A Christmouse reflection

Life was good at the Rooney house. I went undetected for some time. Food was plentiful at the base of the bird feeder. I would get my dinner and settle in under a bookcase in the garage. But you know what they say...the grass is always greener. So I decided to start venturing into warmer recesses. I found a way into the house (the Rooneys are still trying to find my entry point) and the wonders there! Children playing with toys under the tree, leftover food abound, a warm stove to hunker down underneath. This is Nirvana, baby! And I can poo wherever I want and they clean it up! But alas, all good things must come to an end. The peanut butter on the trap was just too enticing, and I fell into my death. It was good while it lasted.

Rest in peace, Christmouse! And don't haunt your friends and tell them about our house!

'The Elf on the Shelf'

A few years ago I helped Nolan make a video for his first grade holiday tradition presentation. Now it's Thomas' turn.

Thomas wanted talk about Eddie, the elf who hides in our house to watch him and then report back to Santa. There is a book that tells Eddie's story titled "The Elf on the Shelf." So he read it for his video. Here's what we came up with...

Dyken Pond Photos

Chester was pooped at the end of our hike.

Advent

Today is the third Sunday of Advent, the pink candle which stands for the joy and anticipation of Christmas. It's a nice breath of fresh air, really. A lot of the readings for Advent are about making sure we are ready for Christ's coming - they can be a little heavy. Advent is supposed to be a time when we get in touch with our emptiness and longings and accept them for what they are. We are more than that. It's okay to be unfinished and not have it all figured out. See...heavy stuff! So the pink candle reminds us to rejoice in the good stuff...and not to sweat the small stuff. We did that today.

Today we went to find the Yule Log at a magical place called Dyken Pond. The tradition is that people would hide a yule log on the winter solstice and celebrate the shortest day to the year by finding it and burning it throughout the night. Dyken Pond is a great preserve in Rensselaer county with educational programs and 6 miles of trails through woods, swamps and streams. The yule log is hidden somewhere in the preserve and we're given a few hints. The hunt was on! Of course, a group of teenagers found it before we did, but at least we were on the right trail. We dragged the sled with us so Thomas could ride whenever he got tired. Chester enjoyed all the smells. We were all bundled warm and it was a beautiful, snowy day to be out in the woods. Breathing that cold fresh air instead of being in the hubbub at the stuffy mall wins in my book, any day of the week.

So, I think we are as ready as we'll ever be for Christmas to come. Chris and I went to his station's holiday party this week. The Christmas cards are out and I'm half-way through wrapping. The house smells like cookies and fir tree. The kids are counting the days, although they still haven't really said what they want for Christmas. As long as there are some kind of presents, I guess they are happy! So come on Christmas, bring it on!

Christmas prep

We got our Christmas tree on Sunday at a little farm in Milton. The trees were small but that's what we wanted anyway. It was the first time we showed up, saw a tree right away that we agreed on, cut it and left. All under an hour-wow! So we are all decorated and the shopping is done. We still have cards, wrapping and baking to do.

Thomas is about to get off the bus. Nolan is staying late at school because he's going to working at being in a spelling bee. We pick him up, have swim lessons and then we hit the books. Chris and Nolan are going to the library tonight to see a man acting as Teddy Roosevelt. All a day in the life of the Rooneys!