Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Christmas Activities

Last week we got a light dusting of snow!! We really had to look for it, but it was there. We delayed starting our school day to go play in it!


Last week we also had another homeschooling family and dear friends over to do Christmas crafts! We had so much fun! We made these super sweet edible Christmas trees:


They are just icing covered ice-cream cones decorated with sprinkles and candy - and they were GONE in no time!

Gabe just dove right in:

                                                    
We also made Cinnamon Salt Dough Ornaments.


  • These ended up being a lot easier than I thought they would be and turned out so cute!!

    Here is the recipe:

    1 cup salt
    2 cups flour
    10 teaspoons of cinnamon
    3/4 cup water (with maybe a bit more).
    Mix the dry ingredients together, then add the water slowly. Mix it together until it forms a ball. If you find the ball to be crumbly, add a bit more water, a teaspoon at a time, and knead it between teaspoons. If you find it to be sticky, add a bit more flour, a teaspoon at a time, and knead it between teaspoons. Eventually, you’ll find a happy medium – not too sticky, not too crumbly. That’s just what you want.
    Once the dough is ready, wrap it up and put it in the refrigerator for thirty minutes to stiffen the dough. Then, roll the dough out to roughly 1/2″ thick (about 1.25 cm) – you can be approximate on this – on a lightly floured surface.

    • Use cookie cutters to cut the dough into shapes, then use a straw (or another device) to make a small hole on the top of the ornament shape. Then, bake until dry at 325 F – this usually takes about an hour. I recommend using parchment paper on top of a baking sheet to bake the ornaments.
      Once the ornaments are baked, we can paint them, glue on glitter or just leave them plain. I found the original recipe here: http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2010/11/12/homemade-gift-series-9-handmade-ornaments/

      This whimsical tree was my favorite!


We also had to make a Cowboy Star for Mig! How 'bout them Cowboys?!? 


Are you doing any fun Christmas Crafts this year?

Our Christmas Pictures

We had a great time taking Christmas pictures this year! We headed out to our backyard with props and I let the kids help set it up. They LOVED the huge ornaments and were very cooperative. I was able to get some fun shots of the three of them!






Aren't they the sweetest?!?

Thursday, December 13, 2012

AWANAS


Gabe and Selah have joined the AWANAS (Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed) groups at our church and they are LOVING it!! Gabe is a Spark and has already memorized 10 verses and received his first patch (after only 3 meetings!!). Selah is a Cubbie and has memorized 8 verses and will receive her first patch at the next meeting. At AWANAS they sing, play games, do crafts, and work on scripture memory. They  earn patches according to the verses they memorize. They are making friends and look forward to AWANAS during the week. 

Don't they look adorable in their AWANAS vests!!


Mig goes to childcare while the others are at AWANAS and Daddy and I go to a home small group. We are all enjoying getting plugged in and making new friends!

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Breakfast with Santa

While we were in Temple, we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn. On Saturday morning, Santa came for breakfast!! Gabe asked him for a Robot Kit and a lava lamp and Selah asked him for a Cinderella baby doll.  Mig was frightened of the sweet fellow and refused to get close.



I did get a shot of the three of them in front of the hotel's beautiful tree, though!! 




Gabriel is SEVEN!

The day after Thanksgiving was Gabriel's birthday. We went out to see our sweet family friends, the Clemens that morning. The kids fed and pet their horses and donkeys, picked vegetables out of their garden and had a great time playing. It is always so fun to spend time with them!



Then it was nap-time and GiGi, Rachel and I went to see a movie!! Thank you, Daddies for watching the kids while we had some fun girl time! By the way - Breaking Dawn part 2 is SOOOO goood!!

After nap and movie time it was Party Time!! GiGi made a beautiful Star Wars cake for the birthday boy!



We also had yummy brisket, sausage and sides! Gabe was blessed with some fun gifts, too!




And a birthday wink! I guess that means it was a successful celebration!



Nature in Lights

We spent Thanksgiving in Temple with family. We had a great time visiting family and friends, celebrating Gabe's birthday and eating yummy food! After Thanksgiving dinner, we went through BLORA's Nature in Lights. I love BLORA and the kids do, too! The light displays are animated and creative - such a fun way to kick off the Christmas Season!




We went through with our nephews and all of the kids (except Mig) took turns sticking their heads out of the sun roof.