it's the end of the year as we know it

Happy New Year from my sofa, where I'm enjoying two of my favorite pastimes: reading and sipping sparkling wine. I'm solo, but not in a depressing kind of way. The kids are sleeping, and Alex is in Milwaukee [for work] until the 2nd. He'll be home this time next week to celebrate our anniversary, and I'd rather spend a random--to everyone else, not us--Monday out on the town than this Monday out on the town. Cheers to the New Year!

on the 10th day of christmas break...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but when we were kids there's no way Christmas break was this long. We would get three--maybe four if we were lucky--days off. I'm sure of it. By December 30th I've pretty much run out of my bag of tricks, and the only way to get the troops in bed tonight was with promises of "special treats" tomorrow for New Year's Eve. I told them they could have cake for dinner. Welcome to my world.

8:30am: Scout was cold; she put her sweater coat on over her pajamas.

8:32am: Guess what Scout said when Catcher asked if he could play with her new toy car.

1:29pm: Pancakes for lunch? Sure, why not.

1:31pm: Tillie wonders, "What's with the camera? Do I get another pancake or what?"

1:35pm: "Are there any more pancakes?"

1:36pm: "Tillie dropped a piece on the floor."

4:39pm: Tillie's afternoon nap was a short one today.

4:39pm: Scout's afternoon nap didn't happen today.

4:39pm: Return of the lower lip pout (see 8:32am).

6:22pm: After a nice dinner and a nice bath, Catcher is once again plotting world dominance.

6:32pm: After a nice dinner and a nice bath, Scout lets the crazy out.

6:39pm: Wait. Are these the same kids that were terrorizing each other two hours ago?

6:45pm: A new game is invented--astronauts, it's called.

6:45pm: Tillie tries her hand at the solar system floor puzzle.

6:52pm: Somehow we always manage to work our way back to a smile at the end of the day.

running in the house

As the mother of a two and four year-old, generally when the phrase "...running in the house" escapes from my lips it is preceded by the word "No." Today, however, on day eight of Christmas vacation, I decided that running in the house isn't the worst thing your kids can do. We don't have any neighbors below us, for one thing, and they were laughing while (unknowingly) wearing themselves out the whole time. Just look at their faces and tell me you don't wish you could do the same thing:

funny faces

I got a new camera for Christmas. It's the kind that requires a neck strap. I've spent the past two days half-reading about it/half-experimenting with it (because who can really sit down and go through an entire instructional manual, really?).

The kids, of course, have been my guinea pigs. Here are some of the looks I've received following the "beep beep" of auto focus:

snapshots of christmas

December 24th, 4:45pm: getting set-up for some Christmas cheer.

December 24th, 7:10pm: the children would soon be nestled all snug in their beds.

December 24th, 11:26pm: Thanks, Santa. But you forgot to leave the instruction booklet for the teepee.

December 25th, 7:46am: The perfect present.

December 25th, 1:25pm: Another round of Christmas cheer (and 65 degrees).

December 26th, 9:23am: O Christmas Tree, thy leaves are not unchanging.

holly jolly holidays

The bar [cart] is stocked. Bring on the family!

on the first day of christmas break...

Today was the first day of the kids' two-week Christmas break from preschool. After we got through the 7:00am Catcher--and then Scout--meltdown, the day went surprisingly smoothly.

First we played in the living room...

then the dining room.

By 10:00am Scout (in all her striped glory) was in the refrigerator looking for a snack.

On our way out of the house for a Christmas concert at the Capitol, Catcher wanted to try on Tillie's headband. 

Then it was Scout's turn. The only one who wouldn't put it on was Tillie.

Sitting on the Capitol steps waiting for the tubas.

cowboy chairs

Finally! The "cowboy chairs," as Scout has started referring to them, are finished. Here's a quick look at the rehab in pictures:

Once the Christmas tree and the rest of our holiday cheer is down, I'll take an updated picture of the living room. The chairs definitely have their imperfections, but I think it adds to their character and story. Considering what we started with, it's a great improvement. That's my $99 cowhide from the Sam's Club, by the way...