Advent: Week One!

We don’t have a fresh Advent Wreath this year, but I managed to find the Advent candles I purchased after Christmas about 5 years ago!

Looks like a bit of a bleak crowd humoring Mom with the Advent reading and lighting the first candle…before they dive into homemade Schnitzel.

I think we’re all missing Emily (2nd Year at University) and Dad was a little late for dinner…

Here’s attempt two:

…and here’s what we looked like LAST year:

We also dug out the Family Handprint Jesse Tree Banner for the Faith and Fabric Jesse Tree Ornaments we managed to make a couple weeks ago.

The Family Handprint Jesse Tree Banner was made two years ago out of felt. The base of the tree is made with a handprint of Bill’s and one of mine. The eight little handprints represent our 5 kids plus the 3 babies we’ve lost. The extra handprint on the trunk of the tree represents God’s Hand in our life together.

I couldn’t resist hanging all 25 ornaments on the tree right away…but ideally, we’ll add just one at a time, each day of Advent, leading up to Christmas!

Here’s a closeup! I love the Baby Jesus in the manger, in the center!