Christmas Advent Calendar Ideas for Toddlers

Growing up, my parents would buy one of those cheap advent calendars that had a piece of chocolate in each day.. which I loved, but there were five kids in our family, and only ONE chocolate per day. 5 kids.. 1 chocolate--> family fights over a tiny piece of crappy chocolate. I did like opening the tiny little doors every day, though.
                                                                   

So, I decided to do an activity-based permanent advent calendar for Carter this year. I thought that Carter is old enough to understand and enjoy the Christmas-related activities. I researched calendars from Pottery Barn Kids (I thought about making one myself, but let's face it.. I'm not crafty), and my mom ended up surprising us with a personalized one with our last name on it (I blacked the part out).

I looked up some activity ideas on various blogs via Pinterest, and I picked the most applicable ones for our family and Carter's age. If you've been following me on Instagram or Facebook, you likely have noticed I've been posting lots of pictures of our activities. I made sure to include Christ-related activities, such as telling the Nativity story, reading passages from Luke 2 telling the story of Christ's birth, or providing service to others. Some days in the calendar only held a small piece of candy (I used Dove's dark chocolate peppermint bark, which is fantastic), and some days had an activity and a piece of chocolate. Here are a list of our activities:

1) Read Luke 2:1-21 (we read this, and also did the story using an LDS felt story board)
2) Read Christmas books by the Christmas tree
3) Watch the Polar Express movie
4) Ride the Polar Express train
5) Make paper snowflakes
6) Make salt dough ornaments
7) Paint the ornaments
8) Make popcorn balls
9) Make reindeer food
10) Make chocolate dipped Oreo treats (I used candy cane Oreos with candy cane/peppermint candy melts--this didn't melt very smoothly and was pretty thick, so I was definitely use almond bark next time).
11) Go caroling and give Oreo cookie treats (we visited some single or widowed elderly ladies that we knew from church)
12) Go drive and see Christmas lights
13) Open 1 present early (this will be a Christmas story or Christmas pajamas)
14) See the movie Frozen in the theater
15) Make cookies for Santa
16) Read The Night Before Christmas
17) Play "guess the toy in the stocking"
18) Eat a picnic breakfast by the Christmas tree
19) Watch "Mr. Krueger's Christmas"
20) Fly to California (obviously this is specific to our Christmas vacation)
21) Decorate the Christmas tree
22) Make a gingerbread house
23) Call/Skype the grandparents and sing "Jingle Bells" with bells (they LOVED this)
24) Drink hot chocolate after dinner

Doing this calendar has absolutely made this time of the year magical for me (and Carter). I've loved doing these little projects and seeing Carter's face light up with all of the possibilities. Carter has LOVED doing this, and has asked to do the "Chwistmas cawenduh" every morning! I will definitely be doing this every year from now on, although I'll probably be changing some of the activities as Carter gets older.

Choices, choices..

So, I am off work for Columbus Day today. My daycare is closed, so I had to take the day off work to be home with Little Dude. Anyways, I'm exhausted, and I was deciding on if I should take a nap right now or not, and I thought about my poor little blog that's been neglected. My blog won out, for a short period of time, at least.

So yeah, Carter was sick this weekend. I mean like SICK sick. Like, throwing up every hour from 2:30 AM to 7:30 PM from early Sunday morning to Sunday evening. Like, couldn't even keep down water or Pedialyte. It was AWFUL. Luckily, Graham was here to help. Carter was such a trooper, though.. The last time he puked, he was fine and was even picking up his toys less than 5 minutes later. When I throw up once (not 3-5 times every hour), I am out for the count. Carter was just awesome, and you wouldn't be able to tell he was sick (unless you saw the picture on Facebook where he fell asleep on Graham's lap--he never does that). Graham brought his Engineering for Kids Legos stuff from work, which have motion sensors and propellers, which make things move. I posted a video on Instagram with a drumming Lego monkey. Carter seriously was entertained for two-and-a-half hours, which is unheard of for our very active child!

