Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas all! We are looking forward to seeing many of you over the next week!

Photo by Tawanda Faye Photogrpahy

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

With Christmas only two weeks away, I am finally getting into the spirit of things. Keith and the boys did a lot of the inside decorating this past weekend while I was doing some shopping and going to tea with my mom, and then yesterday the boys and I got a tree and decorated it. Now the house feels cozy with twinkling lights and our lit-up Santa, the Bob Dylan's "Christmas in the Heart" and Elizabeth Mitchell's "The Sounding Joy" albums alternating from the computer (until Keith is around, then it's Bing Crosby all the way). We're just missing the smell of cookies baking. Perhaps Saturday.

Colter has been so into all the Christmas books, sitting patiently through even the longest of them and insisting that I sing "The Twelve Days of Christmas" rather than read it. (My singing is most definitely not a joyful noise so it's doubly sweet that he wants me to sing.) 

We went for a live tree that can be planted after Christmas this year. A little pricier, but it will only grow to be 4-6' tall, so we have a few places in mind that it would work nicely.

Our elf Herbie is back, finding new places to hide each night. I wonder if he'll be writing any letters this year?

Notably absent: stocking #4, belonging to Elliott. It's coming, folks. Now that my Christmas present crafting is done, his stocking is my priority.

In lieu of a mantle, we have the top of the machinist's cabinet, onto which everything we can fit gets crammed.

These musical toys will have me going mad by January, but the boys love them. Especially when they can get them all going at once. There's a third one around somewhere...

Our advent box calendar, filled with little treats for the boys which we open after supper each night.

And because I've been lax with the posting, a few notes on Thanksgiving: We spent a wonderful day with Keith's family at his parents' house. Colter was excited to run around with the "big boys" as he says: three older cousins who are all so patient and good with him and Elliott. We were all stuffed with turkey and all the fixings, and both boys gobbled up the cranberry sauce.

On Friday, we headed up to my parents' and in the evening, Keith, Colter, and I met up with my brother and cousins and their families for the Santa parade. It was bitterly cold but lots of fun. Upon seeing Santa on a float, Colter informed us, "That is not Santa. That's just a costume." We'll be working hard to keep the magic alive.

So, as we head full tilt into the holidays with all the preparations and celebrations, posting will probably be a bit sporadic. The upside is that since almost everyone who reads this is family and friends, you'll probably be seeing us in person soon! (At least I hope you consider that an upside, because I certainly do.)