getting ready for Christmas

The window seat in our bedroom is gift-wrapping headquarters.  It is littered with jagged-edged scraps of wrapping paper, stray scissors and a quickly shrinking roll of scotch tape.

I won't bother to clean it up til Christmas Eve. 

Because it gets continual use.

These little ones of mine are professional gift givers (they've perfected the gift-getting too!)  I love watching them wrap up little scraps of 'treasures' and label them for family members.  Julianna (of course) makes almost everything she wraps.  Lydia already spent 14 cents on a plastic mask for Isaac.  She had it wrapped and under the tree 5 minutes after she walked in the door with it. 

Isaac told Matt he was giving the girls things from his treasure box.  "What kinds of treasures from your box are you giving them?"  "The pink and purple ones.  I have two girls, and I know I have two things that are pink and purple." 

They ask me to tell them what is wrapped up in "the big ones" under the tree.  They ask over and over again - like one day I'll finally crack and just blurt it out :)  Ha!  No way.  I am good at keeping secrets. 

We're on day 5 of our advent calendar.

Our 1st advent candle is shrinking, and we fight over who gets to blow it out.  {Yes, a lit candle adds a new degree of catastrophic potential to our dinner hour.  Embrace the chaos, Laura, embrace the chaos.]

We read our favorite Christmas books over and over again.

Last night we rolled out sugar cookie dough and satisfied some of our cookie-cutting desires.

I LOVE this season!

{Even though this one has the complicating factor of potential cleft surgery for John Paul on December 18th!  We desperately hope this date works out for him.  Please pray that he stays healthy!  And that the surgeon is available, etc.}