A Glimpse

I simply can't accept that this joyful and blissful season is coming to a close. I haven't even made Christmas cookies or finished all of the Christmas shopping that I had planned to do. What I have done is enjoyed myself immensely. Every pine needle, every card, every song, every sweet, and every smile on the little one's face made this season so bright! The best part? That smile (and those needles. sigh) will last into and through the new year! Yes indeed, I'll take that kind of joy!

Most of our holiday pictures are still waiting to be transferred to the computer. Hopefully they'll get there before this time next year. In the meantime, here's a smattering from the phone. 

visiting Santa / admiring the tree

holiday kisses and a lunch outing / school party with Santa! / a long winter nap

Icky

You can't tell from his sweet smile, but our boy is sick: sick enough to cry for hours, stay home from school, and lose his insatiable appetite. He has a nasty little virus (perfectly common for children of his age, perfectly common in daycare settings) that took our little family by surprise this week.

We fetched Henry from school on Monday and were told that he had a great day. By the time we arrived home, it was clear that things weren't so great. The littlest one was hot and crabby, and that crabbiness lasted through the night (and has shown itself all week, to tell the truth). Happily, my sweet, sweet mother came to our aid yesterday morning. Henry is on the mend and I suspect it's attributed to the extra love and hugs that only a grandmother can give.

Welcome, December (and Breaking Up Is Hard to Do)

December, how I have missed you
and your winter wonderland!
Your frosty mornings and brisk days.
The scent of wood smoke in the air.

Try as I might, I have found no traces of a winter wonderland during these first days of December. Henry has worn a short sleeved shirt and played outside. On Sunday we had rain showers reminiscent of a spring day. The houses on our street are decorated in the season's finest and, though it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, it certainly doesn't feel like it when I step outside.

It does taste like the holidays when I open this sweet little jar. Cookie butter is delicious!

This weekend we will go on a Christmas tree hunt. I'm most interested in seeing how the ever-curious Henry will handle a great big tree in the foyer and hoping that he will be in such awe that he won't want to touch it. I saw a cute felt tree idea on Pinterest that I suspect would entertain him quite nicely. Sadly, it seems unlikely that a certain mother will get around to crafting such a tree. Maybe next year...

Wintry weather and holiday cheer aside, Henry started a new school this week. Though it was a welcome change, bidding farewell to Henry's friends and teachers at the old daycare was harder than I had anticipated. I was left feeling as if I had just gone through a bittersweet (and almost embarrassing) breakup. Happily, Henry, who is showing no signs of a broken heart, is making new friends and enjoying his new teachers.