It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

We spent our week home from Taos in recovery. We were just trying to keep up with regular life again. Saturday we spent almost all day working on decorating the house for Christmas. We had to clean the house thoroughly, then move the furniture around for an hour while we tried to figure out where the tree goes now that we have a new couch and a new piano. Then we set up the tree and put lights on it. A pause had to be taken while we went to my parents and rescued their cat Razz out of a tree and then went to Casa Maria for lunch. Then the kids (including Lilliana) helped me decorate the tree and the house while Michael took off to meet with fellow cub scout leaders. All too soon the kids abandoned me to go jump in the leaf pile and wrestle and be outside. I was left to finish and clean up and sweep and fall down exhausted for thirty minutes before we loaded up in the car and got ready for Sights-n-Sounds of Christmas.
We love Sights-n-Sounds. Tiffany and Kade came with us and Mom and Dad and Lilliana and Cheris and her kids met us there. We took the shuttle which was a mistake we won't repeat. I wore fabulous shoes that were a half size too small which is another mistake I won't repeat. Otherwise, it was awesome. The kids rode the rides and we watched some of our friends' kids dance on the stage, we enjoyed all our friends and then we had snacks and played in the pretend snow under the massive Christmas tree made of lights and wandered through Bethlehem and made candles and watched the kids run through the house of mirrors 32 times. I hobbled out of there, but it was good times.
Sunday morning we finished cleaning and I prepped a big lunch and then I was the lay leader at church. I sang a solo I wasn't prepared for and my heart thumped with stage fright, but all was fine. After lunch, the Gardners came over for lunch and a playdate and we sat around boozing it up and had a lovely lazy time while the kids played happily for hours.
So the house is decorated and we had some fun weekend time and the gifts are bought if not wrapped and I finished the christmas cards today with lots of licking and stamping help from the kids. I am trying to be grateful for everything that we have and stay in the moment. I am trying not to panic that our house sitter fell through and we have no one to watch our dogs over Christmas break. (Anyone want to keep our dogs? House sit?) I am trying to keep my husband from his natural scrooge-like state. I am rocking out to Christmas carols when I am alone in the house. I am watching the kids lie on the floor under the Christmas tree totally entranced as our star continually changes colors and casts it's glow on the ceiling. I am loving my family and living here on the ranch so close to them. Love, laughter, stress, impatience, beauty, anticipation. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.