A bit o' Christmas

First off, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has written such thoughtful and kind comments after my stepbrother's passing.  It has been a hard time for my family and your words and thoughts meant more to me than you will ever know.  

I have been keeping my spirits up by throwing myself into the Christmas activities that Jemma loves and celebrating a sweet birthday.  We have decorated some but not as much.  I just couldn't pull it all together this year.  My friends would tell you it is all decorated, but I know the truth!  I have more stuff!  I thought I would share a few shots with you.  I have to do my nighttime shots soon.  I just can't believe that Christmas is almost here!

Singing her sweet heart out at the Christmas program

Birthday party at the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry.  It was a princesses and noblemen theme.  It was so much fun and included a scavenger hunt to help Princess Jemma find her royal things!
Can you say smocked birthday cakes on her shirt?  Looooove it!!!

The girls made crowns and the boys made shields.  Here they are on the scavenger hunt!  So much fun!

Some decorating!

This is Jemma's room.  I don't know if I have shown it before.  She picked out her canopy when we moved to Charleston.  The bed is super high and she can now get in without the step stool, but it is awfully cute there!  I still put the rails up at night as it is so far for her to fall off and she has done it once!  Ouch!  We just use a soft blanket with the quilt at the foot as she gets so hot at night.  She loves when I put up the garland!

This is her PB bookcase that she got when she was born.  I love this thing and fill it with seasonal books.  She has about 2 more shelves of just winter books.  My name is Kathryn and I am a children's book addict.  As a teacher for 10 years, I collected a lot and then I buy more all the time for her!  I actually have tubs for each season and we rotate books!  

I got my craft on once and made a hair bow holder!  

These shelves hold her collections... smoking men, Eiffel Towers and snowglobes.  The blue tin cup was my dad's.  It has always been in her room.

Oh yes... she has a purple Christmas tree that she decorates all by herself!  She loves it and so do I !

THIS is what Christmas is all about and we try very hard to teach Jemma the real reason for the season.  One of our favorite traditions is her advent nativity scene.  Each night we read the nativity story and add a piece to the scene.  On the 24th, we add the most important part... baby Jesus.  Jemma says that this is one of her most favorite traditions we do.  She read the story to us last night as she has memorized it.  There is nothing sweeter than her sweet voice telling the story of the birth of our Savior.

We bought this little music box thing two years ago and she loves it.  When we first got it, she would make us all lay in the bed, turn out all the light (this thing lights up), and play the songs.  We still do and the other night she was propped up on her Daddy's leg singing along with it and the glow of the lights just lit up her sweet face.  I will never forget that moment.

Just a few of the stuffed animals that inhabit the bed.  Fuzzy is always there along with pinky poodle the dog.  There are always a few pillow pets.  We have more...  Her irish dancer has been a favorite lately so she gets top privileges.

A peek of our new tree

Henry VIII and all his wives are back in our room!

I made a simple centerpiece this year as I was having all my sorority sisters to the house and needed something quick.  My mom always had a hurricane vase nestled in a wreath on our table so I created my own with clippings from the box they have at Lowes!  The berries came from my parents house and the candles are the flameless.  I love them!  This is a simple centerpiece, but I absolutely love it!

Letter to Santa.  She thinks she is fancy this year with her curly a's!   I also love her snowflake!  When she started it, I wasn't sure what it was.  When she said a snowflake, I wasn't really seeing it, but when she was done... I thought it was brilliant!

This is Fred our elf.  He missed the North Pole so much that he was in the freezer one morning!  Jemma gave her letter to him to take back to Santa.  We love Fred!

Fred's snowball fight with Rudolph and the gang!  

I love this picture.   We talk all the time about Jesus's birth and she knows that THAT is the true meaning of Christmas, but oh how I love all the magical excitement of Santa Claus!

I will take some more pictures and post them.  We have just got so much to do with so little time left.  Thank goodness that my shopping is pretty much done except for a few small things!
3 more days to go!