and wow did we pack a lot into one day.

The morning started out badly. I hadn't slept well last night and did not have the energy for yelling and disobedience and yelling back. I did manage to fold a very good paper airplane. Mom got John a paper airplane book for Hannukah, and David has been loving it. You've got to file a flight plan in our house because our airways are zooming.

Finally, at ten John took the kids on a downtown adventure. They rode the bus, the carousel, the monorail, and back again. I got rid of the crib. This actually is a huge deal. Not that David is out of a crib, that happened about a year ago, but that we finally got the crib out of our house. I tried to give it to two friends, no go. I tried to give it to Goodwill and Jewish Family Services. Nope. My sister suggested the kids' consignment store a few miles away and they not only took it, they gave me 35.00. Yippee! Then I ran a few more Christmas related errands even though I was sure I had started way ahead of time and had nothing left.

We had a pretty quick lunch turn around time because I took the kids to the movies. This is a big event in our family. The kids watch lots of videos at home, but Rose has only been to an actual movie theater maybe four times, and David once. We joined my sister and family and friends from school to see the Princess and the Frog. It went great. I worried that David would be too scared, too loud, or too bored. Near the end he started asking me when it was going to be over, but basically, he hung in. He was never too loud, and the parts I thought were pretty scary, like the voodoo gods attacking, didn't phase him. We all liked the movie.

Then home for another quick turn around; this time David was flip city. (Why I didn't think to give him a snack is beyond me. He was a basket case until dinner time.) I tidied the house, set the table with the good china, put out candles, and put on my Christmas dress. Christmas Eve dinner is our new family tradition. John made a stupendous meal--linguini with clam sauce, Annie's pasta for the kids, chicken with crunchy bits, and mixed vegetables. Deirdre brought salad. Julia brought bread. Mom brought champagne. We had Christmas cookies (see prior entry) for dessert.

For bedtime, we read The Night Before Christmas. Much to my shock, David is now asleep.