Other updates in my life. Things are going well for me at work. I am giving a nutrition support lecture at the hospital next Monday (the day before Carter's birthday, yikes). I also was chosen as to become a super-user for our new electronic medical record system that's coming next summer. I get to attend training for two days next month. I am a little stressed out right now because I am working Saturday, Carter's birthday party with family is on Sunday, my lecture is on Monday, Carter's birthday is on Tuesday, and we are flying out to Utah on Thursday. And then, it's Halloween and it's all downhill until Christmas from there. I'm still bummed that I have to work Thanksgiving this year (my first one alone), but I'm sure I can get an invite from someone here. Also, I am already planning out Christmas activities for me and Carter. He's finally starting to understand Christmas and family traditions, so I'm trying to think of fun things to do that he can remember. We are riding the Polar Express Train when we visit Sacramento, so he's starting to get excited for that.

I am loving this fall weather right now--it is a beautiful, clear, chilly day in the Northwest, and it's just perfect today.

Next time I blog, it'll probably be about Carter's birthday. This is what I'm thinking of doing for his 3rd birthday:


Oreo Construction Cake



Funfetti Waffles

I'll probably be posting more pictures and videos on Facebook or Instagram (user Shewi128) before I blog, so check me out there.

Anyways, about that nap...

Yeah, about that..

Let's just say I've gotten behind in my blogging.

I know, I've received hundred of e-mails from devoted fans asking me to return to blog about my life with my delightful stories and insights.. Please, Sherri, just one more blog entry..

Anyways, this is a short one as Carter has awoken from his slumber.. But I shall return.

Here are some picture of Carter to pacify you in the meantime..

 Carter opening his Christmas Eve present.. which was...

Christmas pajamas!

 Carter and Brynn playing.

Carter really does have the cutest smile..

Oh Christmas Tree..

My sister is starting a new tradition to go and cut down a tree every year. In Folsom, we were too far from the tree farms to do that (plus, my mom has a fake tree), but here in Washington, there are tree farms everywhere.

So last Saturday, we got all bundled up for a cold, foggy morning here in Seattle. We met my sister at the tree farm out in the sticks, and got ready to saw down the tree. My sister brought some lovely hot apple caramel cider in mugs, which helped warm us up a little.

Carter and Graham look at a nice Noble Fir 

A random family picture

Carter thinks I'm being silly!

So, we had a very nice morning, and helped my sister put up her tree. It was a fun tradition that we hope to continue. It would be nice to get our own.. especially if Graham weren't allergic to trees!

Twenty-Eleven

So it's been a while since I posted.. Yikes.

Anyways, let's see what's been going on at our house..

--We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Washington. My WHOLE family came up to celebrate and be together, so it was really nice. Carter was spoiled and was held all week long. He got to meet all of the cousins on my side, and was repeatedly called Peanut by my brother and his kids. Now, apparently, my niece who's almost 3, calls him "Sandwich", as in PB&J.

--My 28th birthday was uneventful. Graham let me sleep in, he cleaned the house, and we had some friends over for cake and ice cream.

--We went down to visit Graham's family in Portland before driving to his grandparents' house in Idaho. Unfortunately, the night we went down, Carter spiked a fever a 102.5, and our pediatrician said we should take him to the ER, so that's where we spent 4 hours in the middle of the night. We then had to hang out at Graham's parents house for 3 days so Carter could stay and visit a pediatrician in town to get antibiotics. It messed up our plans to hang out with friends, but Graham's mom loved holding him as much as she could.. so it worked out.

--We drove to Idaho amid a snowstorm, but we didn't have much trouble getting there, except for the 20 miles of pure ice between La Grande and Baker City in Oregon. Fun.

--Idaho was relaxing because we didn't do ANYTHING. I enjoyed sitting on the massage chair every day, even though it bruised my back a bit. Carter was pretty much held by people 24/7, so we're going through detox right now.

--Christmas was nice with Graham's family. We'll post pictures later, but we wanted to surprise everyone with ugly Christmas sweaters. We went to a thrift store in the small town of 800 people because there were ugly Christmas sweaters showcased in the window. I almost bought one that had cats on it and said "Meow-y Christmas", but I found a better one. It was a good thing I did because Graham's sweet grandma came out of her room the next day wearing the cat Christmas sweater.. Meowy Christmas indeed..

