{SQT} Christmas Octave

1. Fourth Sunday of Advent

Click here to read about decorating the Christmas tree!

2. Christmas Eve

Click here to read about Christmas Eve and Midnight Mass!

3. Christmas Day

Click here to read about the Feast of the Nativity itself!

4. Feast of St. Stephen

After a day at home of writing thank you notes, straightening the house, making trips to the dump and to Goodwill, and more reading of new books and drawing with new art supplies, we went to A Kannapolis Christmas in the 37-degree cold evening. We had a sweet time riding the carousel, drinking cocoa and eating doughnut holes, and riding the train through the Christmas lights.

5. Feast of St. John, the Evangelist

Thursday we spent writing thank you notes, organizing the garage, doing music practice, and me (yet again) attempting (and failing) to plan our second homeschool semester (which seems impossible to do while I'm also caring for the actual students).

John (12) had determined that he wanted to learn how to make fried chicken, so he and Dad buzzed to the grocery store and made a late afternoon project of it.

John cooked us dinner of fried chicken served with mac and cheese, biscuits, deli cole slaw, and sweet tea.

Then the family enjoyed a bonfire . . .

. . . and the children played a game of tag and climbing trees in the nightfall, before coming in to watch a movie with Daddy while Mary and I went out for a mother-daughter date, my having tucked in the baby for the night.

Climbing trees in the dark

6. Feast of the Holy Innocents

On Friday, Chris dropped me off to visit my friend Priscilla and her daughter Julienne at children's hospital (please keep praying for her) for a couple of hours. Meanwhile, he drove the kids around listening to a great audio book while the baby napped, and then he took them out to lunch (where a kind lady complimented him on the children) before picking me up.

Six kids at lunch

Then we bustled to get gussied up for attending our annual mother-daughters Christmas tea at The Ballantyne Hotel. It was an absolutely lovely event for our fourth year running.

Sparkling cider

Sparkling cider

7. Miscellaneous

Thomas (3-1/2) surprised me with this full-fledged drawing! It is "Silly Daddy" and Thomas each holding a balloon and Daddy is next to a toy house ("you cannot fit inside it"). Mary instructed Tom how to write T-O-M at the top (but Tom copied her and did it himself) and then Tom spontaneously added "a real S" and then "a real O" in front of his name. (He also tells us about his friend "real Patrick," so I am left enjoying the cuteness that is "real" to him.)

David, jumping on furniture wearing his new Christmas firetruck footies . . .

David is proving to be a little chatterbox. Yesterday we heard him singing along with a bit of the right tune "la la la la la la" (to "Deck the Halls"). David's words at 16 months:

• Mama
• Dada
• Daiper
• Wa-wa (for water)
• Yum-yum (for food and nursing)
• Wow!
• Na-na! (for no-no)
• Night-night (said when I put him in his crib)
• Hi-ya! (as he chops a sword, like the karate sound)
• We are almost sure he saying Ma-ra for his sister Mary.

He has ASL signs for:

• MORE
• WATER
• NURSING
• BYE-BYE

This road tape (as purchased on Amazon) that I put in Joseph's stocking was one of our best Christmas gifts! The children have been making an elaborate city or roads and having the best time playing with Matchbox cars!

For more 7 Quick Takes Friday, check out This Ain't the Lyceum.