Someone told me the other day it's six weeks until New Year's. Egad. I can't believe in four days it's Thanksgiving. I have started my Christmas shopping - did a lot this weekend actually - and I love doing that. It's a season we wait for all year and then spins by horribly fast. As a kid though, I know it's a LONG season... always waiting forever for that jolly elf to slide down the chimney. I'm glad, because the anticipation is better than anything. But I have noticed as you get older, Christmas sneaks up, BAM! hits you hard, then disappears so fast you wake up and it's Valentine's Day.

I've been thinking a lot about that lately - life passing you by, children growing up fast, missing out on things because you're busy doing the mundane (thanks Lisa!). And while that is all true, it is also impossible to live by. You HAVE to clean the dishes or you will get some strange bacterial disease and die in the hospital. You HAVE to clean your room, otherwise you will slip on a crayon or shoe and hit your head and bleed out. You HAVE to clean the bathroom because... I won't even go there. SO, yes, it IS a matter of life or death for you to take some time and do the little chores while your child happily and quietly entertains himself or watches mindless TV. :) But I get the picture in whole and I do remember that my kids are only little once. Anybody who knows me can vouch for that.

We had a good weekend, going out for dinner for my mom's birthday - we hit a fondue restaurant with ADULTS only (thanks Amy for babysitting!) and it was a blast. Reminicent of a dinner in my youth when we ate chocolate fondue for dinner because the cheese fondue had burnt. The best meal ever! This meal was yummy but also fun - quite hilarious to watch my father fish around for his lost piece of bread in the depths of the melted cheese-filled pot. We also could deep fry vegetables which is totally counter productive since it certainly didn't make them too healthy. Our dessert was divine - two choices: a Turtle fondue (like the Turtle candy) and a hazelnut... yum...

I have managed to get a lot of toy shopping done, but I still have adult presents to buy. Brady is so hard to shop for and although he is already 26 inches tall I think Santa will bring him an Exersaucer. Some Exersaucers only go up to 30 inches, but I have come across a couple that go to 32. I brought down my old one and he really liked it. He was able to turn around and hit the little toys on the bench. I like giving him a new way of looking at the world, especially since I have to take down his jumper from the doorway. He does love that thing! (sigh) But his PT is VERY much opposed to it, since it can promote toe walking and tightens his already tight muscles in his legs. So, it is down and not to be put back up. Sigh.

Speaking of Christmas, while I know SOME people out there starting putting up their decorations Sunday (ahem, you know who you are!) we have in the past few years put our tree up Wednesday night and decorate it Thursday morning while we watch the Macy's parade. I am getting a little excited because it means the season is really here. A friend of ours put up his holiday light extravaganza yesterday, ready to light on Thursday night. And by extravaganza, I mean he should start to charge admission. It is done tastefully though, quite unlike Truvy's house in Steel Magnolias.