Advent Calendar

I really wanted to make an Advent Calendar for Ellie this year but I just ran out of time so I have been using the one we have had for a few years. I have been sticking in a few pieces of candy until today. I decided to still put in the candy but also a piece of paper with an activity for us to do together everyday. I have gotten so many cute ideas from other blogs!!!! Here are some things I am going to include:

Make a gingerbread house with mom & dad

Make Christmas cookies

Watch a Christmas movie together (I usually clean or something when she watches TV so I think she will love this!)

Make homemade playdoh

Have a holiday tea party (basically wear our Christmas dresses because every time we have a tea party Ellie puts on a dress-up dress and tells me I need to change into a dress or skirt that pants aren't allowed. I usually resist so this will be a big deal to her!)

Make a gumball tree

Snuggle in front of the tree in our sleeping bags and read books and drink hot chocolate

Have a dance party with Christmas music (Again she will make me dress up!)

Decorate a cardboard Christmas tree with paint, glitter etc. to hang on her door

Walk around the neighborhood after dark with flashlights to see the Christmas lights once dad comes home

Ride the train to go see the singing bears

This is all I have on the list so far so if anyone has ideas I would love to hear them!!!! Today we built the gingerbread house with dad! This was an all day family project and for the most part it was a lot of fun except for Ellie having a few meltdowns and Emily trying to crawl up the stairs every time I would start painting (we have got to get a baby gate). Ellie did a lot of the painting and Chris and I put the finishing touches on it after the girls went to bed. Here is our finished house!