborhood because they have more and better displays around there. We took a few walks last year too. I wouldn't mind if it became a tradition. :)
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| All dressed up for the Christmas party! |
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| Coloring a service project |
On December 4th we attended the Little Hearts Christmas Party. It's a yearly event run by our local home school group for the littlest of home schoolers. We went last year and Jane enjoyed it so we decided to go again this year. We brought a couple books for the book exchange and a snack to share. We didn't have a snack sign up sheet or anything so there was a ton of frosted sugar cookies! I don't think the kids minded. ;)
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| Listening to the story |
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| Unwrapping his book! |
The kids had their snack and the mom's chatted a while. Then the activities got started with a couple of song games and Christmas themed storytime. Afterwards we pulled numbers for the book exchange! Atlas got number 1. He was probably the very youngest participating in the book exchange, but he did really well picking out his book and unwrapping it. Jane was like number 23. She did really well being patient and waiting her turn.
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| Making her Christmas Tree craft |
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| Showing off her finished project! |
At the very end of the party there was a Christmas craft. Little finger prints of green paint to make a Christmas tree with a star on top. Jane was really excited to add it to our tree when we got home. Atlas didn't make one because I knew paint would be a disaster with him at this point. ;) The party was held at a public library. So when we were done we went out to look at some books to take home. I took my phone out of my purse to put it on vibrate and that's when I saw the text from my mom that my grandma had passed away. We knew it would be soon, within a day or two, but I had a feeling it was going to be during that party that I would informed of her passing. I think that's the reason I don't remember much else from that day other than the pictures that I took. I saw a mom recently that I met at that party and she remembered me, but I did not remember her at all. I usually remember names and faces really well, so that almost never happens to me. It was a strange feeling. I'm used to remembering people and them not remembering me, but not the other way around! After about an hour, I finally started to remember the conversations we had at the party. The brain is so interesting to me!
I have a bunch more to share about our holiday season. So I'll stop here for now. Look for part 2 soon-ish! ;)
Isaiah 55:8-9
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
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