Aidan had a big morning - his very first Preschool Christmas Program!! He did an awesome job. Ms. Annye told us that he never sang any of the songs during music class, but he belted out every one of them this morning! Here's the video. It's long (about 9 minutes), but I thought our out-of-town family might like to see it.
We loved our front row seating, and we also loved that Grammy & Granddaddy could come and watch!
Aidan's Advent Activity today was to eat a "snowman treat" which I found on Pinterest. He was SO excited - we never eat doughnuts - and he ate both of them in about 2.5 seconds:)
Aidan's book tonight was a The Little Engine That Could Christmas story. See you tomorrow!
Today we found Sally on my nightstand. Aidan thought it was pretty funny - this was the first time she ever showed up in our room!
It's important to us that Aidan learns about giving to others, so I was excited for today's activity - to donate money to a Salvation Army bell ringer. I overheard Aaron talking to Aidan about people who are less fortunate than we are, and how we have to help them out. It filled my heart with so much love for them both. I am so proud to have Aaron as the father of my child and my partner in life. What a blessing he is!
Aidan and Aaron came to LUMC tonight for our Kindermusik Christmas Party. Aidan had a lot of fun, and I was excited to introduce both of them to my Kindermusik families.
Our book tonight was How the Grinch Stole Christmas, one of my personal favorites. "What if Christmas - gasp - was something MORE?"
Sally was perched atop the "tamometer" (thermostat) today. Perhaps she was protesting the temperature at which we keep the house?
We had breakfast with family this morning. Nothing beats Grammy's pancakes with bacon and sausage! After breakfast, we split up - some went to Cabela's & the Legends, and some went to Archivers; some, including Aidan and Aaron, stayed at Grammy's house. When we came home, this is what we found:
For the first time in 3 weeks, Young Pennington napped. For two hours. Right on the floor. Ahhhhhhhhhh.
Our advent activity tonight was to visit the Plaza Lights. It's such a magical place in my opinion. We're not sure how much Aidan enjoyed it, but it was fun for us - and with unseasonably warm weather, we were able to drive with the windows down!
After dinner, all three of us played with a huge container of hand-me-down Play-Doh and accessories from Aidan's cousin, Emily. He loved it! Our book tonight was The 12 Bugs of Christmas, a super cute pop-up book. He laughed a lot and enjoyed counting the bugs on each page.
Was there an emergency we didn't know about? Sally was driving Aidan's fire truck this morning!
Today we had a very special Advent surprise - Aidan's aunts, uncles, and cousins on the Ludwig side came to visit, and we celebrated Christmas! He LOVES seeing them, and since it is such a rare occasion that we're all together, it was a special time for all of us.
Aidan LOVED his gift from Grammy and Granddaddy, a cool new tool bench!
The No-Napper was wired for sound tonight - he ran non-stop, most of the time without any pants on (no surprise here). When we got home, we thought he'd go straight to bed, but he reminded us he needed to unwrap a new book. He opened Under My Hood, I Have a Hat, which was a gift from Ms. Annye and Ms. Nancy at Parents Day Out two hears ago. It was fun to revisit a book that Aidan loved so much when he was so little.
Aidan ended his night by going to bed in his clothes and sleeping with the steamroller that Aunt Neece, Uncle JR, Adam, and Emily gave him. A great day for everyone!
Sally must have been thirsty today - we found her drinking from one of our Tervis Tumblers!
Aidan's advent activity today was to buy his mommy a stocking stuffer with Dad. For some reason;) I wasn't given a picture of this activity. Aidan has tried to tell me several times what he bought, but I just cover my ears and go "LALALALALALALALALALA" really loudly until he starts talking. I'll find out in about a week what he chose!
Aidan's book tonight was one of my personal favorites, Uncle Mugsy and the Terrible Twins of Christmas. I met the illustrator at Holiday Mart many years ago and have always loved this book. It's about a selfish old bulldog, Uncle Mugsy, whose twin niece and nephew come to visit and pretty much ruin everything, but also put Uncle Mugsy in the Christmas spirit for the first time. The illustrations are amazing!
Sally hid E.T. style this morning, among the stuffed animals on his dresser. She was snuggled up between Buzz Lightyear and a Jayhawk - not a bad place to spend the day!
Aidan's activity today was to take Christmas gifts to his teachers at preschool. We made these cute Reindeer Nose crafts and attached gift cards to the backs of them. He thought they were really funny, and was very excited to pass them out!
Tonight's book was Santa Mouse. Later, He Who Throws Huge Tantrums at the Mention of Naps wanted "quiet time in his room with the light on and door open" at bedtime. Within about 2.5 seconds, he was snoozing away. Poor little guy, he NEEDS to nap and is so exhausted in the afternoons and evenings. :( See you tomorrow!
This morning, Sally was found wrapping her arms around a bottle of olive oil on the stove! Aidan thought that was pretty hilarious.
