Call Day #132, 12/1/12

Eleanor was SO excited to start her advent calendar this morning.  Why?  The chocolate!  She had seen them at the grocery store a few trips ago and asked about them after we got home.  She wanted a "chocolate board" enough to buy one with her own money (which she otherwise never spends since it's being saved for Dis-uh-ney World).

 So excited over a tiny piece of chocolate.

 I was excited to start our Christmas activities for the month.  I decided we could start off with a fancier breakfast so we made muffins together.  Claire adds crumb topping.

The biggest piece of our Christmas celebrations is doing Truth in the Tinsel (see truthinthetinsel.com if you want to know more).  We'll be making an ornament each day until Christmas as we learn about the Christmas story.  Eleanor sets out the craft supplies for the day.

 Claire happily doing her ornament.  As we were using the tissue paper for the craft, she said "It is okay to tear this" so hopefully she's making some progress on when and when not to tear things.

 Today we read how Isaiah 9 about a light appearing in the darkness.  Jesus is that light.  Eleanor had to see her ornament glow with a light from the tree.

I can't read that passage without thinking of Handel's Messiah so we had to listen to part of it while we ate our muffins...  "Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace" 

While Claire took a bath, Eleanor did a word search that Grandma made for her with family names.

After she took a bath of her own, she wanted to wear her swimsuit in the tub.  Why not? 

We read several library books and Eleanor wanted to take over reading this one, Duck in the Truck, by herself.  She did a good job with most of the words.

 In case you like the silly, overdone smile...

We have several books about Christmas that we'll be reading as we count down to Christmas.  Today's was a book of Christmas carols so we started learning Joy to the World. 

 All morning there were flurries so we went out just to see them for a few minutes.

 Everyone seemed intent on trying to eat the snow.

 Especially Claire, though there wasn't much to try to pick up.

 Eleanor wanted to run in the snow.

 Not sure about the face--I just liked the snowflakes in her hair.

Both running.

 Working together well--love those moments.  Found some window clings from last year that we never put up.

 If she were wearing a Christmas dress, we could turn this into a Christmas card!  Not that we do cards...

 After dinner, we attached ribbons to today's ornaments and hung them up.  (Claire didn't want her tissue papers trimmed the way the instructions suggested.)

What better way to end a day of talking about light coming into the darkness than with glow bracelets?  They love these things and spent a long time waving them as they danced around on the guest room bed.  We sang Joy to the World repeatedly and little lights waved.  A good end to the day.