And we're off!

November has turned into December; the 50 degree temperatures have dropped to the 30s.  Holiday music has long been on the radio and twinkly lights are everywhere. Let the holidays commence!

We put up our Solstice tree on Friday night after a nice pasta and bread sticks dinner and bubbly Martinelli's Apple Cider for all.  The kids love that stuff.  Coen tried to polish it off when he thought we weren't looking

We listened to 50s Christmas music and made our house look festive.  Winter Wendall comes tonight to fill our stockings.

Today Coen got to go to a friend's birthday party and Lucy and I got to spend a girls' day out with her friend Siri and my friend Natalie.  We visited the cats, dogs and rabbits at the Humane Society and had coffees and hot cocoas at Alterra.

Tonight Coen took a bag of perishable food items and joined my parents at the Amtrak Station for the arrival of the Christmas Train at an event benefiting Hunger Task Force. 

Lucy got to enjoy the novelty of having Mom and Dad all to herself.  She loved it--talked to us non stop and entertained all the on-lookers at Outpost where we enjoyed dinner and Yo Mama where we enjoyed dessert.

Anyone who has two (or more) kids knows how rare it can be for that second born (or other subsequent born) to get in time alone with BOTH parents.  It's really good for everyone and you get to focus your combined attention on one child--the one who did not get to have three to four years of such an experience before being joined by a sibling. 

Right now Tad is getting her ready for bed.  I hear the water splashing in the sink and Lucy saying "I better get to sleep because if Winter Wendall sees me he'll say, I'm not filling that girl's stocking! She's got her eyes still open!"