Today's advent activity was to make a reindeer out of Aidan's feet and hands, which is an annual tradition. I'll update with pictures later.
Tonight's book was a favorite: Snowmen at Night. A little boy notices that his snowman doesn't look the same as he did the night before, so he starts to wonder what exactly they do at night while we're sleeping! Aidan's favorite things the snowman did at night were having a snowball fight and playing baseball.
That Sally. We found her hanging from the ceiling fan today. Can you believe it?
Aidan's advent activity today was a special treat: Hot chocolate and marshmallows after school! Can't you see the excitement in his eyes??
After Kindermusik and before bed, Aidan opened the book The Crippled Lamb. WOW what a great message - my friend Rachel recommended this book, and it was wonderful! It's about a little lamb named Joshua who looks different than the others and can't walk or run as well as them. He gets left behind when they migrate to a new meadow, but Joshua finds himself in the barn where Jesus was born, and is able to keep baby Jesus warm with his wooly coat - showing that we all have purpose in God's Kingdom. SO sweet!
In other news, it seems that Aidan is never wearing pants in any of his advent pictures. Rest assured, the child does own pants. He just chooses not to wear them:) See you tomorrow!
Sally was hanging on our Christmas artwork in the living room today - silly elf! Aidan talks to Sally quite a bit, telling her when he makes good decisions (and bad decisions too!). It's really cute.
We pulled double-duty on the advent activities today, going to Crown Center to see Santa (to make up for Day 4), then visiting the Hallmark store there to pick out Aidan's annual Christmas ornament. We buy him one ornament each year - he can choose the ornament all on his own - and when he grows up, he'll have a good start to his own Christmas tree.
It was wonderful seeing Santa with NO LINE this morning. Aidan had a lot to tell Santa, including all about his Poppy working for the railroad, what he wanted for Christmas (not a short list), all about the Crayola playground leading up to Santa...you name it. Luckily, Santa was up for the conversation!
Aidan chose this ornament, a police car driven by penguins that sounds alarms anytime you get close to the presents in the trunk:
Aidan's book tonight was The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree. I think he was tired of having his picture taken by then!
I'm a day late posting this one - Aaron and I had a *DATE* Sunday night! Yahoo!
Aidan found Sally in his advent calendar today, pointing to his card of the day. It read "decorate Christmas cookies"! Aidan loved baking the cookies and decorating them. It was very hard for him to wait until they were cooled down enough to frost them, and to EAT them!
Aidan's babysitter (and my piano student) Amelia came over while Aaron and I went out, so they unwrapped his storybook together: Mater Saves Christmas!
We found Sally inside my piano today! What was she doing in there?
Today's "advent-ure" was a Christmas Music Dance Party! It was lots of fun - we love to be silly together, and we are fully aware that none of us can dance! :)
After a yummy dinner with our friends the Bergmans, we came home to unwrap a new Christmas book: The Polar Express! Since Aidan loved the movie so much, it was no surprise that he loved the book too. I have a feeling we'll be reading it quite a bit this Christmas season.
Traveling to the North Pole every night can be a dirty job, so it was no surprise that Sally showed up in the bathtub today!
Aidan woke up asking to play with "the activity" - we couldn't figure out what he was talking about until he ran to the NATIVITY and played with "the characters." That Jesus fellow, he was definitely a character;)
Today's Advent activity was a fun one - watch a Christmas movie! Aidan's love of trains made it a no-brainer: we chose The Polar Express! None of us had seen it before, so it was a treat for the whole family. AND...what an awesome movie! I can't wait to watch it again. Do you hear the bells ringing? I do!
We made popcorn on the stove and sprinkled it with two different toppings. Aidan was in heaven.
Tonight's book was Merry Christmas, Big Hungry Bear. It's about a mouse who is brave enough to take presents to a bear in a cave, and finds a present for himself along the way.
When Aidan awoke this morning, he discovered that Sally the Elf had indeed flown out of his room last night and visited Santa. Sally reappeared on our kitchen table, driving Santa's sleigh! Oh my! Does Sally have a license for that thing?
Aidan's advent calendar listed another charitable activity today: take gloves and hats to the Christmas tree at school. This is an annual service project, and we were excited to participate!
Aidan opened Who is Coming To Our House tonight - a story about how the barn animals prepared for Jesus' arrival. Super cute:)
In other news, Aidan is on day six of no nap. He *needs* to take a nap, but is refusing, so our days have been pretty long this week. Because he hasn't been sleeping in the afternoons, we started leaving him at school for the full day today, which is only about 90 minutes longer than before, but it gives me a chance to get some work done...much needed!
We're not sure how it happened, but Sally the Elf snuck into Aidan's room this morning before he woke up. She was hanging from the hooks above his Christmas tree! Sneaky!
Today's advent calendar read "write a letter to Santa." I let him answer all of the questions, and it turned out pretty funny:
After Aidan and Daddy got home from MyGym and Chick-fil-A (their weekly Wednesday date), He Who Still Hasn't Napped was pretty tired, but awake enough to open another Christmas book. Though this photo doesn't show it, Aidan was very excited to read about his favorite monkey!
