Things to Do - Grateful List (December 2013)

Wow, December seems like forever ago. But here it is, Xmas and all . . .

THE ARTS
* Reading James Salter's All That Is
* Project Runway at night with the kids
* Matilda and Annie on Broadway as a family
* Listening to the Virgins, Strike Gently

FOOD
* Dan's venison spaghetti
* Dan's venison steaks
* Pearl Fine Teas (from Union Market) - 3 pm blend, ginger lemon, and makiki
* Bacon, greyer, ham strata (via Cooking Light)

PLACES
* Worlds Fair trains at the US Botanic Gardens
* MOMA with the girls
* Snow in Times Square
* Hiking the Turkey Run loop as a family

STUFF
* New memory for my imac from Crucial.com
* My new Roomba, it's amazing. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Margie!
* My new necklace with the kids' initials Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Dan!

ETC.
* Spending Sunday afternoon reading books on the couch with the kids
* Finding the Light online photography class
* Our dog training session with WOOFS! - amazingly helpful
* Playing wii Carnival Games with the kids
* A 60 degree day in December
* T lining up his matchbox cars and stating "if I have called your name, please step forward. You are safe this week and you may leave the runway."
* P and Laney spending a rainy day making Lego Friends and T asking "mom, do they have lego friends for boys?"/ "yes"/ "well, what are they called?"/ "um, they're just called legos, T."
* F dressing T up and taking him out to play in the snow - "Guess what we did, mom? We climbed Mt. Mulch."
* F making T breakfast in bed
* The girls' playing together - "I have bad news, your parents died."/ "Wait, that means we're living with a pop star forever. Awesome!"
* F - "P, there are a lot of things that happen in the world that aren't your fault, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to help. like it's not my fault that people are homeless, but I still think we should try to help those people. And it's not your fault that my kindle fire won't stay charged. but if you were a person who cared, you'd help me by giving me your kindle fire. just like i try to help homeless people."
* The girls using all their souvenir money to buy presents for each other and T
* Surprising F by eating lunch with her in the cafeteria
* 3 kids, 1 dentist appointment, no cavities
* Our winter solstice party (70 degrees on the solstice) - 130 people is a lot of people for one little house, but keg stands, venison chili, Elf hats, and margaritas made it all worth it, plus T asking "mommy, can we have that party again?"
* T waking up and looking for Elford every morning
* The girls and my mom playing Snow-opoly
* A successful Xmas morning (T - walkie talkies and the Land of Nod fire station; F - Furbies and science kits; P - Furbies and lego friends)
* T asking Dan - "Are you sure you don't have to ask mom, because she's kind of the boss? Unless she sleeps in, then you get to be the boss."
* T asking - "Can we play the game where the guy always kills people?" / me - "HUH?" / Dan - "Don't worry, he means Clue."
* Me yelling (all Xmas day) - "Can someone please SHUT THOSE FURBIES UP?"
* Family games of Crazy 8s.
* P parking herself on Great Grandma's lap.
* My mom visiting and helping (so so much) with the kids.
* The neighbors' NYE party (all of our kids stayed up til midnight. wow).

THE KIDS' LISTS:

F - my family, a really great sister, a nice house to live in and food to eat, my first student council meeting, a great vacation in NYC, the M&M store and Toys R'Us, Grandma Troutman visiting, Xmas, going to tea [at the Ritz]

P - my family, our house, Elford, Monster High dolls, my room, the countdown to Xmas, my sleeping bag, MOMA, the M&M store, Toys R'Us, both plays on Broadway

T - our dog trainer, standing like trees, J's Xmas party, daddy being home, my family, that we went to NYC, a nice house to live in and food to eat, seeing Frozen, Grandma