Extra Tidbits

 The weekend after Thanksgiving we went to a nativity play near our home.  It was very interesting and educational.  There was a little "city of Bethlehem" set up so the kids could learn how to makes baskets, bread, write in Hebrew, throw pots and play a dreidel game.  There were lots of people in costume singing songs and doing things from the time period when Jesus Christ was born.  After spending some time in the city we went to the stable to watch the play.  Callie LOVES baby Jesus and wants me to tell her the story over and over each day making our little nativity people move and act it out.  She LOVED seeing it live and keeps asking to do it again. 

 Grocery shopping is one of those necessary evils.  You have to do it and it takes forever.  First you have to make a list.  Then go to the store and try to keep to the list, while seeing things that are either fun and yummy or probably should have been on your list to start with and so you wonder what else you missed.  Then you get to take a cart full of stuff up to the front and wait it line to take it out of your cart and find out how much you spend.  Then it is bagged and you put it back in your cart.  Next up is walking outside to take it out of the cart and put it in your car.  Sometimes you forget to take your stroller out of your car and so the groceries are a tight fit.  Finally you drive home thinking you are done, only to remember that you next have to take all the bags from your car to the house and no, your not done yet, the last step is putting it all away.  Fitting things into the fridge or pantry or freezer.  You wonder why you have so much food and then you remember that you forgot a couple things and so you write it down on your list for next week to do it all over again.

 Callie loves being the little sister.  She has learned how to manipulate all of us into doing what she wants and when she wants it.  For example on Sunday she was a crying loudly in church and so I took her out in the foyer.  She didn't want to go back into the chapel, but I did so in we went.  After a couple minutes she started crying again.  But as soon as I stood up to take her out, she smiled.  Needless to say, we did go outside but we just stood there and didn't walk around or get a drink.  I have a smart one on my hands!

This is our Thankful Tree that we added to all November long.  The kids got to think of at least one thing everyday and while there are a couple of the same things up there, there are a lot of different things.  The kids loved writing things they were thankful for.  It would probably be a great year-long tradition so they are always having a grateful attitude.