Christmastime

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here!

Thank you LORD for online shopping!!!!! 

It's seemed like a frantic shopping/shipping spree around here lately. I had a goal to buy everything we needed in November, so I could give the ol' credit card a rest in December. This will hopefully help me to avoid the "last-minute-do-I-have-enough-what-about-one-more-stocking-stuffer" syndrome that hits about a week before Christmas. We'll see how it goes.

The kids and I strolled through our neighborhood last week to look at lights (we actually did this as we walked home from dance class!)

I'm trying not to measure our humble light standards by the standards of our dear retired neighbors. When your day is filled with just trying to not let your son eat dirt, and a shower is a victory, you can't expect to have a garden and/or light display like your fellow neighbors who are retired. It just isn't going to happen. So we'll just walk around and enjoy the fruits of their labor! (or the labor of the company they hired to do it! No shame in that game! ;)

Here's Mimi's cute little costume she was able to try on at dance class for her upcoming recital of the Snow Queen!

We even took the munchkins to see Santa this weekend (although Mimi declined sitting on a strange white-haired man's lap. How great that we have a girl who can listen to that voice if something doesn't feel comfortable! Let's admit it, it is sort of a weird tradition) But Bode was game to meet Santa. Last year he was a sleeping five month old in his santa picture, so I was excited to get one of him looking at the camera! I think they turned out cute...we'll see when we get them!

Here's a preview!

But Bode doesn't even look too comfortable, does he?!?! 

After our Santa visit, Ben and I even got a date day to celebrate his birthday on Tuesday! The kids were with Gpa and Nana and had a great time! So did we. We were able to go enjoy the "holiday-ness" of our favorite little college town..Fort Collins!

WOOHOO for date night, where we remember that we actually can be fun and lighthearted!

Here's our sleepy kids on the way home:

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