We had our 'Christmas Eve' and 'Christmas' this past weekend. We do stockings and one gift on Christmas Eve along with the Christmas story and the kids are always so excited. Eli was ready with the bible in hand when Daddy got home from work Friday so we could get the show on the road. They decided that they wanted to have pizza, breakfast burritos, chicken noodle soup, apple crisp, and meatballs with bowtie pasta. I was excited about the easy choices and we had a lot of fun.

I felt a little old this Christmas especially as I shopped for Eli. He got a bow which he loves and I got him and Brian a couple of games that they both enjoy - I mean big kid stuff...

The kids were very excited about the gifts that they bought for each other this year - Eli got Kiley a hello kitty gum ball machine and Kiley got Eli a couple of NFL players. (the library got a new series about each NFL team and now Eli is very interested in the NFL)

We had a great little family Christmas and I feel immensely blessed.

On Friday we went to main street Bethlehem. It was a little over an hour away and we stood in line for a little over an hour, but it was so worth it. The kids loved it. There is an actual little town set up as it would have been when Jesus was born. They had the market with people selling things, animals, rope makers, cloth makers, bakers, people just in their homes eating or making butter, black smiths, the jail, the well, the tavern, the inn, and the 'stable' where Jesus was born. Roman soldiers were walking around and everyone was in character. The kids loved it. As we were walking out Kiley asked if we could please just get back in line and see it all again or just go home and sleep and them come back in the morning time. The kids both thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

So today was a big day in the Lehmann household...

Eli has, much to his father's delight, discovered the game Risk and he loves it. Today Brian and Eli finished their first game (it was started on Thursday night...) and Eli was victorious. Now he is hooked. How anyone can enjoy a game that takes that long is beyond me...

Thursday night Mr. Eric stopped by and quickly became Eli's military advisor...

Horrible picture of Brian this morning, but I guess he was just morning his defeat?!

December is here... We started our Jesse Tree and advent activities today and the kids were very excited. This is our second year to do the Jesse Tree it is a daily devotional that takes you through the bible hitting on some of the main characters and stories up to the birth of Jesus. We have a tree that we put an ordament the represents each story on.

We also have a little house with numbered doors on it and each day the kids open a door and it has some little treat in it. Tonight they got a tootsie roll and they were very excited...

Brian got the kids an early Christmas present and couldn't wait until then to put it up so... the kids have been thoughtly enjoying their trampoline. The morning after he put it up they were out at about 7:15?!

Well it has been awhile...
I am amazed that November is already gone. Our time was filled with school and just enjoying our time together. We spent Thanksgiving with great friends here and had a wonderful time. The Thankful wreath is down now and the Christmas decorations up. We have a countdown chain counting down our time until we get to head back to KS for the holidays (I got tiered of Kiley asking every day many times a day when we were going, she is very excited...)

Last weekend we headed to Austin for a Christmas parade. The kids enjoyed themselves even though it was actually raining right before and a little chilly (we will defiantly not complain about rain b/c we desperately need it). It was a great parade and they had floats in the parade that would stop and you could load with gifts for needy children or those in the hospital at Christmas time. It was right beside the capital building which Eli of course loved. They loved all the huge balloons and Eli thought it was great the spiderman actually sprayed web on everyone.

Love these kiddos!

Some of our friends came over this morning to give the kids some 'glasses' that they had made. They had fun playing and decided to make a band. Eric decided they should be called the Spectacles. It was defiantly entertaining.

The kids always have fun picking out pumpkins each year. This year Kiley picked one from the pumpkin patch and Eli wanted to wait and look at a different patch b/c he did not see one that he really liked!? Last year Eli bought the big pumpkin and he ended up not getting one at all this year. He could not find one that was just right after his huge success last year.

Kiley however wanted to make a face on hers. We spent Halloween at home and carved a pumpkin, played in the back yard, and watched a movie before heading to bed. It was a great family night. The kids had fun gutting the pumpkin and then eating the roasted seeds.

Kiley was very proud of herself and her letters yesterday. She asked me to take a picture and, of course, had to show Eli. It is OK if mom says good job but oh so much better when her brother is proud of her.

Eli has been keeping busy with school and soccer. Last week he did find some time to make an addition to the tree house. He thought that it could use another way up and down (even though it had two already) so he built this ladder and daddy helped him with the drill. He was very proud of himself.

Last week Eli had a dress up day. They were to dress like a character from literature. He, of course, went with history and wanted to be Davy Crockett.

The kids and I headed to a birthday party this morning. It was at a little ranch and the kids had a lot of fun. They rode horses, dressed up horses, and lassoed goats.

Kiley loved doing the little horse and donkey's hair and Eli's favorite was the goat roping. Kiley was not a fan herself she would run after them and when she got close stop when they told her to throw it she said, "No thanks I do not want to hurt the goat."

We got to enjoy a pumpkin patch with some friends and the kids had a lot of fun. The maze with the biggest hit. The kids loved searching for the bell and then running all around playing hide and seek. They had a great day and were exhausted by the end.