Christmas Advent Calendar: Days 7 & 8

Friday's Christmas advent calendar activity called for delivering holiday goodies to the neighbors. Which, coincidentally, arrived just in time as I'm all too tempted to eat everything myself.

On our way to the cabin Friday afternoon, Andi and I swooped over to each of our neighbor's houses and delivered tins of treats to them. It's a good feeling to see each of them so surprised and happy to see us. This little good deed goes a long way in developing a relationship with our neighbors and making this a better place for us to live all year round.

On Saturday, I'd originally planned for our family of three to go to the Holidazzle parade in downtown Minneapolis but our weekend trip to the cabin changed our activity. Tory might be a little too young for the parade anyway (maybe it was me who secretly wanted to go!) and Andi and I both feel the need to jump on any open weekend to get to the cabin. The weather was crisp and sunny Saturday afternoon, so Andi and I took Tory on a nature walk in the woods. We decided to make a frozen sun catcher as our advent calendar activity instead.

Before we went outdoors, Andi and I decided to dress Tory in her new snow suit. The outdoor temperature was about 32 degrees so the full garb probably wasn't needed, but it's so adorable we just had to try it. Tory wasn't sure what to think of the dusting of snow on the ground. I suppose she doesn't remember experiencing snow last winter so it was like she was seeing it all for the very first time. Every time she tried to bend down to touch it, she'd lose her balance due to her thick pants and big ol' snow boots. When Tory's hand filled with snow, she'd shout "uh oh!"

We were having such a fun time enjoying the outdoors on our nature walk until I let Tory down to walk along the trail. Stupid me for letting her walk on uneven ground - Tory's feet weren't steady enough in her snow boots and she fell face-first, right on her nose. She only cried a little, but earned herself a goose egg on her forehead and a scratch on her nose. Andi and I felt horrible, so we high-tailed it back to the cabin.

Like the good daddy he is, Andi finished collecting items for our frozen sun catcher project and brought them all into the house so we could assemble it together. Doing a craft activity with Andi is so different than if I'd done it on my own with Tory. He created a special loop for the sun catcher to hang from a tree branch and clipped it to the Tupperware bowl with a clothespin to hold it in place. I would've just draped a string over the side of the bowl!

Nature items ready to assemble in a bowl full of water

Andi and Tory worked to place all the nature items into a bowl of water. He talked to her about each item and where it came from outside. My heart was melting as I snapped a few photos of the two of them working together.

Andi and Tory making a frozen sun catcher

When they finished, Andi placed the Tupperware bowl in the freezer. Tory really enjoyed this activity and kept signing "more" to do it again. I think she liked playing in the water the most.

Nature sun catcher ready to be frozen

Unfortunately, a big winter storm is heading our direction and at the last minute tonight, Andi and I decided to pack up and head back to the Twin Cities before it's arrival. As Minnesotans, we're definitely not afraid of a little snowfall, but having Tory in the mix changes things. Andi and I thought it best for us to be home safe instead of taking our chances on snowy roadways tomorrow.

We didn't have a chance to see our frozen sun catcher as a finished product, but it'll be waiting for us when we get back to the cabin next time. I can't wait to hang it from a tree branch in the backyard and watch it from the cozy living room window.