Oh, The weather Outside is Frightful...

Still no snow and Sunday we awoke to the sounds of thunder.  Can't imagine the snow mounds that would have been created if the roughly three inches of rain would have  been snow.  It appears we will be mowing the lawn rather than shoveling the drive way.  Either way we are staying busy.  Ella had a sleep over Friday night and stayed up way later than Amy and I did. Saturday morning we were back in the gym for Grace and the little dribblers and then Ella's volunteer project came to fruition.  She had a wonderful brainstorm a month ago to make fleece blankets for foster homes.  She rounded up about 8 other girls and filled the floor space in the house with Fleece tie blankets.  With only a short break for pizza and calloused hands from cutting the girls cranked out about 14 beautiful fleece blankets and didn't stop giggling the whole time.  It was really great to see the girls thinking of others in the holiday season.  Sophia had a meet in Fond Du Lac so we headed down there to watch her team take first place by only 0.05 points.  We meet Grandpa and Grandma down there to cheer her on.  Sunday was a rainy day and slow morning, but Packer game slowly turned to holiday music cookie baking.  With peaceful notes carried on sweet smells the house felt like Christmas even if the weather outside was frightfully April.  Grace got a start on the wrapping and now all the gifts are under the tree and ready for the Holidays!  She did exclaim at one point "Oh well, I am screwed" catching Amy and I off guard, as she cut the paper too short.  She was allowed to say it once more before we had a short conversation about crass language and the Latin derivation of vulgar.

Los Ninos in an El Nino

 
Another great month of frenetic action.  The weather has been crazy warm with the El Nino winter so we aren't making many plans that involve snow but that hasn't stopped us from hanging lights on the house and getting the new place into full Christmas decoration mode.  Grace has become the resident expert on lights having spent some time on the ladder in the front of the house with me and then helping Amy in the backyard with the lower trees.  She is Chief Untangler of Lighting Operations...should have called her "CULiO" for short.  We did head out into the 'tree cutting' forest last weekend and cut an 16 foot tree into a 12 foot tree and then into a house sized 8 foot tree.  It was decorate with all the kids ornaments and the wide spaces in the branches and slender shape have it made it our favorite tree of all, it really is beautiful.  There were Christmas singing programs for the younger two, fortunately back to back and we spent a couple of hours singing carols ourselves as we rang the bell at the grocery store for the Red Kettle campaign.  Ella has started jazz band and with Grace continuing on guitar by next year we should have a nice little musical volunteer session.  Saint Nick made his appearance with much argumentation about which day he comes...night of the 5th or the early morning of the 5th...there was warm socks and candy when he did finally arrive along with the Herbie the elf on the shelf.  Each morning becomes a hunting game for where the elf is hidden and what mischief he got into while the kids slept.