Getting Ready for Christmas

Greetings family and friends! We hope this update finds everyone healthy and happy and enjoying this holiday season. The weather here in India makes it hard to believe that Christmas is only a week away. Right now it is almost eighty degrees and Anna went swimming twice this week. I know, no sympathy from those of you who are enjoying snow and ice right now. We found a small artificial tree and made a few ornaments. Chris and Anna made a beautiful star out of cardboard and tin-foil. Grammy and Gramps sent us these great stockings with iron-on letters, so Santa will know where to put all of the presents. An advent calendar rounds out our decorations, but the kids really seem to be getting into the spirit. Unfortunately, Chris left for a training class in Jaipur last Friday and missed our Christmas party. It was great fun, we had almost twenty people in our flat. Anna and I made Christmas cookies and decorated them with Easter sprinkles and M&Ms. You should have seen the looks I got when I asked for colored sugar at the grocery store! This week is dragging with Chris gone, but we are getting by. Anna and I have been enjoying a wonderful magazine called Highlights High Five, which has activities, games, and stories for preschoolers. For anyone out there with preschool children or grandchildren, it's fantastic. Please check out the pictures of the paper bag village and the finger paint. Lots of fun! Anna is continuing to enjoy preschool, but they start writing here earlier than in the U.S. This has been a challenge, but she is managing. Max has discovered the joy of tearing all of the books off of the bookshelves. He does this at least once per day. I have started just leaving them on the floor until bed time. For those of you who really know me, you know that this is almost more than I can handle. The big guy now has two teeth and flat out refuses to eat baby food. He is onto meat and potatoes! He can stand on his own for a few seconds at a time and we know that those first steps are right around the corner. I have been busy this week helping my friend at Servant’s Heart get ready for the big Christmas program and party. We got to go shopping for decorations and gifts today. Chris will return on Thursday and we are leaving on Friday for Lonavala, where there is a hotel with a water park. It will be a short trip and we’ll return on Christmas Eve. Our next update will be filled with our Christmas experiences and lots of photos, we promise! Until then, take care and have a wonderful holiday. Love to you and yours!