Merry Christmas

Some of the last words Kelsey uttered before going to bed on Christmas Eve were, "If anyone wakes me up before 9am I will personally drag them outside and lock them out!"

So, silly me, I thought I'd be able to sleep comfortably until 8:30 or so.

Really, not so much.

By 7:55 this morning, all 3 kids were in our room, begging me to get up. By 8:00 they'd lost all patience and started stripping the covers off the bed. Ok, I can take a hint.

With one eye open I shuffled upstairs to watch the kids tear into their gifts. We got them a Wii gaming system plus all the accessories. As I've mentioned before, we're big Beatles fans, so of course there was Beatles Rock Band.

Everyone quickly found their niche playing Beatles Rock Band. Drew's best on vocals; Erin prefers the drums; Kelsey plays a mean lead guitar, and Baird rocks on bass. Just wait til we get this party home and start including a subwoofer!

It's Christmastime in the City

This year, my Pampered Chef upline directors decided to host the annual Christmas luncheon at The Walnut Room in the former Marshall Field's on State Street. When you dine at The Walnut Room this time of year, it's all about the tradition of eating a festive meal by the enormous tree and much less about the food consumed. Today was no exception - the atmosphere was pure Christmas. There was a pianist playing Christmas carols and taking requests. In fact, she sent a message to our table and asked what we'd like to hear. Without a moment's hesitation, I requested my dad's favorite Christmas carol - Silver Bells. As she played the carol, I realized that the words "It's Christmastime in the city" seemed just perfect for the moment.

Have I mentioned recently how much I love this time of year?