25 days of Christmas

my goal this year is to keep a journal (blog?) of bentleys first Christmas. maybe someday he will think it is cute, boring, over the top, or funny. either way, this is the best place to keep everything organized. plus its more fun to jot notes down when other people can read them. so we will see how this goes...and what it looks like. maybe pictures, lists, stories, etc. it will be a surprise to all of us!

a few days ago grandmother & grandfather brought over bentleys first Christmas book & our family advent calendar! and for me, a special treat- arabian nights. i now have my own little jar. and to think, when we were younger, how a few handfuls turned into emptying out the whole bowl. and we thought grandmother would never notice. they also brought over shawns birthday present...i told shawn i am just not used to november birthdays! his always sneaks up on me. he didn't even get a special blog shout out. his basketball girls did give him a 25 point win, so i suppose that will make up for it. 

today: 

we read the christmas book (actually, there are a few songs in it, so we sang some too). 

looked at the advent calendar & opened door number one.

i went grocery shopping & picked up a few holiday essentials including, but not limited to: creamer-pepermint mocha & eggnog latte. (yay for coupons!) pumpkin, pistachios,  & eggnog.

i made a holiday dessert for our small group (that ended up getting canceled) so i will have to test it on my own...i'll let you know how it turns out.

 

tonight: we loaded up & went to buy a tree! shawn is a pro when it comes to picking out the perfect tree. one of the many reasons why i love him. he can spot the best tree a mile away AND load it into the car like it is a tiny twig. all very impressive & i am oh so glad not to have either of those responsibilities. 

we picked up a stocking for bentley. you will die.

we added a few more ornaments to our collection.

bought lights for the outside of the house. my goal is for us to look like we live in a gingerbread house. giant colored lights. i have a feeling it will be fab.

came home, and bonus! my favorite movie is on! the grinch. (dirty little secret, when it came out in the movie theaters i saw it 3 times. to many, i know) i'm super excited about the 25 days of christmas on abc family. 

shawn just brought in the christmas tubs from the shed...so here we go!