Today

The morning began with the Christmas concert at the school. We showed up half an hour early to get seats. Kate was in front, in the middle, and she played to the crowd. She sang loudly, she smiled, she waved. Susie Snowflake, Rudolph, etc. She likes to be on stage. Jack was in back, looking a little wooden and sleepy. When it was over, he joked around with his friend Peter ("we walked into a door!" he said later), but during the show he just went through the motions. Kate continued to wave.

After school, they had a gingerbread house class. I helped out, pouring candy into bowls and trimming tips on  icing and such. Working the room, helping kids in need. Often Kate.

We went home, and Jack gave me a tour of his gingerbread house. The trapdoors, the secret passageways, the different attributes. He was pretty pleased with it. Well, he lamented it wasn't as nice as the one in the picture on the box. I said they took a lot more time on those. He admitted his was unique.

We brought Kate to a girl scout meeting. Jack and I stood outside and tried to make up games until Emily showed up. But went inside because it was really, really cold.

At Aunt Cathy's, we ate latkes and lit the menora for their Hannukah celebration. And Jack and his cousins goofily sang 12 days of Christmas. Then we went home.

We hugged and kissed them both goodnight, then sat on the couch and were glad they were sleeping upstairs, safe and sound. Then went up to kiss them goodnight again.