Sunday Snapshots: 1, 2, 3, Christmas!

Our last Sunday afternoon family gathering until after Christmas found us scrambling to fit in all of the things we wanted to do together this season.  And we did it!  

~ 1 ~

We enjoyed a simple menu, the same that we enjoy every year on the Sunday before Christmas:

Christmastime Sandwiches, chips, pickles, and fruit.

~ 2 ~

The children presented their annual Christmas pageant.

(You can see pics of previous pageants ~here~ and ~here~...oh how these kids have grown!)

The small actors did a fine job!
They recited all their lines.  

The shepherds gasped in fear at the appropriate time.

The costume committee created convincing costumes using the dress-up box, an item or two of borrowed clothing, and a few household items.  (The shepherds all wanted to hold the staff, but came to an amicable agreement.)

One of the actors had a nosebleed mid-performance, but the troupe handled the interruption with great aplomb.  

Close-ups of the tiny angel (2-year-old Alaine) and the little blond shepherds

~ 3 ~

The children did a Christmas craft that Kristin had planned.  

After the pageant, we whipped up a batch of royal icing and tinted it green.

The kids spread the icing on their upside-down sugar cones and then decorated their "trees" with small candies and sprinkles.

(They ate almost as much as they decorated.)

Fun, fun!  

I love a craft that is not too easy for the oldest children, but is simple enough for even the smallest. 

The next time the grands will come to Gran and Papa's house, it will be Christmas Day!

It is coming fast!