Aidan found Sally the Elf poking out of his stocking today. Silly Sally! Where will she be tomorrow?
At Aidan's school today, they made lists of what they wanted for Christmas. It was no surprise that Aidan asked for a cement mixer. I wonder if Santa has heard?
Our advent calendar let Aidan know that he would be shopping for a toy for Toys for Tots today and donating it to the collection site at my Kindermusik studio. Each semester I put on a service project for the 200+ families who are enrolled at InJoy Music, because I feel strongly that you're never too young to learn about charity and generosity. Anyway, Toys for Tots is our fall service project, and here's what Aidan chose for a very lucky boy or girl:
Aidan recently discovered Chutes & Ladders, and though he doesn't quite understand the concept of losing:), he loves to play!
Aidan's book of the day was If You Take a Mouse to the Movies. We love the "If You..." books, and this was no exception!
In case you're wondering what Aidan's mommy and daddy would like for Christmas, that's easy. We would like for AIDAN TO TAKE A NAP. It looks like he may be giving up his nap, much to our chagrin. So, if you happen to see Santa and have a chance to put in a good word for us, we'd really appreciate it! I think we've been pretty nice this year!
Aidan found Sally the Elf sitting on a shelf today - imagine that! The Elf on the Shelf was hiding on a shelf;)
We had a fun day playing with Emily and Connor at Kidscape at the Johnson County Museum. Of course, his favorite room was the one with the trains.
Our advent calendar today let us know we'd be getting the Little People Nativity out. His favorite part is making the Angel sing "Away in a Manger" and he also loves playing with Baby Jesus.
Aidan's book today was a fun one - it has the words to Frosty the Snowman. He was a bit camera shy, but at least you get a good picture of the book! See you tomorrow!
What was Sally the Elf thinking? This morning, Aidan found her in Mommy's jar of Skittles for her piano students!
Aidan's advent calendar let him know that he would be spending the day at Crown Center. Each year, my piano students perform Christmas music at the Westin and Aidan has been each year since he was born. We like to work in a trip to see Santa, but the line was too long this year. That will have to come later this month!
Aidan enjoyed looking at the gingerbread village...
...and LOVED eating at Fritz's, as always!
Tonight's Christmas book was Redheaded Robbie's Christmas Story. LOVE this one, and the sweet message it conveys about the true meaning of the holidays.
Aidan woke up to find Sally the Elf sitting on top of a curtain rod in the living room. How did she get up there???
Today, Aidan's Advent Calendar let him know he'd be having breakfast with Santa at his school! Since Daddy sleeps during the day and Mommy works Saturdays, Grandma Pennington took him and they had a great time!
Aidan made sure to tell Santa that he wanted a cement mixer, as well as a very large recycling truck that was up for silent auction.
It must have been the magic of Christmas, but somehow, the silent auction was won and the recycling truck went to Grandma's house. We also bid on and won front row seating for Aidan's Christmas and Spring preschool programs! YES!
After doing a bit of Christmas shopping and going out to dinner, Aidan opened his next Christmas book, which was a big hit:
Aidan woke up this morning by asking to see where Sally was hiding! Silly elf, Sally was peeking out of our family organizer in the kitchen!
After a fun day at school, which included making a cool jingle bell necklace, Aidan ended his day with his second advent calendar activity: getting a Santa beard made out of bubble bath!
Finally, he unwrapped his second Christmas book, Who Will Guide My Sleigh Tonight? It is a fun tale of how Santa chose reindeer over other animals like tigers and dolphins to lead the way on Christmas night.
We have a lot of fun stuff planned for this Christmas season. Aidan has had a lot of questions - where does Santa live, what's he doing, when will he be here, where is the snow, how tall is Jesus...you name it.
This year, we are starting several new traditions. First, the advent calendar:
I got this idea from a blog I love and love the way it turned out. It's made from a hanging shoe organizer. Instead of putting treats or toys in it, I've put a fun activity or experience on the back of each card. We can keep mementos or other items from the day's activities in the pockets, and I've left enough room to add a picture each day - hello, instant scrapbook!
Today's activity got Aidan really excited - he got to put up a Christmas tree in his room! He loved seeing it light up and we're looking forward to adding ornaments to it over the next few weeks.
Our next fun tradition is that I've wrapped 25 Christmas books and put them in a basket. Aidan can choose one each day to unwrap. I'll leave the unwrapped ones in the basket so he can read them over and over if he'd like. They're not sorted in any particular order, but we made sure he opened this one first:
Elf on the Shelf!
He had a lot of questions about the elf, but loved reading the story and decided to name his elf Sally. We're looking forward to seeing all of the places Sally decides to hide this December, and hoping that it curbs some not-so-flattering behaviors along the way!
I hope to keep up with the blogging this month (and beyond!), so bear with me - and Merry Christmas!
