The Week Before Christmas

 'Twas the week before Christmas and all through the house.....were bags of things I have bought and haven't found time to wrap them so I just really hope the kids don't go through the laundry basket because there are like 7 presents in there that are definitely not wrapped and just in grocery bags.... but I actually feel more prepared this year than I have in the past!  I've been able to get a lot more wrapped beforehand because I can do it during the day.  I can also do Christmas shopping while they are at school which is much less stressful!  And when packages come to the door I don't have to rush to hide them so the kids don't get to them first!

I really do love having my kids home and I am glad when they come home after school and tell me about their day, but things are so much less complicated when I can run errands on my own!  But today is their last day of school before Christmas break so I really tried to have most everything done by now.  And I think for the most part I have.  Now they have a full 2 weeks (and a little more) where we are all home together!  I'm pretty lucky in that, while my kids do fight, they really love spending time together and playing with each other.  I have a few activities planned and we have a few things planned with family so that should help too.

Last weekend we had our ward Christmas party and they had Santa there!  I was a little taken aback when Mia said "That's not Santa.  He's just a helper."  And then Asher said "Do you still believe in Santa?" to Mia.  My kids are growing up too fast!  My girls definitely still have the "Christmas Magic", but I think Asher is growing out of it, which makes me sad.  I know he's at about the right age and he's already figured out the Tooth Fairy isn't real (mainly because I'm terrible at being the Tooth Fairy) but I just want to hold on to his childhood just that much longer.  I think he has a half-hearted belief in Santa, but I don't know how much longer that will last.  For now we'll just enjoy the season and have fun together!

As much as I have a hard time with Asher growing up, it's also kind of fun being able to talk with him about bigger topics.  He's always asking me questions that I honestly have a hard time answering ("What happens when people have diabetes?" "What's going on in Ukraine?" "Why is it important to go to school?" "What are Catholics?" "Did God create war?") and sometimes I'm too tired or burnt out to answer them, but I usually try my best to answer them and it leads to some interesting discussions.  He's such an inquisitive kid and has really challenged me as a parent, but it's been so rewarding too.  

Well, I have half an hour before the kids get off the bus so I'm going to enjoy my last bit of peace before the chaos begins!