Advent Update: Week 1

We made it through our first week of advent! At the start of the week the tot didn't want much to do with any of it, preferring to play with babies rather than paying any attention to the calendar, but after she realized that it meant doing fun stuff and eating treats she was all about it!

Please disregard my child's wild hair and messy clothes in these photos. Girlfriend plays hard all day at daycare and a change of clothes isn't necessary for the 2 hours she spends at home before we throw her in the tub each night. This is real life folks - it's not always pretty. ;c )

The first day of advent called for one of Taylor's favorite activities - coloring Christmas pages for the grandparents. She went straight to work but soon was distracted by her other toys, so this activity ended up being a week long event. She would color for a few minutes each night and then wander off to do something else, so hopefully you get your pictures before Christmas!

Day 2's activity was to watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas" on TV; however, when I flipped to ABC at 7:00 PM I soon discovered that the TV guide Google led me to was incorrect. So, I did the next best thing, I hopped on Amazon and had the movie purchased and playing before the tot knew any different. When in doubt, throw money at the problem. ;c )

She is currently obsessed with all things 'Noopy so I knew this would be a hit. If you recall, we read the story last year so I was excited for her to see the animated version this year and clearly she was into it.

Day 3's activity was to read a new Christmas book since reading continues to be one of her favorite activities. It isn't uncommon for her to come home at night, strip off her coat and boots, and curl up in bed with a cup of juice and a few good books. I'm always on the hunt for something new, so I was pretty excited when I found a couple of cute Christmas stories at Marshall's on Black Friday. Spoiler alert: you'll likely see this activity reappear later in the month.

Since December 1 fell on a Tuesday this year, that meant that Day 4 was on Friday (hallelujah!) and Friday nights in our house always call for popcorn and a movie - advent is no exception! In keeping with the Christmas theme, I chose "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" for our Friday night flick. We made a girl's night out of it by painting our nails red and dancing around to Christmas music before we started the movie. Have I mentioned how much I love this age?

Day 5's activity was to visit Santa and have lunch with Daddy. Jake has been working a lot lately and Taylor has made it very clear that she misses her play time with him, so it was no surprise to see her jumping up and down when I told her that Daddy would be joining us for Saturday's activities. She instantly put on her boots and his hat and headed for the door. When I asked her where she was going, she responded, "I go to work like Daddy." Melt my heart, kid.

When we arrived at Bass Pro to see Santa, Taylor was so excited! She told us she was going to ask Santa for "presents" (how specific) and she couldn't wait to sit on his lap, but when it was our turn to actually go up and meet him she froze and refused to let go of Jake which resulted in another awkward family photo with Santa. Oh well, maybe next year.

The festivities continue as we roll into Week 2. Stay tuned for this week's recap!