Happy Holidays

Highlights from the last 2 weeks:
-Getting all the Christmas decorations up and decorating the tree
-Making Christmas cookies with Kate (having to remind myself that it is okay if we make a mess and get flour all over the floor...the point is for her to have fun!)
-Putting up my Christmas calendar from when I was little. It is a big felt one that hangs on the wall. It has a Christmas tree on it with sequins glued to it and other little decorations on it. You tie 24 pieces of candy on it and take one off each day until Christmas. Kate loves it. We went to the store and she picked her and has been taking one off faithfully every day. She is so good about just getting one.
-Going to get Kate's picture made with Santa. I took Krista Harper's advice and went to the downtown Niemans. Kate loved it. There was no wait, and they were so patient with Kate. (after our episode last year I was afraid she would never sit in Santa's lap again) She wore her little black velvet dress, and she told him she wants a bicycle and an easel. After the picture mom and I took her to eat, and she had a big piece of strawberry cake
-Our snow days. Chad got to come home from work early. We built a fire and cozied up in our little house. The next day he didn't have to go in until 10 and my school was closed all day. We made breakfast and stayed in our pj's forever. What is it about snow days that is so special. Such an unexpected treat in the middle of the week.
-Getting Christmas cards from old friends
-Getting our king size bed. Yippee!!
-NOT getting pink eye when Kate and Chad both had it. (I am sorry for them, but I am the only one who has to wear her glasses for a whole week if I get it. I can't even see the alarm clock I am so blind).
-Buying and wrapping Christmas presents
-Holding Kate and reading Christmas books
-Parents night out at church and a double date with our good friends
-Anticipating Christmas Eve with our whole huge family and our ski trip with my parents, brother, and sister in law, and grandfather.
-Planning the annual shopping trip with my dad to shop for mom. She always picks out her present, and then dad and I meet for lunch and he gets it for her. We have been almost every year, except last year when he sold me out. (We really just ran out of time.) That's okay...I forgive you dad! You made up for it the year someone broke into my car and stole the Kate Spade Chad had given me for my birthday less than 3 months before. You felt so sorry for me that when we went to get mom's present you took me to the purse dept and bought me a new one just like the one that had been stolen. It was really my fault for leaving my purse in the car, but you didn't seem to care about that.
-Holiday in the Park tonight with Chad's family. The girls loved it. Kate even rode the rides. She loves her cousins so much. I am so thankful she has such a sweet family to make fun memories with.
-Listening to Kate try and sing the books of the Bible. She kind of hums and every so often says a book (usually Galatians or Corinthians) Her Sun AM teachers are doing a great job! She comes home with a new big of information every week. She gets in the car and looks at her paper and tells something about starts talking about what she learned. It doesn't always all make sense, but there is always some little piece of it that we can decipher. Today she came out saying, "an angel told Mary she would have a little boy." Pretty good for a 2 year old.

That's all for now. I am beat after our treck to Holiday in the Park. Hopefully Kate is, too. Maybe she will sleep till 7.