Countdown to Christmas

We've had sort of a non-traditional month. We had a double Thanksgiving, one at my mom's house with lots of not-often-seen relatives, and over to the in-laws to a meal they made (which tasted divine, we usually go out with his family). Plus a new addition- Joe's fiance- was so exciting! Of course we've met Emily before, but knowing there will be a wedding in the summer was extra fun. Jorge and I experienced Black Friday in all its sleepless glory when the kids slept over at the in-laws. Toys R Us at Midnight threatened to be a mob scene in the frigid cold, but the security guard and police presence seemed to nip that in the bud. We opted to go home and sleep as it seemed they were letting 10 people at a time inside the store. Woke early and got some great deals. When you're being careful about money there is something thrilling and overwhelming about going "shopping" for good deals and buying a lot!

I waited too long to find an advent calendar and decided that the kids just needed a countdown and chocolate, so I improvised. I think it's kinda fun! And I made sure to get extra candy so these don't disappear before they are supposed to.

We didn't want a big ol' tree this year. We're heading on a trip this January and the trees around here have gone up in price, and we just rearranged the house for new flooring and did not feel like doing it again for a tree. So we welcomed to the family a tiny tree. We love it! The kids love it. Logan thought it would keep growing if we kept adding water, so I hated to crush his hopes of this new live tree we brought home, but I promised we could do some planting in the spring.

We went out with some friends last night downtown, I love seeing the city in the cool crisp winter in all it's holiday glory. Such a great reminder of why we love being a part of "Chicago." We had to walk a ways from the parking garage and haul kids, toys and food, but we all survived and had a great time. It's funny how holidays are so much about family, and I wouldn't have it any other way, but this was a fun holiday celebration the way WE would plan it.

Today we did the Polar Express train and went to pick up Santa, and bring him back with us. It was cute! Sylvie was very uncertain, and then when she realized what was going on, she got all happy and excited:)