--The last week of maternity leave was supposed to be for us to get Carter on a schedule, like us waking up at 6:30 to be ready for work and daycare. That lasted one day.. we really wanted to sleep in the other days! We went up to the coast of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and went on a mini-hike with Carter in a Moby wrap. It was really pretty, but freezing outside.

--Our New Years Eve ended with me falling asleep on the couch at 9:30.. but it was really nice that Carter slept from 10-6. Man, we have the best baby!

So, here are Carter's stats:

Birth weight: 6 lbs, 13 oz, 19 inches long. All 10-25th percentile..

2 months: 10 lbs, 10 oz, 22 inches long. All 10-25th percentile.

Right now he weighs 11 lbs.. He's just a little guy, but Graham is in denial. He got his 2 month vaccinations, and he tolerated them well. He's talking to us a lot, and it is the cutest thing. He's getting good control of his neck, but he still makes a lot of side-to-side motions with his head. He plays with his tongue a lot, and likes to lick everything close to his mouth. He is still a very stinky baby as we found out the first week of his life.

I am going back to work on Monday, so it's really sad. I've cried about it already, but it has to be this way.. But I will be posting a little more, so you should all be excited..

Happy new year?... No such thing

Seinfeld anyone?

Well, Graham and I had an eventful night last night.. We chaperoned a youth church activity from 7-9:30 at the ice skating rink. I finally talked Graham into ice skating with me after the activity was almost over. Disappointingly, he did not fall. We went to bed around 10:30 and only woke up at midnight from our neighbors' obnoxious fireworks outside.

Obviously, I hate New Years Eve. It's not a real holiday.

Anyways, here are some of our family's highlights from 2009:

--I learned how to swallow pills.
--I confessed to my addictions.
--Graham and I survived our health problems.
--I had a bad experience with fish.
--I encountered a mystery at my work.
--We took some road trips.
--I had an unfortunate misunderstanding at work.
--Graham got what he deserved for losing something special.
--I purchased a car for the first time.
--I got a wake up call.
--I agonized over stupid baby names.
--We celebrated Graham's 24th birthday.
--I learned that life is not perfect.
--Graham is going to get a good education.
--I proved that I need to wear a helmet.

Wish you all the best of luck over the next year.. and please Lord, do not make 2010 any worse than 2009....

Merry Christmas!

We're enjoying our time here in sunny Folsom, CA..

We wish you all happy holidays!

Oh, and we celebrated our 2nd anniversary on Monday..

Flashback to our Portland reception on January of 2008..



I like this one because it looks like I'm rockin out..

What do the holidays mean to you?

I've said before that our finances have been pretty tight living off my salary alone.. We just DON'T have extra money floating around. We had to buy a new set of tires for the XTerra, which unfortunately were not cheap, and Graham's student loans haven't come through yet for last quarter. We had to take out money from his 401K to pay for his tuition last quarter. Graham DID get a job, but we don't know when his first paycheck will arrive.

It's been rough with so many events this month: my birthday, our anniversary, my dad's birthday, my nephew's birthday, a baby shower, a wedding, etc... I coud literally spend half of my paycheck on other people. So, this has been our plan for the holidays this year: prioritize gift giving (sorry friends who got married over the summer--your invitations are still on our fridge with the hope of buying you something someday.. Tyler.. this means you), buy my birthday gift late, celebrate our 2nd anniversary when our tax refund hopefully comes next year, buy small gifts only for the other people in our life, and perhaps celebrating Christmas in a different way.

And faced with a giftless Christmas, I started feeling really down and I started investigating exactly WHY the thought of no gifts depresses me.

Buying something I know someone wants brings me joy. Not being able to afford anything brings me sadness.

The holidays are about giving.. Does it have to mean giving gifts?

Maybe it's about spending time with family and giving your time to be with them.

Maybe it's about appreciating what you have and not agonizing over the things you don't have. I guess it could be about giving thanks..

