I love it

Yesterday it was around 68 degrees outside.  That's not really normal for November, so we took advantage and put the Christmas lights up on the roof. I love this time of year!  I love Halloween and how magical it is for the kiddos.  We have so much fun.  And I love that it leads into all the other holidays at the end of the year.  We have a couple turkeys in our freezer downstairs ready to become Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.  We've set up food assignments for our Thanksgiving dinner with Husband's family and I get hungry just thinking about it.  And I absolutely love Christmas!  We are trying to get most of the gift stuff taken care of before the end of this month.  The girls go off track the day before Thanksgiving and don't go back until January 2.  I know most people hate this track for this very reason, but I am crazy so I am excited!  We've got plans, my friends!  Festival of Trees, visiting Santa, all during the day when it's not nearly as crowded.  I've bought a few cheapie crafts for them to do, since they won't get to do them in school.  We'll bake cookies, candy, and other goodies.  I can do so more work on teaching Big Sister how to cook.  We love to do the lights on Temple Square, and it's preferable for us to get there just as they're turning on.  Before it gets crowded.  That's easier to accomplish when there's no schoolwork to worry about.  I love that the girls' dance studio takes the month of December off instead of having extra rehearsals and performances.  While I loved watching big sister perform when she was with studios that did Christmas stuff, it was just one more thing on our to do list.  And there was the year she got sick and didn't even get to perform, so all the extra time and money felt like a waste.  So we'll have our nights free to start a Christmas movie, turn on the fireplace and have hot chocolate & popcorn.  We're planning on taking the kids out on individual dates to go pick out their gifts for each other.  During the day when it's not crowded!  (Sensing a pattern here?)  I am way excited for this long break so we can just take it easy and slow and still do all the things we like to do for Christmas.  It will eliminate a lot of the hustle and bustle, and make it easier to focus on the real reason we celebrate our Savior's birth.  I was a little disappointed about getting B track at first, but now I'm thinking I want to request it for next year!  Here's hoping for a little snow to play in.  That would just put the cherry on top of it all!