The Kassel Family Project Life 365

The top sheet was in Laura’s backpack today.  She is doing very well writing her name in cursive.  She was very excited to show it off!  The bottom sheet is John’s handwriting practice.  He has really improved.  I think both kids are doing well!

Laura wrote her Family Communication Journal, or FCJ, to Chippy this week.  This presented a challenge because, well, Chippy is an Elf.  An.  Elf.  Fortunately, I discovered that Chippy wrote back this morning.  Laura was very excited to read it!

We spent the evening visiting two of our favorite Christmastime places in Columbia – the Magic Tree and the Candy Cane Crib.  We started at the Magic Tree and it was packed!  Of course, it was 60 degrees outside…  The Magic Tree was beautiful as always.  This is one of my favorite parts of Columbia at Christmas.

We got a picture of the kids underneath the tree.

Then, John took this one of Andy and I.

We enjoyed the wonder of the Magic Tree for about 45 minutes and, then, it was off to the Candy Cane Crib!

I love the Candy Cane Crib!  It is just someone’s home, but the husband of the family advertises on Facebook and Twitter and, sometimes, you will catch him sitting in the driveway by a fire with a beer in hand.  This past year, they lost a tree due to a major wind storm.  So, the husband built the Candy Cane Hut!  It’s a great place for pictures.

It was a fun evening checking out the beautiful Christmas lights.  Love this time of year!

I got 30 cents off a gallon thanks to the Hy-Vee Fuel Saver program!  That makes gas $1.85 a gallon, totaling $35 to fill up the truck!  I can’t remember the last time I paid that little for gas.  Yay!

John woke me up at 3:30 am with a fever.  I do not think it is the flu, but a type *not* covered by this year’s vaccine is currently making its way through Ridgeway Elementary…  Luckily, his fever is not particularly high.  Let’s hope it stays that way.  I have spent most of the afternoon watching different Christmas shows with my sick John Buddy.  Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is up now.

My early Christmas present from Rachel Lowery! I *think* she knows me pretty well! Now, to get some plain Vodka… Somehow, I currently only have Vanilla Vodka in the house. How did that happen?!?

Our new Advent Calendar arrived today – a nativity scene.  You build the nativity scene each day with a different magnet.  It is very nice and I am looking forward to this new Christmastime tradition.