May Your Christmas Be Merry and Bright

We are practicing our carols and preparing for 4 days of fun family visits. May the light of the Christ Child shine upon you and yours during this blessed season.

Today's Conversations

Miss 3-year-old looks up at me with messy brown curls and big brown eyes:
"Mommy, my baby made poopy in her big girl underpants. Is that so bad?"

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I was reminiscing with the kids about my trips to the zoo with Lucy when she was a toddler. I would bundle her up in the stroller and pack a thermos of hot chocolate. We would go in the dead of winter and have a great time. Lucy's comment:
"See, the benefit of being the oldest, in spite of all the pain..."

Ramping Down

What often happens after a period of intense busy-ness? Somebody gets sick. It seems we can hold it together through whatever we have going on, but as soon as we're able to crash, somebody does. This time, it seems to be me. I hope I"m the only one. One other child has a bit of a cough, but seems to be fine, generally speaking. It's just a cold, but it's enough to keep me on the couch drinking tea as much as possible today.

It's a good day for it, though. Fresh snow and high winds outside make huddling near the fireplace the most appealing activity, anyway.

Over the weekend, we had Lucy's final Nutcracker performance. Her little sister was able to attend, much to her delight. I was hesitant about her ability to behave appropriately through the entire show, but she did great!! My sister and I had taken her children and my boys to a matinee performance the previous weekend.

We also had Ignace's First Confession, a 4H Christmas play/party, dinner out for Eustace's birthday, and the usual Sunday morning routine of CCD and Mass. This was also the end of about 2.5 weeks of non-stop Nutcracker rehearsals and performances. It is great fun and good experience, but at the end, we're all ready for a break. Once again, I must credit my parents for helping us get to all scheduled events.

Now, to re-focus on Advent...

Reality Check

The house is not going to be finished by Christmas. However, I spent a couple hours there yesterday with our builder going over a bunch of things, and I got to see many of the paint colors on the walls. I love how they look (Stacy and Mom, if you're reading, thank you very much). The subcontractors are working very hard every day. It is just going to take a little longer than I had hoped.