This week

The week before Christmas is busy.  I tried to use the weekend to finish up everything so that the week wouldn't be busy. But we all know how that goes.  And then there's this husband of mine who decided to come into the world two days before Christmas, so there's that too. 

So this week, before Christmas, we've been busy doing this:

Baking and Making. Lots of cookies, lots of homemade gifts, lots of messes to clean up, lots of little hands that love the idea of 'making' and even more, the idea of 'making for someone.'  They usually stand on the learning tower, helping as much as they possibly can and telling me exactly who should receive each gift.  I am also on cookie recipe number five.  I've been baking in the evening when Ryan's home so that I have some reinforcement. So far, two different cookie recipes have ended up in the trash and it can't be because I messed up. That's why I'm doing this at night!  So I don't get distracted and mess up!  I just think Martha Stewart's recipes are just not cutting it...

Waking up in the morning and gazing longingly at our Gingerbread Houses.  They want to eat them for breakfast and I'm pretty sure they would totally dive in if I gave them the 'go ahead.' Instead they just graze their fingers over their house with an occasional "oops, mom, that candle just came out of my window, guess I have to eat it now." Or "Oh Rudolph, your red hot nose just got ripped off  tumbled off of your face, sorry for you--yah for me."

Playing in our rice box in leiu of our sandbox.  Rice on the floor is no fun to clean up, for sure.  But a solid hour of their attention focused on a tupperware of rice, some dinosaurs, and kitchen set pots and cups, is so worth that mess.

And not specific to this week, but pretty much all the time: trying to convince my kids that wearing a coat when it's 35* is in fact, a good thing. They really hate heavy coats.  Every year I try hard to find a coat without the bulk. This year I succeeded for Isabella and Declan. Quinn, on the other hand, can not seem to remain upright while sporting a coat.  But we keep on trying.

And finally, lots of 'sick baby' playing. Declan wasn't feeling well this weekend and I'm pretty sure I took this picture to document the 10 minutes that he wasn't glued to my hip. What? Does your kids lay down when they're sick?  Kids do that?
Anyway, if so, I don't wanna hear about it.
On his short bouts of feeling like he could actually walk across a room, he and Isabella would play 'sick baby.' Declan, of course, being the sick baby, and Isabella insisting he take a nap, take his medicine, and take his temperature at regular intervals.  I'm almost positive that she was just taking full advantage of his lapse in energy.

So that's what's been happening around here, the week before Christmas.  Only to get a little bit busier as the week progresses....but busy in a good way.