Advent day 1: Our advent calendar

Yay! It's December 1st!

The hatchlings have only been waiting for December, since June January.

I know I have been a poor blogger, but this month I will post every day.

We have lots of homemade gifts, crafts and holiday treats to make.

I'd like to keep a bit of a family diary of these things; as well as, sharing them with you.

Not to mention, just to keep a little record of what will be a very busy month.

All together the hatchlings have 7 Christmas parties to attend, 3 separate concerts/ performances to take part in, all alongside a dozen other holiday events.

Have I ever mentioned the sheer stupidity of scheduling your children's routine dentist appointments in December? It means that for some bizarre reason, they always fall smack dab in the middle of the busiest week, of the whole year.

Anyways, we have been decorating.

I know it is only just December.

You see, I have been asked 3,000 times since Halloween if we could PLEASE put the tree up yet?!

Hence, I relent.

This fellow has been busy wrapping all his trains to put under the tree.

And these girls have made roughly 40m of paper chains.

Last but not least, today, we begin with the first day of our advent calendar. 

Years ago, I made little blue velour sacks, tied with gold rope.

Into each of these sacks, I put five treats, for five hatchlings.

They take turns opening them and being the one to share out the treats. 

This year I had a new idea.

I bought a puzzle.

The one pictured above.

So cute. All 500 pieces of it.

Last night, I worked hard at assembling the whole thing. So that I could put the pieces into the sacks, in a logical order.

And you know what happened this morning…

Hatchling no4 opened every sack and dumped them all out.

I'd threaten him with the naughty list, but the boy has an ego of steel. 

He'd just write his own list.

After far too much sorting, we have now started this year's advent.

We are are glueing the puzzle pieces to a board.

To avoid loosing them along the way.

Which seems to be a lot more challenging than expected, already.

I share the idea; just incase, you do not have an overly enthusiastic three year old, who loves to help.

Happy December 2013!