Lighting the Candles and Decorating, Part Deux

Holiday season is in full swing in our house. I was holding off until closer to Christmas. I didn't want to torture Fin with tales of a special day that seems forever in the distance to a 4-year-old.

Friday we celebrated Chanukah at Nancy and Mr. Pat's house. There were homemade potato latkes and fried chicken. A traditional, Southern Chanukah dinner. Fin received tons and tons of presents from them and from our friends, the E family, in Florida. Nancy had been saving up presents during the long wait for Fin's arrival and a chair full of packages was the result. Fin had a blast. Except, when Nancy lit the menorah, Fin said, "Is it my birf-day?"

First latke, smeared with sour cream.


Mr. Pat can spin that dreidel!


Asking Nancy to babysit her new "puppy" from the E family.


Makin' latkes with Nancy.


Saturday, we decorated her "Jimmie Tree" in her room. She had a blast.


How do you put the hook on?


The finished project.


Then, this afternoon, we went shopping for our tree. She found one she wanted.


It was $60 and too tall for me to decorate.


We ended up with it's runty little brother, but it is still pretty. I decorated as much as I could while she was napping. I wasn't sure our relationship would survive a second tree-decorating. She is making some paper ornaments. We should have pics tomorrow.

This afternoon, she was using plastic boxes as pretend presents. She wanted me to play Santa, so I obliged. Then, she ran in her room and came back with some items in one of boxes as a present for "Santa". It was an alphabet book she made in school of the letter "A" and a penny. Aaawwwwwwww!