A Birthday Party

Only 19 days until Christmas!

Cookie-faced Kate!

AC loved helping decorate the tree...

All dressed for Christmas (with one of her favorite- and memorized books!)

Our Church annually hosts a "Birthday Party for Jesus." Mom and I took the little girls and they both had a good time! The party started with singing lots of Christmas songs. AnnaClaire and Kate definitely were just dancing and dancing, and singing! They both loved the music! One of the pastors told a shortened version of the Christmas story and then all the kids sang the birthday song for Jesus. It was so cute. I think AnnaClaire was a little bit confused by the fact that Jesus wasn't coming to his own birthday party, as she kept asking, "Is Jesus coming?" So sweet!

After the music and story, they had different stations set up. There was a cookie decorating area, which was a hit for both girls. There was a bigger rooms with crafts, activities, face painting, etc., which we spent most of our time in. The girls both had so much fun! AnnaClaire got her face painted with a Christmas tree, which I think she thought was the coolest thing ever. She made a little paper chain counting down the days until Christmas, a bookmark, an ornament, and a bunch of other little things. It was such a cute little party and AnnaClaire seemed to really enjoy herself there! Kate was a little more reserved, as she normally is around lots of people. She did love the music and the cookie decorating though, and the little balloon dog she got, that is for sure!

The rest of the day was spent putting up Christmas decorations. Two decorated trees (one fake, one real), a complete village of snow village houses (spread out in 5 different areas in our house!), stockings (oh how I love seeing SEVEN stockings on the mantel!), and a bunch of other misc. Christmas decorations and we are ALMOST done! Tomorrow we're hanging greenery and putting candles in the windows... we're skipping wreaths in every window this year. It's too much work to open our 14 year old windows from the top... especially with Dad's back in the condition that it's in! Everything looks so pretty though! Oh how I love Christmastime! I think the little girls do, too! AnnaClaire loved helping me hang ornaments on the trees! We had to head out in the afternoon for a few things and on the way home, it had gotten dark so we drove through some streets in our neighborhood which were very lit up. Both girls were memorized by the pretty lights.

And just because they are so cute.... here are my two sweet sisters with their beloved new Santa hats! (these were taken on my phone in Walmart, hence the terrible quality)