Advent

I am loving doing the Advent calendar with the boys! I feel like Jacob especially is really getting Christmas this year. I am keeping it Bible-based so all the little gifts they get relate in some way to the true meaning of Christmas. We do stockings too so I figure that is when they can get the other little treats and gifts.

Here is the half-finished Advent calendar. And here is my busy mom confession: I'm not going to finish all 25 mittens this year. I did 11 or 12 and I'll just re-fill those as we go and do the rest of the mittens before next Christmas. I just have other projects I want need to work on.

The first night the boys got Nativity stickers and had a lot of fun using them. Jacob did a really nice job of putting the characters (mostly) where they belong. We hung it on the fridge and he is so proud of it!

Isaac preferred to put them on his face!

We read the Christmas story and afterward Isaac wanted to keep reading the 'Bible book'.

One of the nights they got Mary from the Nativity set. Isaac loves her!
The next day we were playing outdoors and I heard him go inside. He ran back out with Mary and played with her in the sandbox, then put her on the lawnmower and gave her a ride.

Then he gave her a ride on his bike too. He is just so cute! He calls Joseph 'Jofess'. He knows he is saying it wrong because when I ask him to say it he goes, 'Heeheehee Jofess' with a mischievous little grin on his face.

We've also been talking about the meaning of candy canes, especially because this is Isaac's favorite book. He's brought it to the grocery store, Target, Baby Boot Camp. He just loves it!

Jacob talks about the candy cane all the time. He says it is shaped like a staff. I ask him what letter it is shaped like and he says, 'J. J is for Jacob and also for the Baby Jesus.'