Hey Guys...

I think when we moved I stepped into a time warp. I can't figure out where the hours go...where the days go...

Let's get up to speed, shall we? Um...school is OUT for Christmas!!! HIP HIP HOORAY!!!!!

I promise I am more excited than our children. Last December was insanity to say the least. We barely celebrated Christmas (preparing to move, MEGA house fix-ups, I was still fighting nausea big time, etc.). So, this year I promised to do all I could to make things different. And as December approached I promised the children that we would celebrate Jesus EVERY single day of December - in special ways.

For the most part, we have. And it's been wonderful! Sister looked at me yesterday and said, "Mama, this has been the best Christmas ever!" Yay! I LOOOVE having my children home with me. I love these mornings of not having to be up and going. They are just so nice. And to have my eight year old tell me it's the best Christmas ever more than a week before Christmas is wonderful.

So...a week or so before school let out, Little Man's teacher walked him to the car and told me she needed to talk to me about something he'd done at school. It went something like this...

"I'm really not sure what motivated him to do this. We had just finished reading time on the carpet and I told the children to go to their desks. Little Man rushed ahead of the class and with his back to the class, he looked over his shoulder and said, 'Hey Guys! Look at this!' And. He. Mooned. His. Class."

Her expression was one of utter disapproval. It is after all, a most serious matter. Not something to be made light of. I was biting the insides of my cheeks. I was trying HARD not to DIE laughing. I assured her I had no idea where he'd gotten such an idea and that we would make sure it did NOT happen again.

I pulled the car forward and out of the parking lot, cracking up! I mean, of all the things. The Engineer had a talk with him. It shouldn't happen again. And let me be clear, that is not something I want him doing. At the same time. That's hilarious. It just is. 

Christmas is one week from today. I keep thinking about the children and adults in the CT shooting. My heart breaks. I look at my own children and I just cannot fathom.

Since school let out, Little Man has slept with the girls in their room. Little Bit has discovered the magical joy of sleeping in a sleeping bag. Little Man happily obliges and takes Little Bit's bed. Sister keeps to her own. It is fun and sweet to hear them talking and giggling and let's keep it real, some nights flat out fighting. Still, it's sweet and I am thankful they want to be together.

I've almost finished Little Bit's Christmas stocking. I've only been working on it for three years. Sigh. Now that I'm almost finished, I am enjoying the process. She is all too ready to have hers hanging from the mantel. Poor thing.

I thought I'd read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever aloud to the children. I read it when I was a little girl. It's been a few years. And so, when Sister scooped it from me and began reading it on her own, I thought nothing of it. She read the entire thing in one day. And spelled the "bad" word for us. Yikes. Oops. I didn't remember that.

We had "art day" yesterday. I draped drop cloth over the dinning room table and we painted and colored and made all kinds of beautiful. There were five children participating. Four girls and Little Man. Somehow, Little Man made a FAR greater mess than even my three year old artist. I turned my back for thirty seconds and he had paint oozing off his canvas, onto the drop cloth, only it was so thick it soaked through the cloth onto the table. He wiped his paint covered hands all over the chair he was sitting in. He got paint all over his top and pants and when he went to remove them, he got paint on the kitchen rug. He got paint on every tube of paint and on the basket of paints. I don't understand how one child can make such a mess. It was a fresh reminder why we don't do that more often...and challenged me to "go for the eternal." I did't do so hot.

I tripled mama's sugar cookie recipe...which is amazing! I may or may not have eaten a big hunk with my decaf coffee for breakfast one morning. I stored the cookies atop the fridge and well, multiple times a day I'd walk past and swipe one. So Saturday night when I pulled the big ol' container down to ice what was left, imagine my shock to find FOUR cookies left. Seriously. The Engineer and I have no will power when it comes to Mama's sugar cookies. He suggested I make more. I don't think so. The consequences would be disastrous!

The younger two were in a darling Christmas program. They were precious. I always get teary seeing them up there on the stage. I don't know why, but for me it cements the reality of the passing of time.

This is about as good as the "after" pictures got. The Engineer was able to take a half day and surprised the children. Little Man's face LIT UP from stage at the sight of his daddy. Melt my heart.

We decided to build gingerbread houses as a family this year. The Engineer got way into it and sketched out this model of Hogwartz. It quickly became evident that this was his baby. He spent hours constructing her...like, all of Saturday afternoon. I left Saturday evening to run a quick errand and came home to the castle WRECKED. He let the children bomb it. I was so mad. Yeah, about that eternal perspective...kind of lost it in the midst of a crushed graham cracker and icing castle. Seriously. Take a deep breath. There's so much more to spend my emotions on.

Love this girl. Wouldn't trade homeschooling her for anything. But oh dear. We are struggling a bit with a math concept. I've never wanted to scream so bad. I've never wanted to pull out my hair like I did that last week of school. We spent two days on the same lesson. That's never happened. I finally gave up. I told The Engineer he had to take over...or else. He has. I am thankful. I am not thinking about it again until January. By then, because of his care and teaching, she should have it mastered. She is her mama's girl. I'd never have passed college math if not for the patience of The Engineer. He is a good man.

We finished (really, The Engineer finished) reading The Hobbit aloud to the children several months ago. They have been counting down to December 14th. The Engineer got off early and took the older two to the matinee showing of The Hobbit. I have yet to hear the end of it. They LOVED it! And Saturday morning, dressed as characters from The Hobbit. 

Little Man refused to smile. He was quite serious. That would be Sister's sassy fur vest. 

And when all three walked downstairs with markings on their faces and we asked what exactly that was on their faces and they replied, "marker!," we chose to laugh. I'm gad we did. It washed off easily.

I hope you are all having a peaceful Christmas season. I love this time of year. I love it even more when the busyness is finished. For us, it is. We are sitting back, soaking it up. The Engineer gets a few days off close to Christmas. Part of me wants to draft a "do" list - after all, I still haven't painted the mullions on our bedroom windows, nor has The Engineer finished scraping the bedroom doors. But then I think how fleeting these days are and I really just want to sit back and soak it up. 

Merry Christmas, sweet friends. Merry Christmas!