Advent: Day 17

Lego Star Wars Calendar:

Activities:

attend Mauryn's dance recital

host a gingerbread house party

mauryn had her christmas dance recital.

she has been practicing at home for weeks and weeks.

dancing is her passion.

 its just part of what makes up mauryn.

she loved every minute of being on stage.

she did a great job.

i may have shed a tear or two during her dance.

 after mauryn's recital we came home and put the final touches on our house for a gingerbread house decorating party.


when i saw this idea last year i KNEW i had to add it to our advent calendar


the set up was easy:
taco bar for dinner
peppermint cookies/treats 
and hot chocolate bar for dessert

after dinner we moved out to the garage and got to work on the gingerbread houses
the garage was filled with giggles and laughter and idea sharing 

while the decorating was in the garage, i found this guy stealing a cookie 

its pretty hard to get after this face


when the gingerbread houses were in the final stages, the boys got out the swords for a little energy consuming play
9 boys + 1 dad = crazy fun for the boys

i loved seeing all the completed houses

the consensus  at the end of the night was the costco gingerbread house was the best bang for your buck.... 

it is now fully assembled so you just need to decorate it

no more lopsided houses

or caved in walls

or falling roofs

such a fun, easy night 
something we will likely become a yearly tradition

Bible Verses:

Sing to the LORD a new song,
   for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm
   have worked salvation for him.
The LORD has made his salvation known
   and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
He has remembered his love
   and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
   the salvation of our God.
 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
   burst into jubilant song with music;
make music to the LORD with the harp,
   with the harp and the sound of singing,
with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—
   shout for joy before the LORD, the King.
 Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
   the world, and all who live in it.
 Let the rivers clap their hands,
   let the mountains sing together for joy;
 let them sing before the LORD,
   for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
   and the peoples with equity.
Psalm 98