Bechtel Family: Spreading Christmas Cheer!

We have been busy with TONS of fun things to do this Christmas season! From the minute we started putting out decorations Gracie has been one excited little girl! She is at such a fun age this year and she understands so much more which is so much sweeter to see! One of our favorite things to do as a family is ride around and look at Christmas lights! We started this year right after Thanksgiving and have enjoyed it since! I will say the first couple of times were not very fun! My sweet oldest child loves to talk...imagine that...and she would just talk nonstop! HA! By the time we were done Craig and I both were about to pull out our hair from answering questions and oohing and ahhing over lights! So...we got smarter the last few times! We would come prepared with a candy cane or sucker! HA! We also took her a few times through our drive thru at one of our Chick-fil-la's to get a milkshake! They have a huge light's display and a lighted drive thru tunnel as you go though the line (if that makes sense). All the lights are set to music that you can hear by turning your radio to a certain channel! It is always a highlight every year! Earlier in Dec. we went to our first drive thru Nativity Scene! A local church here put it on and it was really neat to see!

Besides lights we have seen Santa, had parties at school, playdates with friends and even went to a movie night at our church! They were playing a Veggie Tales movie, Little Drummer Boy! Gracie and Lillie both loved it! Lillie sat through the whole thing! We have also had movie night here at our house a few times with some Christmas movies complete with hot chocolate and popcorn! Our weather has not felt like Christmas at all this week though! It has been hot and rainy! Yuck! But we have pressed on and even went Christmas Caroling for the first time! (Well, first time for Gracie and Lillie). Craig and I both went as children! My friend Amy called and said that her dad (who is in the choir at our church) and a few other church members were going caroling and we should go! She was taking her whole crew and I just knew G would eat it up! So, with a little prodding for daddy we went! It was a rainy day but the rain let up that evening and we were able to take Lillie too! Craig quickly volunteered to stay home with her or in the car while we went to sing but they were able to walk around with us too!:) We had such a fun night spreading Christmas cheer with great friends!

Here are Gracie and Andrew singing at the first house! Someone in the choir had printed out the first verse of each song we were going to sing! G grabbed that paper and never let go! She held it up where she could see it (even though she couldn't read it) and sang her little heart out!

Sweet friends! Andrew hung in there with her and even Annalyn started out with G too but after about the third house and a few cookies she got a little distracted!:) The first house had gingerbread cookies and we thought we were going to be in trouble because the kids would expect that at every house! Everyone was very kind and appreciative when we knocked on there door! We started out with people that some of the choir people knew and then they would direct us to their neighbors and so forth!

Notice G's pink rain boots! We had the princess umbrella too but didn't have to use it to Gracie's dismay! She loves to dress up for any event!:)

Gracie's eyes are closed in this one but it was the only one I had with Annalyn! I think they are eating their cookies!

Ali joined in on the fun too! She was such a big help with Lillie and held her for part of the time which was a nice distraction from mommy and daddy! Lillie was great and was a trooper through it all! I think she really enjoyed the singing so it will be interesting to see how she does tomorrow night at our Christmas Eve service!