Is It Christmas Yet?

I'm sure my mother will agree, I'm probably the worst 'kid' when it comes to Christmas. I can't stand the waiting. It's different now, I'm all about the kid! And the husband. I'm excited I get presents too, but not like I was before I had a husband and kid. I get excited about buying their gifts and whether or not they are going to like it on Christmas. And right about now, I'M JUST READY FOR IT TO BE CHRISTMAS NOW!!!!!

(Even though my husband already knows what one of his gifts is...I will not be letting Leda know what Daddy's gift is next year..."Hey Daddy, there's no (insert word of thing that is ACTUALLY IN THE BOX) in that present. Nope, not in that box there for you!" Thanks kid!)

We are doing Christmas at home again this year. We'll head on over to Rachel's for dinner tomorrow night and we'll have Granddad and Fay over for dinner on Christmas day. Last year we tried Beef Wellington for Christmas dinner and I am so not lying when I tell you I have been waiting ALL YEAR for Christmas dinner this year because we are SO doing THAT again! Yum! I'm going to try a bread pudding this year for dessert...of course, as I always find out when I decide to do something THREE DAYS before, I will have to plan better for this bread pudding next year...panettone bread is called for but can I find that bread in our little hamlet? Not a chance. So I am going to substitute and hope for the best. It's all about the custard anyway, right?

Today was Leda's last day at Nursery school until next year (two weeks!) so they had a holiday program. And I will not lie...I cried. Okay, I didn't like full force ball out loud, I teared up. But another mother or two saw and thought I was cute, apparently. Oh well. What's a girl to do when her little child is singing Christmas carols with all the other kids and has the loudest 'HEY' during Jingle Bells?

(not the best video...and that's me trying not to laugh!)


Santa came in to visit with the kids after they sang, but Leda wasn't having none of that...She did go say hello just so she could get the candy cane, but there was no sitting on the lap or conversing with the man! I hope she gets what she wants this year! ;-)

I'm trying not to realize that my child is growing up. She's not a baby any more. There will be more holiday concerts and school stuff. She's getting close to writing her own name! We are stunned by this development. Tonight she was helping me make the cards for our neighbors and for Aunt Rachel and Uncle Wayne and she drew pictures of all of us. She said "this is Daddy and he's frustrated." Which was absolutely hilarious, but before we could think to laugh about it, we looked at each other and thought, "where did the kid learn that word? And how could she have just said that in context, with perfect pronunciation?"

But that wasn't all...later in the evening, she got in trouble for doing something that she was asked to stop doing, so she got a time out. She hates time outs...cries the entire time, every time! It was getting close to the end of the time out when she says, "I want to apologize now!" Okay, sure...HUH??? Did you just say apologize? With, again, perfect pronunciation? Do you know what it means? "I'm sorry," she says. Okay, seriously, why do they have to grow up?

The kid, she's going to Harvard...on scholarship...she's S.M.A.R.T! ;-)

So, I'm off to relax for the rest of the evening...I've finished all my Christmas Chores! All I can do now is wait for Christmas day! Oh, and fret about my box of presents for our family in Portland, OR, sitting in some UPS warehouse waiting for the snow to clear so they can be delivered! Yes, I decide NOT to procrastinate and get all my shopping done in time to ship UPS Ground and what happens? It snows. IN PORTLAND, OR! Totally procrastinating next year!

Merry, Merry Christmas! HEY!