Full

December is always a full month for us.  Usually in a good way.  This year unfortunately we added illness to the month.  Two illnesses actually, some sort of virus and then the stomach flu.  It wove it's way through our family and it seemed that for 3 weeks, one of us was sick with something.  But enough about that.  Better to focus on all the other things...



We had our annual homeschool group presentations again this year.  I was so proud of their work!  Nora did Jane Goodall, Jackson did William Kamkwamba, and Grace did Oprah Winfrey.



Grace and Jackson have had such a good experience volunteering at the new nature center behind our house (I think I've talked about it some) and for Christmas we all went to help decorate.  It was such a nice morning stringing gingerbread men, decorating wreaths, and making paper chains.



My mom brought her gingerbread houses out to decorate with the kids as she does each year.  They get so into decorating them.



We celebrated Christmas with the Futrells and all the cousins!



The "elves" brought clay one morning and it made for the most peaceful afternoon of sculpting and gift making.



The kids are working on a new fort!









And cookies!  We did our usual cookies this year- peanut butter ritz dipped in chocolate and gingerbread cookies.  The kids all love our gingerbread cookie recipe but it's not gingery enough for me (and I want a recipe with molasses).  Aimee recommended this recipe so maybe we will give that a try if they will let me.

I am enjoying this time so much with them.  The older they get the more fleeting I realize it all is.  It's these little moments and traditions that we will all look back on so fondly.