Christmas Time!

It's a wonderful time of year!

We've already completed one puzzle.  There's nothing better than spending a Saturday morning, in PJ's, working on a puzzle.  Forget long runs, we've got a puzzle to master!

I got a little carried away and finished it in 2 days...and yes, I let the kids watch extra TV just so I could work on it in quiet (just don't tell them my secret).

The kids have been playing "Christmas morning" with boxes I put under the tree.

I love the look on Colin's face; he's saying, "Cheer up, Eli!  I'm reading you the gingerbread man story!"

We've been playing a lot of music.

We bought Alison a Christmas music piano book and have taken turns helping her learn songs.  Some times she'll ask to just sing, but hasn't picked up on the concept of following the music (i.e. she sings the song as fast as she can and is finished before you finish playing the first line).

Thought my parents would be proud that 8 years of piano is paying off some 20 years later.  Thanks to those lessons many moons ago I can now teach my kids some songs.  It's been fun to pick it back up and remember how much joy music brought me.

 

Ben and I have worked on a couple of songs of him playing guitar and me on flute.  The kids will ring some bells or sing while we play.  The other day I was playing before Ben got home and Eli just laid on the floor and listened.  I got up to check on dinner and Eli told me to come back and play it again.  When I was done playing the song he said, "Nope.  Play it again, mommy.  It still wasn't good."  Hmmm, I think someone may have gotten the perfectionist musician gene.

Speaking of Eli, Ben and I think he may really be Buddy the Elf.  He asks to snuggle all.day.long.  This picture is photo bombed by Alison, but Eli asked Ben to snuggle and is rubbing his head while they watch a movie.  Sometimes 3 year old little boys can be simply the best.

Ben just finished baking his 3rd batch of molasses cookies and the 2nd puzzle is halfway done.  I guess we're well on our way to being lazy and fat.

Oh well, tis the season, right?