I guess this year, Christmas is all about hope. When Christ was born, people all around the world could feel the hope that His birth would somehow change the world..

I can feel hope for the future, but it's just hard right now.

Thanks

Since I haven't done one of these posts before, I'll just give you a list of things I'm thankful for.. even though it's late:



1) Graham

2) Family

3) Pointy-toed shoes

4) Drew-fit pants at The Limited

5) Santitas and Pace salsa

6) Super Wal-Mart prices

7) Jeans

8) Career and education

9) Down comforters

10) Comcast DVR

11) Wusthof knives

12) Umbrellas

13) iPod car adaptor

14) The calendar feature on my phone

15) The movie "Elf"

16) Piano music

17) Fridays

18) Sun

19) Clicky pens

20) Christmas decorations

Happy holidays everyone

Apparently I'm a middle-aged overweight male

So I had my annual check-up yesterday with my new OB/GYN. She asked if I wanted to get my cholesterol checked because my mom has high cholesterol (sorry mom).

So, I got a call from the nurse today telling me I have high cholesterol- 256 mg/dL or something ridiculously high like that (optimal is below 150). Mind you, it wasn't fasting.. so it might go down to 200 or something, but still... That is bad for a 26 year-old healthy female.

I start thinking about all of the crap I've eaten lately (Chinese food, Christmas candy, etc... you know how it is around the holidays!), and I start freaking out. I had to remind myself that I've been eating healthier since I started working at the hospital (more yogurt, fruit, water, etc..).

Then I remember one experience from my childhood. When I was like 8 years old or something, my pediatrician told me (and my parents of course) that I had high cholesterol. Obviously I have a genetic tendency for high cholesterol. Their advice back then was just to switch to skim milk. My mom did that, but I had no follow-up whatsoever. Thanks Kaiser Permanente!! Now you totally screwed me and my heart!

So, I've now found my motivation to eat even better--sorry Graham-- and to exercise regularly.

Happy f-ing New Year. Live healthy.. or die early like I might.

I'm still eating some of the cake I made last night for the New Years Eve party tonight.

Another... Interesting... Christmas Greeting

We were looking for a cheap temporary stocking for Graham at Rite-Aid, and this is what he picked.

Men are so perverted.

You can't tell me the penguin is "dancing".

Christmas Greetings

Merry Christmas from us..

2008 has been a busy year for us.. Let's see..

--Graham and Sherri went to Disneyland for Graham's first time in March. No plans to return as of yet.. On the way there, they missed our flight down to Orange County.
--Graham got a promotion at his job at Contech in April. He became a manager and received a 50 cent raise. Woohoo.
--Sherri successfully defended and published her master's thesis in May at Oregon Health & Science University. She didn't officially graduate until the end of June. She also finished her dietetic internship in June.
--Graham & Sherri had a summer full of vacations and interesting experiences. They went to Idaho for the Camp family reunion, where Graham lost his wedding ring tubing on the river. They also served as a "ma and pa" on a Mormon pioneer trek for the Portland Stake. They were the coolest "parents", and ended up having a good time even though Sherri sustained several minor injuries along the way.
--Graham & Sherri went on their honeymoon to Kauai in July and only had a few minor mishaps on their vacation.
--Sherri had her first job interview at a hospital in the Seattle area, and got a job as a clinical dietitian. She officially started there in August and is currently loving her job.
--Graham started school full-time at Olympic College in Brem Brem, and plans on going into mechanical engineering. He also got a job as a job coach for handicaped people at the hospital. He plans on getting into the coordinated program with the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard to become an engineer there and they in turn pay back student loans. So.. they may end up in Brem Brem for a while!

For the cheese factor, here you go..

We're sending a greeting from both of us,
From G & S.. the names you trust.

We took a picture of us both to share,
We even dressed nice and styled our hair.

We only have one stocking by the fireside,
But we have Christmas lights to keep the room bright.

We love you all and miss those not near,
So we wish you all a Merry Christmas this year!

P.S. Doesn't Graham look like Edward from Twilight in this picture? I apologize for the nasty picture and sweats, but we thought it'd be pretty funny.