advent |ˈadˌvent| the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.

Old English, from Latin adventus ‘arrival,’ from advenire, from ad- ‘to’ + venire ‘come.’

We have been doing an advent reading each morning this month in preparation for Christmas. This is our first year doing this and it has been great. I think it is sinking in a little with Lydia (and mom and dad) that the birth of Jesus is a way bigger deal than any of us can imagine.

Here is our advent tree. When Lydia first saw it she said, "It's little. Like me!"

Mom wrapped all of the advent ornaments into 25 little packages. They coincide with the reading for each morning. One of us reads from Voskamp's Unwrapping the Greatest Gift and then Lydia hangs the ornament on the Jesse Tree. Here are some photos of the setup.

And here are some photos of us setting up our Christmas tree a few weeks ago, a few from our first snowfall here (that quickly melted away), a few of our new piano, and also some randoms. (Note that a couple of the photos of Lydia with a camera are followed by the photo that she took with it.) Click to expand.

Other News

Other news Part 1: This week Lydia said, "Mom, I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to say yes, because you say no a lot, okay?"

Other news Part 2: After an extensive and successful search for her lost stuffed animal Penny, Lydia said, "I'm a hero. I'm really good at finding lost things."