Christmas Trees, Mice, and More

The day after Thanksgiving we went to Dad and Mom’s and got a Christmas tree.  The kids enjoyed helping decorate it.

Note that most of the ornaments are at the bottom of the tree in clumps – I try to sneak a few up higher whenever Kate and Lincoln aren’t looking. =)


Every night when Mike gets home from work the kids say “Throw me, Daddy.”  I finally captured it one evening. 


Picture of the kids and I on my birthday


Mice – well, we were at my parents for Thanksgiving.  The adults were sitting around the table and Kate and Lincoln were downstairs playing.  I was holding Creighton.  After awhile Kate came upstairs with a toy skillet, which she does at home all the time when she is pretending to make dinner.  Anyway, she says, “Look Mom.”  I look, expecting to see some pretend eggs or something and it’s a mouse in her skillet.  I may have screamed or squealed, I certainly jumped.  Kate exclaimed, “Mom doesn’t like mice. But Mom, it’s not real, it’s not real, Mom.”  In my mind I was trying to process if that was true or not, Grandma does have a pretend mouse.  About that time, Kate emphatically says, “No, Mom, it’s not real” and shoves the skillet up in my face and then drops the mouse on the floor.  I jumped back and said, “Yes, Kate, it is real…somebody get it.”  At the point, Kate did look a little nervous that she had been playing with a real (dead) mouse.  I will not think about how long she had been playing with it or what all she touched after she picked it up.  Almost daily, Kate says, “Hey Mom, remember when I scared you with that mouse?” and then she giggles hysterically. =)