The Pinto Family: Advent

We love Advent in our home! It is a fun and exciting time of preparation for the celebration of Christ's birth at Christmas. We try to incorporate not just preparations for Christmas like decorating and baking cookies, but more importantly some service and spiritual growth opportunities. The kids once again enjoyed the tradition of the Jesse tree in our daily family prayers - we read a scripture passage each day of Advent which by the end of the season has taken us from creation to the birth of Jesus - helping us see the timeline and genealogy of Jesus' birth. They also enjoy taking turns opening a door of the Advent calendar each day to add a piece to the nativity scene. And we try to encourage good deeds by placing a piece of hay in the manger for each deed so they can prepare their hearts and a soft place for Jesus' birth. It was truly a wonderful season of preparation this year!

Advent By Candlelight at SPC - what a lovely and inspirational evening with these ladies!!

Shawn and the kids helped the Knights put out all the missals in the church for the new liturgical year.

Buddies Andrew and Henry - future Knights for sure!

Grace and I enjoyed our annual trip to see the Nutcracker ballet

I have fond memories of my grandmother putting up this Christmas village each year. She hand painted each one of the buildings and many of the people!! Several years ago she surprised me and gave me the village as a gift! I was so excited and honored. I have been waiting to put it up until my kids were old enough that I could trust them not to touch and break anything. This was the year!! I put it up for the first time in our home and what a joy it was to enjoy the whole Advent and Christmas season! We absolutely loved it!!! Thank you thank you Grandma...this will be cherished for many more years to come!

Advent is filled with many great feast days, one of which is Our Lady of Guadelupe on December 8th....this year the kids made tilmas like Juan Diego and wore them at prayer time with a mini parade singing the Hail Mary to honor the day.

It might not be the fanciest tree, but it is beautiful to us because it is full of ornaments representing so many blessings and happy memories!

What would Advent be without a trip to visit Santa (SPC Breakfast with Santa) to show him your list?

Fun with friends at breakfast with Santa

Christmas piano recital. Grace played Jingle bells (2 hands this year) and Nicholas played Jolly Old St Nicholas and Up On the Housetop.

Gingerbread decorating - this year the girls worked on 1 while the boys teamed up on another.

While not related to Advent, the boys did have Cub Scout Rocket Day in December since it had to be rescheduled from the fall for rain. Both these guys shot off rockets this year and had successful launches and recoveries!!

We added a star with lights to our outdoor manger scene this year as well as colored lights on the bushes in the front of the house.

Cookie baking day! (actually had to split it into a few days this year, but this picture is from the day we baked sugar cookies)

Daddy and Samuel were on a roll!

In the school Nativity production, the kindergarteners always dress up to re-enact the event while the rest of the children sing various songs. Henry was a shepherd and what a cute one he was!!