'tis the season to be jolly....

My three youngest, and Davian. This Santa was so kind, he asked the children if they knew about the very first Christmas gifts...from the wise men to the baby Jesus...he also asked them what they wanted for Christmas...they all said they didn't know what they wanted, except for Davian, who said, "I want ALL the planets!"


Camille and Davian, Evelyn, Kathryn, Jonathan, Charlotte Claire...




Only eleven thousand dollars!


Miss Char and Miss Cam are getting too big too fast...but they are still enjoying the Christmas season...


They are still small enough to delight in it all.


Well, sort of small...Jonny is 11 and a half, and...well, wah.


Cam, Davian, and Char...

We explored the mall without spending any money, then went to a Chinese restaurant for some lunch specials. Then to the dreaded grocery store...we live far enough from the stores that it's smart to fit it in when we're out anyway...we needed kale and broccoli and bananas and milk and almond milk and frozen veggies and canned veggies and baking supplies...we were pretty quick, because small children don't really like grocery shopping...we just went around the edges:)

Today is Aaron's birthday.
He's one of my favorite children, my adventurous son. This is from a wonderful day a year ago, when we were out in Seattle Washington to visit Benjamin. We had taken the ferry across the Puget Sound, and walked in the rain to a little coffee shop, shared a huge molasses cookie and had some good hot coffee. That night we went out to dinner with Ben, Ashley and little Anya, to a Mexican restaurant, and oh the fun we had...I don't see Aaron as much as I would like to, and he is applying to do some traveling nursing (he's an R.N.) in California for a few months. Maybe I'll win the lottery, and be able to visit him.

Our weather is simply not typical December weather...sunny skies, and going into the 50's today. We are planning a bike ride, of all things. We should be going sledding, ha. The kids are taking advantage of me sitting here on the computer,they are playing Minecraft, which is absolutely not allowed during the school day, bad mom award. I just gave them the five minute warning, so I have to behave too and get moving on school.