Week before Christmas was BUSY

This project was a lot of fun, even though it didn't turn out how I envisioned it in my mind.

This is a huge stained glass window coloring page of the nativity scene. I printed off 30-40 pages of 8x10 coloring pages that you piece together like a puzzle to reveal the big picture. I thought that this would be a fun advent calendar to count down the days to Christmas. Twelve days before Christmas we'd each color a page and then we'd tape them to the wall, starting with the border. The girls got a kick out of it and really just wanted to finish it all in one day so that they could see what they were coloring. The part that wasn't very successful was that we missed a few days of coloring and then we'd have to catch up and it was a lot of coloring! These pictures don't do it justice for how big it really is. And, I wanted each piece of the picture to contain a scripture so that we could feel that Christmas spirit while we were engaged in this activity...that didn't happen though. Oh well, it was still fun and EVERYONE got in on the coloring, even Sullivan.



We made a handprint Christmas tree...




Cleaning Day! I didn't want to have to clean much over Christmas break, so I did it all in one day. The kids helped and also found creative ways to entertain themselves. Here they arranged a picnic among all of our chairs that were placed aside while I mopped, and dumped out some tupperware full of toys for the table...like I said, they were helpful.


When we moved here, a woman from my ward taught the RS sisters how to do stitcheries. I started a project that has scenes from the nativity with the intention of making a banner to hang across my window or fireplace. Five years later and I'm still working on that stitchery off and on(looks dated though, not sure if I want to finish). I don't know what it is, I just never have time to complete my projects. That is why I CAN'T ever start a project that will take more than a few hours. Anyway, my girls see me working on the stitchery and they want to try it out so badly. I let them take a stitch or two, but that's all.

So, I made them their own little mini stitchery of the nativity scene. I'm thinking that when they are completed that the girls and I can sew them into pillows to give out to Grandparents next year as a Christmas gift. Who knows if that will ever happen though, especially with my procrastinating issue!




White Chocolate dipped oreos decorated as snowmen. I swapped my usual decorating sugar cookies with this activity because I just happened upon a huge oreo sale and I bought quite a few packages. We don't eat a lot of oreos either, weird that I'd stock up. The kids enjoyed it though and didn't miss making sugar cookies anyway.



He was a BIG help, I don't know what I would have done with all of our broken oreos that we weren't able to use.

Battled sickness...

And, we potty trained Sullivan...

I wish! Actually the girls were determined to teach him how to use the potty, I still think he's not quite ready yet.