Advent

It's pretty clear we've seen a lot of Santa this year. So, it's also important that we make sure the kids stay focused on the true meaning of the season. We have a number of Advent activities going on in our house as we count down to Jesus' birthday. Penny is really into Advent this year. Porter doesn't quite understand everything yet...he says "baby Jesus" and plays with the Fisher Price manger set, but I don't think he fully understands most of what we've been doing this year. 

We'll start with our kid-safe Advent wreath. Penny can't wait to put a new candle on each week. 

Next up, our Advent calendar that builds a Nativity scene. Each day in December, we add another piece of the Nativity. Penny let me put Joseph on for my birthday, but otherwise, she's taken this responsibility pretty seriously and puts up the day's piece before she eats breakfast. 

We've got a Chocolate Advent Calendar in the mix. Porter has discovered a love of chocolate. And, an added OT bonus activity in punching out the doors :) 

This year, we've added a tree in our attic that is being decorated a little each day.

Each day we add a little ornament book from The Story of Christmas. It's really helping Penny to understand the pieces of the Christmas story. 

And, each day we add an ornament from our Advent house. I got this house before the kids were born. It's been well loved since Penny was born, so a few doors have come off their hinges, but it's still one of Penny's favorite parts of Advent. Each door holds an ornament, which she places on the tree. 

We've had fun counting down the days to Jesus' birthday!