Today was a great day! In the morning we put up the Christmas decorations. This year it was Addy's choice as to where to put the Christmas tree. She chose to put it in the front window so it can be seen from the street. From the outside of the house it looks "picture perfect"! The girls and Darren are at peace with the look that was created. I, on the other hand, am having a hard time dealing with furniture that is not in balance, as the Christmas tree has taken up the space where the couches usually go! Delaney says, "Relax mom-it's just furniture!" I am trying to relax, but am secretly counting down the days to December 26th so I can take the decorations down and regain balance in my house!
In the afternoon the girls played outside in the first snow of the year. With Darren's help they built a fort in the front yard. They had hot chocolate and a snowball fight with a couple of boys from the neighborhood. A side note---Delaney asked me to take the word "boys" out of the last sentence and put in "friends". She doesn't want anybody to know that she was playing with boys. Anybody who reads this---please ask Delaney about her boy friends the next time you talk to her!
(I have to say that the last couple of sentences I just wrote scared me, as I reminded myself of my dad. My dad is not scary, but when I was in my teenage years I was always petrified of what my dad might do or say to embarrass me in front of others. Am I becoming that kind of parent??!)
Back to the story---In the evening we made homemade pizzas. Addy put way too much cheese on the girls' pizza. Delaney said it was like cheese with a little dough. The maximum pepperoni she found on any of her pieces of pizza was 2. This was not to her liking, but she ate three pieces anyway. I think Addy ate most of the pepperoni during the pizza-making process.
We are looking forward to the month of December. It usually seems to be a crazy time of year with shopping, baking, and other activities going on. However, this year we are trying to be more relaxed. Our Christmas "postcards" have been sent out and most of the shopping is done. We are looking forward to watching Christmas movies, hanging out with friends and family, and spending time together.
We hope you have some "picture perfect" days during the month of December.
After the truth about Santa-The tears have dried!
Darren looking kind of dorky in his new camp hat from Dave & Christy 
New PJ's from Mom-The typical Christmas Eve gift!
Hanging out before bedtime
