11 days 'til Christmas. . .

and my true love gives to me. . .a live nativity. . .and a few minutes of peace so I can blog. . .Sing it again!

Last night we went to a Live Nativity as a family, and just loved it! It was so age appropriate for the kids. . .they got to pet the sheep (so soft, and a little wild), the donkey, and the calf (it licked Porter and got close enough he could kiss it). They were in awe of the angels, wise men, shepards, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus! The church it was at was so welcoming, and we even got to go inside for cookies, cocoa and cider! We loved it! Then we drove around and looked at Christmas lights!

And who says swingsets are only for summertime?! We had great fun on our snowy swingset. . .

Stay tuned for some church Christmas program pics. . .GooF has horrible memories from these programs/practices :)

Here they are:

Take note of the top right photo below. . .where is Porter you may ask? Before he went on stage (and before he goes anywhere without mom) he says, "Give me a kiss right here," and points at his cheek. He must have decided he needed one more snuggle, because he started to get tears in his eyes, came off stage for a quick hug after about the first song, and then went back up.

Ainsley did a great job with all of the actions to the songs! I loved how she smiled and waved when she picked GooF and I out of the crowd :) I am always so proud of you kids, no matter what! Take note of her striped tights. . .we looked all over the mall for ones with red and green stripes :)

Then we went for our weekly Sunday night dinner at my parents. Thanks mom and dad for cooking and playing. Sunday nights at your house are something I'm sure our kids will always remember.
I love traditions, and one thing I always look forward to at my parents for Christmas is our LOOOOOOONG STRETCHHHHHHY stockings! "Santa Claus" fills them with things we need like hair/make up products/socks, etc. I love reaching into them again and again :)

One tradition we just started last year is my parents stay home with the 5 grandkids for a game night, while my sisters and I and our husbands go out sometime over Christmas vacation. We do this instead of exchanging gifts among us girls. . .we still buy for the kids of course :)

Another family tradition is my dad making lefse, and since he sent 3 dozen home with me tonight, I think I better just go have some!