.Advent.

"Advent is what we call the season leading up to Christmas. 1 Peter 1:10-12 is a clear description of what we look back to during Advent. For four weeks, it's as if we're reenacting, remembering the thousands of years during which God's people were anticipating and longing for the coming of God's salvation, for Jesus. That's what Advent means--"coming." They were waiting, but they didn't know what God's salvation would look like.

Advent is a season of looking back, thinking how it must have been, waiting for the promised salvation of God, not knowing what to expect. And at the same time, Advent is a season of looking ahead, preparing ourselves to meet Jesus at his Second Coming." 

This is an excerpt from Noel Pipers book, Treasuring God in our Traditions. I found it on a blog and loved this explanation.
So what does this look like for the Hoppers? So glad that you asked! haha.
 

 We are using The Jesus Storybook Bible, which if you don't have it... GET IT! It is amazing. Each story in it ends with a paragraph that points to Christ.
 Each day the kids open up that days little baggie and in it is a slip of paper that tells us which story to read and then has an activity or candy! It has been so neat to see the excitement that HJ has about it all (she loves the candy days!). Here are a few of the activities:
*sing Christmas carols as a family
*eat a picnic dinner by the Christmas tree
*go look at Christmas lights
*go shopping for a child that doesn't have a lot for Christmas
*watch a Christmas movie and drink hot chocolate
*make cookies for our neighbors
*make Christmas cards for our cousins

.So thankful that in the busyness of this season that we can take time as a family and truly sit down and savor our sweet Savior and reflect on His goodness to us.