It's beginning to look a lot like...

Christmas? Check!
We spent the weekend shopping for a "simulated" Christmas tree and then putting it up in the family room. Of course, the kids wanted to get all the decorations out and deck the halls. So... we are now ready for Santa! Actually I'm grateful we got the decorating done early. Now we can enjoy the holidays just a bit longer and it gets me in the spirit of things.

This is the first year that the children will be buying presents for their siblings. They are so excited and have spent a great deal of time thinking about each other and what would make a good gift for each person. The hard part will be finding the time to shop individually with each child as they shop for their siblings!

They've been thinking of the gift in light of what each person's passion is. N loves birds, E loves cats, L loves maps and numbers. We've talked about how every person has different passions and how those passions are glimpses into the gifts and talents that each of us possess.

Yesterday we were watching a rodeo on TV. There were men strapping themselves onto the back of a fierce bull and then getting flipped into the air as they attempted to both land and scamper away from the hooves and horns aimed at them. E looked at them and said, "Boy am I glad THAT's not my passion!"

Funny, I thought the same thing and then I thought, "Where's his momma!?!"