A change of heart

Look what I found in the living room corner.  This little set up reminded me of the joy in childrens' hearts this time of year and brought me back to my youth.

I remember laying under the Christmas tree and squinting up at the lights to make the colors blur together. 

I recall looking at my reflection in the ornaments and imagining living in the shiny red or green world. 

I've been pretty bummed this year because we don't have enough lights for our 7-foot Christmas tree.  And to add enough strings of lights to our tree adds up pretty fast.  I can't bring myself to pay $129 for a skinny 7-foot prelit tree with pine cones on it.  So I'm waiting until the after-Christmas sales to get a new one.

We have this little tree and half the lights on it don't work.  But they're still on it because half of each of the strings DO work.  It's gross.  Don't look close. 

But no matter how negative I feel about my sad harrassed little tree, my kids love it.  And they want to turn the lights on all day long.  They want to handle the ornaments and redecorate it.  They want to lay under it and daydream.  They want to be kids enjoying Christmastime.  So I'm letting them.  I have had a change of heart.

I was going to post again today.

First I had to catch up on like 437 blog posts in my reader.  Before I was done, the twins bounced a dozen oranges all over my kitchen and lowered the value of our Charlie Brown Christmas tree by biting a few ornaments, squishing some, and chucking a few more at the living room wall. 

I just know one day I'll look back fondly on this Christmas and the innocence of their youth.  Maybe not this week . . .   or month . . . or year . . .

So you want to have twins part III

See this sharpie scribble on my cupboard?  It made my heart skip a beat.

Then I glanced around the kitchen, saw this and worked at it with the magic eraser . . .

while anticipating cleaning this (which should prove easier being a smoother surface than cupboard fronts) . . .

when this happened.

That's when I lost it and yelled, "Why?  WHY?! 

I could get you the things you need if you'd stop with the messes!"

Then I had to comfort two little twins reduced to puddles of tears. 

Then Danny had to comfort me. 

*sigh*

Why haven't you updated your blog?

I have a curious Tater who keeps me on my toes sometimes more than his buddy Squdge.

Nikki:  Buddy, why are you shredding the garbage bag?

Tater:  I uh no. 

translation:  I don't know.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Tater is a "go get 'em" little guy.  Here he takes a break from harrassing the bookshelf to snack on the couch with lunchmeat.

We took a break from our regularly scheduled calm *snort* to go trick o' treating.

Left to right we have:  Two Daddies (these mini-flight suits are actually closer to the pilot's ones than missileers), Jack o' Lanterns wearing each other's costume - oops (Tater is bigger than Squdge), a fairy in the middle and Superman holding a butterfly who's escaping her costume.  Catch all that?

Other than Gabbers friend party, this brings you through October.  mostly.