Christmas Eve Eve - Just One Gift? Please??

The girls asked if they could open one gift before going to bed.  They were excited to receive their new blog books.  It really meant a lot to Mena that I put the picture of her with all 3 of us parents on the back cover.  (I always put an individual photo on the front and a group photo on the back.)

 

Frosted Sugar Cookies

I finally got smart and put the frosting into sandwich size ziplock bags that were set into cups to fill.  Then we snipped the corner so they could squeeze the frosting out!  The enthusiasm faded quicker than previously so I had to finish frosting the cookies.

 

Last Day of School

I dressed festively and Maggie made a giant snow flake from paper lunch bags.  Mena said they got to watch a movie at school.

 

Gingerbread Cookies

Instead of buying houses and decorating them, we made homemade gingerbread boy and girl cookies.  We liked this recipe; the taste was not over powering, just the right amount of flavor!  They were enthusiastic with the frosting and when I said they could use sprinkles and frosting together, the world exploded for them!!

 

Almond Bark Covered Pretzels

Christmas Candy and cookies are so much easier now that the kids can do most of it themselves!!

 

Maggie's Teacher Gift Card

Email Exchange between me and Maggie's teacher:

Emily, did Maggie remember to give you your Christmas card?  I just wanted to share that she insisted that her picture be on the Amazon card.  There were so many designs to choose from but she saw that one and you had to have it.  Then she had to pose exactly like that in her Grinchmas jammies.  I still haven't figured out why her arm had to be up like that but she insisted you would like it that way   Sometimes the story behind the gift is just too funny not to share!

Yes!!! :) She gave it to me first thing Monday; I have a thank you note in her Friday folder for the two of you. I absolutely adored her photo! Now, knowing the details behind it makes it 10x better! 

I was actually going to e-mail you because Maggie was participating before break and I had seen positive changes. But since she returned this week.... WOW! She is a ROCKSTAR. She always has her hand up, her answers are in depth and completely spot on. At recess yesterday, she stood with me the whole 15 minutes and just filled me in on her life, ha ha. So many stories!   I just adore this side of Maggie. She is so strong in her convictions and opinions when she shares her thinking and I just love it. Thought you should know!

Advent Nativity

Our Advent Nativity and paper chain countdown to Christmas. The drawers from our time at St. Paul UMC with candy for each day except Sundays when we do the advent candles. Our paper chain with Bible story from my time at St. Mark’s UMC. Girls can hang each piece themselves now! I used to tell the story and now they look up the verses for each day & take turns reading. Today’s reading involved maps to see Nazareth to Bethlehem and then a calculator to figure out how many hours it would take based on how fast we walked one mile today. Then they asked who an emperor vs governor was. So many thoughtful questions and conversations come with this age!!