Advent Day 20 and 19

I think I'm counting backwards, aren't I?  Ugghhh.  I don't think I'm going back to fix the titles.  Perhaps I'll start counting forwards from now on, like our advent calendars.  Speaking of...

We have two advent calendars this year.  One is like the ones we've had in the past, a chocolate-filled cardboard one that is just for this season where you open the little doors.  Myrick loves it, of course, but we also have a new one this year.  Each day of advent, you hang a piece of the nativity scene onto the quilt building up to baby Jesus on the last day.  After bedtime story, she never fails to remind me that it is time to hang the new piece.  She is loving going through the bag of items and finding just the right one to hang.  So far she has hung all of the buildings, the star of Bethlehem, a sheep, and tonight was the first of a couple of camels.  My favorite part, though, is that after she hangs them, she plays with them.  Tonight the sheep and camel had quite the conversation about the bright star.  I know every parent thinks they have the cutest kids in the world that do the cutest things, but mine are really just the greatest.  They are so precious and dear.

You know how "they" (whoever "they" are) say that the car is a great place to have conversations with your teenager because they get to avoid looking you right in the face?  Well, I'm also finding that it's a great place to connect with my pre-schooler.  Maybe it's just because as a 2-working-parent family, more of our time is spent in the car out of necessity than I'd like, but I'm trying to appreciate our togetherness time, even if it is while driving.  A couple of days ago, Myrick says to me from the backseat, "Mommy, can you write Santa a letter?"  I, of course, think that a list of what she'd like is coming next and that won't it be cute to go drop it off together at our little local post office.  I was wrong.  Instead she says, "Can you be sure to tell him that I've been a good girl?"  Oh, my heart.  She's been quite preoccupied with the song "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," especially the line about he sees you when you're sleeping... he knows when you've been bad or good so be good for goodness sake.  And admittedly, we've used that as incentive for better behavior in her moments of not good behavior, saying things like "I sure hope Santa didn't see you throw that truck at Pender."  Oops.  She's really taken this to heart.