December 21-22

Finishing up the school week right before such a major holiday is a bit of a task but amazingly enough all the kids woke up Friday morning as ready and willing as I was to get things done. Before noon we had ALL our paper work finished up, pictures sorted, words printed… Talk about a surprise – BOTH twins got 100% on their spelling tests!!!

100%!!

Emanuel and his number line

We didn’t make it to BAKING cookies… but we did make dough… from scratch, in Nana’s mixer (yup Ken is drooling over that one)… the kids loved watching that work.

Working together

Reading the recipe

BUT amazingly enough I FINALLY figured out how to use the timer on the camera (one year later) and so the kids and I played around a bit with that after we did up their carols! It was a little crazy, somewhat silly and totally THEM!

Post concert picture (Gavin in red)

And then with Daddy when he got home from errands

Ken and the kids also finally found the time and supplies to make a pin hole camera… well two actually. Here are the instructions we used off of Activity Village.

the image inside one of our cameras. We made one with the lid in the middle and one without. Both work!

Our cameras

We got a package from Canada as well…  from the Bleau family – with COFFEE CRISP chocolate bars! Oh and Puss in Boots the movie among other things. BUT Sharon and Ken have conspired to ration my chocolate bars for me… hopefully Ken will be kind! Of course we had to watch Puss in Boots before bed! 

Guilty Pleasure

There was tons to get done on Saturday, well for the adults at least. Ken and his parents worked on a family tradition – home made cabbage rolls. Ken is writing out the recipe for future holidays!

Working with his parents

Putting them in the portable oven

The kids and Nana put up the window clings together. Even Echo got in on the decorating. 

Window Clings

The rest

Of course we had to kick the kids out into the sunshine to play in the snow for a while.

SNOW

I put the boys in charge of making most of the cookies from our nicely chilled cookie dough. I love watching them work together. 

Bakers

We are really getting to the end of the Christmas preparation. There are TWO trees full of presents, refrigerators filled right up and the kids are beyond excited! And tomorrow we get to DECORATE the cookies! Butter icing for the win! OH and a success on the reading – we were watching Gnomeo and Juliet with Nana and Baba before bed. There was a spot where a character talks “like a samurai” and a short line was printed on the bottom of the screen… THE TWINS READ IT!!! Without struggles or problems!!!! WOOOOOO!!!!

Dressed for singing

The kids’ Christmas carols for 2012! A little all over the place, some silly spots but 100% them! 

The posters were made by the kids… Away in a Manger, Oh Christmas Tree, Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, Jingle Bells and of course We Wish You a Merry Christmas! 

December 19-20

Well we really are running out of days to get things done now! Wednesday meant that one day closer to the end of the week and for the kids, really, one day more EXCITED! We have had lots of packages coming into the house but now they are coming in wrapped and going right under the tree!!!

Of course with the gingerbread theme we had to do up the last of the foam shapes. Only ladies left but each one was an individual work of art.

Very individual creations!

Such expressions

Trinity worked with some gingerbread men to create a name banner to go on our cabinet in the boot room that is all decked out with cards and other pieces of themed art. She is really a pro at writing her name now.

T R I N I T Y

The kids were right there to help continue decorating the house. There was garland and blinky lights to put on the banister and the foam houses to set out. Oh and a fiber optic tree that is so pretty when the sun goes down!

Decorating the house

We opened our very first Christmas present. A vintage Christmas book sent from a dear friend in the UK (thank you Josephine ). They tore right into the paper and we had to read a story RIGHT AWAY! Though Emanuel saved a teddy bear from the wrapping to paste in his journal.

First present

Ready.. set.. unwrap

Vintage stories!!

Emanuel with his piece of wrapping paper

We got letters from Santa thanks to a wonderful local program and 5.00. Each of the 5 was different as well! It was so much fun reading each one out loud and seeing the excitement on their faces.

Santa letters

Thursday was VERY exciting as a HUGE box showed up from South Carolina, that’s right – presents from Grandma and Grandpa Reinsch and Aunty Kat and her husband. Our tree is looking so full thanks to so many lovely packages arriving in the mail! The kids are so happy and sure that Christmas WILL be here and wonderful.

The kids popping the bubble wrap

The twins worked on an exercise where they combined words to create a longer word. Like book and case. They did a GREAT job!

I love it when they work together

There was another wonderful drawing to be done on Art for Kids… an angel. As you can tell from the picture, Gavin drew one just for Trinity!

Such a wonderful drawing

We had another chapter in our vintage book… The Christmas Snowman this time. I am loving the stories and the pictures and the kids are so happy with their very first gift.

We also finished our gingerbread themed poster that I picked up at JoAnn’s earlier. I think they did a great job working together. It is tucked away in their special binder full of all our Christmas work! I have already started thinking about next year… I am thinking the history of Christmas and a super Jesus centered learning. This year I really focused on Santa and how he WILL find us here… some stability in a year of changes…

Lovely

One more regular week day until we hit the weekend and the final Christmas countdown. I think Ken and I are finally done our shopping. We even found a pretty little dress at Target for Christmas day for Echo… ON SALE! With most of our immigration questions answered and forms filled we wait on a passport renewal and then do the big move – MAIL IT! So after Christmas… but before that, Saturday and onward I get to make my brain relax… I am going to make this an amazing Christmas for us all.

Our darling girls