Merry, Merry Christmas!

Christmas has come to our house but I'm not sure I'm ready to say it has gone. I like looking at my lights and decorations and truth be told, I am NOT looking forward to dragging all the boxes out to sort and put away all the decorations.....

This year I tried a new outdoor decoration. In Texas, I always filled my flower pots with poinsettia's at this time of year. Here I can't do that - they won't survive the bitter cold. I have yet to find a plant that will. The cold has also done damage to my clay pots. I only have two left and one has a rather large crack in it and will more than likely officially become to broken to use by the time this winter is over. Anyway, this year, instead of staring at dead plants or just plain dirt all winter long, I went to Garden Ridge and Wal-mart and bought cheap, shatter proof ornaments to fill my pots:

Turns out it's a good thing I bought "shatter proof" ornaments as the wind here has been fierce and I have spent many a morning tracking down ornaments from various locations in the front yard.

Also new this year was Audrey performing in the Nutcracker:

Last year she was old enough according to studio standards but not old enough according to mom. This year she auditioned and was cast as a Little Sugarplum. Rehearsals began back in October and she finished with two performances on Sunday, 12/21. She enjoyed the process so much but I think we will make it an every-other-year occurrence. It is costly in time and in extra $$ for costumes and such. Next year Amy will be old enough but I think I will have her hold off until 2nd grade as well. Then in December 2010 I will have two daughters in the Nutcracker! And I'm sure at some point all 3 will be in it and I will probably completely lose my mind at that point ..... But OH - It will be worth it!

Christmas Eve we went to church and then came home and I attempted to get the traditional photo of the kids in their matching outfits in front of my tree. However, Allison had other ideas:

Allison pitching a fit while her sisters pose sweetly for mom ............

This was as good as it got and oh, if looks could kill ...........

But after dinner all was forgiven. Christmas jammies were donned and the tray of goodies was prepared for Santa:

See that pile of apples? My Audrey, ever the stickler for details, decided that leaving one apple for Rudolph was just not fair. She suggested we leave 9 apples so each reindeer could have his own. NINE apples! So we had apple cake along with our donuts Christmas morning ........

Christmas Day was pleasant and the girls were happy with their gifts. And me? I love the peace that comes with the infatuation with new toys! Ahhhh ........ BLISS! I am slowly re-doing the playroom in the basement and Santa got me started. The girls have been using my old futon from my just-graduated-from-college days but now they have two new large denim bean bags instead. The bean bags are lighter and easier to move around so now they can arrange the furniture to suit their needs. Plus the bean bags are huge - meant to fit two people at a time. The futon was merely a love seat that folded out to a twin bed. So now we technically have seating for 4 instead of two. New bean bags and a pile of new board games and they have been spending many hours in the basement since yesterday. Now all I have to left to change is:

• a new, larger bulletin board to display their art on


• one more storage shelf for toys and books, one more set of elfa drawers for the ever growing dress-up stash, and some new bins for the play food and dishes


• a new TV for the family room so the current family room TV can move to the basement and replace the tiny one that was mine (I bought it back in 1994 I think? with money I made nannying for the Hunkler girls, the oldest of which is now a SOPHOMORE at West Point!!!)


• and a new entertainment system for the TV, replacing the plastic table being used now
  
  Hmmmm.... I wonder if the Easter Bunny will be able to help me out?