Friday Favorites

I don't really even know what happened last Saturday. I'm pretty sure it didn't even exist, so we'll just start with Sunday.

1. Since Rophone was working on Sunday morning and we had some sickies in house, we stayed home from church and spent some quality time together. I was able to play games with 3 of the 5 kids. 

This is a favorite for two reasons:

• I got to spend time with my kids that was time we would have been apart had we attended church. Not saying we shouldn't go to church, but taking advantage of the time to do something together is pretty darn good.
• My kids are developing a love of games. It was a huge part of my family life growing up, so I'm glad my kids are learning to enjoy it, too.

2. A fabulous friend gifted me with a new camera app for my iPhone. It's super cool and I love the pictures I've been able to take with it so far. 

3. On Monday morning, I was able to meet two dear friends for breakfast. It was a blast. I've already blogged about it, even. Scroll down or click here to read about it.

4. Rophone ordered me a new nutcracker to use as a stocking hanger. I love how it stands out in the crowd. My husband knows me so well.

5. We got some beautiful snow and I actually convinced Edith to don her snow clothes (she has an aversion to them for some reason) so she could come outside while I shoveled the driveway. She looked super cute and I had to laugh that she wouldn't walk in the snow, but would only step where I had already shoveled.

6. Edith and I took Pen to the orthodontist on Wednesday and the sisters enjoyed spending time together. I loved seeing them interact. Edith was so excited to have her picture taken with Pen that she just couldn't hold still (hence the blurry baby). Love these sisters.

7. My mom came with me to watch the kids sing in their Christmas programs both yesterday and today (they split up the program by grades). Yesterday we watched Bud, and today we got to see Big in his very first elementary school program and Ginger in her very last. It was great and I'll do a separate post about it over the weekend.

8. We were going to splurge for a real tree this year, but upon reflection decided we'd better just stick with the Charlie Brown Christmas tree we already own. The kids loved to decorate it and reminisce about all the ornaments as they put them on the tree. I love the festive spirit it brings. I just love this time of year.

9. Rophone and I got out for a few minutes tonight to take care of a few things. It is the time of year for that. It was nice to unwind a little with my honey after a Big day. It's always nice.