Living in a Snow Globe

Well here we are, Christmas week 2008 and it has been the snowiest one on record (or something to that effect!) I must admit that we were happy about a white Christmas and I enjoy my children's return to the great outdoors to play in the white stuff (they don't go out to play in the cold, generally, unless there is snow)! But it is crazy how the snow has just gone on, and on and on! Mark said that one of his patients said we are living in a snow globe! And that is EXACTLY what it has felt like -- yep, it's still snowing every time you looked out the window for the past week and 1/2! Until today at around noon. Now it's warming up and the meltdown is creating some serious slop wherever you turn! But overall, I am glad for the snow. The kid's Christmas break started two School- days earlier than planned with the snow fall and school was cancelled. I snapped a few shots of our house and what Christmas looks like here.

My tree looks so lovely in this shot - but to be honest it is fake and looks it! I am ready for a new tree next year, but at night, it's hard to tell that the trunk has green plastic needles coming out of it! Also note the ornaments strewn about the floor. Ben and Sophia kept themselves occupied this year by stripping the ornaments off the lower portion of the tree every day.

We had a great Christmas this year. On Monday we had a family get together with my cousins Liza and Jane and their families. We love having them here in the area. Christmas Eve was spent at home and our friend June came over. Christmas Day we had our "traditional" brunch (I think this was the 4th year we've done it) at the Julians and then our cousins came over in the evening. We enjoyed all of the get togethers with people we love. Every year there is always a dilema on what and how much (or little) to get the kids for Christmas. We kept it simple this year and tried to give more than we got as a family. It was a good balance.