My favorite time of day this December is right after I put the kids in bed... head downstairs and sit on the couch... soaking in the quiet... the lights are off but the room has a warm glow from the Christmas tree... here I sit and review the day... and make plans for the next... it's my most favorite place to be this time of year...

It seems to be Mulan's favorite as well... curled up under the tree on the tree skirt.

Walker had his Christmas Program... he was all excited... he sang his songs all day long wanting to get them just right. We dropped him off with his class... sat down in our seats ready to enjoy the performance. The Pre-Schoolers finally started to file out... posed with the camera I was in my seat... ready to snap his big grin... waited... waited... finally he came out the very last one... holding his teacher's hand and... sobbing!

Poor little guy... got all upset just before the show and wanted us... he said he missed us! So proud of him for staying up on stage and finishing the songs.

We then headed out to the rest of the festival of trees... more importantly to visit Santa! Kids are so funny... when it was our turn Ainsley shoved Walker first! He sat on Santa's lap... told him he'd been a good boy and that he wanted a Thomas the Train Set... even though his Mommy had told him for weeks that he didn't need another train set!

When it was Ainsley's turn she was so nervous... wouldn't look at Santa and kept wringing out her hands... he was busy asking her what grade she was in and she blurted out, "I want a paint set" Santa said, "Oh is that what you'd like me to bring you? And she nodded... and that was it... a quick picture and they were so glad to be done with that!

A few more pictures of the night... Walker enjoying his favorite thing at the festival of trees... the big train set and Ainsley enjoying her favorite area... the craft section.

Yesterday Walker came home with a candy cane from school. He says, "Mommy it's a candy cane but it could also be a anchor." Cute Kiddo... loved the picture I got of him... a little bribery... told him if he let me take a picture of him with his "anchor" then he could eat it!!

Yesterday Ainsley came home from school and asked, "Is Santa real?"

I said, "Do you think he's real?"

She replies with wide eyes, "Yes"

"Did someone say something at school?" I asked.

She says, "Well... Sam (classmate) said that Santa was the Mailman!"

Haa... It was all I could do from laughing out loud.

Then she says, "But I don't think so because the Mailman doesn't have a big belly!"

Currently my dining room looks like this... Yikes!!

We took out the carpet yesterday... got the floor prepped... and I've just got 8 more doors to finish up by Friday so that we can start putting in the flooring this weekend.  The project is nearing the end... yeah... we are getting a bit burned out on it... kiddos too. They have been wanting to put up the Christmas stuff... we got out their little trees for their rooms yesterday and they put on the ornaments. Ainsley wanted to do her's all by herself. Walker wanted help putting on the hooks and then told me where to put each one. He did pretty good this year not putting all the ornaments on one branch!

We had a great Thanksgiving away from home but always enjoy getting back to our normal routine. This morning the kiddos had a hard time getting going for school... Ainsley I should say had a hard time getting going. Told her to get up and into the shower a couple of times... a few moans came from her room so I got Walker in the shower instead. Not even 2 seconds later she was pounding on the door and handed me this...

I haven't been one to post pictures or blog much this month... in fact I've only had the camera out of it's case a handful of times... which is so unusual for me! I looked at my November Picture folder and I've taken 18 pictures this month as opposed to October's folder which has 868 pictures!! I guess it's because my hand has been permanently attached to a paint brush this past month. Yes... still working on the kitchen and laundry room... were getting there... after the holiday we will be installing the floor... so excited about that! And then I'll get some pictures up!!

I did get a picture yesterday of the kiddos working hard in Walker's room on his new desk (a recycled desk from the neighbor which I sanded and painted).

Ainsley got her first report card sent home today. It was cute... she was so nervous about what it said. She did great (as if we had any doubts). The thing I found most interesting is that the grades are O, G, S, or N. In Kindergarten the grades used a numbering system 1, 2, 3.

So she wanted to know what grades she got... I read the report and told her you got 4 G's and 1 O. She looked at me chewing her lip as if to say, "What the heck does that mean?" I read what each stood for and she asked, "So did I do okay?" Confusing grade system... what happened to A, B, and C's?

So to clarify for all she was graded on Math, Reading, Penmanship and Social Studies she got a G on all of these meaning Frequently demonstrates good work. And she got an O (Consistently demonstrates Outstanding work) in Science. So proud of her!

The kids have always been card players... over the summer after getting them ready for bed we'd always finished the night by playing a few games of crazy 8's... fun times and at the end of the summer Walker finally would hold his cards in his hands instead of laying them all out behind him... a huge moment.

So last week when the kids both had Friday off from school we learned a new game... Rummy. Ainsley caught on really quick... and since last Friday it's been non-stop Rummy... currently she's winning against Mommy and she's really happy about that! Walker doesn't like to play it... the concept is a bit harder for him and he gets so frustrated with all the cards you have to hold.

The other day while driving home I asked the kids what type of job they wanted to do when they got older. I love asking them often... each time it's so different and I usually get a small laugh in too!

Ainsley said, "I'm still trying to decide... either a soccer coach... a dancer coach... or maybe an artist painter."

Walker knew exactly what job, "I want to work at a Instruction Site!" I said I think you mean construction site. He said, "Nope an Instruction Site!"

Both kiddos are home today (Friday)...teachers have meetings. Looks like a lazy day of jammies and a few games of cards. This evening both kiddos have swimming lessons again... we decided to do some private lessons... kids were just not getting enough individual time to learn.