All I want for Christmas is...

Look what Wyatt lost last night! It has been dangling for a couple of days so we knew it was close. I looked over and noticed it was gone and asked him where it was and he stuck out his tongue and the tooth was resting on it! He was a little upset about it until we reminded him about the tooth fairy. The tooth fairy had to stop on his way home from work to get some supplies. It always catches me off guard for some reason. You'd think I'd learn by now and have a stash stockpiled. He found a cool Star Wars light saber toothbrush and a Christmas ornament and threw in some Sourpatch Kids, because apparently he forgot the Tooth Fairy is all about promoting good oral hygiene and discouraging sugary snacks. Oh well, Wy was thrilled...

All I really want for Christmas is for everyone to stop throwing up. I've lost count of what round of illnesses we're on over here. We just pass sickness from one to the next and by the time the last one is over it, the first one has it again in a new form. Wyatt was throwing up for two days. He was so weak and pitiful, just moping around and intermittently dozing on the couch. I thought he was better on Thursday and sent him back to school. His teacher said he was the quietest kid in class (a first for him) so he must not be feeling 100% yet. Tate slept terribly last night and woke up throwing up so it looks like he's got it again. The worst part about babies being sick is you barely have a hiccup of a warning before they're spewing like a fire hose. At least the big kids can make it to the toilet...most of the time. The bowls are back out in every room. I am just so tired of all the illnesses and laundry and scrubbing carpets. Is it possible we'll be sick the entire month of December? Maybe we should have done the flu shot...

Last week my cousin Erin came from a visit from Illinois. It was so fun to see her and she seemed to catch us on a few good days in between illnesses. We stayed pretty close to home, just venturing downtown to check out the strip one day. The kids enjoyed the extra attention and it was so nice to have an extra set of hands around. I took advantage of her decorating expertise and we poured over paint samples. We painted umpteen patches of grey, greige, beige and tan on the walls in search of a good neutral, before settling on one that we think is a winner. She also helped me paint the dining room a fun smokey blue color. After painting the first coat, I looked at it in the daylight the next day and realized I wanted something darker and she happily painted it again with me in a darker shade. What a good painting friend! Finley had a ball playing with her dog Sadie, even though she's a 1/4 of his size. They played a nightly game of chase around the living room.  I have hardly been taking any pictures lately and I realized after she left I didn't take a single one while she was here!

It's hard to believe it's just a little over two weeks until Christmas. I just haven't been in the spirit this year. Maybe it's partly the warm weather and lack of snow that just doesn't like December.  I finally had Hadley help me decorate the tree, which she loved. We started with all the ornaments in one spot, but then she did a good job of spreading them out and putting the delicate ones higher so Tate couldn't reach. He's been nibbling on the lower ones but surprisingly hasn't pulled too many off. And our Elf on the Shelf, "Graham", finally made an anticlimactic appearance. He must not have gotten the memo that elves arrive December 1. Wyatt had almost given up on him. He told us the other night "Our elf just went away and never came back". I finally remembered him last night and put him out after the kids were sleeping.  I thought they would be a little more excited. Hadley said "He's not a real elf, just pretend!" I wonder what she'll say when she sees Santa.