Day 324: Me, me, me.

Ok, I know, the blog has been Melinda focused lately, and I apologize.  I will try to come up with some better writing about everyone this week, although I'm sure a few posts will be late due to Thanksgiving.  It's going to be an exciting week though!  First, we aren't doing school, so I'm going to work on a couple of projects and prep for Thanksgiving.  I'm also going to take Benaiah to Hacksaw Ridge.  Rated R, yes, but for war violence and foul language, both of which is real.  And I try not to shelter the kids too much in that area, i.e. letting them see pictures from 9/11 and talking about abortion (I haven't described the actual process much though).  Anyway, I haven't seen a movie since TMNT in June, so it should be fun.  Then we are going to Michigan for Thanksgiving to be Leah's family, yeah!

Then we get to dig out hats/coats/mittens and the Christmas decorations for next weekend!  I can't wait for little man to see the lights and play with the big Christmas train we never got out in Charlottetown.  We'll be using the tree that we used for our first couple of Christmases, because we gave away our big tree before moving back.  It was getting a little ratty, and it was one more easy thing to give away.  My parents used the current tree when they moved out here and we got the taller one.  Anyway, there's that.  AND of course Lilla Rose is having a huge 4-day sale this next weekend to coincide with Black Friday.  I need to do some more Christmas shopping and planning so everything gets done without a fuss.  Don't worry, I really don't have much we do every year, and I try to make one special treat a week, and we do simple chocolate advent calendars and just a few decorations.  (I wonder if Jared will let me put lights outside our door and on the balcony? Probably not.) And I'm going to try out a new "reverse advent calendar" thing where the kids and I have to put one thing in the giveaway box every day.  That doesn't include trash or recyclable items.

Cranberry bread, cherry winks, rye bread, (made at least GF if not sugar free) and MUENSTER cheese and ham!  Yes, MUENSTER, that I eat every week now because we didn't have it in Canada.  Yum!  Something sweet for Christmas morning, like doughnuts.  And the lights of Christmas, are my favorite because I hate darkness.  I love putting them up in kids' rooms and down the hallways in the wintertime.  Seasonal depression is a real thing you know.  Ah, Christmastime is here, not for getting, but for being thankful.  I think it goes hand in hand with Thanksgiving, because you are celebrating the gift of family and friends, of good food and of having plenty of "stuff."  Can't wait!

Jared had an aha moment today: let's measure how long Abishai is by how many foo-foo's (trains) it takes!  Yup, exactly 9 train cars.

All of our windows face north, so we don't see sunrise or sunset, and I was kind of bummed about that today.  So, I took this pic to remind myself that we do have some pretty trees to look at.

Ah!  Grandpa started early this year on decorating and beat me to it!  He did save some ornaments for everyone to put on the tree.  Fun stuff!

Wow, she seems taller than the last time they helped put up Grandpa's tree.  I can't remember if they helped last year or not, but otherwise, it would have been 5 years ago and she would have been 3.

Anne of Green Gables

Benaiah got a set of drums and a guitar and a whole new set up with Rockband so he can learn how to drum better (or so he says, lol).  Anyway, it's staying at Grandma's house because we don't have room for it.

It's hard to set up electronic gadgets when there's a button loving toddler around.

Abishai's turn to put ornaments on.  He didn't actually pay attention to the tree much.  He like Baba's buttons more.  And I think that's Socks fluffiness in the right hand lower corner.

Abishai did find a foo foo or two that he wanted though.  And yes, he got to go to Grandma's house in his superman pj's an yes, they do have a cape to attach to the shirt, but I forgot to bring it.  Little man has had a cough all day, so he didn't go anywhere else today.

I want to see outside!  But there's really not anything to see kid, it's dark by 5:30 pm!