Yes, this is the cat with antlers on.

Christmas Village.

Tree with patchwork tree thingy underneath. Dean won that for me at a church auction when we were first married.

Those velvet stars, we’ve had those forever.

I always put lots of Christmas books out for the kids (and anyone else) to grab.

This wreath is cute, but is a BEAR to put up. Please appreciate it all the more.

Most of these stockings are homemade, either by myself or by my Nana.

Nativity scene with some of my vintage Christmas stuff. I like really old-fashioned decorations.

This is what they were doing the other night.

Why, hello there. Just your regular StormTrooper, reading my Nintendo Power magazine. You know, no big whoop.

Oh noes! The crazy blanket lady is attacking StormTrooper Boy! SEND HELP!

Negotiations underway. The crazy blanket lady has put on her Purple Cowboy Hat of Peace, which bodes well for this encounter. StormTrooper Boy has noted this fact.

Okay, apparently this isn’t StormTrooper boy, as I was initially informed. This is Astro Boy. DON’T FORGET IT. Or there will be dangerous repercussions, like Astro Boy pushing the talk button on his helmet 247 times in a row.

I’ve never met a kid who didn’t think he was about the coolest thing on two legs. He can make ANY kid fall instantly in love with him, mostly because he’s a big kid himself.

He is a fantastic, wonderful, loving daddy. He is the kind of dad I wish I had had when I was growing up. Even after working 12+ hours a day at a job he hates, he still comes home and makes time for them and all their stuff.

He has an incredible sense of humor, and he makes me laugh ALL THE TIME. Not easy to do when you’ve been married to someone for almost 19 years, but he manages to do it. Every single day, he makes me feel loved: writes me sweet mushy notes and puts them up on the oven hood thingy so I’ll see them in the morning, makes me coffee, brings me flowers, brushes my hair, buys me coffee cups, cleans the kitchen, cooks ALL WEEKEND, every weekend, lets me take naps when I need them, gosh, lots of stuff. Oh! And when he’s snoring really loudly, he rolls over when I kick nudge him or he will voluntarily go to the couch. That’s how much he loves me.

I think I got a keeper.

So this weekend, we plan on circling the wagons. We’re going to spend time together as a family, loving on each other, laughing, listening, and oh, yes….there will be MUCH hugging, and kissing, and loads of inappropriate jokes that feel slightly naughty to laugh at. We’re going to make a lot of yummy food, and spend time watching some of our favorite movies and TV shows, and tickle, and chase, and pretend to be scary robots that only eat kids who don’t brush their teeth. There WILL be naps, oh yes, there will be, along with cuddles, and squidges, and oh, just about everything that that fills my soul with peace and happiness and just plain joy.

I can’t wait.

Making me smile and everything. I was grumpy that day, too. Dang kids.

This is Henry’s idea of posing for the camera.

This is Henry getting tired of posing for the camera. Quickly.

This is Emma with wet hair. She takes showers a lot. And she uses my deoderant, every time, even though we’ve talked about this. And she has her own Teen Spirit or some such fruity thing. But mine is apparently MUCH more attractive.

This is what happens when Emma gets a hold of Mom’s camera while she’s spacing out in the kitchen by the coffee maker trying to remember if she was supposed to volunteer in the Health Room or not.

This is James, my firstborn, the one who pretty much stole my heart the instant he arrived on the scene. He’s 15 and very serious. Except when he’s not, and he makes me laugh so hard that a little pee comes out. But you didn’t hear that from me. Don’t mention that pee part if I see you out and about, okay? It’s kind of an issue.