It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

Yay! I love the advent season! I also love the traditions of the Christmas season that Andrew and started for our family 5 years ago. Decorating the house and the Christmas tree is an event at our house, and I LOVE IT! We blare Christmas music, make cookies, drink hot cocoa, and decorate the tree together. Ceilidh was so excited, she couldn't stand it! ha Graeme was adorable through the process. To keep roaming hands busy while we decorated, I gave him a Christmas ball without the hook. He literally walked around the tree trying to hang it for 15 minutes. He would get so proud of himself when it would get stuck in a branch, and then it would drop. We let him hang a few at the end, and I think it was worth the wait for him! ha

We are also starting a new tradition (at least I hope it will become tradition), of hanging Jesse Tree ornaments each night of the 25 days of Christmas. I had never heard of a Jesse Tree until last year. Our Children's minister at church has created a Jesse Tree Devotional that you do with your children each night of December. The Devotional leads you through 24 Old Testament Stories that show why a savior was needed, and how the "road" was being paved for Jesus starting from the beginning of time. The 25th day (Christmas day) is the day you read the birth of Christ. Ceilidh has colored 25 paper ornaments that you hang on the night that it coincides with the scripture that was read. Someday I would like to become a "cool" mom who knows how to sew, and make the ornaments out of felt. Yep, I'm not there yet. frown I'm pretty proud of myself that we got all 25 colored and cut out before December 1st! HA

On Friday night, we traveled to Pinehurst to watch the tree lighting downtown and totally missed the lighting. frown I think a lot of people missed it though, as it was run a little differently than in years past. All was well though, b/c we got to see Jeanne, Taylor, and Kenley at their annual Hot Cocoa and Cookies party! We missed you Leigh, Chase, and Natalie!! I really miss my friends from Moore County, so it was great to see this family in particular. Their hospitality is always wonderful, and Ceilidh really enjoyed playing with Kenley's toys! ha

And then......Saturday afternoon it started SNOWING!!!!!! I mean, legit snow. Not a shower here or there; but buckets full of snow until about 6pm. The Chapel Hill Clendenins (and I think really all of them! ha) LOVE snow!!!! Ceilidh and Graeme are both being true to their name; and enjoying the snow as much as we do. Graeme walked outside and began making a noise that sort of sounded like Woody the Woodpecker for about 2 minutes straight. It was a "I don't know what to do with all this excitement" laugh. He broke away from my death grip at one point, and literally dropped to his knees and starting rolling in it! HA Ceilidh and Andrew built an adorable miniature snowman and threw a few snowballs. I hope we see a lot more snow during Christmas time!!!


Checking out the tree after bringing it home


Getting the cookies ready!




"I love cookies!" ha


Finally!


Ceilidh's turn!






Graeme playing with the Nativity Set


Silly girl


When something is in the oven that he wants, he pulls out the oven mitt and repeatedly says, "Hot, Hot!" ha


"Please hurry up cookies!"


Hanging the "world" ornament after talking about creation on Day 1


Nicole, Hudson, and Elam... Thanks for meeting us at the mall Nicole! We love you!


HA!


Snow is so pretty


Graeme loving every second of being outside!


Mommy and her babies


Building "Mr. Snowman"


Putting his arms on


Meet "Mr. Snowman"




One of my favorite 2010 pictures!




Our cute Tarheel who is wearing a 3T sweatshirt here! ha It is a tad big, and it must have shrunk at somepoint, but seriously she was wearing this last Christmas!