This last weekend, we wholeheartedly entered Advent season! Advent is not just counting down the days to Christmas, but it focuses on the expectation of Jesus’ arrival and the salvation he brings to the world. This is our second year of lighting a candle once a week and focusing on the spiritual story of Advent. We also have an Advent calendar filled with Hershey’s kisses to open each day. Jesus and chocolate are helping us celebrate this season to the fullest!
We’ve been around the house quite a bit. While the days might seem ordinary and slow, I’m impressed when I look back over all we’ve accomplished. Both boys are plowing through their schoolwork. Owen finished the first half of his math curriculum. It’s set up in two books (1A and 1B), so we’ll start his new book on Monday. Graham finished up his last pre-k workbook this week. He is now working on a book that is actually meant for the summer between pre-k and kindergarten. Once he completes this smaller workbook, he’ll start a kindergarten curriculum in January. He is so excited about being a “kindergartener.” I keep telling him that he will be doing kindergarten work and He isn’t actual going to kindergarten. In his mind, he is about to graduate to the big leagues. I’m trying not to squelch his excitement too much because a kid excited about school is a good thing.
Jeremy has started a new project… well, he is continuing a project from this spring. He has started clearing brush in a new spot on our property. His chainsaw has been busy this weekend. Now he is looking forward to the massive burn piles that await him. I’ve been keeping busy with my Usborne Books & More business. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it, but I’ve had parties over the last three months. I’m not actively drumming up business, but if someone asks to host a party, I say yes. The parties have been fairly successful thanks to the Christmas selling season. It’s been fun not only to share these great books with friends, but also to add some extra income during the gift giving season.
Our family has been enjoying our new hot tub immensely. The boys are in it almost every night. We’ve had a lot of fun looking at stars together on clear nights. One night the moon was so bright that we could see shapes in the clouds as they floated by. Our favorite shape we spotted was Snoopy in a chef’s hat on skis. Jeremy got a floating light that changes colors so the hot tub has become the party pool recently. Hot tub time has been a wonderful addition to our daily routine.
Celebrating Christmas has made the extra time at home feel festive and special. We have a list of Christmas activities to accomplish over the coming weeks and there is a lot of excited anticipation. Today after dropping Owen off at church with Jeremy, Graham and I went to the store to purchase Graham’s Christmas gift for Owen. After church, Jeremy took Owen to the store to shop for Graham. It’s fun to see what they pick for each other. I’m always curious to see if they can keep the secret until Christmas. Only 19 more days of secret keeping left!
Amy Scott's Thoughts 