It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

So the holidays are upon us and in an unprecedented move, we're actually staying home to celebrate this year! Almost unheard of, but we needed a year off. While we are blessed with wonderful family on both sides, with whom we love to visit, the many hours in car or plane can wear you out, especially with a two year old! Moving on....

Thursday was very relaxing. The three of us ate a leisurely dinner (most of which the schnitz could actually eat...woohoo for that accomplishment!), took some naps to recover and then joined some friends for dinner that night. An amazingly nice day. The weather was cool, highs in the 30's, but the roads were completely dry and didn't make our lives interesting in any way. Just the way fall should be, in my humble opinion!

Now tell me that's not an amazingly full plate for a child allergic to wheat, eggs, dairy, soy and beef! Can you tell that I'm just a little impressed with myself?;-)

Yesterday, we all slept in, due to our rather late night the previous evening. After a very healthy breakfast of pie (only for Brad and I...we're good parents, if not good examples;-), Brad headed out to see the new Bond movie with a friend while the schnitz and I got busy setting up the Christmas tree. What can I say? Our interests seriously divided on those activities! (Of course, by staying home, I got to see a seriously fantastic game between Nebraska and CU and scare the daylights out of my child with my shriek of joy when Nebraska made their crucial 57 yard fieldgoal. But, I digress.) By the time Brad returned home the house was decorated and looking quite lovely, if I do say so myself!

I left to do a few quick errands and in doing so, saw all of the people gathered along Mainstreet for the lighting of the mayor's Christmas tree. For those (meaning almost all;-) of you who have never been to our house, it is located in a really neat area. We live just off Mainstreet which is actually Old Town Parker. Parker was only incorporated 25 years ago and they've done a really great job keeping a lot of the traditions of a small town. This celebration is one that I think is really cool! So, while I'm driving down Mainstreet, I see the horse and carriage (which we watched being unloaded behind our house earlier in the day) giving people rides up and down the street and hundreds of people gathered in the park while the sound of Christmas music filled the air. Love it! Then while I'm across the street getting ready to go into the store, I'm able to hear the countdown and then see the whole park fill with Christmas lights! Almost perfect, right?

The gazebo in the park. I have to admit, for me a gazebo seems to make a park complete!

When I get home about 45 minutes later, I head up to the door and think to myself, it smells like snow. However, the forecast had called for maybe flurries at most and so the odds didn't seem all that great. Imagine my surprise when I looked out the window 30 minutes later to see HUGE snowflakes, so big that you could see their individuals patterns, falling from the sky and the lawn already covered in white. Talk about quintessential Colorado, right? It truly made for the most lovely and relaxing evening. The schnitz went to bed after being promised some play-in-the-snow time, Brad made a fire in the fireplace and while we enjoyed the fire and snow I wrapped all of the Christmas presents. What a nice way to end the week and a wonderful way to start into the Christmas season! Hope you enjoy just a few pictures of our town and home:-)

As you can see, the kitties very much approved of the way we spent the evening, too!

This is a little church located right across the street. Isn't it beautiful? They actually have this covered in lights too and it looks amazing at night.

The schnitz was having a lot of fun this morning. A big difference from last year when he touched the snow and just looked at me like I was crazy to have him out there! Oddly enough, he took to the warm water and sand at the beach immediately:-)

Ahhh...as if the snow wasn't enough, he even got to make a new puppy friend this morning.

And just in case you were concerned the shnitz might get cold in this weather, rest assured that he has his own, unique, ways of staying warm. And yes, he was like this when I went to get him up from his nap!:-)