'Tis the Season

The Christmas season is here and we are loving the many celebrations and traditions that accompany this special time of year.  I am especially enjoying the unseasonably warm Boston weather!  I actually ran outside, in shorts, in Massachusetts, in December, and I was able to break a sweat while doing so!  This might not seem terribly exciting, but it is truly a miracle when compared to last winter when we seem to get record snow falls weekly.  At one point last year we even lost track of the Mini that was parked on the street because it was covered in piles and piles and piles of snow. 

Beyond the great weather, we are getting into the Christmas spirit by focusing each day on Jesus Christ and the true meaning of the season.  Each day we burn an advent candle to count down to Christmas day.  While we burn the candle, we read a passage of the New Testament that highlights the Savior's life and ministry.  This has been a great new tradition for our family as it allows us to turns our thoughts to the Savior daily and feel gratitude for Him. 

We also thought it would be a great idea to make an ornament for Carter's first Christmas using the imprint of his hand.  We of course bought a kit with the necessary items and figured it would be an easy breezy process to create a fun keepsake for Carter.  Well, the box should have warned us that making this item with a child over 3 months is practically impossible, but like good first time parents, we were clueless when we purchased it so we were especially determined to make it work.

 Chris meticulously rolling the dough

Carter practicing his hand-printing

The hand-printing attempt (this was probably the 5th or 6th try)

After several unsuccessful attempts of trying to get Carter to place his hand gently in the squishy material, we ended up with this:

That's right- a footprint! Only took us one try!