Merry Christmas!!

 Merry Christmas!! We have been busy but having fun at the same time around here getting ready to celebrate Christmas. With the tree decorated(and staying up), decorations inside and outside the house are up and a couple of advent calendars going, we are in full swing. Now to get the gifts wrapped and under the tree! While decorating our tree one of our traditions is to have hot chocolate, or coco as Abi calls it, along with homemade pumpkin bread, yum! We also went to the Electric Parade held downtown where we saw Mickey Mouse as the Grand Marshal. The weather held out for the most part except for maybe the last 20 minutes or so, we got poured on. Two umbrellas was all that was keeping 6 of us somewhat dry. Leah was ready to go but Grammy encouraged her to keep shouting "Merry Christmas" to the people all the way to the end of the parade because if we left there would be no one to say it to them. After hearing that Leah bucked up and said Merry Christmas to everyone that passed us all the way to the end.  What a trooper!
   We have had a couple of rainy days this week so during one of those days the girls decorated a gingerbread house together. They are so creative and had such a great time placing (and eating) the candy on the house and on their gingerbread man. In school Abi has been reading many versions of The Gingerbread Man which had given her the strong desire to make a gingerbread man. I think this craft satisfied her desire. Its hard sometimes to "let go" and allow them some control of things-like decorating the house-but when I stepped back and allowed them to place candy where they wanted I got to see the reward of a beautiful house they created. To all who read this I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a great beginning to the new year!