The Advent Calendar....2012

Time for Christmas posts....then we'll get back to the business of spring birthdays.

It is no secret that I love the advent calendar.

This year we are experiencing our old favorites as well as a few new activities that were added on a trial basis. Only if they prove to be fun and easy enough to execute will they be repeated next year.

Let's start with a new one!

This year we had our first ever musical family home evening.

It went much as you might expect....

Mathew started us off with a sweet rendition of 'Silent Night' at the piano.

My favorite part is when he took the opportunity to thank all his fans at the end of the performance and he gave a special shout out to Mom for teaching him the song earlier that morning.

I was touched.

Ethan kept up the magic of the night with a fantastic version of 'Angels We Have Heard on High' on the trumpet. It was very very high and and he rocked it.

Although I was afraid he was going to blow a major vein in his face. It was really high.

 Laney chose to sing "Stars Were Gleaming" AND play the silver bell ornament at the same time.

It was very vivacious.

I was there for moral support and possible prompting if lyrics were forgotten. Anna was there to show off her bedhead.

Mark did a jazzy performance of 'I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas' on the guitar. He is the leader of our family band...The Hufford Hooters.

Megan sang 'Angels We Have Heard on High', even though Ethan had already played it on his trumpet. There's something irresistible about those "glo-oooo-ooo-ria's".  She was a trooper and sang through a minor Anna-fit.

I say minor.

Because she saved the major fit for her own performance of "Tweentole, Tweentole".

It started out like this:

And before you know what was happening, it grew legs and mutated into this:

 I think the wind changed direction or someone crossed their legs... whatever it was. It was a serious offense and she was having NONE OF IT!

So, then it was my turn.

I dusted off the viola and started in on 'Away in the Manger'.

 But, you know Anna was in no mood to allow her mother to do anything besides give full attention to the screaming so....

Here is where Mark tossed the camera on the ottoman and removes the screamer to her room....

Here is where one of the boys picks up the camera to carry on....

And here is where he figures out that I'm upside down.

All in all, everything went just as I had hoped! Everybody did their thing and nobody got a bloody nose.

Oh.

And we had treats.

I think it's a keeper.