Scary Santa

We celebrated Landon's birthday playing board games with friends.

We went to the school last week to watch Tristan in his play, "Crazy Christmas."  There was a big bear outside, so we had a photo op.

Dane held still for a second, and I happened to catch it.

The cafeteria was so full of parents watching the play, we had to watch from a window outside.  We got restless and wandered around until I finally took the kids home, leavening Landon as a representative of our love and support.

The kids enjoy dressing up the baby.  Here they threw Grammy's baby blanket over him and called him "The Ghost of Christmas Past."

Aunt Sari sent window decals, so now it looks like we have a snowy Christmas.  Even though our air conditioner kicked on yesterday.

Dane kept gnawing on the crib, to the point where I found paint flakes in his diapers.  I worried about lead-based paint, since the crib is over 40 years old.  Fortunately, the Home Depot lead test reassured me Dane's IQ hasn't been decimated.   I made these rail covers in a rare bout of creative energy, and they have proved a successful deterrent.

On a Sunday stroll through UL campus.

The UL swamp.

Dane met Santa Clause at the ward Christmas party and was unimpressed.

All he wants for Christmas is Mom.

Landon finished his USGS hours last Wednesday, which was a breath of relief for the whole family.  For the last 7 weeks, he put in 67 hour work weeks there, on top of his teaching assistant job at UL.  Now that his schedule is freed up again, he's going to put all his efforts into finishing the last chapter of his dissertation and graduating.

The kids have been earning a lot of money lately.  Grandpa sent them inventory from his business, which they've been selling door to door.  I took them to Walmart last night, and they came home with bags of goodies.  While putting Logan to bed, he looked into my eyes and said fervently, "Mom, sugar is the best thing in the whole world, except Jesus."  When I suggested that love might trump sugar, he immediately shook his head and countered my argument with a metaphor: "Sugar IS love, and love is sugar."  He's ready for the debate team.