Raising Cubs in a Campground

I had been really worried that Elsa would be a tornado of distruction in my mother-in-law's house but surprisingly she did a really good job of leaving all the breakable decorations alone. There were lots that she could touch and while the noise from the musical snowmen was loud, I love that Grandma and Grandpa's house is full of memories & momentos of past Christmases. There are so many memories of time with our family that we treasure. We get silly with cousins, sled/snowboard down the big hill, eat until we can't eat another bite, sing carols, listen to PapaBear read the Christmas story, exchange gifts, play games like Pit and Cranium, and take the obligitory photo of the cousins in front of the tree. We were sad that Sharon, Jamey, Josie, and Amelia couldn't come this year but were grateful that at least everyone was out of the hospital and on the mend. Our kids were plenty tired at the end of the night so after setting out their chosen cookies for Sant...

I downloaded a whole slew of photos off my phone so we could make a list of the things we did for advent this year. It's hard to believe we packed so much in without feeling overwhelmed! My intent was to make an advent calendar but in hindsight it was better to not have everything so planned out. Weather plays a huge factor and it was really nice to surprise the kids each day with a fun family activity. With only a few exceptions I didn't know more than 12-24 hours in advance what our next activity was going to be.  In no particular order here is a list of how we prepared for the coming of our King. (Photos won't be in the same order as the list of activities - they are simply there in preparation for making a collage in our blog book .) 1. Minivan Express trip . Tickets were tucked into robes while the older ones were at school so that when we were done watching The Polar Express and sent the kids to bed (after setting the clocks ahead an hour without their knowing so...