'Tis the season!

We've been having fun getting ready for the holidays this year. Because we are in a new house, all the little holiday preparations really help the place feel like home. I've been making cookies like crazy (8 kinds and counting...) and we've put up all kinds of decorations - a big Christmas tree, lots of lights, advent calendars, etc. The girls are both really into the advent calendars this year. Hayden is a pro at finding the right door to open - a good way to learn her numbers. And Eliza got to do her first chance to do an advent calendar this year!

Our wall o' advent calendars, right inside our front door.
Eliza got the stool and brought it over all by herself so she could check out the calendars.

We also have several nativity sets around that the girls play with. I like that Hayden is calling them "activity" sets this year. They do provide some activity!

Mother Nature has been helping us get in the holiday spirit too. Despite moving south to get away from cold weather, we've had TWO snowfalls this month! For the first one, it started on the way home from a visit with my grandma. That route home just happens to go by the Christmas tree farm, so we spontaneously decided to stop, in the snow, to pick out our Christmas tree. So festive to pick out a tree in the snow, and so unusual to be able to do so in North Carolina! I think we picked a good one.
Back at home, with the tree, the snow came down enough to stick on the grass and cars. The girls enjoyed checking out the snow a little later in the afternoon. Our new house looks pretty in the snow!

The second round of snow was more ice than snow, and got Hayden's school canceled. She missed her Christmas party! She didn't seem to mind too much, and again, the girls had fun exploring the wintry world. They liked making footprints on the pavement. Notice Eliza's boots. Ironically they were bought for Hayden for PA winters, but she refused to wear them. So Eliza gets to wear them in NC!!

We have also worn festive outfits, like these matching holiday jackets Grammy sent.

Now Christmas is almost here. The tree is up and decorated. The lights are up outside. (This was harder than you think since the outdoor outlet was dead. We had to get an electrician to come check it out. And then we had to adjust our light collection to a display for the new house!) I think we're ready! Merry Christmas!